A Thai English teacher addressed a viral complaint by a Filipina tourist about the lack of English comprehension in Thailand. In her response, the teacher emphasised respect and cultural understanding more than language proficiency.

The Filipina initiated the incident by posting online, expressing her frustration that local Grab drivers in Thailand were not understanding her English. Her post quickly gained attention, sparking widespread discussion. Known Thai influencer Crispy Froid, who teaches English online, responded on January 11 with a video highlighting the importance of cultural awareness when travelling.

Crispy Froid acknowledged the tourist's frustration but urged for a perspective shift. She explained that travellers often represent their cultures, and their attitude towards others can reflect on their homeland. Crispy insisted that mutual respect far outweighs perfect language skills when connecting with people from different backgrounds.

Furthermore, she praised Thailand as a hospitable nation and suggested that respect can lead to more fulfilling experiences. Her response was a call for patience and understanding, hoping the tourist would have more positive encounters in future travels.

Although the initial critic has not issued a public reply, Crispy Froid's response has sparked renewed dialogue about the expectation of English usage by foreigners in non-English-speaking countries. The discourse focuses on navigating language barriers and the significance of respect in international travel, reported The Thaiger.

Key Takeaways:

• Thai teacher stresses respect over fluent English for travellers.

• The post highlights cultural sensitivity as key in foreign interactions.

• Online discussions focus on English expectations abroad.

Related Stories:

Thai English Proficiency Slips Further Down Global Rankings

Thailand Ranked 106th in English Proficiency Out of 116 Countries

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2026-01-12

 

 

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

"expressing her frustration that local Grab drivers in Thailand were not understanding her English."

Her ignorance is only surpassed by her hubris.

Complaining will not work as teaching Thai students English in government schools. They lack the motivation to learn, because they will pass every subject. And a PM once stated that Thai will be a global language and another is not welcoming foreigners..

43 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Complaining will not work as teaching Thai students English in government schools. They lack the motivation to learn, because they will pass every subject. And a PM once stated that Thai will be a global language and another is not welcoming foreigners..

Just like Esperanto ?

There's the "pot calling the kettle black".

My step daughter spent her high school years in a private school with Filipino English teachers and the lot of em were hopeless illiterates.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

a video highlighting the importance of cultural awareness when travelling.

Having not seen said video, did she perhaps say how she will highlight cultural awarness? Will she use English or Chinese or Russian or French or...

Maybe she will use international sign language... I know a few of those but I am told these are questionable.

33 minutes ago, bdenner said:

There's the "pot calling the kettle black".

My step daughter spent her high school years in a private school with Filipino English teachers and the lot of em were hopeless illiterates.

You just said the quiet part out loud.

The link in the story titled 'Thailand ranked 106th of 116 countries in English proficiency' proves the point the tourist was saying - even though Thais are all taught English at school. The Thai English teacher was offended because she and her other English teachers are failing at their job.

"The survey, conducted by EF Education First, a leading name in English language education, assesses proficiency levels worldwide. Thailand's score of 415 points highlights its positioning as 21st in Asia and 7th among ASEAN countries, lagging behind neighbours like Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines."

The people in Myanmar and Laos are more proficient in English than Thais - WOW! Cambodia is worse - they are ranked last in the world according to the latest index on wikipedia.

2 minutes ago, XRules said:

The link in the story titled 'Thailand ranked 106th of 116 countries in English proficiency' proves the point the tourist was saying - even though Thais are all taught English at school. The Thai English teacher was offended because she and her other English teachers are failing at their job.

"The survey, conducted by EF Education First, a leading name in English language education, assesses proficiency levels worldwide. Thailand's score of 415 points highlights its positioning as 21st in Asia and 7th among ASEAN countries, lagging behind neighbours like Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines."

The people in Myanmar and Laos are more proficient in English than Thais - WOW! Cambodia is worse - they are ranked last in the world according to the latest index on wikipedia.

You can't lay all the blame on the teachers. The whole Thai education system is flawed with perhaps the most important issue being that you cannot fail a student no matter how bad their performance. The students usually figure this out by Grade 3 and this is dispiriting for all but the most eager to truly learn.

For most Thais it all goes horribly wrong in high school, which is basically 6 years of meaningless brainwashing by incompetent Thai teachers pretending to know what they are doing. By the time the students get to university it is sink or swim... mostly sink. One on the main problems is that these high school kids think that languages are not important because they will just work in Thailand and not need it... but if you look at any decent job ad, then it requires a TOEIC score etc. or "Good English communication skills" etc... even for an engineer at a half-decent company. There just isn't the intrinsic motivation for such topics as Thai society doesn't encourage it, neither does the system, as it wants compliant workers that don't get aspirations above their station... Thailand stills needs a slave class to serve the elites.

