Bad experience teaching in Thailand

[bimbumbam]

Long post but I wanted to let it all out, I don't know if I was unlucky or if it is my fault.

This experience affected me negatively mentally and emotionally, despite receiving calls and mails back for jobs here in my country (Southern Europe).

I was told it was my fault for coming to Thailand unprepared (like culturally, financially) and for being arrogant for believing I could do stuff easily.

It was not just a way to travel, but I was had the passion for teaching, I would have not spent time taking a CELTA otherwise...none of my coworkers had one. They didn't have a TEFL.

I'm going to go point by point to avoid getting lost.

Qualifications: I'm not a Native speakers and I have a Bachelor's Degree, the same year I got a CELTA, a 7.5 Ielts score and I already a C1 CAE certificate.

Before this I had no experience besides a 100 Internship from High School where I helped with English and homework. My bachelor was related to the Tourism and Hospitality field but no one in the school had one related to children education, PGCE or English in general. Some even said they had fake degree or some were finishing university. They could not find qualified western (see white) teachers they wanted.

Getting hired: Unfortunately, right after the CELTA I could not find a job. I used Ajarn, Teast, and other plaforms, sent mails, videos etc and CV but aside from a few interviews I got ghosted.

It was already a bad sign itself, but I was motivated so I decided to give a chance to an agency (big mistake, I know). They found me a place in rural Thailand, for 32k baht a month, they were looking for an European woman (this itself was a red flag...) for a 5 month contact.

It was kindergarten, but I was wary that it was a different culture, so I asked if it was a private school, what were the expectations, how it was like etc They told me it was public, the parents had no expectations because it was Europe and it was different. A low salary was ok for me because it was not Bangkok, but closer to Cambodia, lower cost of life etc

The only thing that made me uncomfortable was to avoid touching the kids to avoid getting them attached, the parents didn't like it..the age range was 3-4 yrs old and I didn't know how much English they spoke. They told me Thai teachers took care of behavior, they didn't need someone who spoke Thai well (I speak it very little) etc

It made uneasy because I'm female and I don't know how you can control behavior 100% of kids that age, it seemed off but I thought it was just cultural, I had already signed...

The people: I met my foreign coworkers and they were all cooperative and friendly.

They revealed quickly they found it all bull<deleted>, even this other coworker told us it was all an act and no teaching at all.

We were given no training, just a watch day. Throughout the two weeks I was constantly paraded around and the teacher took pics of me with the kids, naively I thought the parents just wanted to make sure the kids were safe or that they liked me in general.

The Thai teachers were not too friendly, not much small talk besides the main co teacher.

One of the nannies was berating me all the time for giving the kids too much toothpaste, water, walking too fast...told me to go back to my class when I helped a random kid the first.

Everytime we did something she didn't like, she reported it to the manager of foreigners who told us directly stuff (for example the director said I could wear pants when I asked, but then I was asked to change). Or everything else, not the right shoes, not standing around to greet and wai every parent (which rushed away most of the times, we had 24-26 kids in class).

We had to take them to lunch, make them brush their teeth, give them milk, make sure they were safe etc

Actual teaching: The foreign teachers were supposed to stay all day with their class with a three hour break in between for the kids' nap, the kids who didn't want to sleep had to stay still too.

They had a general program and I admit not being the best teacher. I was having an hard time filling in the time and asked help to the coteacher a few times, the lesson planning was just adding repetitive info.

I was given to training and not much time to adjust...I always made them do activities like coloring, diy stuff everyday.

However, the kids were lovely and we bonded fast. During random play, they were happy to show me their toys, hugged me, wanted to play, chase them etc, I did eliciting with toys to make them speak English a little bit.

There were two students who seemed to get more attached. One who had an hard time coping and, I made him laugh a few times and he always wanted to hold my hand, be close to me etc

I didn't hush away, because I remember being a child myself, I have lots of empathy for kids and I wanted to be nice to them. The thai teachers were often too too nurturing and even other teachers found them harsh. I thought it was cultural so I didn't intervene. I would not go against the older teachers.

