Oh Dear Best School Again

[rambler]

To say iam worried and/or concerned about my sons education at this so called place of learning is as of today a mega understatement.

I feel totally let down and peed off as i found out today my sons English teacher has quit the school,no real notice,just walking out.As i have known this fella very well socailly as well as being my sons teacher i was compelled to ask him directly WHY ? ( remember this is an experienced (6yrs) proffessional individual) - His reply : The school is a total joke,the salary a pittance and the atmosphere amongst staff members is at an all time low indeed fisticuffs last Friday between a Thai male member of staff and an English teacher occured this swept under the carpet as is the norm.

Where are you going ? can u home tutor my son ? - His reply: Sorry i am qitting teaching , i ave taken a job as agogo bar manager as the salary and conditions(haha) are much better ! suffice to say it would appear that managing the sale of pussy is obviously more lucrative than a respected teacing proffession (if you work at BEST it is anyway) i thought for a while then responded well who can blame you mate the state the schools in at the mo i understand.

MY POINT IS THIS. In an earlier thread i talked of an exodus of foreign teachers at BEST at the end of term , i was wrong they have started early and many more will follow FACT not HEARSAY wheres this going to leave the students ? As fee paying parents we have paid for foreign native speaking teachers as of today the so called "head" of the school could not tell me who if anyonewill be teaching English to the whole of primary one fron now till the end of term approx 2 months this a very important time with final exams etc.,so not only is the school operating with a weak management team, is dirty and lacks facilities we are noW FACING THE PROSPECT OF some students losing the last bastion of hope ie; native speaking teachers, my son in p1 will not have a N E S TEACHER in any subject this is simply a disgrace and equates to daylight robbery (unusual in Thailand !!) as approx 60-70 % of the term fees are allocated for the bilingual programme taught by N E S Teachers as advertised on all the school buses and brochures. Will any parent get a refund NO thats not the point here the money means nothing the only ones to suffer will be the students - our children who at best will have different uninterested teachers floating in and out the class i know wot goes on many know my history at this school iam happy for all whos offspring are ok at BEST but this has really pissed me off ....

I am now obviously waiting for a defensive reply from stevemiddie amongst others as all the other numerous anti BEST threads have witnessed i already have my reply to them so think before you write and dont give that "axe to grind" crap this is my boys education we are talking about.

Any ideas /suggestions from any parents notably p1 are most welcome .... suffice to say im gonna get my son the hel_l out of the place at the end of this term. He will of course fail all his exams Thai at least (out of spite)becos most know who i am at the school - we will both live.

RAMBLER

[steviekes]

Rambler

It's sad to see the continuing deterioration of BEST. When I taught there it was one of the better bi-lingual schools in the area. Now it seems the term 'bi-lingual' must be used with caution. The owner is indeed killing this goose and the golden eggs will get fewer and fewer.

[stevemiddie]

To say iam worried and/or concerned about my sons education at this so called place of learning is as of today a mega understatement.

I feel totally let down and peed off as i found out today my sons English teacher has quit the school,no real notice,just walking out.As i have known this fella very well socailly as well as being my sons teacher i was compelled to ask him directly WHY ? ( remember this is an experienced (6yrs) proffessional individual) - His reply : The school is a total joke,the salary a pittance and the atmosphere amongst staff members is at an all time low indeed fisticuffs last Friday between a Thai male member of staff and an English teacher occured this swept under the carpet as is the norm.

Where are you going ? can u home tutor my son ? - His reply: Sorry i am qitting teaching , i ave taken a job as agogo bar manager as the salary and conditions(haha) are much better ! suffice to say it would appear that managing the sale of pussy is obviously more lucrative than a respected teacing proffession (if you work at BEST it is anyway) i thought for a while then responded well who can blame you mate the state the schools in at the mo i understand.

