Snack bars to night guards: Will reforms ease burden on Thailand’s teachers?

[webfact]

Noi’s school day starts at 6am sharp, when she arrives to set up the snack bar – adding to her already demanding 15-hour weekly teaching load. “I need to be there early,” she explains, “because I have to prepare the place and accept deliveries of food and snacks before it opens.”

 

Noi spends about two hours a day at the snack bar, also returning during the lunch break to serve students. Her story reflects a wider reality in the Thai education system, where the list of teachers’ duties runs very long. For Noi, it covers more than 400 tasks. Other teachers at her school have also taken on special assignments – including registration, supplies, administrative tasks and more.

 

A survey by the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) revealed that the average teacher spends 84 days per year away from their classroom handling other tasks.

 

Typically, more than half of these non-teaching days (43) are devoted to assessing their own performance, that of their school, and their qualifications for promotion. On average, they also spend 29 days on academic competitions and 10 days on training.

 

TOP: file photo

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2024-02-10

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

 

[BritManToo]

15hrs a week doesn't seem that demanding to me, and I assume she does the snack bar to extort a bit more from the kids.

[retarius]

I'm not sure anyone could accuse Thai teachers of needing to have their burdens eased. Know nothings in charge of 'teaching kids' by enforcing outdated deference; obedience and total lack of any critical thinking skills; and we wonder why the education system is a farce?

[Callmeishmael]

31 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

15hrs a week doesn't seem that demanding to me, and I assume she does the snack bar to extort a bit more from the kids.

Depending on whether you are using a new (to you) book or an old book, teachers need between 1 to 2 hours of prep, grading and other duties for each hour of teaching.  15 hours of teaching equals 30 to 45 hours of work.

 

Having said that, at my school the Thai teachers mostly teach 15 hours per week and the foreign teachers usually teach 20 hours per week.

Edited February 10 by Callmeishmael
20, not 2

[MartinL]

She's retired now but when my wife was teaching, she also had to do weekend security duty maybe one w/e in 4, buy stock for and run the school 'tuck shop' and, towards the end of her time, buy food for school lunchtime once a week, I think. Only the female teachers had to do that last one.

 

It all drove me up the wall and I told her so but she wouldn't complain. I almost had words with the school director but she looked horrified and said "No! You can't do that".

[proton]

How many weeks holiday to they have a year over the national days off? seems like rather a lot add to that when they are in meetings and classes get cancelled, cheap loans and early retirement on good pensions, not a hard life

[BritManToo]

54 minutes ago, Callmeishmael said:

Depending on whether you are using a new (to you) book or an old book, teachers need between 1 to 2 hours of prep, grading and other duties for each hour of teaching.  15 hours of teaching equals 30 to 45 hours of work.

 

Having said that, at my school the Thai teachers mostly teach 15 hours per week and the foreign teachers usually teach 20 hours per week.

Back in the UK I did 5hr teaching and 45mins home room per day.

Lesson prep almost nothing, admin almost nothing. No competent teacher wasted 2hrs lesson prep on a 1hr lesson.

[HappyExpat57]

1 hour ago, proton said:

How many weeks holiday to they have a year over the national days off? seems like rather a lot add to that when they are in meetings and classes get cancelled, cheap loans and early retirement on good pensions, not a hard life

 

If you've never been a teacher then you don't understand the need for these breaks. Teaching isn't just "15-20 hours per week" (if you're a conscientious teacher). I have three weeks left before our summer break and I really need it!

 

Any time off we get, we use to improve our lessons and look for new ways to get through to the little monkeys in our charge. As well, it takes a LOT of energy to deal with the them on a daily basis. There is almost always some emergency, some tempest in a teapot, some distraction from the flow of the lesson.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's the only reason I do it. I have a pension and real estate investments, I don't need the cash flow and actually return about one third of my annual school salary buying supplies, infrastructure improvements to the school, and so on.

 

But for you to say it's not a hard life shows a gross misunderstanding of the actual circumstances.

[ChaiyaTH]

So she decided to also run the snackbar, which only takes 2 hours a day, the waking up early part doesn't even count, they all do that here anyway. To then also earn more money, then when she would not be doing that. To then talk about burdens for teachers. 

