Unqualified Teachers

[eek]

I am posting here and hope thats ok, as its regarding a recent experience talking to an "English Teacher".

In my Thai language class (as a student) another student turns to talk to me before class begins. Also, this is the third time this man has spoken to me, and yet for the third time he asks my name again. Anyway..he likes to talk it seems (and not listen tbh), and tells me a condensed life story and that he has lived in Thailand for three years. He then tells me he is teaching at the very same language school as an English Teacher.

I ask him if he has teaching experience and/or a tefl/Celta and he tells me no. He took a tefl course, but failed. He says its because he is somewhat illiterate and has dyslexia. I asked how he was finding the students response etc..how the classes were going and if the students were learning. He told me that they are enjoying the classes and that its fun classes and things like his personality is what gets them learning. (Ok, somewhat he has a point..but only those elements count in my mind IF you have core teaching skills. As a student I dont want to attend a joking jovial class and learn nothing constructive..id rather have a teacher who does not have a dynamic/overzealous personality but who can TEACH me. And to be perfectly honest he doesnt have a dynamic a personality..just seems to think so). He is actually very patronising, and makes assumptions without even asking. Ie: He assumes i am someone fresh out of my home country without any knowledge of Thailand (or anything else really) although I have lived in various countries internationally since very young. I have already some basic experience of thai language and have used it everyday since i arrived here ( a year ago), but im embarrassed that i get sentences muddled up and cannot get past simple conversation, so that is why im on a beginners thai class..to learn fundamentals. He goes into teacher mode and tells me to 'practice everyday to build confidence' etc. I suppose i could set him straight, but ive found getting a word in edge ways is impossible. Plus if i do he just seems to forget..honestly think the man has a memory span of a fish!

I dont mean to be overly mean..but im gobsmacked about the fact he is teaching. Even with my degree (in Art not language) and five years (Art) teaching experience, I felt that in order to teach here I should take on and pass a course. I took a Celta when i first arrived to get qualified and get a feel for teaching the subject. Without which I would have difficulty even attempting to call myself an English Teacher or apply for a job here as one. (I since decided not to teach..but may do later). I still feel lacking in my grammar and skills to teach English, although my well prepared classes did go well and happily my students seemed to enjoy my classes (and remember what was taught when followed up on the next class). Yet this man is teaching children and adults English in a language school. It beggars belief!

..Am i being a snob about this? For I cant help wondering how someone like this can be employed as an Teacher here. This is Chiang Mai im talking about too, not a small Thai town. Are some major towns so desperate for native speakers that they take on anyone? I thought it was tough to get work here even for a qualified teacher.

Well regardless, I do sincerely hope that his students are getting something out of his classes and that he makes for a better teacher than he comes across. He may indeed be a dynamic teacher who provides entertaining and educational classes. But its honestly quite hard for me to believe.

Also is there not basic standard that needs to be met? I didnt ask if it was paid teaching, maybe it isnt. But i would think the school would like to maintain a standard regardless? Also baffles me with regards to visa. Oh heck i dunno.. maybe i will ask him more later, or maybe i will just let this bafflement all flow away. Adopt the 'come what may'/'mai pen rai' attitude to it all. Personally i cant help thinking Thai people deserve better.

Well..discuss..or not...but thank you regardless for letting me ramble my astonishment.

[stament]

He's giving teachers a bad reputation. Report him to the authorities for not having appropriate qualifications.

[Ulysses G.]

I used to teach English at Chiang Mai University and he sounds like most of my co-workers at the time.

They threw some great parties though!

[garro]

I'm sorry but this man shouln't be allowed to teach English without at least some qualifications.

It's a shame that he has dyslexia but it is also a shame that he is teaching English.

I know that TEFL is mostly convversational practice and I am all for equal opportunites..

But would you have a limbless man teaching children how to swim.

I don't mean to sound callous.

If this became public it would be yet another blow to the tarnished reputation on English teachers in LOS.

BTW. . I would imagine that his arrogance is an attempt to compensate fot his learning difficulty.

[Gimbo]

Not defending the mans lack of formal qualifications.

