Toefel Examination Pass Required By All Farang Teachers

[Moonhunteruk]

I am yet to find out more details on this but i will today.

I was informed by my director last night before leaving to go home that all foreign teachers working in Thailand will have to take and pass the toefel examination some time early next year. I work for a private school so i don't know if this applies to government schools but any more information i find out today i will post.

If anyone else has heard of this news please inform.

Thanks

Mike

[Moonhunteruk]

False alarm and wrong information given by Thai secretary, requirements are no different from any other year.

Sorry for any alarm.

I will double double check b 4 posting again.

Mike

Edited September 18, 2007 by Moonhunteruk

[Scott]

Language proficiency exams are required if you come from a non-native English speaking country, but otherwise, I don't think so.

God, that would be one way of weeding people out. I know a fair number of native speakers that would have trouble with it. I think I might find it challenging--especially grammar, like changing from one tense to another. It's the "perfect" tense that I am, well, rather imperfect at!

[PeaceBlondie]

It's perfectly simple, Scott; don't be tense. The present perfect tense tells how the subject presently is, based upon the perfected actions of the past. "I have been to Oklahoma" brands me as someone at the present time who had the past experience that defines me now. Likewise, "I've never been to Spain" used to define me as what I was not at the time I used to sing that, and three dog night is a really cold night in Alaska.

Spanish has an imperfect tense, more subjunctives than you can shake a condition at, and two forms of the verb to be. I think Latin had a pluperfect tense which caught the plural flu.

[markg]

A quick nitpicky observation.

1. What is a farang teacher EXACTLY? I would infer from your post that a fillipino teacher of English, therefore, wouldn't have to take the Tofu test - not being a "farang" an'all.

2. Language proficiency tests if you're from a none-native English country.............really? I'll let the Mandarin Chinese department know first thing in the morning. That should set the cat amongst the pigeons - they can't speak a word of English.

Edited September 18, 2007 by markg

[Loaded]

It's perfectly simple, Scott; don't be tense. The present perfect tense tells how the subject presently is, based upon the perfected actions of the past. "I have been to Oklahoma" brands me as someone at the present time who had the past experience that defines me now. Likewise, "I've never been to Spain" used to define me as what I was not at the time I used to sing that, and three dog night is a really cold night in Alaska.

Spanish has an imperfect tense, more subjunctives than you can shake a condition at, and two forms of the verb to be. I think Latin had a pluperfect tense which caught the plural flu.

Present Perfect is a great communicative tool. It can:

Talk about a past action that explains the present situation (yet, already, just) - What's wrong? agh aghhh I've just hurt my leg'

Experience (ever) - 'I've been to Benidorm'. 'Have you ever been to Spain?'

Repeated past actions - 'I've read many articles concerning this'

Unfinished past actions (for, since) - 'I've lived here for 10 years'

What often happens though is that Thai and farang teachers only teach one use (experience) so students don't have the ability to express the other ideas. Also, Thais tend to translate directly the use of 'ever' from their own language and so use it in negative and positive sentences: 'I ever go to Bangkok'!

[PeaceBlondie]

Good point, loaded. I'll bet there are other examples where the non-native speaker teaches English usage in a very narrow sense but in fact, the usage is far more widespread.

Also, not to slag off the British idiomatic expression too much, since I've started using it, as well - I've only ever started saying 'I've only ever' since arriving in Thailand.