Teaching in Thailand over 60?

[Slip]

58 minutes ago, digger70 said:

How can you explain anything if they can't Understand you and not Speak their Language,,,,, this is what it is All about,,,, Say you speak English and speak English to aThai Pupil who never heard people speak English.Ho won't know what you are saying,,,, If you Say The pupil Does You should't be Aloud in a school,,,,

Are you an EFL teacher?

 

[digger70]

18 hours ago, taiwanatoa said:

Not true unless you are talking about beginners only. If you speak clearly like an intelligent person and explain things there is no problem

Well there you said it yourself ,,,,,Thats just what I am talking about,,,,, If they Can't Understand you  You shouldn't be aloud to Teach 

[digger70]

17 hours ago, Slip said:

Are you an EFL teacher?

 

No I am Not ,English isn't  my native language,,, I would not teach English because  I don't see myself qualified to do that,Not like Many other people. I have been asked but I declined .

[khaepmu]

71 years old and go a job at a Thai University down south. In good health and look a bit younger. It helps if they are desperate.  

[Scott]

Off-topic, bickering posts removed.  

[quandow]

19 hours ago, Scott said:

Off-topic, bickering posts removed.  

Awwww, c'mon! Those are sometimes the BEST!

 

[Scott]

4 hours ago, quandow said:

Awwww, c'mon! Those are sometimes the BEST!

 

No, for old timers they might be entertaining, but for newer members who are looking for information they are a major distraction.   Personal bickering is not permitted among members is not relevant.

[Rhys]

In the end, schools that have trouble finding qualified teachers welcome the over 60 EFL teacher with tons of experience because they (Thai ADM) know these teachers still want something to do..and still have something left to contribute...

[simon43]

I should imagine that outward appearance can also help the older teacher.  If you've got a dodgy hip and a large beer gut, then those first impressions may well negatively influence the school recruiter.

 

So it can pay off to look after your health and fitness ?  Here in Myanmar, I am currently the fastest 5 Km runner in my age group for the Naypyitaw region - running 5 Km in under 25 minutes.  That means that I eat well and exercise well and look well!  This all counts in my favour for retaining my current job or moving on to new employment at my advanced years ?

[Colabamumbai]

Started at 59 retired at 65, could have kept working till 70 or longer. Canadians are appreciated. The 3 months at Thai school learning Thai was invaluable.

[ostyan]

I'm 65 now, still teaching. No problem until my physical conditions are acceptable and I can teach. I must admit it is far more difficult to find new offer as it was, say 20 years ago ?

[davidst01]

You will not have any luck getting work at a university. I recently tried to recruit a 61 year old at our uni and head office would not consider it. If you had been working at a tertiary institution prior to reaching 60 years of age then it is possible to keep the contract rolling on a yearly basis. 

 

Good luck.

[The manic]

On 2/8/2018 at 7:51 PM, digger70 said:

One can have as many Titles that fill up a room,,,,, I say If one doesn't speak Thai Fluently shouldn't be allowed to Teach Any Language in Thailand ,,,How in the name of Satan is one going to explain  to the pupils Anything if one Can't speak Thai.I rest my Case.If you don't like it ,,,, Tough Titties,,,,,

Using the local language in any country is forbidden in reputable schoools

 The underlying methodology that has made English  an international language is not because all Brits speak all languages. If you have  a class from 9 different countries should the teacher translate 9 times? The last thing Thai languages learners need is teachers talking Thai to them.

Edited July 9, 2018 by The manic

[brewsterbudgen]

12 minutes ago, The manic said:

Using the local language in any country is forbidden in reputable schoools

 The underlying methodology that has made English  an international language is not because all Brits speak all languages. If you have  a class from 9 different countries should the teacher translate 9 times? The last thing Thai languages learners need is teachers talking Thai to them.

First rule of TEFL - language #1 is forbidden in class.

[My Thai Life]

Teaching in Thailand over 60 is not a problem, particularly for those teachers with commensurate experience and qualifications. But I would be cautious with anyone wanting to start teaching at the age of 60, though I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, depending on the individual’s background and health.

 

If I may follow up a tangential point about banning the first language…

 

The idea that the mother tongue should be banned from the classroom was superseded a long time ago, but it does still feature in some entry level pre-service teacher training courses.

 

However, any EFL teacher who has progressed beyond basic training, maybe into PGCE/PGDip/MA level, will be aware of more recent ideas in this area and the benefits of the mother tongue. Particularly in EFL environments (as opposed to ESL), where the students overwhelmingly share the same first language, the judicious use of the mother tongue can be very useful in a variety of situations and for a variety of reasons. And teachers who have no ability in the first language are at a serious disadvantage.

 

From the point of view of school management, it’s also hugely non-productive to have to provide such teachers with babysitters (“assistant teachers”).

 

The irony is that in many EFL classrooms the most linguistically limited person is the foreign EFL teacher.

 

By the way, English is the leading international language because of the British and American Empires, not because of methodology!

[somchaismith]

On 7/10/2018 at 11:34 AM, My Thai Life said:

 

The idea that the mother tongue should be banned from the classroom was superseded a long time ago, but it does still feature in some entry level pre-service teacher training courses.

 

 

Spot on! After a while it gets tedious listening to long-term expats use that as excuse to justify their lack of being able to communicate in the local language.

Edited July 11, 2018 by somchaismith

[Rhys]

 

...just some old school 60s teacher has issues with Cell phone abuse in the front row of class while they are teaching..  Other than that they are good to go teach...

[MRDave]

On 7/10/2018 at 5:34 AM, My Thai Life said:

American Empires

Yes, those Walt Disney and George Lucus Empires have helped spread English all over the Galaxy. ?