MY POINT IS THIS. In an earlier thread i talked of an exodus of foreign teachers at BEST at the end of term , i was wrong they have started early and many more will follow FACT not HEARSAY wheres this going to leave the students ? As fee paying parents we have paid for foreign native speaking teachers as of today the so called "head" of the school could not tell me who if anyonewill be teaching English to the whole of primary one fron now till the end of term approx 2 months this a very important time with final exams etc.,so not only is the school operating with a weak management team, is dirty and lacks facilities we are noW FACING THE PROSPECT OF some students losing the last bastion of hope ie; native speaking teachers, my son in p1 will not have a N E S TEACHER in any subject this is simply a disgrace and equates to daylight robbery (unusual in Thailand !!) as approx 60-70 % of the term fees are allocated for the bilingual programme taught by N E S Teachers as advertised on all the school buses and brochures. Will any parent get a refund NO thats not the point here the money means nothing the only ones to suffer will be the students - our children who at best will have different uninterested teachers floating in and out the class i know wot goes on many know my history at this school iam happy for all whos offspring are ok at BEST but this has really pissed me off ....

I am now obviously waiting for a defensive reply from stevemiddie amongst others as all the other numerous anti BEST threads have witnessed i already have my reply to them so think before you write and dont give that "axe to grind" crap this is my boys education we are talking about.

Any ideas /suggestions from any parents notably p1 are most welcome .... suffice to say im gonna get my son the hel_l out of the place at the end of this term. He will of course fail all his exams Thai at least (out of spite)becos most know who i am at the school - we will both live.

RAMBLER

Sigh.........................Rambler, you mistake me. I have defended the school against some accusations that were not true or did not apply to P3......the children I teach.

In this situation that you have just described...............I have nothing to defend. Its pretty much correct.

With only 2 months to go before the holidays..........it is highly unlikely that the teacher will be replaced by a native speaker for two reasons.................I doubt anyone will want to sign a 2 month contract and the other is the school will not give a 1 year contract considering they will have to pay 2 months holiday pay to a new and untested teacher. Its just not going to happen.

As for the rest of the comments...............I can,t reply. I have PM,d you my reasons.

[billaaa777]

If I ever have children in Pattaya I thought it would be a much better idea to hire a professional with excellent math and English skills to teach my children at home. You would also need to employ a Thai teacher to teaching reading and writing skills for a few years when they are young.

But considering the cost of the schools and the quality of education provide I believe your child would be much better off. The best schools pay their teachers 80 to 120 a month and the mid level schools pay 30 to 50 a month. Taking into consideration the hours some of these teachers work I believe many teachers would surely jump at the opportunity to work only three or fours hours a day. Since home schooling is a form a accelerated learning the hours required are far less than a normal school and they children advance at a accelerated pace.

I believe if you were to advertise for a home school teacher in the salary range of 50 to 70 monthly you would have numerous qualified applicants jumping at the opportunity. I believe it also possible if you have a single child to contact other parents that would like to split the cost with you. In essence for a little less than your presently paying you could easily provide your children vastly superior educations. Best of luck with this difficult decision.

[thaimate]

my son attends assumption school in sriracha,its excellent with good english speaking teachers,give it a try.

[stevemiddie]

I believe if you were to advertise for a home school teacher in the salary range of 50 to 70 monthly you would have numerous qualified applicants jumping at the opportunity. I believe it also possible if you have a single child to contact other parents that would like to split the cost with you. In essence for a little less than your presently paying you could easily provide your children vastly superior educations. Best of luck with this difficult decision.

Yes you would have applicants. You also have to bear in mind that YOU will be responsible for providing all the paperwork in order for Work Permit approval. Not an easy task. Or are you considering hiring illegally?

[billaaa777]

Yes you would have applicants. You also have to bear in mind that YOU will be responsible for providing all the paperwork in order for Work Permit approval. Not an easy task. Or are you considering hiring illegally?

Some times you need to think outside of the box. What I would do is approach small schools that teaches Thai and have them hire the teacher. I would make sure it is a Thai owned school as they would not be required to meet all the regulations a foreign owned school is. I would offer the school a small monthly payment for their services.

[thaiclan]

Just a quick question. If prior to this teacher walking out you were aware and disgusted at "school operating with a weak management team, is dirty and lacks facilities" plus aware that a large exodus of NES was about to take place.......why didn't you remove your child earlier??