It's a bit of all of the above, IMO. A rote learning system (repeat, repeat, repeat - but don't ask questions) is a major stumbling block in State schools. That's why anyone with means (Thai or foreigners) sends their kid(s) to either a private or international school to learn in English and become inquisitive. At least that's the idea. But many of the international schools don't pay enough to attract native English speakers or foreign teachers willing to stick around more than a year or two.

Second, the government doesn't seem to care that the masses are uneducated - nor that they have little if any English language ability. As George Carlin once said, the government's education policy is to create 'obedient workers, just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork, but dumb enough to accept the increasingly sh***y wages, the end of overtime, and a pension that disappears the moment they go to collect it.'

Frankly, a tourist should expect that almost everyone working in the Thai tourism sector can speak at least basic English. They do in Vietnam and other countries in this region. So why not here - second largest economy in ASEAN? That includes Grab and taxi drivers.

Ironically, as has been pointed out, many of the "English teachers" in That schools are recruited from the Filipines.

They are cheap to employ.

The last thing the hi-so dominated government want is a well-educated underclass asking where their share of the nation pie is.

I remember asking this salesgirl in a very large hardware shop outlet in Hua Hin, very popular with expats, for some information. She just openly said "solly, no can english". But when it comes to take the falangs money, that they all understand. From now, I just order online and it goes fine.

I speak English with a rural Ayrshire accent, this can be difficult for even fellow Scots to understand.

There isn't overly high proficiency of Thai comprehension in the Philippines either....

Here's a funny story about Thais and foreign languages if you haven't heard it yet:

A Westerner hopelessly lost in Bkk stopped two Thai guys and asked in English the way to where he wanted to go. The Thais looked at him blankly. The foreigner was a bit of a linguist, though he had no Thai. So he tried the same question in Malay thinking if the two gentlemen might understand. No luck. He pressed on trying a couple more languages before walking away utterly frustrated.

The Thais looked at each other. One said,"We Thais should really learn other languages. It will help us communicate with tourists."

"What's the point?" his friend replied, "That man obviously knows several and what good did it do him."

It's funny, my nephew is a medical engineer, he went to Europe, Japan USA and speaks English as well as I do. Yes, he lives in BKK as a matter of fact, most of my Thai family members speak some English.

One problem, most thais never hear "proper" english spoken. As a start, they should remove all "dubbing" on thai television and foreign movies in cinemas. Do subtitles in thai instead, that would (maybe) also improve reading skills..

Pattaya

I went to a Welsh bar w/ a Welsh chum.

Could not understand them.

Love the fake Brit accent on the Thai Minx , so posh and naughty

30 minutes ago, Olav Seglem said:

One problem, most thais never hear "proper" english spoken. As a start, they should remove all "dubbing" on thai television and foreign movies in cinemas. Do subtitles in thai instead, that would (maybe) also improve reading skills..

Dubbing is a curse and so much of it is awful. It applies for all languages. I can't bear to hear the dubbed english versions of shows, and much prefer the original version in Korean, Japanese, Swedish, German etc. The emotional energy of the actor is usually lost in the dub.

11 hours ago, JAG said:

Ironically, as has been pointed out, many of the "English teachers" in That schools are recruited from the Filipines.

They are cheap to employ.

I have been away from the teaching scene for a very long time. In the 90's, among non-native English teachers, there were quite many Burmese folks. I guess since quite many years ago, it is the Filipinos who have been leading the non-native teachers in numbers employed. Probably, the standard of English language in Myanmar has deteriorated since the military there were in control of the country in most of the years since early 90's and hence fewer of them employed in Thailand. I could be wrong though of course.

Not sure if Crispy Creme and the Philipina are AI bots? 🤔

The Philipina should not be broadcasting this click bait garbage on the interweb, esp using the F word.

8 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

There isn't overly high proficiency of Thai comprehension in the Philippines either....

But they speak quite good Filipino AND English

Thai's weaponize language. They don't speak English because this gives then power over Aliens. You will often be surprised that many Thai's can infact speak English but choose not to.

Passive-aggressive language is a form of

indirect communication that expresses negative feelings, anger, or resistance without openly addressing them. This "weaponized" language is a manipulative tactic designed to avoid direct conflict while still making the aggressor's displeasure known, often leaving the recipient feeling confused or guilty

Filipinas are envious and jealous of Thailand and Thai women. They get reviews that point out their terrible infrastructure, their cleanliness and the food choices when comparing Ph with Thai.

9 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

There isn't overly high proficiency of Thai comprehension in the Philippines either....

Why would there be?

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Crispy insisted that mutual respect far outweighs perfect language skills when connecting with people from different backgrounds.

Even though Thai taxi drivers English skills are generally poor, those language skills far surpass the amount of respect they show for people from different backgrounds.

10 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

There isn't overly high proficiency of Thai comprehension in the Philippines either....

There doesn't need to be.