But what is his students alternatives?

A Thai English teacher who is hardly able to pronounce a single word in in English perhaps?

I have met a few of those. And I had to concentrate real hard to understand that indeed, they where trying to communicate in something resembling English.

Just maybe, maybe this guy's students will actually be able to speak some English when he is trough with them?

Well then they are better off than most in this country.

And that the man is trying to learn Thai, is for me an indication that he is trying to become a better teacher by actually learning the mother tongue of his students,

and thus be a better teacher.

Okay, thats my thoughts. You may proceed your whinge now

[eek]

it is not "a whinge" Gimbo, its a genuine concern. How on earth would you feel as a paying student in your home country being given a second rate unqualified teacher? This is also, as i said, no small town, but Chiang Mai! I hardly think the quality of English teachers is so low as to be recruiting semi-literate teachers who fail tefl courses? Plus I am attending the SAME language school he teaches at and tbh my very pleasant thai teacher is more understandable to me when speaking English than his muttered thick accented North English dialect. If he is being paid..its possible sadly that he is also earning more than the qualified thai teachers.

I also wonder if he is only learning thai now (after 3 years of living in thailand) because maybe it is part of his teaching programme, free, or at a discount. He seems more interested in banter (translation: talking about himself) than actually learning (but its early days yet so i best not be too opinionated with regards to that. Time will tell).

OK, granted NOW i am off on a rant, but i still dont think im off on a whinge. Definition of whinge: To complain in a particularly annoying manner. Whine; grumble peevishly. I dont think my post is any of those things..but then again im of course biased. However, i think my point IS valid, and put in as least a "whiny" way possible.

[eek]

Where did i say i teach English Sir? Plus this is an informal forum is it not? If you READ my OP you will notice that DESPITE my experience in teaching (ART) and having a CELTA qualification I STILL feel that i am not suitably qualified to teach English.

Oh heck its like talking to rocks around here sometimes

[PeaceBlondie]

Standard procedure in the teaching forum: if a poster brags about their grammar, spelling, syntax, etc., and they make a mistake, you may note it. That's not what eek has done here. Posts that attack other people about their grammar get deleted.

eek, I'm surprised this happened, but CMai is such a big place, even incompetents sometimes slip through and get hired.

[eek]

I suppose so PB.

Can i please emphasise that i would not be taking a dig at this man in ANY way if he was not teaching English. The world is full of bizarre characters, and thats great, but I DO take certain things seriously, such as being qualified (not just academically) in important roles.

I would not want an no-experienced un-qualified builder to build my home or a self-proclaimed psychiatrist messing with my emotions.

I take education seriously. I think people deserve good teachers.

Im sorry if my ideals seem harsh.

(I also, as stressed, fully accept that my grammar etc etc is not up to par. However, i feel that it has no baring on my comment, nor reflect my level of education or ability to communicate my point.)

[Ijustwannateach]

Let's not go overboard. The unqualified brain surgeon/unqualified conversational language teacher comparison is such a silly one I don't know why it keeps coming up- first because the stakes are obviously astronomically higher in the first case, and that in the second case ANY amount of real conversational ability more than the students or their Thai teachers have already is at least something considering the low salary, low contact time, and low opportunities many students will have. It's not rocket science and it's not even literary analysis; it's "How are you doing? I'm pretty good, thanks, how about you?" for *maybe* 1 hour a week if the students are lucky (or even one hour every two weeks or every month).

I'm not defending incompetence, but as I've recently said if you pay peanuts you will get monkeys. Fully-qualified, licensed, gold-star-in-their-belly-buttons, true-blue teachers in their home country get offered 120K a month plus an enormous benefits package and full legal paperwork before they even consider getting on the plane, and that's the low end (teachers without much seniority or experience). Language schools, dodgy government schools, and agencies typically offer teachers between 20-30k a month base salary plus a snowball's chance in heck of ever being legal- I should note that the salaries are considered particularly bad in the Chiang Mai area. If a CELTA isn't enough of a qualification for that kind of position, Eek, then do you think Thai students will benefit proportionately to the whopping increase in fees they will have to pay to cover the additional employment costs? I think it is more likely that if such stringent qualifications are enforced, there will be no language schools, no native-speaking teachers of any kind, and no chance of real English in larger Thailand. It is not ideal, but it is better to allow such mistakes as the hiring of this man to occur occasionally than to have no English teaching going on at all except at schools that only multimillionaires can afford. He shouldn't be teaching, but there are hundreds who can teach because of a system liberal enough to be this pragmatic.

