Thailand to recruit 10,000 foreign teachers to boost English standards of Thai kids

[TEFLKrabi]

Does it matter where they come from if they speak English and can teach? I’d love to see them create opportunities for some of the retired expats too, giving them a few hours a week and a little extra income. Training only takes 3-4 weeks if done properly. 

[ParkerN]

11 minutes ago, TEFLKrabi said:

Does it matter where they come from if they speak English and can teach? I’d love to see them create opportunities for some of the retired expats too, giving them a few hours a week and a little extra income. Training only takes 3-4 weeks if done properly. 

IMO, the emphasis needs to be lesss on grammar and other 'rote learning' topics, and more on using the language in normal conversation. So the teachers need to leave the books in the teachers common room and start each lesson with a "Good morning, I'm Mr ... what is your name?" and wait until an answer is given.

 

Learn the way children do, listen, imitate, understand, use. Close observation of how my 2-year-old is learning Thai and English together (and how she distinguishes between them (Mum - Thai, Dad - English) has been a really useful exercise. Perhaps many of us need to go back a bit to basics.

 

Question: Of my 2-year-old can learn Thai, why has it been so difficult for me?

Answer: Because the learning mechanism of children is different from adults. Something for teachers to bear in mind. Also: rote-learning when that's all there is, is useless, yet it does have a place. I can multiply 8 and 7 without  a calculator because of rote-learning I did when I was 7 or 8. Horses for courses.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by ParkerN

[Asking for a friend]

Don’t do it Thailand. The teachers will all be leftists and your children will grow up to hate you and they will all become communists/globalists/LGBTQExtremists.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Asking for a friend
clarity

[lovethai123]

Who needs to learn English when a simple 3 word self explanatory sentence is filling millions of stomach across Thailand. -

 

Go with you.

 

????????????????

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

want 10,000 foreign english teachers?

no problem, minister, just pay the right salary, not much in western terms, 

something like 1800 USD a month, and you will see not just 10,000 but 100's of thousands

of english teachers waiting in line to get a job in thailand.

thailand is not such a poor country anymore, with 500 BILLION USD GDP, so come one,

just need to open the wallets///

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

48 minutes ago, ndreamer said:

If they allowed volunteers, I'll teach a few days a week no pay. Teaching younger kids. 

teaching, but no touching please. pedos are not wellcome.

[WhatupThailand]

Lot of aging Bar Girls with a good command of English,

who could be tapped for use as Conversational Teachers.

They only need a Program for them to enter the Educational system.

 

There is a need to develop local talent in order to use available local resources,

to help raise both a standard of living and opportunities for Thais.

 

 

[Nakmuay887]

On 2/15/2020 at 7:22 PM, Kelsall said:

From what English teachers here have told me, schools prefer American teachers over other nationalities.   True?  I can't see them getting many Americans to fly this far to teach for what is considered low pay in the US. 

Canadians/Americans seem to be the most sought after. Less of an accent I guess 

[3NUMBAS]

On 2/15/2020 at 12:38 PM, CNXexpat said:

Years ago I have been with my wife at a party in Amnat Charoen (deepest Isaan, 80 km from Ubon). A guy talked to me. After 10 minutes I realized that he spoke English with me. At the end of the evening my wife told me that he is the English teacher of the local school...

I WAS CHATTING WITH A THAI  gent in lumpini park who was a teacher of english at a local uni and his engrish was pretty bad

[3NUMBAS]

1 hour ago, WhatupThailand said:

Lot of aging Bar Girls with a good command of English,

who could be tapped for use as Conversational Teachers.

They only need a Program for them to enter the Educational system.

 

There is a need to develop local talent in order to use available local resources,

to help raise both a standard of living and opportunities for Thais.

 

 

trouble is they know a lot of bad slang and nothing that could be used in polite conversation

after years of chewing the fat with aged cockneys and mancunians saying luvley jubbly

[ParkerN]

8 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

I WAS CHATTING WITH A THAI  gent in lumpini park who was a teacher of english at a local uni and his engrish was pretty bad

Also pretty normal. Par for the course.

 

 

[Fex Bluse]

Thais on average will never be proficient English speakers until they change the culture.

 

There are generally 2 groups of Thais who speak English:

1. Lowly educated Thais working in the tourist industry (including all the bargirl wives and similar)

2. Educated Thais who travel abroad and who may work in a professional international setting.

 

Group 1 is motivated to actually communicate with non-Thais even though they have much room to improve.