One was the teacher's grandaughter who was very bright, curious and spoke English like a native speaker of her age. She asked me tons of questions, asked me to take her to places, one day her grandmother yelled at her and she came up to me saying her grandma didn't love her anymore. I didn't know what to say...

During a story reading while nap time I made an example regarding fake flattery and since I received a lot of random flattery during the two weeks I stayed I thought they may have taken it personally. I may have accidentally made them lose face.

The problem is that they were a lot of kids in class and I was always on alert and watched them, because the last thing I wanted was an angry parent attacking me for letting their kid getting hurt. The other teacher was blamed for dropping a kid twice and having to get stiches, he had to go to their place to apologize. He speaks Thai better though. He was not fired for this or for being late, it was his second semester.

A few times I had to chase them if they run away (specially the special needs kid), put things in in their mouth, random running, climbing on things etc

The teachers didn't even make them wash their hands after the toilet, just sprayed hand disinfectant. I made them do it to not get sick constantly, they were always sweaty due to humidity so something I washed their faces.

The other teachers barely made an effort, if I had to be honest. They didn't change the kids before and after nap, so they slept with their uniform, made them watch brain-numbing stuff like cocomelon at least 2-3 hrs a day and gave them sugary stuff all day. They had toys but they didn't plan activities either, I just didn't want to do too much or go against them, if they wanted the kids to watch videos I let them.

I felt it was not my place to criticize, I only made a comment with another teacher that cocomelon is like cocaine for kids, which one of the nannies may have overheard...it was a semi-joke, nothing personal, I always joked and had good rapport with coworkers, we were on friendly terms as we were in the same boat.

I was diagnosed with PCOS and other health stuff so I have chronic fatigue and brain fog, I didn't have a diagnosis back then ( a year ago), I had two-three days of sick days and I made the mistake of staying home twice. I should not have done that, but I was exhausted. When I came home everyday, I just wanted sleep. I should have taken a nap during break but I didn't want to isolate myself from my coworkers. I was hanging out with one and people started gossiping we were dating but we were not. We liked each other but we met there actually.

Random gossip: I was informed by other substitue teachers the school was not public but the parents paid 30k baht a year for the English program, how nothing extra was ever appreciated and how they talk badly in front of you in Thai, thinking you don't understand. I noticed this once but ignored it.

Other foreign teachers said 5 yrs changed 6 teachers in one year, people came to stay one month and dipped...it was very messy.

I made a mistake of telling the coworker I was close with that I didn't like the school system as it was brain numbing, very repetitive and little stimulation while we were out but I'm afraid some thai workers there may have reported what we said...

Another teacher who left later thought it was all bull<deleted> and an act, the one I was close too criticized the school WHILE being in the school so I can't blame them...he was not too respectful of thai customs but I was.

The other falang teacher (russian) also frequently spoke Thai because the kids could hardly be contained if you spoke English only. Also, as if it were not enough, the foreign teacher who lasted longer, said one eastern european saw a filipino teacher touching a kid (yes that way) in the bathroom but he denied and he was not fired. I kid you not. Idk if it is all BS but this is crazy.

Me and the coworkers I was close to were fired by mail and call because the school didn't want us anymore, the teachers complained about my teaching style and him not being conservative (?). He was moved to another isolated elementary school and I was completely dropped like a hot potato...they also wasted his time and didn't provide non b visa. He had to go back to his country!

I felt worthless and stupid and I still wonder what I did wrong. I was told I was seen as a threat and how it was 100% person by another teacher (who left before the semester finished), the kids really liked me (I am not saying this to be arrogant, it felt genuine) and I felt I was doing ok.

When I asked an explanation they said my teaching style didn't fulfill expectations, how I could not fill in lessons and other stuff like not providing materials (this was not in the contract, they literally wanted me to buy stuff 5 days a week for over 20 kids apparently).

I told the manager I tried to make it up by doing the childcare stuff and babysitting I was never supposed to until I got better at managing the class. The other russian teacher was coming up to us saying he was going to kill himself if he had to keep staying in that class, the thai teacher didn't treat him too well apparently. He probably stayed until the end of the semester, the parents already knew him etc We kinda used colorful speech as an hyperbole regularly between each other but I guess the thai staff doesn't like our sense of humor or they didn't know english fluently either.