"S"

[Canada]

I have to agree with Ijustwannateach. Eek, you may wish to "widen"your perspective....just a little. If you get around a little, experience Thai teachers, Farang teachers, Thai students, and the "system", it may help.

Being an unqualified English teacher myself; I am a little surprised at your rant. I am at a Goverment school. You would ( or I would ) expect a certain standard of teaching and teacher abilty. I was surprised.... Of the 6 English teachers there, 2 cannot speak English at all, 1 can a little bit, but won't, and 3, I can understand some of the time. I am unqualified, but more qualified than the students other options. I can communicate with the students in Thai, and am openminded enough to ask for direction and help from the other teachers regarding the "how to's"of teaching. Aside from some difficulties with one teacher, it has been a good experience for all. This job is not easy by any definition, and severely underpaid.

Your rant sounds like you have a personal thing with this guy, which has clouded your perspective

[PeaceBlondie]

The other day I was talking to my friend who privately tutors non-native speakers who attend international schools. She said that usually they work on the student's homework assignment, or read a selected book at the right level. But sometimes, they just engage in 'idle talk.' She justifies the idle talk on the basis that these students seldom have long conversations with a skilled native speaker. A student may only have 60 seconds of dialog with his teachers in a day, and find speakers of his own native tongue for social interaction. The informal talks often reveal mistakes such as improper syntax, pronunciation problems typical of the students' nationality, verb/noun disagreement, etc. - some of these being speaking problems that only a well trained, attentive EFL teacher would recognize and know how to resolve.

She also says that she's met a few seriously terrible EFL teachers in Chiang Mai, but many more teachers are overqualified and underpaid for their level of expertise.

[garro]

I have to agree with Ijustwannateach. Eek, you may wish to "widen"your perspective....just a little. If you get around a little, experience Thai teachers, Farang teachers, Thai students, and the "system", it may help.

Being an unqualified English teacher myself; I am a little surprised at your rant. I am at a Goverment school. You would ( or I would ) expect a certain standard of teaching and teacher abilty. I was surprised.... Of the 6 English teachers there, 2 cannot speak English at all, 1 can a little bit, but won't, and 3, I can understand some of the time. I am unqualified, but more qualified than the students other options. I can communicate with the students in Thai, and am openminded enough to ask for direction and help from the other teachers regarding the "how to's"of teaching. Aside from some difficulties with one teacher, it has been a good experience for all. This job is not easy by any definition, and severely underpaid.

Your rant sounds like you have a personal thing with this guy, which has clouded your perspective

I'm sorry but there needs to be at least some standards set or else the whole idea of English teachers In Thailand becomes a joke.

I agree with the previous comments that,'if you pay peanuts you get monkeys' but still schools could do better than this.

There are plenty of Fillipinos and natives of India who speak English flawlessly and have qualifications.

I am sure they would serve the kids better than many of the native English speakers who claim to be teachers.

If the only qualification to teach English is the ability to speak it then it is no wonder that many Thai teachers view their farang colleague as a joke.

I do not mean to have a go at you personally Canada and I suspect that you make up for your lack of qualifications by enthuasiasm for the job.

[Scott]

The consequences of poorly qualified teachers is serious whether or not it's English or neurosurgeons. Several years back there was an airplane crash in Indonesia and the basic problem was misuse, understanding of English. It went something like this:

Air traffic control: Turn left.

Pilot: Left, right?

ATC: Right.

Pilot: Right?

Crash. They slammed into a mountain.

These are likely to be people who have taken English and believe that they can speak it because they took the class from (qualified?) teachers. They passed the tests etc.

