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Crackdown looming on foreign teachers without work permits as new labor minister flexes muscles

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4 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

I don't know a single school that has 100% of their foreign teachers all legally working on work permits

How many schools' employment records do you have access to, all of them?

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  • darksidedog
    darksidedog

    It is interesting that as the crackdown on foreign teachers took hold a few years back how Thailands standings in English ability began to steadily fall. There is an ignorance at the top of the ladder

  • If they are working without permits then there is obviously a demand for their services. Why not give them permits? Surely improving English standards would be beneficial for Thailand and it

  • Keep diggin yer own grave, Thailand.   You are about as attractive a destination to the average westerner now as Syria. 

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38 minutes ago, rott said:

Ships at sea communicate in English. 

Aeroplanes communicate in English. 

Ships and planes can talk these days??

5 minutes ago, TPI said:

The horror! Out of 6129 teachers they found 8 again 8 without working permits!!!!!! I don't know what that is as a percentage but I'll wager its higher than the ministers IQ?

 

We could ask the maths teacher what the percentage is.

Oh no wait. He might not have a work permit ????

7 minutes ago, Matreusse said:

You asked what was required, I told you; your daughter's English language ability is irrelevant to the requirements for a foreign teacher to qualify officially for a WP.

 

Reminds me of Manuel who learned his English from a book.

Thailand is a country far behind the rest or the world and it's neighbors; Seems to pride itself in Politicians and Administrators that are even farther behind.

 

Focus on providing a better education for kids! Having had three kids in the Thai Schools system, I can say their schools and curriculum are ancient; and their English programs have been worse. I always get a laugh out of their tex books teaching english. Pathetic!

 

1 hour ago, Surasak said:

All the Philippians I have known

Philippians?  Do you know any Filipinos?

Rather sad that the vast majority of the foreign teachers were from the Philippines where the standard of education is not noticeably better than Thailand. I wonder what they teach. Not English I hope.

1 hour ago, SuwadeeS said:

Finally, why not do a crackdown on all these Thai "English" teacher, who barely can speak and communicate.

They're not working illegally, that's why.

12 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

 

Reminds me of Manuel who learned his English from a book.

What?

Just now, Matreusse said:

What?

 

It was a running joke in a comedy called Faulty Towers.

4 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

It was a running joke in a comedy called Faulty Towers.

Fawlty Towers.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

BBN reported that teachers can only be hired on non-immigrant visas and can't convert tourist or transit visas into a work opportunity. 

Absolutely incorrect. I've been through several schools. Upon being hired, the school goes with me to immigration with a stack of paperwork. At the top of this stack is a letter to the ranking immigration officer titled Request For Change of Visa, from Tourist to Non-B. It costs the standard 1900 baht like any other.

 

This then involves a lengthy process getting the temporary teaching license, and then work permit, and possibly your university degree being certified, which takes several months. Despite this, the schools still expect you to work, and thus you're "illegal" for the first 3-5 months of working. This was made even longer due to Covid. The schools usually then say something like "Oh don't worry, we'll just tell them it's being processed." But sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn't. If they don't want illegal teachers, they ought to do something about this process.

 

I can say that 99% of the teachers working in Thailand were hired on a tourist visa. That's simply the way to do it. You fly in and job hunt. The schools want to see you already here, have an in-person interview, and perhaps see a demonstration lesson. They get thousands of CVs from abroad they're not going to bother with.

 

Being hired remotely, with all the paperwork done ahead of time, getting a Non-B stamped in your passport at the Thai consulate in your country, then being told to get on a plane and meet them at the airport, is the stuff of dreams. I suppose you'd like a cute secretary sitting with you in the Benz as it drives you to school too? Perhaps if Bangkok Patana or Harrow happens to be looking for a new headmaster.

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17 minutes ago, ctxa said:

 

Don't know what's the point you're trying to make. English is the international language? Sure, I never denied it.

 

Ever seen a local baker, or a butcher, or a supermarket staff writing a computer program? Or discussing business with his international partner? 

 

This is about native English speakers criticizing  a non English speaking  country's citizens for having a low English proficiency. I would criticize a pilot who flies international routes and has <deleted> sh**t English. But not some local Thai guy who has absolutely no need to speak English.  

 

It's about opportunities (or lack thereof) though, isn't it?

 

If decent English is taught at all schools then ALL children with the right aptitude would have the opportunity to write computer programs, discuss business with international partners, become international airline pilots - or do many other things.

 

If they have no English their horizons can't extend much beyond the baker's, butcher's or supermarket for employment.

 

 

3 minutes ago, Matreusse said:

Fawlty Towers.

 

Ah auto correct eh?