When it comes to schools its never worth staying on and fighting out of principle. If you really think its that bad then get you child out asap. You are there to make the decisions he cannot make for himself. If he was in a shit position whether job or relationship as an adult you would hope he'd have the motivation/courage to get out asap. Do the same for him and lead by example. I did the same with my child over at the international school where the Prinicple was found to be a pedo and the K1 teacher a pedo on the run from the USA. She was only 5 at the time but I let her know she was being taken out because the school was hugely inadequate and didnt do enough to look after it's kids. I made a great example right there NEVER to settle for less. If a situation stinks, GET OUT and get what you want instead.

To say iam worried and/or concerned about my sons education at this so called place of learning is as of today a mega understatement.

I feel totally let down and peed off as i found out today my sons English teacher has quit the school,no real notice,just walking out.As i have known this fella very well socailly as well as being my sons teacher i was compelled to ask him directly WHY ? ( remember this is an experienced (6yrs) proffessional individual) - His reply : The school is a total joke,the salary a pittance and the atmosphere amongst staff members is at an all time low indeed fisticuffs last Friday between a Thai male member of staff and an English teacher occured this swept under the carpet as is the norm.

Where are you going ? can u home tutor my son ? - His reply: Sorry i am qitting teaching , i ave taken a job as agogo bar manager as the salary and conditions(haha) are much better ! suffice to say it would appear that managing the sale of pussy is obviously more lucrative than a respected teacing proffession (if you work at BEST it is anyway) i thought for a while then responded well who can blame you mate the state the schools in at the mo i understand.

MY POINT IS THIS. In an earlier thread i talked of an exodus of foreign teachers at BEST at the end of term , i was wrong they have started early and many more will follow FACT not HEARSAY wheres this going to leave the students ? As fee paying parents we have paid for foreign native speaking teachers as of today the so called "head" of the school could not tell me who if anyonewill be teaching English to the whole of primary one fron now till the end of term approx 2 months this a very important time with final exams etc.,so not only is the school operating with a weak management team, is dirty and lacks facilities we are noW FACING THE PROSPECT OF some students losing the last bastion of hope ie; native speaking teachers, my son in p1 will not have a N E S TEACHER in any subject this is simply a disgrace and equates to daylight robbery (unusual in Thailand !!) as approx 60-70 % of the term fees are allocated for the bilingual programme taught by N E S Teachers as advertised on all the school buses and brochures. Will any parent get a refund NO thats not the point here the money means nothing the only ones to suffer will be the students - our children who at best will have different uninterested teachers floating in and out the class i know wot goes on many know my history at this school iam happy for all whos offspring are ok at BEST but this has really pissed me off ....

I am now obviously waiting for a defensive reply from stevemiddie amongst others as all the other numerous anti BEST threads have witnessed i already have my reply to them so think before you write and dont give that "axe to grind" crap this is my boys education we are talking about.

Any ideas /suggestions from any parents notably p1 are most welcome .... suffice to say im gonna get my son the hel_l out of the place at the end of this term. He will of course fail all his exams Thai at least (out of spite)becos most know who i am at the school - we will both live.

RAMBLER

[Westerner]

Yes you would have applicants. You also have to bear in mind that YOU will be responsible for providing all the paperwork in order for Work Permit approval. Not an easy task. Or are you considering hiring illegally?

Some times you need to think outside of the box. What I would do is approach small schools that teaches Thai and have them hire the teacher. I would make sure it is a Thai owned school as they would not be required to meet all the regulations a foreign owned school is. I would offer the school a small monthly payment for their services.

Have you just arrived in Thailand?

[stevemiddie]

Yes you would have applicants. You also have to bear in mind that YOU will be responsible for providing all the paperwork in order for Work Permit approval. Not an easy task. Or are you considering hiring illegally?

Some times you need to think outside of the box. What I would do is approach small schools that teaches Thai and have them hire the teacher. I would make sure it is a Thai owned school as they would not be required to meet all the regulations a foreign owned school is. I would offer the school a small monthly payment for their services.

I understand what you are saying and you probably could get a school ( Nakhon Nowhere ) to do that for enough money.

However, I doubt any serious, professional teacher would consider that option..........It is just too full of holes should anything go pear-shaped. A Thai school..............employs a foreign teacher at 50-70k? But the teacher never works there.............teaches homeroom stuff in other foreigners houses.....he is, in effect, working for the foreigners yes?

