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

[Matreusse]

2 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

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

Happy to disappoint you, I'm not.   I'd be more careful of making  accusations that I'm doing something illegal here, though, if I was you.

[thecyclist]

Teachers don't worry too much. . A Thai who is given a position of power and authority always flexes his muscles in an exuberant display of his newfound might. A new chief of police and an immediate crackdown on bars and strict enforcement of closing hours. After a month or two it's back to the corrupt normality. 

[ray666]

I have experienced the Thai schools. The English taught by Thai teachers is not good. The English taught by Philippine teachers is very very bad. I could understand one of the English teachers from the Philippines.

As said by someone else, they don`t want smart kids . Because it will interfere with you know who.

Think about it ! 

 

[elliss]

6 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

 

    In my neck of the woods . Udon Thani .

    The top end of the Hiso , schools  . Don Bos ..

    Do not , or are reluctant to assist , in work permits ..

    Teacher ?..  The risk is yours to take ..

[rott]

37 minutes ago, Johnnyb2good said:

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

Why male.? Please do tell. 

[Gandtee]

11 hours ago, realfunster said:

Quick ! Divert the submarine & vaccine money to tackle this national crisis !

I'm the Labour Minister. Dive! Dive! Dive! Action stations! We're under attack! Eight teachers without Work Permits! The English education of our children is under threat! My brain hurts!

[cyril sneer]

37 minutes ago, Matreusse said:

Happy to disappoint you, I'm not.   I'd be more careful of making  accusations that I'm doing something illegal here, though, if I was you.

on the brave juice?

[ExpatOne]

12 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

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 its economy.

Your rock solid logic isn’t welcome in Thailand. Please take it elsewhere! ????

[cjinchiangrai]

Maybe they need to rethink the whole program? The schools and agents are largely responsible for the violations. Anyone would want the proper visa but the schools need to provide what was promised. At the same time, unqualified people may be willing to work under the radar, like the many Russians that teach English. Again, the schools responsibility.

 

Unfortunately, the compensation is far below what is being offered in other Asian countries, so there is motivation to cut corners. The Philppinos are a good idea, if the Thais were willing, they could get many well qualified teachers from India as well. The accents are different, but then so are the Scots and the Irish. 

 

There is also a huge opportunity in all of the expats that are not allowed to help. I would be happy to help tutor the local kids for free, but currently I would be arrested and deported. My English is way better than the local Thai teacher. My Calculus is better too, but I guess they have plenty of STEM teachers around as well.

[Ventenio]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

1. The Philippines (2,667)

2. Britain (558)

3. The USA(465)

I wouldn't want my kid to learn Chinese if they came from the 27th best country at Chinese (this list seems to NOT include native speakers....so 27th might be like 35th).  But Phils get around 18,000 baht and can teach Maths.  Brits at around 35,000 but they do have a preferable accent and experience living in a favorable country. If Thais wanted to go to the Philippines, I would be all for it.  

 _{Very high}

• _{01Netherlands}
• _02Denmark
• _03Finland
• _04Sweden
• _05Norway
• _06Austria
• _07Portugal
• _08Germany
• _09Belgium
• _10Singapore
• _11Luxembourg
• _{12South Africa}

 _High

• _13Croatia
• _14Hungary
• _15Serbia
• _16Poland
• _17Romania
• _{18Switzerland}
• _{19Czech Republic}
• _20Bulgaria
• _21Greece
• _22Kenya
• _22Slovakia
• _24Lithuania
• _25Estonia
• _25Argentina
• _{27Philippines}

Edited February 18, 2021 by Ventenio

[mogandave]

The Filipino teachers English generally seems good to me. Certainly easier to understand than Indians or Scots...????

 

I think the problem is that the schools don’t seem to want to teach conversational English. It been my experience that Thais are much better at reading and writing English than they are at hearing and speaking.

[MarcelV]

In my school in the south all four foreign teachers, including me, have our non-B visa and wp taken care of yearly. Yes, it is a lot of paperwork and, yes, the amount has been increasing steadily, but the school at least got things sorted out with local immigration, labour office and the institute for private education.