The manager claimed the parents pay money so whatever, it was my duty to do well. I was not aware it was a private program at all...The thai teacher was vague too, she did the same thing everyday, sang them a lullaby and made them pay or watch stuff but I didn't see something specific (like Montessori, let's say).

I spoke them in English everyday, the thai teacher told me none of the kids could speak it so I had to speak to her granddaughter as she knew it better.

The day before I got fired the manager said they liked me, wanted me to stay but also showed me the thai contract but didn't give it to me because 'I don't understand thai' ok...

The non b visa thing was sketchy and some got fines for hiring north african teachers too.

I still feel like an idiot for falling for this, it made me want to stop trying to teach in Thailand. I felt the locals just tolerated us but there was no rapport.

I found another job but left because the cost of getting a visa, probation period was too risky.

[Tokyo Dodge]

Jaysus, I thought she was writing her biography, almost dozed off reading it !

[bimbumbam]

There is no point is leaving out parts, i wanted to write down the general context 

 

what’s the point of writing a short post where you can just assume based on little info?

[Ralf001]

cliff notes please.

[ericbj]

7 hours ago, bimbumbam said:

Long post but I wanted to let it all out, I don't know if I was unlucky or if it is my fault.

This experience affected me negatively mentally and emotionally, despite receiving calls and mails back for jobs here in my country (Southern Europe).

I was told it was my fault for coming to Thailand unprepared (like culturally, financially) and for being arrogant for believing I could do stuff easily.

It was not just a way to travel, but I was had the passion for teaching, I would have not spent time taking a CELTA otherwise...none of my coworkers had one. They didn't have a TEFL.

I'm going to go point by point to avoid getting lost.

Qualifications: I'm not a Native speakers and I have a Bachelor's Degree, the same year I got a CELTA, a 7.5 Ielts score and I already a C1 CAE certificate.

Before this I had no experience besides a 100 Internship from High School where I helped with English and homework. My bachelor was related to the Tourism and Hospitality field but no one in the school had one related to children education, PGCE or English in general. Some even said they had fake degree or some were finishing university. They could not find qualified western (see white) teachers they wanted.

Getting hired: Unfortunately, right after the CELTA I could not find a job. I used Ajarn, Teast, and other plaforms, sent mails, videos etc and CV but aside from a few interviews I got ghosted.

It was already a bad sign itself, but I was motivated so I decided to give a chance to an agency (big mistake, I know). They found me a place in rural Thailand, for 32k baht a month, they were looking for an European woman (this itself was a red flag...) for a 5 month contact.

It was kindergarten, but I was wary that it was a different culture, so I asked if it was a private school, what were the expectations, how it was like etc They told me it was public, the parents had no expectations because it was Europe and it was different. A low salary was ok for me because it was not Bangkok, but closer to Cambodia, lower cost of life etc

The only thing that made me uncomfortable was to avoid touching the kids to avoid getting them attached, the parents didn't like it..the age range was 3-4 yrs old and I didn't know how much English they spoke. They told me Thai teachers took care of behavior, they didn't need someone who spoke Thai well (I speak it very little) etc

It made uneasy because I'm female and I don't know how you can control behavior 100% of kids that age, it seemed off but I thought it was just cultural, I had already signed...

The people: I met my foreign coworkers and they were all cooperative and friendly.

They revealed quickly they found it all bull<deleted>, even this other coworker told us it was all an act and no teaching at all.

We were given no training, just a watch day. Throughout the two weeks I was constantly paraded around and the teacher took pics of me with the kids, naively I thought the parents just wanted to make sure the kids were safe or that they liked me in general.

The Thai teachers were not too friendly, not much small talk besides the main co teacher.

One of the nannies was berating me all the time for giving the kids too much toothpaste, water, walking too fast...told me to go back to my class when I helped a random kid the first.