 

Group 2 is not only not motivated but they are also typically arrogant and have learned English just as a show of class similar to their overseas travel. They often Thai-ify their English to the point that only other Thai English speakers can understand what they are trying to say. In other words, they have no ambitions to speak to Westerners or any non-Thais. English is simply fashionable to them.

 

[Merida]

Hi.  Firstly, the Thai Government should establish whether they wish their children to speak English or American. they would find American confusing, take the words matter, and madder, both with the same pronunciation.

[shy coconut]

On 2/15/2020 at 11:43 AM, RotBenz8888 said:

Sure they're any that wanna come?

I hope you're not considering applying with your poor language skills.

[shy coconut]

On 2/15/2020 at 2:11 PM, holy cow cm said:

So this guy can go suck an egg. Better he leave his racist mouth shut. 

The British government is currently trying to train 30,000 nurses for the NHS so

they don't have to rely on foreign staff, largely because many of them go back 

home to work when the exchange rate is less favourable or to raise a family.

 

Although I like the idea of Boris Johnson sucking an egg, I don't think that this policy

is down to racism, more likely common sense.

 

 

[alien365]

On 2/15/2020 at 6:38 PM, rooster59 said:

They said that the education minister felt that if the foreign teachers he hires teach the Thais to be better English teachers, then by three years time he won't need so many foreigners to teach in Thai schools.

Having considered this statement I don't believe the education minister really understands that you need knowledge of the language, not just teaching skills alone. A non native or someone who is not fully immersed in the language will never understand its nuances.

 

I can't help feel that Thailand as a country just wants rid of all foreigners, which ironically would create even less need, motivation and requirement for students to speak English.

[Fex Bluse]

The other reason they'll never improve in any meaningful way is that there is far too much xenophobia.

 

These stories are fun, though. If Thais did everything they say, we'd have nothing to complain about. Thankfully, they never seem to accomplish anything at all.

[Trollmann]

Masterplan A should be very simple and as follows:

Changing the karan (silent letter sign) to must be spoken out loud!

Introduce a L sound final letter in the thai alphabeth as today it is transformed to N making football to be spoken as footbon. Thai alphabeth is huge and a few extra letters making it possible to write correct english with thai letters would make it a lot more easy to teach to pronounce english

 

Many Thai teachers speak "sick" same ways as six and never let the student know the difference. 99% of all thais i have met are singing "happy birthday TU YU, with av very strong U,  but explaining that they should use a different named thai vocal อือ instead of อู then singing the song suddently becomes much more easy and correct. This is the most important basic knowledge a teacher should have before being allowed to teach english.

 

Native speakers is not always the best to teach language to children especially in Thailand. They maybe using to many complicated words and it will actually slow the students down.

The big problem is that many teachers are going to fast and keeps going on teaching high level english to the students that cant make a single phrase in english at the most basic level. A non native teacher but with western tongue teaching basic english with the right sounds can be very helpful as the first step as there possibly could get 100 000 teachers in a very short time. Thinking of a lot of expats living in thailand that have a lot of free time and would love to help getting the students ready before they meets a teacher that teaching advanced english. If expats on retirement visa are allowed to teach thai teachers it would be a great benefit for the country

 

After learning basic english then the english native teachers can teach those studens that are ready for that. Many 5 years old children learn very fast from another 6 years old but meeting a adult teacher wanting to teach 10 000 words within a lession is not the best way to learn

 

When i was doing my exam for the driver license when the leader of the staff said she has been studying 30 years but was not able to speak english. I did the exam in both english and thai and found that the exam in the computer in english was incorrect. I did the exam in thai afterwords and pointed out the conflicts with the "correct" answers in the english version. She said that she never before had understood why many farang complained and she was very impressed that i was able to do the thai exam and explain the the differences to her. I started studying thai language at a language school but after i had learned all the thai fruit names i decided it was not helpful as i could not speak with any people, so i started studying at home and learning to communicate with real people as a mother teachers her baby and progress from there on.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Trollmann

[Elkski]

I am guilty to be an American from the mountain west.  I've heard this is considered the region of most neutral sounding  English.  I have to admit it sounds the best to me.  I can tell New Yorkers, Texans,and deep south accents.  I would not want my children to sound like this.  I'm not going to convince you Brits your English sucks, but unless you sound like Nicole Kidman.  ????

I have not met many thai people who can speak English, much less write decently.  I even know an teacher with an English  degree.  I get very turned off by an East Indian accent  even if the  thai woman is cute. So I sure hope they  dont hire Indians.   I have seen many YouTube  videos of expats with Philippine women and I am impressed.  Some Philippine bloggers have great sounding  English.  