It sounds just way too complex considering the potential pitfalls.

[torngseea]

my son attends assumption school in sriracha,its excellent with good english speaking teachers,give it a try.

I agree that Assumption at Sri Racha is a very good school. Could you give me some details of the application process and fees - I've heard differing accounts. Thanks.

[stevemiddie]

And I inform you Steve that there ARE numerous teachers working RIGHT NOW in schools in Chonburi on the basis of FALSE DOCUMENTs - fact not fiction

Well you need to back that up by naming schools or naming teachers.

ANYONE can make comments like that and claim them to be fact.................... personally, I doubt there are NUMEROUS teachers in Chonburi.......................given the hoops we had to jump through just to get our licenses.

Failing that.................you can PM the names of the schools or the teachers

[OneMikeInBangkok]

And I inform you Steve that there ARE numerous teachers working RIGHT NOW in schools in Chonburi on the basis of FALSE DOCUMENTs - fact not fiction

Well you need to back that up by naming schools or naming teachers.

ANYONE can make comments like that and claim them to be fact.................... personally, I doubt there are NUMEROUS teachers in Chonburi.......................given the hoops we had to jump through just to get our licenses.

Failing that.................you can PM the names of the schools or the teachers

No Steve

I am not on a crusade to name and shame teachers and schools.

The teachers and schools know who they are.

It is up to the parents now to do the checks. There should be transparency. There SHOULD be. However I don't see in a month of Sundays the school authorities making available the teachers documents to the parents.

[Westerner]

And I inform you Steve that there ARE numerous teachers working RIGHT NOW in schools in Chonburi on the basis of FALSE DOCUMENTs - fact not fiction

Well you need to back that up by naming schools or naming teachers.

ANYONE can make comments like that and claim them to be fact.................... personally, I doubt there are NUMEROUS teachers in Chonburi.......................given the hoops we had to jump through just to get our licenses.

Failing that.................you can PM the names of the schools or the teachers

Why all the.....................?

[engrin]

From what I've observed in Chonburi, most teachers are working 6 - 7 days a week. Salaries are so low. Teaching is a tiring job that requires a lot of energy and dealing with the Thai management at the schools is challenging too. For the time I've been in Thailand I've seen 1 school out of MANY where the foreign staff were content a praised the school. Unfortunately it wasn't in Chonburi, but in Bangna. This is Thailand, seems that education is not the highest priority here. What's the salary like at Best? I'm curios.

[EmCross]

The name could not be further from reality! It should be re-named WORST and I am sure we could all think of an acronym for that.

I will say it again as I have said on most of the recent threads about BEST school get your children out ASAP it is just not worth the risk and the damage it is doing to your children. We took both our kids out of BEST at the end of last term and enrolled them at REPS near Ban Chang I know it is a 40 minute drive from Pattaya but my god is it worth every kilometer! This school is not much more expensive than BEST and the difference is immeasurable. My kids are so happy at the school the staff are fantastic and they have a lot of native English speaking teachers and the Thai staff also speak good English (none of the Thai staff at BEST could speak English to me).

I can not express how much better this school is; please I beg anyone who has their children at BEST go take a look at REPS you can not fail to see the difference even on a visit it is unbelievable!

website www.repsrayong.com

[stevemiddie]

And I inform you Steve that there ARE numerous teachers working RIGHT NOW in schools in Chonburi on the basis of FALSE DOCUMENTs - fact not fiction

Well you need to back that up by naming schools or naming teachers.

ANYONE can make comments like that and claim them to be fact.................... personally, I doubt there are NUMEROUS teachers in Chonburi.......................given the hoops we had to jump through just to get our licenses.

Failing that.................you can PM the names of the schools or the teachers

No Steve

I am not on a crusade to name and shame teachers and schools.

The teachers and schools know who they are.

You can,t name because you do not know for a FACT.....as you stated previously. If you KNOW for a fact..then PM me those details. Its easy to check now.