Everytime we did something she didn't like, she reported it to the manager of foreigners who told us directly stuff (for example the director said I could wear pants when I asked, but then I was asked to change). Or everything else, not the right shoes, not standing around to greet and wai every parent (which rushed away most of the times, we had 24-26 kids in class).

We had to take them to lunch, make them brush their teeth, give them milk, make sure they were safe etc

Actual teaching: The foreign teachers were supposed to stay all day with their class with a three hour break in between for the kids' nap, the kids who didn't want to sleep had to stay still too.

They had a general program and I admit not being the best teacher. I was having an hard time filling in the time and asked help to the coteacher a few times, the lesson planning was just adding repetitive info.

I was given to training and not much time to adjust...I always made them do activities like coloring, diy stuff everyday.

However, the kids were lovely and we bonded fast. During random play, they were happy to show me their toys, hugged me, wanted to play, chase them etc, I did eliciting with toys to make them speak English a little bit.

There were two students who seemed to get more attached. One who had an hard time coping and, I made him laugh a few times and he always wanted to hold my hand, be close to me etc

I didn't hush away, because I remember being a child myself, I have lots of empathy for kids and I wanted to be nice to them. The thai teachers were often too too nurturing and even other teachers found them harsh. I thought it was cultural so I didn't intervene. I would not go against the older teachers.

One was the teacher's grandaughter who was very bright, curious and spoke English like a native speaker of her age. She asked me tons of questions, asked me to take her to places, one day her grandmother yelled at her and she came up to me saying her grandma didn't love her anymore. I didn't know what to say...

During a story reading while nap time I made an example regarding fake flattery and since I received a lot of random flattery during the two weeks I stayed I thought they may have taken it personally. I may have accidentally made them lose face.

The problem is that they were a lot of kids in class and I was always on alert and watched them, because the last thing I wanted was an angry parent attacking me for letting their kid getting hurt. The other teacher was blamed for dropping a kid twice and having to get stiches, he had to go to their place to apologize. He speaks Thai better though. He was not fired for this or for being late, it was his second semester.

A few times I had to chase them if they run away (specially the special needs kid), put things in in their mouth, random running, climbing on things etc

The teachers didn't even make them wash their hands after the toilet, just sprayed hand disinfectant. I made them do it to not get sick constantly, they were always sweaty due to humidity so something I washed their faces.

The other teachers barely made an effort, if I had to be honest. They didn't change the kids before and after nap, so they slept with their uniform, made them watch brain-numbing stuff like cocomelon at least 2-3 hrs a day and gave them sugary stuff all day. They had toys but they didn't plan activities either, I just didn't want to do too much or go against them, if they wanted the kids to watch videos I let them.

I felt it was not my place to criticize, I only made a comment with another teacher that cocomelon is like cocaine for kids, which one of the nannies may have overheard...it was a semi-joke, nothing personal, I always joked and had good rapport with coworkers, we were on friendly terms as we were in the same boat.

I was diagnosed with PCOS and other health stuff so I have chronic fatigue and brain fog, I didn't have a diagnosis back then ( a year ago), I had two-three days of sick days and I made the mistake of staying home twice. I should not have done that, but I was exhausted. When I came home everyday, I just wanted sleep. I should have taken a nap during break but I didn't want to isolate myself from my coworkers. I was hanging out with one and people started gossiping we were dating but we were not. We liked each other but we met there actually.

Random gossip: I was informed by other substitue teachers the school was not public but the parents paid 30k baht a year for the English program, how nothing extra was ever appreciated and how they talk badly in front of you in Thai, thinking you don't understand. I noticed this once but ignored it.

Other foreign teachers said 5 yrs changed 6 teachers in one year, people came to stay one month and dipped...it was very messy.

I made a mistake of telling the coworker I was close with that I didn't like the school system as it was brain numbing, very repetitive and little stimulation while we were out but I'm afraid some thai workers there may have reported what we said...

Another teacher who left later thought it was all bull<deleted> and an act, the one I was close too criticized the school WHILE being in the school so I can't blame them...he was not too respectful of thai customs but I was.

