Tourist police crackdown on "international schools" employing illegal foreign teachers

[webfact]

"Please sir! Are you a foreign criminal?" Big Joke cracks down on "international schools"

 

Pictures: INN

 

Crime buster Surachet Hakpal has admitted that many of the targets of the latest crackdown on illegal foreigners in Thailand were Africans using the cover of work as language teachers at international schools.

 

The police major general - who is the deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau - said that out of the 118 targets that resulted in 99 arrests some 74 international schools were investigated.

 

 

What exactly constituted an international school was not articulated in the INN article.

 

But the major general sent out a clear warning to school administrators about hiring foreigners up to no good in Thailand.

 

He asked for school administrators' cooperation in not hiring foreigners on tourist visas and promised trouble for schools that broke the regulations regarding hiring of foreign nationals.

 

Most of the arrests in the latest raid were Africans with those from Nigeria and Guinea figuring highly.

 

Surachet - known as Big Joke in the Thai media - has been featured in many high profile arrests of foreigners both in Thailand and abroad in recent months since his promotion.

 

Source: INN

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-04-27

[Lingba]

Funny..if anyone would be legit I would think its the international schools...try looking at the Thai schools

[BEVUP]

1 hour ago, Lingba said:

Funny..if anyone would be legit I would think its the international schools...try looking at the Thai schools

Yeh the ones trying to be International schools ( how can you just pick a couple of grades & not the whole school )

Either you are or aren't 

[rkidlad]

We are always quick to blame the illegal teachers, but at the the end of the day, they aren’t the ones responsible for who the schools employ. 

 

If schools can get away with employing anyone they want, there will always be people who will take the jobs they offer. The schools need to get into big trouble for employing someone who isn’t qualified, etc. 

 

I heard about a guy who was reported as being on overstay by his ex gf here. Immigration went to his school and took him away. No caution or warning to the school. No checking of other teachers’ paperwork. Just in and out. 

 

 

[shady86]

Big joke. Why not review the visa and work permit applications to make them easier instead of focusing on illegal teachers. Most foreigners on visa and working here needs to waste at least 2 or 3 days of their lives every year for these applications.

[taipan1949]

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

We are always quick to blame the illegal teachers, but at the the end of the day, they aren’t the ones responsible for who the schools employ. 

 

If schools can get away with employing anyone they want, there will always be people who will take the jobs they offer. The schools need to get into big trouble for employing someone who isn’t qualified, etc. 

 

I heard about a guy who was reported as being on overstay by his ex gf here. Immigration went to his school and took him away. No caution or warning to the school. No checking of other teachers’ paperwork. Just in and out. 

 

 

You overstay then you deserve the full hit of the law. Every person living in Thailand knows the rules, if you choose to disobey them then you need to be deported. At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada.

[rkidlad]

Just now, taipan1949 said:

You overstay then you deserve the full hit of the law. Every person living in Thailand knows the rules, if you choose to disobey them then you need to be deported. At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada.

Yea, you’ve missed the point of my reply. 

[observer90210]

The top cop is doing his job so fine....but he should use similar energy and manpower to post TOURIST POLICE at the Taxi Stands in Suvarnabhumi and other areas, where the Bangkok and other local taxi drivers cheat tourists in refusing the meter.

 

Preventing foreigners from being cheated from the locals should also be handled by the Tourist Police, just in case....

Edited April 27, 2018 by observer90210

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, shady86 said:

Big joke. Why not review the visa and work permit applications to make them easier instead of focusing on illegal teachers. Most foreigners on visa and working here needs to waste at least 2 or 3 days of their lives every year for these applications.

How terrible! Then it must be much better to try it the illegal way, right?

[jonstarjon]

1 hour ago, taipan1949 said:

You overstay then you deserve the full hit of the law. Every person living in Thailand knows the rules, if you choose to disobey them then you need to be deported. At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada.

You sound like you know a lot! But... Do you really..? I think you know nothing of the real world. A well known group of schools based in bangbon has a really convincing story line for new teachers and an answer to every question. In the last few years they even have an international school arm. They will tell you all sorts of things to keep you within their grasp. They have extended the number of schools banking on how convincing they can be. Live the life first then start talking about what you "know"!

[leggo]

Real International schools do not hire anybody on a tourist visa. These fake international schools not only take anybody who just about speak English and usually have no teaching experience whatsoever and the scan the students etc. The more of these guys that get slung out the better!

[bbbbooboo]

hmmmm..... one might wonder why they do this when their own teaching abilities are nothing short of appalling....hmmm TIT ?

[Get Real]

1 minute ago, bbbbooboo said:

hmmmm..... one might wonder why they do this when their own teaching abilities are nothing short of appalling....hmmm TIT ?

You just stated the reason why.

[Bill Miller]

From what I have read one of the "techniques" is to promise to get a teacher a work permit, and just not do it, Costs too much. Result? An illegal foreign teacher, who is not paid enough to do it themselves as well as support themselves.
A crock full delivered by another poster is "At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada."
May 3, 2017 - "Obama did indeed deport a record number of undocumented immigrants, totaling more than 5 million after his eight years in office."

Also, " Sep 11, 2017 - According to a report released Monday, Canada– the country that claimed they would open their arms to the world's refugees – has been deporting those same refugees back to worn-torn countries in record numbers."
Some people "know"...not very much.