First of all she should not be allowed to run it, as being a teacher already, secondly if so, it should not be allowed to affect her main job: teaching. Thirdly; these teachers get paid much better than most other ordinary Thais, and often decided to buy brand new houses cars and more on credit from it. That is their burden only.

[proton]

31 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

 

If you've never been a teacher then you don't understand the need for these breaks. Teaching isn't just "15-20 hours per week" (if you're a conscientious teacher). I have three weeks left before our summer break and I really need it!

 

Any time off we get, we use to improve our lessons and look for new ways to get through to the little monkeys in our charge. As well, it takes a LOT of energy to deal with the them on a daily basis. There is almost always some emergency, some tempest in a teapot, some distraction from the flow of the lesson.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's the only reason I do it. I have a pension and real estate investments, I don't need the cash flow and actually return about one third of my annual school salary buying supplies, infrastructure improvements to the school, and so on.

 

But for you to say it's not a hard life shows a gross misunderstanding of the actual circumstances.

 

You won't admit to how many weeks off a year they get then! If not so many the education standards might be improved. 

[ChaiyaTH]

33 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

But for you to say it's not a hard life shows a gross misunderstanding of the actual circumstances.

I guess most people with jobs could claim that, so that is nothing new to this actual story too.

[ChaiyaTH]

1 minute ago, proton said:

You won't admit to how many weeks off a year they get then! If not so many the education standards might be improved. 

Yeah like effectively they only work what, 9-9.5 months a year? Not to mention the record public holidays in Thailand on top. Could be even 8.5 months.

Edited February 10 by ChaiyaTH

[HappyExpat57]

9 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

I guess most people with jobs could claim that, so that is nothing new to this actual story too.

 

No. I've worked both white collar and blue collar jobs and NOTHING has been as exhausting as being a teacher. But you wouldn't know that because obviously you've never been one.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, proton said:

How many weeks holiday to they have a year over the national days off? seems like rather a lot add to that when they are in meetings and classes get cancelled, cheap loans and early retirement on good pensions, not a hard life

Obvious you've have no real experience of how schools work here.. holidays & breaks don't always equate as time away from working.

Marking exams, grading work, school camps, training,  etc etc, including all the other daily running functions that must be attended to.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

15hrs a week doesn't seem that demanding to me, and I assume she does the snack bar to extort a bit more from the kids.

 

Whether she chose to do the snack bar work, or whether it was dumped on her as an extra duty, is not explained in the OP from PBS.

 

It seems from the OP she only teaches for those 15 hours, but the 10 hours per day adds to the 15 hours making 25 hours, without counting any extra hours after school, weekend or work in the holiday time.

[billd766]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Back in the UK I did 5hr teaching and 45mins home room per day.

Lesson prep almost nothing, admin almost nothing. No competent teacher wasted 2hrs lesson prep on a 1hr lesson.

Not even 10 hours working per week? How about weekend and holiday work or school security work at weekends?

[brianthainess]

Why aren't local vendors selling the snacks, like every other school I have seen?

She teaches just 15 hours a week, hang on I better just check my maths , just 3 hours a day? Gives her at least 5 hours a day for other duties.

My heart bleads 

[proton]

51 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Obvious you've have no real experience of how schools work here.. holidays & breaks don't always equate as time away from working.

Marking exams, grading work, school camps, training,  etc etc, including all the other daily running functions that must be attended to.

 

So how many weeks off do they get a year then, as you claim to know?

[Snackbar]

Shocking attitude toward purpose and  motivation.

 

Lazy cow

[thesetat]

5 hours ago, Callmeishmael said:

Depending on whether you are using a new (to you) book or an old book, teachers need between 1 to 2 hours of prep, grading and other duties for each hour of teaching.  15 hours of teaching equals 30 to 45 hours of work.

 

Having said that, at my school the Thai teachers mostly teach 15 hours per week and the foreign teachers usually teach 20 hours per week.

