Chiang Mai: Crackdown on tourists teaching at language institutes and cram schools

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, Cereal said:

I am going to assume you were hammered drunk whilst typing this barely comprehensible drivel. 

Which part do you not understand? 

[fruitman]

37 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

Problem is, in general, Thailand doesn't want to pay for "qualified teachers". They want to pay "backpacker wages" (which by the way haven't changed in the last dozen-plus years) and the results are what you see, a large amount of unqualified teachers, whose main "qualifications" are pretty much limited to having a light complexion and maybe being a native English speaker (although that's not always the case).

I don't understand those farang who teach english in thailand for less than a minimum wage in their homecountry.

[ponder]

It is very dificult to find qualified teachers. My school (as the law stipulates) employs only people with a degree and a Thai teacher's licence (which requires a post-graduate teaching qualification), but it also offers salaries which are considerably higher than those paid by most other institutes. I think it is inevitable that there will be people teaching illegally while schools offer low levels of remuneration.

[Orton Rd]

2 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I don't understand those farang who teach english in thailand for less than a minimum wage in their homecountry.

Mostly not real teachers so would not be employed back home, the qualified are a very suspicious group, why indeed?

[happysanook]

3 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Well, I back the immigration people on this one.

Working illegally, not paying taxes etc. These people cause problems for all of us.

These people REALLY affecting you? Come on, be serious. All you crusty, old, holier-than-thous... Don't worry too much, they'll be coming for us, too, soon enough.

[fruitman]

3 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Mostly not real teachers so would not be employed back home, the qualified are a very suspicious group, why indeed?

Last year a farang was putting something in my mailbox so i went to see what it was...it was a leaflet for his english class at home...i'm not happy with that because if the word spreads that a farang here is teaching  english illegaly the locals might look at me..

[purcho]

38 minutes ago, moontang said:

I wonder how many of the Fred Flintstone lookalikes, SJWs that march around the narrow sidewalks three wide in CM are a part of the illegal workforce?  

Must say I hav'nt seen and of these people in Chiang Mai as you suggest .........Oh wait ...I did see a heap of them in Pattaya last time I was there . Mainly come out after dark it would seem .Besides ..C/Mai footpaths are not wide enough to walk three wide anyway,

 

[zhounan]

It's correct. Tourists should not work everywhere they go. This is a phenomenon too usual between english native speakers, and it's not good.

[happysanook]

33 minutes ago, orchis said:

''The authorities have said that there are many tourists on 30 day visas continually nipping across the border to extend then going right back to work illegally at language and cram schools in the northern city.''

 

How would that work if only 2 border crossing for visa exempt allowed per year, also 30 day visa, actually visa exempt cannot be extended by crossing borders.

This. They can't even get the basics down surrounding the story, let alone the nuances.

 

And hilarious none of the schools who are actually promoting and encouraging the illegal working are rarely fined or otherwise disciplined.

[thisisrascal]

3 hours ago, bkkatl said:

I agree. My company, which hires teachers and then forwards them on to Thai public schools, hires people with no work permits often. I get less money every month working legally than the people working illegally. My agency is so big however, that immigration doesn't blink an eye. 

 

Does this agency start with a letter M? 

[peter14]

The economy is bleeding. Everything is falling apart in Thailand  but they (immigration)making it worse and worse...

[geronimo]

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

And what happens to the schools that hire them?

brown envelope?

[Neeranam]

25 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Last year a farang was putting something in my mailbox so i went to see what it was...it was a leaflet for his english class at home...i'm not happy with that because if the word spreads that a farang here is teaching  english illegaly the locals might look at me..

Ever thought that the farang might be a Naturalized Thai?

[Thailand]

1 minute ago, geronimo said:

brown envelope?

It's what keeps Thailand ticking over and people being able to circumvent the bureaucracy and all parties arriving at a mutually agreeable result.

Long live the brown envelope.