I don't know any other foreign teacher without a wp either.

[Know not me]

It's always something 

[BostonRob2]

13 hours ago, colinneil said:

Improving English standards???? Behave yourself, when does any Thai take notice of anything other than Thai? Answer........ Never.

In my limited experience Thais take more notice of English than the average expat does of Thai. 

[asiasurfer]

Same old story. Why would a qualified teacher come here without all required documents, provided by the school?? And anyway, better leave the Thai kids stupid. It's easier to reign a nation full of fools. 

[DavisH]

13 hours ago, WineOh said:

Keep diggin yer own grave, Thailand.

 

You are about as attractive a destination to the average westerner now as Syria. 

Do you think illegal foreign workers should work in your home country? I think not...8 out of 6129 checked is nothing. 

[DavisH]

4 hours 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.  

Yuur child needs to have a native speaking teacher of english (put her in an EP or international school). Her english will not improve quickly with a Thai teacher, and infact will make it deteriorate. 

[DavisH]

3 hours ago, paulikens said:

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!!

15K is the minimum for university graduates now.

[Solinvictus]

4 hours 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.  

You've just discovered something some folks can't quite 'get' yet! Particularly, NON-NES, imo.

 

One with skill and aims for improvement can overachieve and excel further than one who has been content on old ideologies, bureaucratic paperwork within a culture of 'saving face.'

 

A real teacher of value knows paperwork and 'qualifications' are not the final ingredient nor guarantee results in producing results in learners. However, we are in Thailand.

 

TIT

 

 

[ikke1959]

I am wondering when Thailand will enter the 21st century.. It is just outdated all the paperwork and job protection laws.. Allow people with a long term visa to work. A lot of schools would be happy to have a foreign teacher again. 

[Venom]

9 hours ago, arick said:

Yes true but their pay has been decreased for 90k a month down nothing so why would you bother to work here. 

No, I think he meant 200k per year not per month!????

[Proboscis]

15 hours ago, WineOh said:

Keep diggin yer own grave, Thailand.

 

You are about as attractive a destination to the average westerner now as Syria. 

I would have thought that in the teeth of a pandemic with a large chunk of the economy shut, that the government would find something better to do than worry about a profession that is, by definition, not suitable for Thais anyway.

[whaleboneman]

11 hours ago, arick said:

Maybe sombody figure out English gives the child and undstandering and knowledge of what they are doing so yes band all English teacher keep the all stupid 

Were you an English teacher?

[FritsSikkink]

13 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

How does having a work permit prevent a teacher from being a pedophile?

 

They only have to have a background criminal record check so they could easily be a pedophile that hasn't been caught. 

Doesn't prevent it but keeps people with a record out. Don't you think that is the bare minimum to do?

[kentrot]

One tenth of one percent ... 0.13 % ..... or 1 in 766 teachers is working without a permit.

Such a tempest in a tea pot. Must be a slow news day.

 

How many Thais are driving without a license ... or helmet ?

How many fishmarket workers or construction workers have work permits ?

 

 

[globalspark]

The dumb population do not realise the importance in learning English.Rich Thais send their children to Western Countries then they get the well paying jobs.Control the people by not educating them is a common weapon used for centuries all over the world.

[KKr]

wow, 

imagine, a whole of 1.25 0/00 of violations. 

yes: ONE AND A QUARTER PER MILLE violations, not counting the late reports.

 

wonder how much time was spent on the discovery of such scandalous and irresponsible behavior, and Kudos to the Ministry that has allocated so much resources of  the School Inspectors to improve the Standards of teaching !!!

[bangon04]

21 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.

There are a lot of Burmese with higher English levels than Filipinos...... maybe allow some Burmese to come in and work.... oh wait a minute....

[ChipButty]

5 hours ago, whaleboneman said:

Were you an English teacher?

Hope not

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, rott said:

Because English is the international language for communication and business. 

Ships at sea communicate in English. 

Aeroplanes communicate in English. 

 

I thought everyone knew that. 

I thought it was the captains... learn something new everyday.