Parents and students have the right to know the qualifications of their teachers. Some parents don't always care and just want a 'native' speaker so their kids learn to speak normally. That's fine, as long as everyone knows what they are getting.

[maxbus1]

I suppose so PB.

Can i please emphasise that i would not be taking a dig at this man in ANY way if he was not teaching English. The world is full of bizarre characters, and thats great, but I DO take certain things seriously, such as being qualified (not just academically) in important roles.

I would not want an no-experienced un-qualified builder to build my home or a self-proclaimed psychiatrist messing with my emotions.

I take education seriously. I think people deserve good teachers.

Im sorry if my ideals seem harsh.

(I also, as stressed, fully accept that my grammar etc etc is not up to par. However, i feel that it has no baring on my comment, nor reflect my level of education or ability to communicate my point.)

Eek, you are doing just fine, and your true concern is notable. It is good of you to show the concern that children aren't possibly being taught as well as they should. Especially since the parents are being charged a bit more for that farang teacher's services. Maybe this is a little push for you to realize that you DO possess the best qualities to be an english teacher there. Caring. If your heart is into everything that you bring into the classroom and in everything that you speak, your students and their parents will see this and have real respect for you. Your teaching peers will see your passion also. Sometimes it is not the professional knowlege that guides someone as much as it is the passion of one's heart. You have written that you do possess good education, and the ability to cross over from one field to another and possibly succeed in the places where you have noted much failure by others. One thing I have learned very recently, there are no walls, only timeframes between accomplishments. You may never feel you are ready to teach, but to teach others is also to learn from them.

[mopenyang]

Unqualified teachers have no business being in a classroom regardless of the justifications, rationalizations, excuses, apologies or "expediency first" type arguments put forth by those who feel that an unqualified teacher is better than no teacher.

I disagree with the notion that an unqualified teacher is better than no teacher. In part, I disagree because on too many occasions I have had to pick up the pieces after a student or a class had been taught by an unqualified teacher. Some of what I encountered defied human understanding and there was more that was laughable, scary or utterly ridiculous.

Giving students bad information is worse than giving them no information. This is especially true regarding language acquisition and the unlearning involved is consequently made that much more difficult for the qualified teacher. In most instances, I felt the unqualified teacher had done the best he or she could do. However, it would have been better had they done nothing. Most of my time was spent trying to get the students to learn correct English and unlearn incorrect English.

Were I a parent and had a child who brought home some of the writing prepared by the unqualified teachers that I had the misfortune to follow, I would be livid.

Unqualified teachers have no business being in a classroom except to learn proper English and get qualified at the university level as a teacher.

[Gimbo]

Unqualified teachers have no business being in a classroom except to learn proper English and get qualified at the university level as a teacher.

Well, then they should start by getting rid of this ridiculous notion that nobody can fail. Then they may be able to get well, educated homegrown, officially quallified teachers who can actually form a sentence in that language and speak it.

That should get rid of the foreign teachers who as it may seem it is better not to have at all given that most of them are not qualified to teach.

If I had kids in school, and given the choice between having my kids learn English from someone who is lacking a meaningless piece of paper, and someone with all the correct degrees in this country, who could not manage to form a single, understandable sentence... then I'll go with the one who actually speaks the language...and no teacher at all is even better than the so called quallified one with no language skills what so ever. And that is the case for most teachers in this country.

By the way, I had plenty of so called qualified teachers during my own education who today I would not let teach how to tie my kids shoestrings. Their inability to transfer knowledge and the desire to learn was mind numbing.

At the same time I had a few teachers who lacked formal education in the field they where teaching, but who to this day continue to be an inspiration to learn more.