A blessing and a curse at the same time. I do find it irritating when it changes my English spelling to American but I guess if that's the worst thing that happens to me today I'm getting off pretty light.

Multiple off topic and mostly inflammatory / troll posts and replies have been removed, topic is not about Spanish or bakers it is about:

 

Crackdown looming on foreign teachers without work permits as new labor minister flexes muscles

Arnold Judas Rimmer of Jupiter Mining Corporation Ship Red Dwarf

2 hours ago, Surasak said:

Can't agree with that last statement. All the Philippians I have known, both here and in the UK, have spoken very good English. 

Yeah, sure! I hear them every year when they present themself to new parents in my daughters private school. Sounds like steak on steak.

Hi Parents!

I am "name". I come from the Philippines. I am 32 year old, I am your teacher for math. I teach grade 1 to 6.

If you do not recognize the poor skills in that presentation, then I can only feel sorry.

57 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

 

Oddly enough my daughters English teacher at her school is Thai. Her English is shockingly bad. My daughter (fluent in both English and Thai) has been disciplined in the past for correcting this Thai teachers woeful English.

I can assure you my daughter would make a better English teacher than her. With or without a degree.  

Same in this family.

Thai teach english properly says I.  We make great thailand properly proud.  

Make the great nation a dove amongst its countrymen!!

 

Listed above is how non native english teachers sound and teach other to... sound like them.  IT would be like me teaching Thai to people, and my thai is terrible.  

It is obvious that the level of English knowledge in Thailand is very low. Even Thais who try to teach English have only very basic knowledge as I have seen. So why not give permits to foreigners with English mothertongue or teaching skills? It would improve the level of English knowledge in Thailand, a benefit for the country.

i presume lots of people went to uni for 3-4 years got their degree so they could work in a run down government school for less than 1k a month, that would definitely make all that hard work at uni worth it!!

2 minutes ago, AloisAmrein said:

So why not give permits to foreigners with English mothertongue or teaching skills?

 

They do, not sure what the fuss is about.

We had a friend and her daughter come and stay with us for 3 months and the daughter did go to school, she used to bring home English homework so obviously she's asking me, it just didn't make any sense, for me to give you the right answer I would have to change the question around, 

It was really bad 

Get them teachers.

 Can't go getting an education now,  can you Thailand.

Muppet's  in charge again. Thailand -4.1  

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Yes its very important, thats why there are minimum standards and permits for who can teach.

Based on your logic, if there is a high demand for dentists, everyone should be able to be a dentist.

Wow just wow, this obvious teacher is destroying male synapses just by proximity. 
Poor kids.

10 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

 

Find the Usual Suspects. This is a winner. At the same time lets ignore illegal workers from surrounding countries who prop up the Thai labor force, but unfortunately bring in covid.  When they do that, BTW  it shines a bad light on who exactly brought them in, who let that happen and of course all the quarantine-ing for COVID costs, that now are worthless. Ooops. Lets round up some illegal teachers for a photo op. That's the ticket!

 

       Good idea . 

     Round up the English Teachers , mostly White .

   Mods ,  No racist comment intented .

Well, no surprise there. Filipinos are cheap, and Brits tik all the right boxes. Personally, coming from a legal/management background, I found teaching extremely difficult. After 10 years I was finally getting it together when I had to quit for health reasons. It's a skill. 

10 hours ago, darksidedog said:

It is interesting that as the crackdown on foreign teachers took hold a few years back how Thailands standings in English ability began to steadily fall. There is an ignorance at the top of the ladder, an ignorance that is having a far more negative impact on its young people than any amount of teachers without a work permit ever could.

 

    English teachers , without a work permit , really ..

    That,s a new one on me .

    

1 hour ago, Matreusse said:

How many schools' employment records do you have access to, all of them?

no, sounds like I touched a nerve because you're one of the culprits

 

good luck x

10 hours ago, Dagfinnur Traustason said:

You are so right. However, I do not believe it is ignorance at all. It´s not humanly possible to be that stupid! I believe it is that the ruling elite, does not see it as beneficial for their economical profit to educate the grass roots. That´s also why they take most of the teachers from the Philippines, even as they know studies and test already proven their language skills are worse than in Thailand.

I’ve used to work together with lots of teachers from the Philippines over the years and all of them not only spoke excellent English, but their English skills were worlds ahead of any English speaking Thai teacher I’ve ever come across in the ten years I’ve worked in Thailand! And that’s not a dis directed at Thai teachers, but merely stating a fact. 
 

The reason teachers from the Philippines are so popular in Thailand is not only because their English is great, but because they’re non native English speakers, so the schools don’t have to fork out the same big bucks as they have to for native English speakers, and that’s all there is to it! 

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