English Teachers

[Godot]

Read somewhere that most English teaching jobs in LOS are for NATIVE speakers only. Is this true? I'm not a native, but I have a degree in English from the University and consider myself a (fairly) fluent speaker. IMO a teacher having had to learn English as a second language can actually be regarded as an advantage.

[Begs]

Godot, my Gf was going to school for English and the Teachers where : A Frenchwoman, Belgian woman, Dutch woman.

If you have a degree in English i am sure that is more than most of the Teachers have anyway, no matter where they are from.

Go for it

[Bluecat]

Don't worry.

English teaching is for everybody and anybody in Thailand.

If you have a degree in English, you are waaaay ahead of a lot of them,...

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Don't worry.

English teaching is for everybody and anybody in Thailand.

If you have a degree in English, you are waaaay ahead of a lot of them,...

My sentiments exactly.

I'm a native but with a degree you have one up on me.

Fair play and good luck.

[Teach]

Godot, what is your mother tongue, there are many opportunities available for consultant translation work that would require that level of English competancy, far less work and far better paid than what you would be offered as a teacher. Also corporate proof writing from home ( any home) is another option with your very valuable degree. Don't sell yourself cheap.

Teach

[andyinkat]

I'm an English English teacher but my colleagues are German, Russian, Turkish, Dutch amongst others (now that's what globalisation should be about, not swamping the planet with Burger Kings et.al.). We do all have degrees and TEFL qualifications - that's the determining factor.

[Limbo]

My English is very bad (it is my language number four), but this didn't prevent me from working one afternoon a week for five years as a volunteer English teacher in a village school. Matayom 1 to 3.

So the kids might have a northern European accent now, but they lost their fear to open their mouths and speak some form of English. It is a very remote school with many children from different ethnical groups.

I actually, at that level, thought of it as an advantage that my English is so basic. It made the distance between student and teacher smaller.

My nick-name was Acharn Bean. We had a lot of fun. But we learned that English is an instrument for communication (my Thai is even much lousier than my English).

Some years ago there was a native English speaking teacher here in town. I once said to some other native English speakers that I didn't understand his English.

Oh, nobody does, was their reply.

The quality of teachers is now must higher than it was before. It is not only the English that counts, it is also the ability to teach. Feeling for children, being able to listen as well. To go on your knees once in a while.

Good luck!

[Bluecat]

My English is very bad

I do not know about your spoken English but your written one could sure compete with the one of a few English native speakers/writers,...

[igotworms]

If you have a proper degree and speak and sound well, you should have no problem obtaining work here. However, most non-native English teachers I have encountered often taught bad habits to their students. I wouldn't have my child learn English from a non-native speaker.

[Bluecat]

However, most non-native English teachers I have encountered often taught bad habits to their students

You said too much or not enough,....

[RooBoy]

If you have a proper degree and speak and sound well, you should have no problem obtaining work here.  However, most non-native English teachers I have encountered often taught bad habits to their students. I wouldn't have my child learn English from a non-native speaker.

speak and sound well?? were you taught by a non native speaker or a native English teacher?

Many teachers here have teaching degrees in English from their home countries, especially the Filipino teachers. They also study courses such as CELTA, TEFL etc, and are very good at what they do.

Your attitude smacks of Thai ignorance, schools like Sarasas are prime examples, where they parade Native english speakers (note I dont say teachers) out the front to welcome the students in the mornings, so the parents can see the white teachers and gain face. Certainly some are good teachers, some are qualified, but more often than not they are working in the only job they can get just so they can stay here..

[Bluecat]

I wouldn't have my child learn English from a non-native speaker.

I'm trying to understand but I don't.

Is it a fetish thing,...?

[igotworms]

If you have a proper degree and speak and sound well, you should have no problem obtaining work here.  However, most non-native English teachers I have encountered often taught bad habits to their students. I wouldn't have my child learn English from a non-native speaker.

speak and sound well?? were you taught by a non native speaker or a native English teacher?

Many teachers here have teaching degrees in English from their home countries, especially the Filipino teachers. They also study courses such as CELTA, TEFL etc, and are very good at what they do.

Your attitude smacks of Thai ignorance, schools like Sarasas are prime examples, where they parade Native english speakers (note I dont say teachers) out the front to welcome the students in the mornings, so the parents can see the white teachers and gain face. Certainly some are good teachers, some are qualified, but more often than not they are working in the only job they can get just so they can stay here..

Speaking from first hand experience, I have met a few teachers of French, Swiss and German origin who all had the proper credentials and copious amounts of teaching experience but still taught their students improper pronunciation, grammatical errors and dodgy accents.

My attitude smacks of Thai ignorance? Most Thai, Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese parents are paying good money to receive proper English training. They want their child to speak like a North American or like someone from the UK. They don't want their kid to sound like Ooter from the Simpsons. "I like da chocolate, ya." They want their children to learn English from a native speaker whose language has been developed from within an English speaking culture.

