I don't see what your personal circumstances have to do with the issue, apart from perhaps illustrating a limited understanding of linguistics. which is what this is all about... For context, I have over 20 years' experience in Thai language education, but I originally started teaching in Europe (and Morocco) during the 1990s in industry, commerce and university settings. I have also taught in Laos and worked as a consultant responsible for interviewing and recruiting English teachers, including for government schools. My concern was never how much applicants were paid; it was whether they could actually do the job. Many native English speakers arrived with TEFL certificates, degrees and other qualifications, yet I would not recommend them because I did not believe they would be effective in a classroom. A surprisingly large number seemed to think that being a native speaker automatically qualified them to teach English. In reality, many had little or no understanding of English grammar, syntax, language acquisition, or how to explain the language to learners. Speaking a language and teaching it are two very different skills. One thing anyone involved in English-language education in Thailand quickly learns is that many of the people running schools and agencies are, at best, rather dubious operators. Cost was never my concern; teaching ability was. I was often astonished by the poor standards of some British and American applicants. Many simply could not teach. In many cases I was hired specifically because the Thai school owners and directors lacked the English proficiency needed to assess applicants properly. They relied on someone who could determine whether candidates actually understood the language and how to teach it. I also did considerable recruitment for TOEIC and TOEFL preparation programmes. In those cases I frequently recruited Thai, Filipino and other non-native speakers because they were familiar with the technical requirements of those exams. Many held degrees in English language or linguistics and were far better qualified than some ageing bloke in cargo shorts from Rotherham who assumed that being a native speaker was qualification enough and insisted he didn't have a speech impediment.
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