[Ijustwannateach]

Some may have misunderstood my post, which did not argue for *no* qualifications. It argued for reasonable qualifications (like a CELTA, which the OP felt was somehow not sufficient for conversational English teaching) and a certain relaxed attitude towards Properer Teaching Qualifications, which as I mentioned come with a hefty price tag, even if there were a will to enforce and require them (which there isn't). It's a problem in these types of discussions that the terms "qualified" and "unqualified" are not specifically defined by those employing such terms (there's a difference in qualifications and licenses to be a Proper Home Country Teacher and a conversational language teacher, IMHO); furthermore there is a difference between states of qualification and states of competency- the subject of the OP is both unqualified by any measure AND incompetent, but these two things do not always go together. I did not defend the presence of the subject of the OP in schools, and referred to him as a mistake- however, it is a mistake that is a byproduct of the process which allows Thailand a lot of more suitable candidates at very low costs. Most of those in the countryside who need such teachers have no chance of becoming airline pilots, doctors, or any other profession in which somehow the knowledge of English can be contrived to become a life-and-death matter.

"Steven"

[eek]

Can i clarify that i did not say that having a CELTA or a TEFL does not qualify one to teach English in Thailand. I said that 'I' felt still relatively unprepared to teach English despite having a CELTA and some teaching experience (in a different subject). I also did not say that unqualified teachers should not teach here either. My astonishment is not at his lack of qualifications, it is at his lack of qualifications COMBINED with his lack of literacy skills and how his persona comes across. He asks fellow students in our Thai language class to repeat their names to him many times, doesnt seem to listen to people, seems to talk at people, etc. He DOES seem like he is trying to be friendly, but to be honest does not seem to posses the qualities one would expect of a teacher (however, as i said, i have not seen him teach).

I get the impression people think i am criticizing him for his lack of qualifications, which is not the case. Unqualified teachers can make excellent teachers, sometimes more-so than qualified. However, i do not agree that having qualifications is like having a "meaningless piece of paper". I think it is best to possess good character qualities as a teacher combined with qualifications.

As for employing a teacher, I would rather employ an excellent teacher in the classroom minus qualifications than someone with terrible classroom qualities and an impressive list of academic achievements.

My point is i believe there should be a certain standard that is met, whether qualified or unqualified. But maybe that is just too much to hope for here.

[Neeranam]

Eeek, get a life! You don't like a guy you met, so what? What is wrong with you that you must try to put down others? It sounds like an unatural resentment. Would the truth be that you can't get a job as your not a native speaker?

The best teachers in Thailand( for conversational English) that I met were not the best qualified ones. The ones with PhDs and MAs in Linguistics etc couldn't teach at all. The best ones were ex butchers, car mechanics amongst others. This is my honest experience of working in over 20 language schools, at least 10 Pratom/Mattyayom schools, 4 universities and a few other places.

A common misconception from people arriving in Thailand is that to be a good English teacher you must have a knowledge of grammar. I remember years ago at ECC, the woman said that my grammar test was the worst she'd ever seen. I usually learned grammar the night before I taught it.

Chill out - 'mai dtong serious'

Edited October 14, 2007 by Neeranam

[eek]

er right..

ok well ive given my opinion and take of that what you will. I have very little malice in my bones for anything in this world.

If you are curious, I am a native speaker, but seeing as i have enough 3d graphic work to be getting on with combined with a private income, i just havent applied for any teaching posts. ( i was also offered work by the company that i did the CELTA with, post the course.)

Anyway, make what you will of my motivations for this post, however off course some seem to be. Im not up for being bated and i have no need to defend myself.

Enjoy.

Edited October 14, 2007 by eek

[qualtrough]

When I first came here 28 years ago I worked at the English Conversation Club by the Victory Monument. We were not teachers, just talking heads that members could come in and chat with at any time. At that time the WP issue was no big deal. We got busted once, the school paid a tiny fine, and the immigration judge arranged a ride for us back to school. It was a great way for Thais to engage in conversation with native speakers and there was no pretense that we were teachers. Perhaps the solution to unqualified teachers here would be to legalize the conversation club option. That way those with native speaking abilities could legally work here but would not be fooling anyone about their TOEFL, etc. abilities.

[PeaceBlondie]

Sorry, but I just feel compelled to add...

Totally uneducated people who try to teach a subject are not generally good teachers of that subject. If you throw me into a classroom of northern Romanians to teach them Mesopotamian architecture, I'd be lucky to remember ziggurat or Babel (would you even know those words, or how the students say them in Transylvanian German?).