[EmCross]

Financial reasons!! Not to mention punch ups in the staff room, no support from the Thai management of the school, filthy dirty classrooms and toilet facilities, lack of any sports facilities, inferior or none existent teaching materials and books, injured children that sit around in pain and crying in need of medical attention waiting around for hours; the list is endless, how on earth can a teacher be expected to do a good job under these conditions? I am sure it was not just for financial reasons I am sure the poor guy was embarrassed to be working there as any self respecting qualified teacher would be.

[stevemiddie]

Financial reasons!! Not to mention punch ups in the staff room, no support from the Thai management of the school, filthy dirty classrooms and toilet facilities, lack of any sports facilities, inferior or none existent teaching materials and books, injured children that sit around in pain and crying in need of medical attention waiting around for hours; the list is endless, how on earth can a teacher be expected to do a good job under these conditions? I am sure it was not just for financial reasons I am sure the poor guy was embarrassed to be working there as any self respecting qualified teacher would be.

Yes EmCross...............FINANCIAL reasons.

I know him personally and he has told me his reasons so please do not make assumptions about an event in which you have no knowledge ( i.e his reasons )

He has MORE THAN doubled his salary. What would you do given the same opportunity?

He is a good teacher and he will be missed but he is looking out for his financial future so good luck to him

Edited January 10, 2008 by stevemiddie

[EmCross]

other people also know him personally i.e. the OP who asked the guy first hand why he was leaving and clearly state that it was NOT solely for "financial reasons" so PLEASE stop defending this atrocious excuse for a school! Honestly you are really unbelievable and clearly are missing the point here! Ignoring or excusing what is happening at the school you are teaching at is not going to make it any better (in fact in my opinion it makes it worse!)

Financial reasons!! Not to mention punch ups in the staff room, no support from the Thai management of the school, filthy dirty classrooms and toilet facilities, lack of any sports facilities, inferior or none existent teaching materials and books, injured children that sit around in pain and crying in need of medical attention waiting around for hours; the list is endless, how on earth can a teacher be expected to do a good job under these conditions? I am sure it was not just for financial reasons I am sure the poor guy was embarrassed to be working there as any self respecting qualified teacher would be.

Yes EmCross...............FINANCIAL reasons.

I know him personally and he has told me his reasons so please do not make assumptions about an event in which you have no knowledge ( i.e his reasons )

He has MORE THAN doubled his salary. What would you do given the same opportunity?

He is a good teacher and he will be missed but he is looking out for his financial future so good luck to him

[stevemiddie]

other people also know him personally i.e. the OP who asked the guy first hand why he was leaving and clearly state that it was NOT solely for "financial reasons" so PLEASE stop defending this atrocious excuse for a school! Honestly you are really unbelievable and clearly are missing the point here! Ignoring or excusing what is happening at the school you are teaching at is not going to make it any better (in fact in my opinion it makes it worse!)

Financial reasons!! Not to mention punch ups in the staff room, no support from the Thai management of the school, filthy dirty classrooms and toilet facilities, lack of any sports facilities, inferior or none existent teaching materials and books, injured children that sit around in pain and crying in need of medical attention waiting around for hours; the list is endless, how on earth can a teacher be expected to do a good job under these conditions? I am sure it was not just for financial reasons I am sure the poor guy was embarrassed to be working there as any self respecting qualified teacher would be.

Yes EmCross...............FINANCIAL reasons.

I know him personally and he has told me his reasons so please do not make assumptions about an event in which you have no knowledge ( i.e his reasons )

He has MORE THAN doubled his salary. What would you do given the same opportunity?

He is a good teacher and he will be missed but he is looking out for his financial future so good luck to him

We work with him.............we know why he left. He was considering other offers long before the mention of fisticuffs etc. What the OP has been stating and what his work colleagues know are two different matters. Anyway............its by the by now. He has finished and others are finishing soon.

You expect too much from teachers at this school. We have NO influence in the politics of the school. Your complaints should be addressed to the managers......not just this forum.

I think everyone in Pattaya knows how you feel about the school. You repeat it often enough.

Try asking some parents of P3 if they are unhappy.

Not one complaint about P3 in any class I teach.........or with Dave or Graham. And yes...we are NES who actually care.

EmCross..........we have a PTA as I am sure you are aware. Were you a member? Did you put your views across? I think not.