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

Yes it's vely annoying that NONE of the staff in Siam Paragon or Siam Icon can speak english....so annoying that i won't go shopping there anymore.

Maybe they have schools where you can learn Thai?

[Hackney35]

There simply isn’t enough foreigners willing to work for peanut salaries who have the necessary degrees to get work permits.

Is it really better for Thai kids to be taught by Thai English teachers who literally can’t speak English (I’ve witnessed this in my good private school in bang Rak) or by some American who maybe has lots of life experience but no paper degree? 
 

[Neeranam]

40 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I don't understand those farang who teach english in thailand for less than a minimum wage in their homecountry.

Because Thailand has good weather and everyrhing is cheaper.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Those in the raiding party told Chiang Mai News that this was the start of a crackdown on tourists illegally working as teachers in the city. 

How about equally cracking down on the schools employing them illegally by closing them and setting a president!

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Probably because a lot of them aren't actually qualified to teach.

But someone with a degree in needlework is qualified to teach English.  Well according to Thai regulations!!

[emptypockets]

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

More pack to show the door. My favorite people at work again. Now, they do another great work. Hope they find more illegal foreigners they can show the door.

I was wondering when you were going to post. I have read, so far, of posters mentioning at least 4 people they know working illegally.

I thought you may have read the same and burst a blood vessel or had a stroke.

Good to see you are still with us.

 

 

[happy chappie]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Or they get a genuine qualified teacher with a WP and appropriate visa.

Yes because there's 1,000s of them all around the country.why do you think they had this illegal one I never the first place.

[emptypockets]

13 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

How about equally cracking down on the schools employing them illegally by closing them and setting a president!

Why bring Trump into this?

[FarangULong]

45 minutes ago, happysanook said:

This. They can't even get the basics down surrounding the story, let alone the nuances.

 

And hilarious none of the schools who are actually promoting and encouraging the illegal working are rarely fined or otherwise disciplined.

I am not 100% sure, but doesn't the 2 times per year visa run thing only apply to border crossings by land and sea? So you could take a cheap short flight to a neighbouring country, then come back? I forgot whehter you could do only so many per year/6 months, so like I said... not sure.

[Vacuum]

4 hours ago, keith101 said:

Why not apply for the right visa and just work legally ?

Why work instead of having a nice holiday?

[DUNROAMIN]

WOW, In the raiding party 6 immigration police arrest a 57 year old women, promote them all, on a job well done. 

[Destiny1990]

This has to be the plan to increase English proficiency for Thai school kids.

[Neeranam]

21 minutes ago, DUNROAMIN said:

WOW, In the raiding party 6 immigration police arrest a 57 year old women, promote them all, on a job well done. 

They are not immigration police.

[recom273]

I wonder how many of these know-it-all holier-than-thou teachers that have appeared today have a teachers license? and if so, what effect do these bottom feeders at language centers (This is what Immigration are targeting here, cram schools and language Centers where a degree is not needed) have on their position, surely once they have their post grad teaching qualification they can work anywhere for their 30K. Ahhhh .. you have a license waiver .. right ..

As mentioned over a couple of posts - you can teach on a non-O - you can get a work permit by showing your qualifications, you don’t need a degree to teach or get a work permit from the Labour office, you need it for an extension of stay.

 

The issue is the Thai system, it doesn’t pay enough to attract real teachers, the language school owners are so desperate to get teachers because parents won’t pay enough, they put more emphasis on a new pickup truck outside the house rather than pay for a decent teacher to educate their kids. 

 

I hope the Immigration service are happy with themselves, one 50 year old woman whose language centre was too lazy to apply for a WP for her .. great job.

[newatthis]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

She had been reported as creating annoyance among traders and businesspeople elsewhere in the city. 

Reap what you sow, lady. If you had just done your job and led a orderly life, this may not have happened to you. 

[newatthis]

13 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

They are not immigration police.

No? Then what does it say on their vests?