Countless occupations in the West, even when performed by native speakers of English, do not prepare you to teach grammar, punctuation, syntax, sentence structure, essay writing, book report formats, vocab definitions, etc. And that, by the way, is the meat of the lessons, once you get past "My name is Dexter and I'm from Stoneham, Colorado." Can someone who only managed a call center quickly answer "Why do we say during instead of while?" Or explain the difference between "He's a singer" and "He's single" and "She's a zinger of a single singer."

Some people with advanced degrees cannot teach, but that doesn't mean that generally, the best teachers of intermediate and advanced English were never trained in how to teach it. However, after they've done it and made all the mistakes by teaching a thousand students wrong, they'll be fairly good at it.

[Neeranam]

Some people with advanced degrees cannot teach, but that doesn't mean that generally, the best teachers of intermediate and advanced English were never trained in how to teach it. However, after they've done it and made all the mistakes by teaching a thousand students wrong, they'll be fairly good at it.

Dexter , it's true what you say about intermediate and advanced English and grammar, punctuation, syntax, sentence structure, essay writing, book report formats, vocab definitions. However for the elementary and beginners, of which there are countless more, a dancing white monkey is often the best. I'd say a good mix between entertainer and educator, say 50/50 is right in most classes.

How did you learn English? I learned from my parents, both of whom didn't have a degree or any teaching qualifictions. I went on to get qualifications but if I hadn't, I think I would be qualified to teach conversational English, which is what 95% of Thai students want.

[garro]

Some people with advanced degrees cannot teach, but that doesn't mean that generally, the best teachers of intermediate and advanced English were never trained in how to teach it. However, after they've done it and made all the mistakes by teaching a thousand students wrong, they'll be fairly good at it.

Dexter , it's true what you say about intermediate and advanced English and grammar, punctuation, syntax, sentence structure, essay writing, book report formats, vocab definitions. However for the elementary and beginners, of which there are countless more, a dancing white monkey is often the best. I'd say a good mix between entertainer and educator, say 50/50 is right in most classes.

How did you learn English? I learned from my parents, both of whom didn't have a degree or any teaching qualifictions. I went on to get qualifications but if I hadn't, I think I would be qualified to teach conversational English, which is what 95% of Thai students want.

Sorry Neeranam, but I disagree with you. There seems to be this view that just because a 'teacher' can entertain a class it means they are good at the job. You could stick a chimp in front of a class and it would keep students entertained but it wouldn't mean that they learnt much. I think Thailand is one of the few places on the planet where lack of academic achievement is seen as evidence that someone can teach well.

Learning a second language is not the same as learning a mother tongue. Yes I learnt to speak English from being around my family but I spent all the my time with them from when I was born until I could speak it. It wasn't just a couple of hours a week listening to some clown.

I have been around a few schools and seen these 'teachers' myself. A class period devoted to playing hangman (because an unqualified teacher didn't have a clue what he was meant to be doing) may keep the kids quite but is it hardly providing teaching.

I think it is a shame that many of the people who work as English teachers are quite happy that this diservice to kids continues.

[Neeranam]

Some people with advanced degrees cannot teach, but that doesn't mean that generally, the best teachers of intermediate and advanced English were never trained in how to teach it. However, after they've done it and made all the mistakes by teaching a thousand students wrong, they'll be fairly good at it.

Dexter , it's true what you say about intermediate and advanced English and grammar, punctuation, syntax, sentence structure, essay writing, book report formats, vocab definitions. However for the elementary and beginners, of which there are countless more, a dancing white monkey is often the best. I'd say a good mix between entertainer and educator, say 50/50 is right in most classes.

How did you learn English? I learned from my parents, both of whom didn't have a degree or any teaching qualifictions. I went on to get qualifications but if I hadn't, I think I would be qualified to teach conversational English, which is what 95% of Thai students want.