Parent Power is everything. Its you who pay the bills. If you have complaints then perhaps you should be organised and present a coherent argument to the school managers.

Edited January 10, 2008 by stevemiddie

[stevemiddie]

I will clarify my post for the benefit of parties that did not understand. I am referring to teachers of P3.............but there are other teachers here just as dedicated.

[EmCross]

Great post rambler thanks.

I would like to add that I only post on relevant threads about BEST school that other parents have started I have never started a thread about BEST myself but feel as a parent who did have two children at BEST school until very recently I do have the experience first hand of the school to comment and after all this is what this forum is for, expressing ones views and experiences and mine have been very bad experiences at BEST school.

I feel that you, stevemiddie, are the one that posts more than me and often off topic and generally steering away from the issues at hand, namely the problems at BEST school.

We are not really interested in how good you think you are or what qualifications or checks are done for teachers in Chonburi or anywhere else and certainly I am not criticizing the English speaking teachers at BEST school we are ALL complaining about conditions at the school itself.

I commend you on your personal crusade to defend this school but I think you are fighting a loosing battle.

[stevemiddie]

other people also know him personally i.e. the OP who asked the guy first hand why he was leaving and clearly state that it was NOT solely for "financial reasons" so PLEASE stop defending this atrocious excuse for a school! Honestly you are really unbelievable and clearly are missing the point here! Ignoring or excusing what is happening at the school you are teaching at is not going to make it any better (in fact in my opinion it makes it worse!)

Financial reasons!! Not to mention punch ups in the staff room, no support from the Thai management of the school, filthy dirty classrooms and toilet facilities, lack of any sports facilities, inferior or none existent teaching materials and books, injured children that sit around in pain and crying in need of medical attention waiting around for hours; the list is endless, how on earth can a teacher be expected to do a good job under these conditions? I am sure it was not just for financial reasons I am sure the poor guy was embarrassed to be working there as any self respecting qualified teacher would be.

Yes EmCross...............FINANCIAL reasons.

I know him personally and he has told me his reasons so please do not make assumptions about an event in which you have no knowledge ( i.e his reasons )

He has MORE THAN doubled his salary. What would you do given the same opportunity?

He is a good teacher and he will be missed but he is looking out for his financial future so good luck to him

We work with him.............we know why he left. He was considering other offers long before the mention of fisticuffs etc. What the OP has been stating and what his work colleagues know are two different matters. Anyway............its by the by now. He has finished and others are finishing soon.

You expect too much from teachers at this school. We have NO influence in the politics of the school. Your complaints should be addressed to the managers......not just this forum.

I think everyone in Pattaya knows how you feel about the school. You repeat it often enough.

Try asking some parents of P3 if they are unhappy.

Not one complaint about P3 in any class I teach.........or with Dave or Graham. And yes...we are NES who actually care.

EmCross..........we have a PTA as I am sure you are aware. Were you a member? Did you put your views across? I think not.

Parent Power is everything. Its you who pay the bills. If you have complaints then perhaps you should be organised and present a coherent argument to the school managers.

I have just spoke to the school ' head ' and he confirmed that the whole of p1 will not have a new teacher for the rest of this term but the classes will be covered by teachers already at the school , i enquired will they be native speakers ? - reply err yes err no err i think phillipine teacher do. Excellent reaction to further piss me off to the point of wanting to rip off the heads head but i refrained. now EMCROSES views are commonly known they also are based on fact i agree entirely wot he or she says so steve middie im sorry to rain on your parade but some of your comments are total crap (not a personal attack but calm reasoned views from rambler) the PTA was and is a joke i was a member, yes we pay the bills and your salary but parents are being conned constantly,to emply you dave and graham dont get complaints is surely defaming the other teachers you work with do they receive complaints from parents are you superior ? im sure you will get some serious earache if they read this. TEACHERS MAY OPEN THE DOOR BUT YOU MUST ENTER YOURSELF is a favourite proverb of mine from wot ive seen recently some i emphasize some have lost the heart (for wotever reason)to open the door hence fed up parents and the real prospect of a mass exodus of foreign staff . You may wish to look closer to home as to who is complaining about you stevemiddie before digging a deeper hole ...... as my old granny used to say (god rest her soul) hear all see all say nothing BUT remember who told you what where and when. rambler.