The other falang teacher (russian) also frequently spoke Thai because the kids could hardly be contained if you spoke English only. Also, as if it were not enough, the foreign teacher who lasted longer, said one eastern european saw a filipino teacher touching a kid (yes that way) in the bathroom but he denied and he was not fired. I kid you not. Idk if it is all BS but this is crazy.

Me and the coworkers I was close to were fired by mail and call because the school didn't want us anymore, the teachers complained about my teaching style and him not being conservative (?). He was moved to another isolated elementary school and I was completely dropped like a hot potato...they also wasted his time and didn't provide non b visa. He had to go back to his country!

I felt worthless and stupid and I still wonder what I did wrong. I was told I was seen as a threat and how it was 100% person by another teacher (who left before the semester finished), the kids really liked me (I am not saying this to be arrogant, it felt genuine) and I felt I was doing ok.

When I asked an explanation they said my teaching style didn't fulfill expectations, how I could not fill in lessons and other stuff like not providing materials (this was not in the contract, they literally wanted me to buy stuff 5 days a week for over 20 kids apparently).

I told the manager I tried to make it up by doing the childcare stuff and babysitting I was never supposed to until I got better at managing the class. The other russian teacher was coming up to us saying he was going to kill himself if he had to keep staying in that class, the thai teacher didn't treat him too well apparently. He probably stayed until the end of the semester, the parents already knew him etc We kinda used colorful speech as an hyperbole regularly between each other but I guess the thai staff doesn't like our sense of humor or they didn't know english fluently either.

The manager claimed the parents pay money so whatever, it was my duty to do well. I was not aware it was a private program at all...The thai teacher was vague too, she did the same thing everyday, sang them a lullaby and made them pay or watch stuff but I didn't see something specific (like Montessori, let's say).

I spoke them in English everyday, the thai teacher told me none of the kids could speak it so I had to speak to her granddaughter as she knew it better.

The day before I got fired the manager said they liked me, wanted me to stay but also showed me the thai contract but didn't give it to me because 'I don't understand thai' ok...

The non b visa thing was sketchy and some got fines for hiring north african teachers too.

I still feel like an idiot for falling for this, it made me want to stop trying to teach in Thailand. I felt the locals just tolerated us but there was no rapport.

I found another job but left because the cost of getting a visa, probation period was too risky.

 

I guess you have got it off your chest, and trust you are feeling better now.

Sorry, I could not last the course when it came to reading it all.

Studying how to write a précis might be helpful to you.

 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/precis

Edited 6 hours ago by ericbj
addition of URL to dictionary definition

[Dexxter]

I asked my AI to summarise in 200 words or less....

 

Here's a summary of the text in under 200 words:

The writer, a Western teacher, shares their negative experience working at a kindergarten in rural Thailand. Despite having a CELTA certification, they struggled to adapt to the school's culture and teaching style. The writer felt overwhelmed, unsupported, and criticized by the Thai staff, who seemed more concerned with appearances than actual teaching.

The writer was eventually fired via email and phone call, allegedly due to their teaching style not meeting expectations. However, the writer suspects that they were seen as a threat and that the real reason for their termination was personal.

The writer's experience was further complicated by cultural differences, language barriers, and what they perceived as unprofessional behavior by the school administration.

[ignore it]

Hmm.

Have you given any thought about becoming an influencer?

[huyuli]

Takes me back 25 years. Can't believe it's still happening.

[arick]

You're not a teacher You're just a language assistant Maybe call yourself a teaching assistant you don't have any qualifications to teach You're not able to get a Thai teaching license You're not able to teach anywhere in the world.

[Ralf001]

18 minutes ago, Dexxter said:

I asked my AI to summarise in 200 words or less....

 

Here's a summary of the text in under 200 words:

The writer, a Western teacher, shares their negative experience working at a kindergarten in rural Thailand. Despite having a CELTA certification, they struggled to adapt to the school's culture and teaching style. The writer felt overwhelmed, unsupported, and criticized by the Thai staff, who seemed more concerned with appearances than actual teaching.

The writer was eventually fired via email and phone call, allegedly due to their teaching style not meeting expectations. However, the writer suspects that they were seen as a threat and that the real reason for their termination was personal.