[jonstarjon]

2 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

From what I have read one of the "techniques" is to promise to get a teacher a work permit, and just not do it, Costs too much. Result? An illegal foreign teacher, who is not paid enough to do it themselves as well as support themselves.
A crock full delivered by another poster is "At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada."
May 3, 2017 - "Obama did indeed deport a record number of undocumented immigrants, totaling more than 5 million after his eight years in office."

Also, " Sep 11, 2017 - According to a report released Monday, Canada– the country that claimed they would open their arms to the world's refugees – has been deporting those same refugees back to worn-torn countries in record numbers."
Some people "know"...not very much.

It's War-torn. Just sayin'

[Juan B Tong]

Death of a racket.

Envelope sales will be slowing and cars will go on sale.

International school administrators to go into mourning.

[jonclark]

These are not international schools...these are language schools that have the word 'international' in their business name.

 

You think NIST, Pattana, BIS, Bangkok Prep etc use Africans as language teachers.....lol International schools do not employ language teachers. They employ teachers, not someone with a TEFL / CELTA and a degree from the university of life. 

 

Shonky journalism

 

[mommysboy]

I can't see a real international school employing these people- they can't employ anyone without QTS, let alone an illegal immigrant or overstayer.

 

But generally, for whatever reason the teacher is illegal.

 

It looks set to continue.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  Evidently, there are not even enough TEFL teachers to go around at present, on account of increasingly stiff requirements, and terrible wage levels.  Only Thailand could create a situation like this.  Who in their right minds would even think of treating legally qualified TEFL teachers so badly?

 

 

[inThailand]

Put Big Joke on something more important. Like traffic violators. 

 

[Jeremy50]

So what constitutes an international school in Thailand? An over-priced pretentious establishment, often hiding behind prestigious names such as Harrow or Rugby etc. The students dress in Australian style school uniforms, and everyone speaks English with an annoying antipodean rising inflection, that makes every sentence sound like a question. The parents are usually a particularly irritating type of ex-pat who spend their time golfing and sailing, and attending sweaty gala dinners in Bangkok in aid of some worthless charity.  

 

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

I start to understand now why my son speak English with a Nigerian accent.

[CGW]

Well, I for one will sleep better knowing this heinous beings are no longer "teaching"  incorrect grammar, vocabulary & pronunciation of the English language & ruining lives with poor teaching mythology!

Well done BIB, be going after real criminals soon!

[Expatthailover]

5 hours ago, shady86 said:

Big joke. Why not review the visa and work permit applications to make them easier instead of focusing on illegal teachers. Most foreigners on visa and working here needs to waste at least 2 or 3 days of their lives every year for these applications.

As do foreigners on working visas in the uk, Australia etc.

I realise making thailand the villain is a passtime for many but all countries are tightening up their visa application process.

[Expatthailover]

3 hours ago, taipan1949 said:

You overstay then you deserve the full hit of the law. Every person living in Thailand knows the rules, if you choose to disobey them then you need to be deported. At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada.

At last reasonableness.

[RichardColeman]

I suppose it is a bit of a give away when the hipster teacher turns up in a yellow t-shirt and a baseball cap - that he obviously is so thick he cannot wear the right way round.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, Bill Miller said:

From what I have read one of the "techniques" is to promise to get a teacher a work permit, and just not do it, Costs too much. Result? An illegal foreign teacher, who is not paid enough to do it themselves as well as support themselves.
A crock full delivered by another poster is "At least Thailand deports illegals not like America and Canada."
May 3, 2017 - "Obama did indeed deport a record number of undocumented immigrants, totaling more than 5 million after his eight years in office."

Also, " Sep 11, 2017 - According to a report released Monday, Canada– the country that claimed they would open their arms to the world's refugees – has been deporting those same refugees back to worn-torn countries in record numbers."
Some people "know"...not very much.

Re 'costs too much'

3000 baht and a pile of photo copies?????

The schools do it so they can control the teachers.

No WP no re-course with the labour court so no severance pay and sack without notice when they get another 'gullible' for less pay.

Edited April 27, 2018 by overherebc

[Get Real]

2 hours ago, jonstarjon said:

You sound like you know a lot! But... Do you really..? I think you know nothing of the real world. A well known group of schools based in bangbon has a really convincing story line for new teachers and an answer to every question. In the last few years they even have an international school arm. They will tell you all sorts of things to keep you within their grasp. They have extended the number of schools banking on how convincing they can be. Live the life first then start talking about what you "know"!

What? So, you mean that if the school is convincing and is lying enough good to you, then it´s your duty to fall for that and forget everything you thought you knew about laws in the country you are starting to work in?

Sounds like you will need to live life in a way where facts are more important than what somebody tells you just to keep you.

[johng]

Who in their right minds would even think of treating legally qualified TEFL teachers so badly?
 

Amazing Thailand !

[PatOngo]

51 minutes ago, inThailand said:

Put Big Joke on something more important. Like traffic violators. 

 

He is onto something important, stopping kids getting an education in line with the PTB policy, can't have them minions getting too smart now!

[AsiaHand]

8 hours ago, Lingba said:

Funny..if anyone would be legit I would think its the international schools...try looking at the Thai schools

The true international schools are the ones with the proper teachers .I the BIB were to go to these phony international schools with mostly backpacker teachers they could have several hundread Brits,Americans,Australians,South Africans,Philippinos ect. workers with no work permits.BUT most of these schools are owned by Hi Sos that pay the bib with brown envelops.