[nausea]

On 7/11/2018 at 1:41 PM, somchaismith said:

Spot on! After a while it gets tedious listening to long-term expats use that as excuse to justify their lack of being able to communicate in the local language

Nevertheless, a class in which use of the native language is (mostly) banned, and everyone has to communicate in English, will make greater progress methinks. Good luck with that in Thailand. The question being discussed here is not "what is good for the pupils" but "what is good for the teacher". And a class goes a lot easier if you use some Thai.

[brewsterbudgen]

Nevertheless, a class in which use of the native language is (mostly) banned, and everyone has to communicate in English, will make greater progress methinks. Good luck with that in Thailand. The question being discussed here is not "what is good for the pupils" but "what is good for the teacher". And a class goes a lot easier if you use some Thai.

Globally the vast majority of TEFL classes are comprised of students with many different first languages, so proper TEFL teachers are trained to use English only. TEFL teachers in Thai schools will often have Thai teaching assistants available, so would be well advised to keep any of their own Thai input to a minimum. In my experience too many TEFL teachers in Thai schools like to show off their Thai language ability in class, to the detriment of their students' English language acquisition.

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[ozmeldo]

I don't see anything wrong with helping the students with a word or two in Thai which they are struggling to understand in English but after that - students have their fill of Thai English teachers speaking Thai, they don't need more of that and it's not why we are hired. Unless you are truly fluent, you should imo not be speaking sentences in Thai. This just adds more confusion to the classroom. It's obviously an ego thing.

 

Unless phones are being used for search, dictionaries, thesaurus or edtech they should be kept out of sight. Many students clearly suffer from addiction. Many working to middle class Thai adults also are obsessed. It is now a medical condition and I can see why.

 

Next time you are on public transportation look about, it's the poor and people that don't appear especially intelligent that are locked in their phones. People that can't bear being alone with their thoughts, easily amused and sucked into compulsive behavior. 

 

Aside from reading (news, journals, research, abstracts, forums), all the internet has just become a source of low brow, simple minded rubbish with massive fortunes derived from advertising fed to sheep via well documentated psychological tricks and manipulation.

Edited August 4, 2018 by ozmeldo

[My Thai Life]

Translation is continually going on in language learning - not least of all in the mind of the learner - as anyone who has studied a foreign language knows. 

 

More recent trends in enlightened TEFL practice and theory acknowledge this and harness it.

 

[Rhys]

... still looking.... 

 

[taiwanatoa]

I should imagine that outward appearance can also help the older teacher.  If you've got a dodgy hip and a large beer gut, then those first impressions may well negatively influence the school recruiter.
 
So it can pay off to look after your health and fitness ?  Here in Myanmar, I am currently the fastest 5 Km runner in my age group for the Naypyitaw region - running 5 Km in under 25 minutes.  That means that I eat well and exercise well and look well!  This all counts in my favour for retaining my current job or moving on to new employment at my advanced years ?

That is a question??

[simon43]

That is a question??

 

It was a deliberate typo to see who (if any) would actually read everything that I wrote...  ????

[The manic]

On 4/27/2018 at 11:46 AM, Slip said:

Are you an EFL teacher?

 

Obviously not.

[The manic]

On 8/2/2018 at 2:25 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Globally the vast majority of TEFL classes are comprised of students with many different first languages, so proper TEFL teachers are trained to use English only. TEFL teachers in Thai schools will often have Thai teaching assistants available, so would be well advised to keep any of their own Thai input to a minimum. In my experience too many TEFL teachers in Thai schools like to show off their Thai language ability in class, to the detriment of their students' English language acquisition.

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My friend has taught in the MENA region, Spain, Thailand, Burma, and has taught multilingual classes in London. Is he supposed to speak 10 languages? The critics of the no local language approach have no direct experience of language learning and teaching methodology.  If it was not the best approach it would not be used. However, modern TEFL approaches are multi methodological and translation exercises are part of most programs as is dictionary use and total immersion,  CAL etc. ! No: Teachers do not need to speak the local language. It's a fatuous believe held by people with zero knowledge of language uptake or how TEFL classes work.

[My Thai Life]

On 8/2/2018 at 8:25 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Globally the vast majority of TEFL classes are comprised of students with many different first languages, so proper TEFL teachers are trained to use English only. TEFL teachers in Thai schools will often have Thai teaching assistants available, so would be well advised to keep any of their own Thai input to a minimum. In my experience too many TEFL teachers in Thai schools like to show off their Thai language ability in class, to the detriment of their students' English language acquisition.

Actually no. TESL classes are as you described. TEFL classes are overwhelmingly mono-lingual.

 

The fact that farangs in Thailand mis-apply ESL methods in an EFL environment demonstrates just how limited their training and professional development is. CELTA, for example, is considered by many on this forum to be the gold standard, but it's just an entry-level pre-service training course for ESL (not EFL).

 

[The manic]

On 2/6/2018 at 12:14 PM, stubuzz said:

Teacher centered lectures are the most ineffective way of teaching of teaching a language.  You might want to update you teaching methodologies before you give any demo lessons.

Yes and do some research into the use of flashcards in generating cognitive uptake. If the OPs employer lost the contract why didnt he go with the new company that won the contract. Thailand needs professional,  energetic TEFL teachers. Not 'Lectures' droning on. TTT is a no no!

[brewsterbudgen]

Actually no. TESL classes are as you described. TEFL classes are overwhelmingly mono-lingual.
 
The fact that farangs in Thailand mis-apply ESL methods in an EFL environment demonstrates just how limited their training and professional development is. CELTA, for example, is considered by many on this forum to be the gold standard, but it's just an entry-level pre-service training course for ESL (not EFL).
 

I can only speak from my own experience of TEFL in Thailand. Although the majority of my students are Thai, there are regularly Japanese, Chinese and occasionally Russian students. This is not unusual in language schools.

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