The writer's experience was further complicated by cultural differences, language barriers, and what they perceived as unprofessional behavior by the school administration.

 

God bless AI.

 

Thanks.

[G_Money]

All that for 30k a month.

 

Welcome to the land of fake smiles.

[transam]

1 minute ago, G_Money said:

All that for 30k a month.

 

Welcome to the land of fake smiles.

Our resident forum hi-so has spoken, from his rented flat in girlie land..FACT......................😋

[Jonathan Swift]

I've been here 11 yeaRS. I'm not a teacher so this will be an outsider's view. First of all you're not an idiot. Sounds you had a legitimately hard time. And don't worry about the length of your post, you had to express a lot and did it as best you could. Dexxter provided a good condensed summary. I would say that you certainly didn't fit in with the status quo, but I don't think it was your fault. I would have a chat with as many other teachers here to get a larger point of view. I suspect there are better teaching opportunities, I see a lot of foreigners here in Bangkok and elsewhere teaching English. They seem to be doing OK. Thailand is a different experience for different people. Some people fit in like they were born here, others struggle and some give up. It's a strange culture in many ways. Social "rules" can be baffling. I struggled a bit but I have the advantage of Social Security from the US. As to "chronic fatigue and brain fog" that sounds serious enough to possibly be a fundamental factor in your ability to interpret, adapt and stay balanced. On the other hand, much of this sounds like things I've experienced in my previous life in the US, some very bad jobs, and I vowed never to work for a boss but to become fully self employed since 1988. There is nothing in your narrative that doesn't sound legitimate from an objective point of view. I urge you to seek other viewpoints and to not give up on the idea unless you absolutely have to. This is a great place and worth staying for those of us who adapted. But my final take is that it sounds like you got yourself into a regular 3 ring circus, and I can't help thinking that you could find better jobs if you hung it there and looked elsewhere. Chok dee.

[brewsterbudgen]

I've been teaching TEFL in Thailand for nearly 20 years, also after completing a CELTA.  Not sure why you went down the kindergarten route, as the CELTA course is specifically for teaching English to adults.  There are lots of language school opportunities in Bangkok and in other provinces where you can focus on teaching adults (sometimes older teenagers) rather than young children.  You won't earn much to start, although my starting salary back in 2005 was 34,000 baht a month, which is what some places seem to be paying now.  The higher quality language institutes (British Council, AUA, ECC, Wall Street, New Cambridge) will start you on a much higher rate.

[shackleton]

Hi Well you took the time to write about your experience in Thailand as a teacher 

So I read all of  your story start to finish 

It's a awaking experience to you hopefully you learned something positive

Towards  your future endeavours 

Good luck 👍 

[LukKrueng]

4 hours ago, Dexxter said:

I asked my AI to summarise in 200 words or less....

 

Here's a summary of the text in under 200 words:

The writer, a Western teacher, shares their negative experience working at a kindergarten in rural Thailand. Despite having a CELTA certification, they struggled to adapt to the school's culture and teaching style. The writer felt overwhelmed, unsupported, and criticized by the Thai staff, who seemed more concerned with appearances than actual teaching.

The writer was eventually fired via email and phone call, allegedly due to their teaching style not meeting expectations. However, the writer suspects that they were seen as a threat and that the real reason for their termination was personal.

The writer's experience was further complicated by cultural differences, language barriers, and what they perceived as unprofessional behavior by the school administration.

Thank you for this. I couldn't read past "Long post but " in the op....

[Stevemercer]

I don't think your experiences are all that unusual.

 

All you can do is learn from your experiences and, hopefully, find somewhere that works for you.

 

I tried teaching at a public high school, but gave it in after a few months. I could not really control the kids and got anxious. The other Thai teachers did try to help me out a bit by reducing my classes and sometimes sitting in. I guess they could see I was trying.

 

You are certainly right about presentation being key. I turned up on my first day in a suit and tie, and never stopped smiling. The headmaster thought I must be good and always seemed to favour me over the other farang teachers even though they carried more of the load and were more experienced.