Mmmmmmmmmmm. No..perhaps how I phrased my response could have been better. I am not stating that I or Dave etc are superior.........I am trying to say that many of the problems people are quoting have not affected P3. We just try to keep our head down and get on with it. That is not to say we are smug so I apologise if thats how it came across.

I did state in post earlier.....................quote " will clarify my post for the benefit of parties that did not understand. I am referring to teachers of P3.............but there are other teachers here just as dedicated " unquote.

I don,t see it as " defaming " teachers at all...............that is just an interpretation I guess. Anyway.....no offense was intended.

[kurva]

If I ever have children in Pattaya I thought it would be a much better idea to hire a professional with excellent math and English skills to teach my children at home. You would also need to employ a Thai teacher to teaching reading and writing skills for a few years when they are young.

But considering the cost of the schools and the quality of education provide I believe your child would be much better off. The best schools pay their teachers 80 to 120 a month and the mid level schools pay 30 to 50 a month. Taking into consideration the hours some of these teachers work I believe many teachers would surely jump at the opportunity to work only three or fours hours a day. Since home schooling is a form a accelerated learning the hours required are far less than a normal school and they children advance at a accelerated pace.

I believe if you were to advertise for a home school teacher in the salary range of 50 to 70 monthly you would have numerous qualified applicants jumping at the opportunity. I believe it also possible if you have a single child to contact other parents that would like to split the cost with you. In essence for a little less than your presently paying you could easily provide your children vastly superior educations. Best of luck with this difficult decision.

yes if you get the work permit then you would have every teacher in pattaya fighting for that position ,unless they are not all cosha.

[stevemiddie]

Great post rambler thanks.

I am not criticizing the English speaking teachers at BEST school we are ALL complaining about conditions at the school itself.

I commend you on your personal crusade to defend this school but I think you are fighting a loosing battle.

Ok...........point taken.

I will defend the school, sure, when I think that ALL of the school is being attacked. I realise that there are problems of course..................but not always to do with the students in P3, P4, P5 etc.

There are recent events that I cannot defend, nor would I wish too.

I,m in the same boat as many others. We do what we can under circumstances that are less than ideal.

If I offend anyone........it is not intended. I truly believe that as teachers we CAN make a difference but I do agree that there are circumstances at the school which are often disheartening.

I was subjected to an incident today by another farang teacher which, quite frankly, I found embarrassing ( for him )

Threats of violence, punching my lights out etc etc............ Appalling behaviour by someone who should know better.

But what do we do? Quit?

I would worry for my kids that I teach.

[JacknDanny]

You should read my posts more accurately.................it is of no interest to me what is happening in the REST of Thailand. It is of interest to me what happens in my school.

As for your comment about the teacher who has left............I know the teacher personally. You are WAY OFF base so please don,t try to imply that he has left because of low morale etc.

He has left for financial reasons........nothing more......nothing less. He has more than doubled his salary and good luck to him.

I find it amazing that you as a 'teacher' would defend another 'teacher' as being a good teacher, when he leaves his post primarily to make more money and in order to manage a Go Go Bar

Call me old fashioned, but I believe a GOOD teacher is one who loves his job, treats it as a vocation NOT a vacation. Its not a sales job where you are trying to make as much money as you can. I am not suggesting that teachers do not get paid, but if you sign a contract then you should honour it.

My son goes to International school in Bangkok. All I would say to anyone putting their kids into school......talk to the headmaster, talk to the teacher who will be teaching your child, and go on your gut feeling.

Believe me there are some very good teachers out there, unfortunately for the OP, they appear to be missing at BEST

[stevemiddie]

You should read my posts more accurately.................it is of no interest to me what is happening in the REST of Thailand. It is of interest to me what happens in my school.

As for your comment about the teacher who has left............I know the teacher personally. You are WAY OFF base so please don,t try to imply that he has left because of low morale etc.

He has left for financial reasons........nothing more......nothing less. He has more than doubled his salary and good luck to him.

