Seeking Student Research Assistants

[lucidwave]

Hi all,

I will be travelling to Thailand in a few weeks to start my dissertation work on the Thai textile industry. It would be really helpful to have some Thai students help me to call textile makers and sellers and accompany me when I meet with them. I have a budget to pay them, but haven't yet figured out where to meet reliable assistants. Does anyone have any ideas on where I can begin? If this is a busy time for students, are there any firms (or other people) who I should contact for help with this?

Thanks very much in advance....

p.s. I was advised to repost this question in this forum - apologies in advance that I have asked this twice and that I did not post here first

[brahmburgers]

This is a classified ad and should be categorized as such

[lucidwave]

This is a classified ad and should be categorized as such

This is not a classified ad.

The point of this post is not to reach out to Thai students that may be reading this forum. The point is to solicit the opinion of the readers of this forum who likely have good suggestions on contacts that I should make.

For example, I imagined that people might refer me to professors that they know who could then put me in touch with appropriate students. I also imagined that people might be able to help me find the links to appropriate student bulletin boards on which I could post a request for help. It is conceivable that people reading my post might know of a student who is well suited to this, but that was not the main intention behind the post.

Again, many thanks in advance if anyone has any suggestions on how to find reliable research assistance.

Cheers.

[otherstuff1957]

Try getting in touch with the English department or the Business Department of one of the local Universities. A lot of the students there would do this sort of thing for the experience, as well as for a bit a money.

Sri Nakharin U on Asoke might be a good choice.

Edited January 27, 2007 by otherstuff1957

[lucidwave]

Thanks to all who have posted helpful responses to my question. I will respond to these last few messages in the coming days.

In the meantime: one more question if I may: do any of you know whether I would even need an interpreter at some of the sites I will be visiting? Obviously, I will for anywhere in Isaan. However, some of the interviews that I will need to be conducting are with silk merchants in Bangkok. What is the general level of English that they speak? Would it be wise to go along with an interpreter? or would it be insulting to them?

Thanks again very much to all for your responses and help.

[Ijustwannateach]

Dearie me, how did this thread slip past me?

Lucidwave, *I* would like the links, please, if you want this thread to remain on the subforum. I'd also like the name of the real, live person I need to contact at those links to verify that person is posting as your handle on this forum. I'll give you 48 hours to notice this; after that point the thread will remain invisible until I get confirmation from the links you give me that you are for real.

And many apologies about Susan Richardson, our resident (and now defunct) troll. She was already re-suspended for another offense just yesterday, but this thread makes it obvious she's stayed past her welcome (on this and many other forums).

"Steven"

[dee123]

dear lucidwave, ...i hope you ignore these insults by ms richardson...as i have lived and travelled in thailand over the past 25 years i know for sure you are going to be successful in finding people who will help you with translation...so continue as you are doing and i know your project will be a sucess.

[lucidwave]

Dearie me, how did this thread slip past me?

Lucidwave, *I* would like the links, please, if you want this thread to remain on the subforum. I'd also like the name of the real, live person I need to contact at those links to verify that person is posting as your handle on this forum. I'll give you 48 hours to notice this; after that point the thread will remain invisible until I get confirmation from the links you give me that you are for real.

And many apologies about Susan Richardson, our resident (and now defunct) troll. She was already re-suspended for another offense just yesterday, but this thread makes it obvious she's stayed past her welcome (on this and many other forums).

"Steven"

I have just private messaged you the relevant links - as well as my profile on the University webpage. My phone number was also included in the message in case you need to contact me. I hope that this will sort out any remaining questions and allow us to focus on the questions that I have posted.

[lucidwave]

dear lucidwave, ...i hope you ignore these insults by ms richardson...as i have lived and travelled in thailand over the past 25 years i know for sure you are going to be successful in finding people who will help you with translation...so continue as you are doing and i know your project will be a sucess.

Thanks dee123. I appreciate your message. I was starting feel that I was doing something wrong here. Hopefully everything does work out. I will be in Thailand in two weeks now and have left some of the organizing a little late.

[Ijustwannateach]

Ok, everyone. I'd just like to announce publicly that I've communicated with Lucidwave privately in a way that satisfies me that he is who he claims to be (a researcher at a university), at least as far as his university knows, and it would be nice if anyone who can provide him with information would do so.

If anyone else would like a quick ticket to being banned, you can behave as our ol' friend Susan did just now.

"Steven"

[Tywais]

If anyone else would like a quick ticket to being banned, you can behave as our ol' friend Susan did just now.

"Steven"

Nicely done IJWT. Being a researcher myself I can understand how that could be quite frustrating for lucidwave.

Since I'm at Chiangmai university I can't give you direct help but you might consider going to some of the universities and put posters up at the English language departments and the Business Administration departments. I suspect you will have not trouble finding a student who would like the chance to try their hands in a real world situation.

[lucidwave]

Hi all, following some good advice from people on this board: I am going to post a bit more detail about my project and what I am looking for in the hope that you guys can provide a bit of assistance.

a. desired skills (how MUCH English? Just "getting around town" or highly technical discussion?- educational level- high school ok or college preferred?)

- nothing highly technical at all really: maybe just a small amount of textile terminology. However, the interpreter should certainly have the ability to adequately convey what I am asking an interviewee and what the interviewee is saying in return. Some of this might involve being able to translate cultural differences e.g. I need to convey that I am not an industrial spy or a potential competitor and that I am simply doing this research for academic purposes that will potentially benefit a lot of Thais

b. length of trips and possible locations? Do you want people on the ground in the towns you go to, or will you take them out from Bangkok with you? How will you arrange accommodations?

- Our time in Thailand will last from Feb 14th until approx Apr 14th.

Ideally I won't have to take people very far. So, hopefully I can find people from Khon Kaen to help me while I am in that province and people from Chiang Mai to help me while I am in the North etc. If accommodations are necessary I will certainly pay all food and hotel expenses for the research assistant. My fiancee is travelling with me - so hopefully this will help offset any potential awkwardness about asking an assistant to accompany us for a multi-day trip.

c. how much remuneration are we talking about? Please be aware that the usual "part-time jobs" for unskilled labour run about 100B a day, but those are no-time-limit deals in town and don't require special skills like English. You should consider higher rates (including expenses for food/accommodation) since this is a one-time thing and requires English- the better English, the more pay.

I was thinking at least 600B a day plus meals plus accommodation. However, if anyone feels that this is not enough then please let me know. Maybe in Bangkok or for people with better skills, higher rates are in order?

So, in summary, the specific places I will need help are: Bangkok, Khon Kaen , Mahasarakam, Khorat, Chiang Mai, and Udon Thani. This will all be for the 2 months between feb 14 and apr 14. I might be also able to return for another month from mid-may until mid-june. An assistant would most importantly help me with interpreting from Thai to English during interviews, but would also be of great assistance if they could help me find silk producers and merchants to interview. The latter reason is mostly why I am trying to sort out these logistics before I arrive. If I could find someone to help, and they could set up some meetings or at least look into possibilities for meetings, that would be wonderful.

If anyone knows anyone who might be able to help me as an assistant in any of those places - or if anyone would be willing to help by putting up a note on a bulletin board for me (I will gladly design the note and email it to you) or asking around, I would be tremendously grateful.

Thanks again in advance.

[jbowman1993]

I would recommend you hire two assistants, so they (and their parents) will feel safer traveling around the country with someone they don't know. While your motives are probably perfectly honest, in the modern world it pays to question everyone's motives, to be safe.

Edited January 30, 2007 by jbowman1993