As for Sarasas schools using falangs as marketing technique, well all Thai schools in one way or another display their teachers as a form of marketing and advertising. That's the nature of this business. Image sells. In Asia, education is a business first and foremost. Thus, Asian schools are providing their customers with what they want: native English speakers.

[igotworms]

I wouldn't have my child learn English from a non-native speaker.

I'm trying to understand but I don't.

Is it a fetish thing,...?

I think it's pretty obvious. It's a logical thing.

[Ajarn]

Godot, what is your mother tongue, there are many opportunities available for consultant translation work that would require that level of English competancy, far less work and far better paid than what you would be offered as a teacher. Also corporate proof writing from home ( any home) is another option with your very valuable degree. Don't sell yourself cheap.

Teach

Yeah, totally agree. Lots of opportunities for any sharp go-getter with good English skills.

Good luck

[Sexy Beast]

I worked with a colleague who was Swedish and with a BA in English and his pronunciation and abilities as an English teacher excelled many ‘native English teachers’ that I have met.

It all depends on your fluency and your skills as a teacher.

[Ajarn]

If you have a proper degree and speak and sound well, you should have no problem obtaining work here.  However, most non-native English teachers I have encountered often taught bad habits to their students. I wouldn't have my child learn English from a non-native speaker.

I really agree with your concerns. I would be hesitant to use a non-native, rather than a native, when teaching English, too. It should be looked at on a case by case basis, I feel.

In my experience of hiring teachers, the non-native English teacher often can teach circles around many native English speakers in terms of grammar. How many of you can name all the twelve tenses, give examples of each, and clearly explain (illustrate) the differences in meaning between the tenses? Most non-native teachers I interviewed could do this without much difficulty. If I used that as a criteria for hiring, I wouldn't have hired many farangs, for they rarely did very well with my grammar tests...

But, what many non-native English teachers often lack is the cultural experience, which is the root of any language. I often taught British English, but I knew I was lacking the cultural background to explain things like the origins of idioms or slang expressions, for example. I was missing the true 'flavor' of the language...I think that aspect is very important...

[igotworms]

I worked with a colleague who was Swedish and with a BA in English and his pronunciation and abilities as an English teacher excelled many ‘native English teachers’ that I have met.

It all depends on your fluency and your skills as a teacher.

That is true, I had a Swedish neighbor who spoke English flawlessly.

[Godot]

Thanks for all the posts. But if you go to ajarn.com you will notice that every other job offering has the word "native" in it. Should a non-native even bother applying?

BTW I'm Scandinavian. Not much chance getting a job doing translations.

[Ajarn]

Thanks for all the posts. But if you go to ajarn.com you will notice that every other job offering has the word "native" in it. Should a non-native even bother applying?

BTW I'm Scandinavian. Not much chance getting a job doing translations.

How much do you want it?

[Sexy Beast]

But, what many non-native English teachers often lack is the cultural experience, which is the root of any language.

Sometimes so but often non natives can be excellent teachers. As a teacher I’m not teaching culture but rather communication. But the Swede I mentioned was rather well traveled in the UK.

[BoredCat]

As a teacher I’m not teaching culture but rather communication.

And you're probably right.

Most of the people who learn English learn it for communication purposes, not for culture purposes,...

[Ajarn]

But, what many non-native English teachers often lack is the cultural experience, which is the root of any language.

Sometimes so but often non natives can be excellent teachers. As a teacher I’m not teaching culture but rather communication. But the Swede I mentioned was rather well traveled in the UK.

I'd say we don't teach a language, we teach how to learn a language...We use direct communication as the teaching medium in the classroom

When I started learning Thai, it helped me to understand the culture and history of the language. It gave me insight into the country and its people/culture/society, it helped me understand the Thai logic of vocab/expressions/idioms/slang, which has helped me to figure out the Thai word I needed, or to figure from context using that Thai logic...

Teachers need to use many different methods of illustrating teaching points to reach the various learning requirements of our students, and the more you can share about this language they are learning, the more valuable, and valued, the learning experience will be for the student, in my experience. And the more 'tools' a teacher has in their bag of tricks, the better, too

As for non native teachers, I've hired a few, never had to fire any, and when I observed them, they did fine-- because they had the heart to teach. THAT is what I looked for in teachers. I never concerned myself with teacher's accents too much, for the real world has English speakers using many accents, and listening comprehension is often the biggest problem for students, in part, I think, because Thais are used to hearing one word spoken with the same tone, always, and the differing tones we use in English gives big real-time listening headaches to our students. More listening/speaking practice is the only answer here. Literally, their ears and brain need time and practice to adjust to the new sounds/sound combinations.

For those of you who comprehend spoken Thai well enough, remember how your ability to distinguish between spoken Thai words was at the beginning? Time and Practice, na'?

The more, the varied, the better, in my book.