What a crock. you fail to mention that that one or 2 hours of prep will have you ready for many classes. Your spin on this making people think it is one or 2 hours per hour of class is total B>S. Also a crock you spin is that most of their other duties are done in the classroom. Checking work and homework could be done during their classes as they walk around however, most Thai do their work inefficiently and waste a lot of time. The type of books they use may cause them a little extra time if they are a new teacher and know nothing about what is being taught. Foreigners working 20 hours... consider yourself lucky. Most Thai teaching jobs for foreigners demand 24 to 28 hours of class time. Plus extra activities. This article tries to make like Thai teachers do so much yet are required to do extra work outside of the class and school. In reality most of the extra work done is about school. Part of their teaching experience. All of which they accepted when accepting the position to work in that particular school. Why is it the foreigner can do more classes and work along with the paperwork and crap the school throws at them with admin issues. Then have to do the extra curricular activities so the parents paying can see they really have foreigners working there. I seriously doubt you have ever seen a Thai teacher running from one class to the next. But foreigners do it often. 

[proton]

well nobody wants to say how many weeks off they get a year from this arduous task a teaching a few hours a week. SIL is a headmistress in Bkk her husband is a head teacher, both are bone idle, seem clueless about education, cant speak a word of English and I have never seen a book in their house. Teachers the world over have us believe they are over worked and underpaid, I think it's the reverse.

[dinsdale]

8 hours ago, retarius said:

I'm not sure anyone could accuse Thai teachers of needing to have their burdens eased. Know nothings in charge of 'teaching kids' by enforcing outdated deference; obedience and total lack of any critical thinking skills; and we wonder why the education system is a farce?

Are you a teacher in a Thai school? How many Thai teachers do you know? Maybe you just like to generalize?

[dinsdale]

8 hours ago, proton said:

How many weeks holiday to they have a year over the national days off? seems like rather a lot add to that when they are in meetings and classes get cancelled, cheap loans and early retirement on good pensions, not a hard life

Wow! You seem to know an awful lot. How much is a teacher's pension then? Early retirement? Are you sure? Cheap loans? These are available to all government employees. School holidays? Teaching is a job that requires a lot of mental energy. Holidays are necessary not just for students but also teachers. Once again a teacher basher that has absolutelty no clue. Teaching is one of those underpaid, overworked and underappreciated professions slagged upon by those who have absolutely no idea of what they're talking about.

[Pouatchee]

6 hours ago, proton said:

 

You won't admit to how many weeks off a year they get then! If not so many the education standards might be improved. 

 

international schools about 2.5 well deserved months

thai schools 7 weeks for foreigners less for thais

many thai schools dont give 2 weeks for xmas and new year.,

[Pouatchee]

3 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

How much is a teacher's pension then?

 

gvt school teachers get around 30k a month, if admin closer to 60k

@dinsdale you are pretty much spot on

Edited February 10 by Pouatchee

[dinsdale]

1 minute ago, Pouatchee said:

 

gvt school teachers get around 30k a month, if admin closer to 60k

Pension????? As for 30k p/m that would be someone who has been teaching for many years. Upper admin >60k. Govt. sector.

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, proton said:

well nobody wants to say how many weeks off they get a year from this arduous task a teaching a few hours a week. SIL is a headmistress in Bkk her husband is a head teacher, both are bone idle, seem clueless about education, cant speak a word of English and I have never seen a book in their house. Teachers the world over have us believe they are over worked and underpaid, I think it's the reverse.

Well the article states 15 hours a week. Maybe for you this is a FEW but for anyone that had more than a FEW hours of education a week a FEW is not 15. As for 15 hrs a week this is on the lower side of average.  

[Pouatchee]

8 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Pension????? As for 30k p/m that would be someone who has been teaching for many years. Upper admin >60k. Govt. sector.

 

teaching 30 years... and i know quite a few...

head of kindergarten 50k a month, family relative

all gvt sector.

most private sector = no pension. my wife is teacher assistant and friends with the thai teachers in an international school. no thai gets a pension

[dinsdale]

49 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

 

teaching 30 years... and i know quite a few...

head of kindergarten 50k a month, family relative

all gvt sector.

most private sector = no pension. my wife is teacher assistant and friends with the thai teachers in an international school. no thai gets a pension

All govt employees get a pension. Also free health and dental. Govt. sector teachers get around the 12-13k per month upon forced retirement at the age of 60. The OP is not about the private sector.

[Pouatchee]

48 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Govt. sector teachers get around the 12-13k per month upon forced retirement at the age of 60

 

ok... i will not argue with you over this as there are other more important issues you raise that i agree with. just in passing my wife's mother was a head of kg... so, agree to disagree.