I try to talk to thai children but they  are so afraid of their skills  they rarely want to even count or say ABC's with me. 

I see no hope for thailand in improving English unless your time frame is 50 years. And I and everyone I know  say madder and matter clearly with  different sounds.  

Edited February 16, 2020 by Elkski

[dallen52]

14 hours ago, lovethai123 said:

 

 

She told me that her English is poor and she won't get the job.she went further to say that how thai people are poor in English and cannot get a job abroad.

 

Now link it to the topic.if this girl had a farang English teacher back in school she won't be working in a bar and rather go to some arab country and work as a nurse.  A decent and respectable job.

Sadly it reflects the morals of many thai people at many levels. 

The working level prostitutes itself to get a living, even where in this case she was working on humanitarian studies and wanted to become a nurse. 

Right up to the ministerial and military levels where they basically do anything for a few baht...

 

I still find it hard after all these years to comprehend the mentality of the woman who turns her body into pleasure thing for men.

 

As they say,  "You can take the thai out of a bar.

But you can't take the bar girl out of a thai"...

[Vigilante]

On 2/15/2020 at 7:04 PM, Acrylic said:

As long as Thai doesn't change their attitude regarding English language, I doubt it would be effective. 

Exactly...I see no appetite for English here.

Thailand has dropped in the int'l English proficiency rankings for two consecutive yrs.

Anyone wants to bet that it will drop AGAIN this year?

...and probably the next too..????

[ChipButty]

6 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

trouble is they know a lot of bad slang and nothing that could be used in polite conversation

after years of chewing the fat with aged cockneys and mancunians saying luvley jubbly

Could be worse, they could have been learning from a Geordie Alreet?

Edited February 16, 2020 by ChipButty

[bbi1]

On 2/15/2020 at 11:22 PM, Kelsall said:

From what English teachers here have told me, schools prefer American teachers over other nationalities.   True?  I can't see them getting many Americans to fly this far to teach for what is considered low pay in the US. 

Why would schools prefer Americans? They don't speak and write the correct form of English. English came from England so only natives who speak British English should be considered for the job.

[bbi1]

On 2/15/2020 at 11:30 PM, Number 6 said:

International schools are primarily British curriculum and do not hire Americans by and large.

They realise that the Yanks speak American, not English lol

[ChipButty]

12 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Why would schools prefer Americans? They don't speak and write the correct form of English. English came from England so only natives who speak British English should be considered for the job.

Is there any natives left?

[bbi1]

17 hours ago, DJ54 said:

Curious as why? Majority speak English. Or are we comparing 

American vs British English which is comparably the same...

Except a bonnet goes on your head...

 

You've gotta have some serious mental issues and some super big muscles to lift up and put a the bonnet of a car on your head!!

[bbi1]

17 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Excuse my English / Australian post grad educational observations of Yanks being preferred as teachers of English. Most Yanks have no clue about decent English. For goodness sake they can't even spell correctly let alone speak decent English. Wouldn't want my kids taught English my a Yank ... heaven forbid! 

100% correct!!

[bbi1]

15 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I knew an English teacher she was Thai and worked in some collage up in Loei and she spoke with this awful American accent I felt sorry for her students and she couldn't understand me properly had to talk slow, Im English 

I've also had a number of Thai people say that the American accent is difficult to understand.

[bbi1]

15 hours ago, ParkerN said:

It's true that native English speakers from Europe appear to be most favoured, followed by Aussies. It may or may not be true that their English skills are better than those from Canada or USA, but in Thailand, it doesn't have to be true to be sincerely believed. And acted upon.

So the people from England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland (which are the only natives) are the preferred to be hired as English teachers, correct?

[bbi1]

14 hours ago, Cereal said:

What they need are native English teachers with more or less neutral accents. South Africans are not native English speakers, none that I've ever met anyway. Nor are Filipinos native English speakers. Most Aussies, Kiwis and Brits speak with accents that are challenging for a Canadian or American to understand let alone a Thai child in school. 

 

Thailand needs Canadians and Americans to teach English and they need to pay better. Korea pays well and has incentives like free apartments and paid vacation, health plan and paid holidays etc. That's why all the folks who desire to move to Asia and teach ESL predominantly go to Korea. The huge majority of them would prefer to go to Thailand but it just isn't worth it. 1/2 the pay and no perks and benefits. 

If a Yank or Canadian find it challenging to understand Aussies, Kiwis and Brits then I would say their level of English and their hearing is the problem. All other native English speakers can understand native speakers from any other country regardless of their accent.