I find it amazing that you as a 'teacher' would defend another 'teacher' as being a good teacher, when he leaves his post primarily to make more money and in order to manage a Go Go Bar

Call me old fashioned, but I believe a GOOD teacher is one who loves his job, treats it as a vocation NOT a vacation. Its not a sales job where you are trying to make as much money as you can. I am not suggesting that teachers do not get paid, but if you sign a contract then you should honour it.

My son goes to International school in Bangkok. All I would say to anyone putting their kids into school......talk to the headmaster, talk to the teacher who will be teaching your child, and go on your gut feeling.

Believe me there are some very good teachers out there, unfortunately for the OP, they appear to be missing at BEST

Well.............your son goes to an International school. Good for you. You can afford to do that.

He is a good teacher.............no doubt about it but you sit on your high horse and think teachers should accept low wages because they should be committed? We are committed....thats why we teach. Salaries will always be an issue though.

What do you want huh? You don,t like the fact that teachers may leave the profession in order to make more money? Do you actually comprehend what is going on with the teacher shortage in the UK and the USA?

Some teachers here also have families and responsibilities to take care of. That means making a good and decent salary.

You decry a teacher because he wants to leave and make more money? So he can afford a good home? Take care of HIS children and send them to an INTERNATIONAL school like yours?

I agree that teaching is a vocation, but we also have bills to pay and quite frankly your post is without merit and your avatar sums you up to a tee.

Edited January 13, 2008 by Pattaya_Fox

[JacknDanny]

You should read my posts more accurately.................it is of no interest to me what is happening in the REST of Thailand. It is of interest to me what happens in my school.

As for your comment about the teacher who has left............I know the teacher personally. You are WAY OFF base so please don,t try to imply that he has left because of low morale etc.

He has left for financial reasons........nothing more......nothing less. He has more than doubled his salary and good luck to him.

I find it amazing that you as a 'teacher' would defend another 'teacher' as being a good teacher, when he leaves his post primarily to make more money and in order to manage a Go Go Bar

Call me old fashioned, but I believe a GOOD teacher is one who loves his job, treats it as a vocation NOT a vacation. Its not a sales job where you are trying to make as much money as you can. I am not suggesting that teachers do not get paid, but if you sign a contract then you should honour it.

My son goes to International school in Bangkok. All I would say to anyone putting their kids into school......talk to the headmaster, talk to the teacher who will be teaching your child, and go on your gut feeling.

stevemiddie, you and your ilk would not get past 1st base I am afraid.

Believe me there are some very good teachers out there, unfortunately for the OP, they appear to be missing at BEST

Well.............your son goes to an International school. Good for you. You can afford to do that.

He is a good teacher.............no doubt about it but you sit on your high horse and think teachers should accept low wages because they should be committed? We are committed....thats why we teach. Salaries will always be an issue though.

What do you want huh? You don,t like the fact that teachers may leave the profession in order to make more money? Do you actually comprehend what is going on with the teacher shortage in the UK and the USA?

Some teachers here also have families and responsibilities to take care of. That means making a good and decent salary.

You decry a teacher because he wants to leave and make more money? So he can afford a good home? Take care of HIS children and send them to an INTERNATIONAL school like yours?

I agree that teaching is a vocation, but we also have bills to pay and quite frankly your post is without merit and your avatar sums you up to a tee.

I do not think teachers should accept low wages.

You are missing the point completely.

If the wages are so low, then why accept in the first place? Why sign a contract.

The problem I have with this case is that there are plenty of teaching jobs available here in Thailand (assuming we are talking about QUALIFIED teachers).

I do not have a problem going to a different school to teach, in order to make a higher salary. But leaving the profession to become a Go Go Bar manager . That to me shows a lack of passion for his teaching job.

And please do not try to give me the line of looking after his own kids. A lot of these International schools allow their teachers to have their own kids taught free of charge.

Your apology of an excuse does not hold water, my friend. Guess your report would read 'Trys hard but could do better'

[barryofthailand]

my son attends assumption school in sriracha,its excellent with good english speaking teachers,give it a try.

I agree that Assumption at Sri Racha is a very good school. Could you give me some details of the application process and fees - I've heard differing accounts. Thanks.

I would also like info on Assumption School in Sriracha.

Barry