Sorry Neeranam, but I disagree with you. There seems to be this view that just because a 'teacher' can entertain a class it means they are good at the job. You could stick a chimp in front of a class and it would keep students entertained but it wouldn't mean that they learnt much. I think Thailand is one of the few places on the planet where lack of academic achievement is seen as evidence that someone can teach well.

Learning a second language is not the same as learning a mother tongue. Yes I learnt to speak English from being around my family but I spent all the my time with them from when I was born until I could speak it. It wasn't just a couple of hours a week listening to some clown.

I have been around a few schools and seen these 'teachers' myself. A class period devoted to playing hangman (because an unqualified teacher didn't have a clue what he was meant to be doing) may keep the kids quite but is it hardly providing teaching.

I think it is a shame that many of the people who work as English teachers are quite happy that this diservice to kids continues.

I hear you Garro, but come on, if you(like I was) were given a class of 55 14 year olds and told to teach them English conversation 1 hour per week. On top of that, they'd never had a 'farang' teacher. Would a knowledge of the finer nuances help? If you were hiring for this position would you choose someone just because they had a PhD, or someone who was confident and a good entertainer who used to be a manager at McDonalds?

[midasthailand]

Having read this thread I feel there is hope for me yet. I have no formal teaching qualifications, am a native English speaker (well Australian anyway) and have completed the TEFL course. My feeling is that given a lesson plan I would be able to conduct the class as well as a fully qualified English teacher. Having to prepare my own lesson plan would require more effort on my part than a qualified teacher, but only until I became proficient at it.

I do not have the seniority in country that some of the previous posters have, but I have had some exposure to Thai nationals teaching English and can say without fear of contradiction that I would do a far better job than them.

The fact that I speak Thai would make things a little easier for me than the OP's subject but I can't help but agree with the OP that if this guy has a thick Northern English accent AND is dyslexic AND failed TEFL than he has no place teaching English to anyone.

I can't wait to get stuck into it, arriving this Wednesday 17th Oct. Bangkok here I come!!

[garro]

I think the answer would be a two-tire system.

Those non-graduates with with TEFL ot its equivalent could be called 'speaking budies' or 'teacher assistant'.

While the term 'teacher' should be reserved for at least graduates with academic degrees and TEFL.

Of course the assistant would be paid a bit less. In large schools the teachers could have responibility for mentoring the assistants.

In the cases where the assistant worked well and showed potential he could be encouraged to further his studies.

[PeaceBlondie]

The demand for minimal 'qualifications' for matayom conversational English, (which means you are singing, dancing and playing hangman), is so great that the brickies and pigsty washers can probably do it better than somebody with a B.Ed. who knows better - precisely because they're not teaching Somchai and Lek, just entertaining them.

In my first assignment in a remote province, I taught a Matayom 4 class (5 hours per week) that understood the passive voice and the future perfect continuous (barely), and who asked tough grammar questions. The Thai teachers in the staff room asked even tougher questions, first to test my knowledge, and then to learn 'single' from 'singer.' Then they used me like a dictionary and played me like a tape recorder. The other guy who came later, never got asked anything, after he failed their first test of his knowledge.

If you want to be stuck teaching only beginners, bring your elementary school leaving certificate and give it a go. If you wish to survive and get better positions, improve yourself.

[garro]

I think the answer would be a two-tire system.

Those non-graduates with with TEFL ot its equivalent could be called 'speaking buddies' or 'teacher assistant'.

While the term 'teacher' should be reserved for at least graduates with academic degrees and TEFL.

Of course the assistant would be paid a bit less. In large schools the teachers could have responsibility for mentoring the assistants.

In the cases where the assistant worked well and showed potential he could be encouraged to further his studies.

Just to add.

I would think that there is already quite a few 'teachers' willing to work for 20,000 THB a month.

I think more would do so if they thought it could mean a chance to gain qualifications and eventually earn more.

I agree that many schools can't afford to pay more but why not reduce the pay of those unqualified on 30,000 to 20,000.

Give 5,000 extra to the teachers and use to other 5,000 to finance the further education of promising assistants.

I realize that these suggestions are controversial.

Edited October 15, 2007 by garro