Thailand Steps Up Enforcement on Illegal Foreign Teachers

[fredwiggy]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Jail the employers... don't blame just the teachers

It might be a better idea to relax the laws to allow anyone who can teach to teach. A native English speaker can teach students just by talking to them. People learn by repetition and many here learn English by watching music on Youtube. I understand the strictness of not taking a job from a Thai, but English speakers are needed here and if you're a native English speaker who knows how to teach grammar and pronunciation, you're ahead of native Thais who learn English as a second language. I hear much and also see it firsthand the laziness the local teachers have, and not only in English, so having one who's a gung ho English teacher would only help the students more. You're actually adding a job by letting people teach English, as it's in the Thai's own best interest to learn English as young as possible.

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand should be encouraging as many foreign teachers as possible, especially when it comes to teaching English. Most Thai English teachers are grossly incompetent, and it's one of the reasons why Thailand has the lowest English proficiency scores on the planet. 

 

It's time for this nation to man up, it's time for the adults in the room to realize that there are certain things that foreigners are better at than the locals, and to stop the extreme paranoia about a few hundred or a few thousand foreigners occupying specific positions that are needed and required. 

One of the easiest solutions is stop using Thai voices for foreign movies and do subtitles. 

[digger70]

3 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

 

You should ask the great Aussie teachers who run English classes for immigrants.

 

Here one of those heroes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-larbalestier-48893430/

 

Why Don't you Tell me ... 

Not going to Linkedin.  🙏

 

 

 

[arick]

Maybe I should be a brained surgeon unqualified brain surgeon.

[arick]

The agency in London is just sent me 10 emails asking me if I can come and work starting at £1000 a week>.  Mmmmmmm

[fredwiggy]

29 minutes ago, arick said:

The agency in London is just sent me 10 emails asking me if I can come and work starting at £1000 a week>.  Mmmmmmm

Don't send them this line.

[alien365]

I seem to be the odd one out as I see many Thai English teachers now who can speak good English. They can't write it very well, but in the other three skills I've seen a lot of improvement over the years.

[Purdey]

Perhaps Thailand has one of the world's worst English proficiency levels but there are many other languages needed for trade and economics. Chinese and Spanish for instance. Thailand wants tourism but who speaks Russian and Estonian? 

Foreigners are needed here if Thailand wants to keep up with the rest of the world.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

as it's in the Thai's own best interest to learn English as young as possible.

The establishment want submissive workers for the factories and companies, educated multi lingual citizens will opt for better employment with better wages, mostly found overseas.

That will not do.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

The establishment want submissive workers for the factories and companies, educated multi lingual citizens will opt for better employment with better wages, mostly found overseas.

That will not do.

When the people have a voice things get changed.

[hotchilli]

28 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

When the people have a voice things get changed.

Like the last election ?

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Like the last election ?

Exactly.

[MrChrisThai]

I am new here and signed up in order to keep up with news and also bc I work here now...like some others, I have a non education BA and post grad studies and experience. However, the new rule is to take the course "modules" in order to get a license, but they make it such a pain, very complicated, and confusing...so competent, good ESL teachers are on temp licenses and may or may not be able to take the required module classes in order to get a license.  Why make it such a pain? There are schools who keep applying for a new temp licenses for their teachers bc its just easier...

 

Something else that is an issue is accessible, affordable, and quality education for ESL teachers who want to further their education, including getting post grad education so they can get licensed here. I have heard stories of foreigners who enroll in schools here and their professors can barely speak English so the classes are viewed as jokes and it turns out to be a PAY and PLAY situation--pay up, get the degree, get the license...does that help make a good quality teacher?  

I would like to add that this whole idea of "unqualified NES" is silly. Some of the best teachers out there are people who came here with non ed degree and a TEFL. Yes, there are some poor quality, uneducated teachers but let me tell you something and read this very carefully--> just bc a teacher has an ED degree, whether foreign or not, does NOT make them a better teacher. Likewise, as others have mention here, there are Master level teachers that can barely speak English and every class is doing some BS worksheet. So, what makes a good teacher? 

I propose that Thailand open up to accepting more post grad diplomas for NES who want a license and also they should offer better required "modules". Teachers who have a passion to teach here should be able to pursue some quality education that helps them get licensed. Again, this whole idea of "ohhh we need qualified teachers" (meaning ED degree) is silly because a degree in ED wont make anyone a better teacher.