English At University

[Rumpole]

  Of course some jobs are not desirable because of the hours and the pay.  That is a simple fix, dont take that job.   

The problem in Thailand is that what you see is not always what you get. Many places will misrepresent the job simply to get you to sign on the dotted line. Once in post, they imagine that they own you and can heap all kinds of indignity and extra work upon you. I told a Thai university at interview that I had absolutely no desire to work weekends (which is the case at about 99.5% of universities outside Thailand). They said fine. Two days after starting work I had some idiot asking me whether I wanted to work Saturdays, or whether I preferred Sunday. When I said I didn't want to work on either of those days, as per our agreement at interview, they tried to suggest that I had very little choice in the matter. Even having a contract which sets out exactly what is expected by both parties means very little in practice.

You will never get rich teaching unless your name starts with Dr.

 

You obviously don't work in academia.

Edited September 14, 2005 by Rumpole

[kidtongue]

  What Thailand needs to understand about farang staff is that they need to make enough money to return home because there is a process underway in which all expats are slowly being invited to leave.

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Off topic:

This is turning into a very interesting thread, xenophobia and all. There is a remarkable arrogance I sense among certain Thai's that always makes me wonder from whence it came- they certainly don't seem to have 'developed' their economy or country enough to warrant such snobbery.

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Well education should not merely be understood to be what happens in a classroom. There are certainly cultural differences to be enjoyed and exasperated by, the degree depending on the participant. Thailand seems to have made a bet that it will function as a broker between India and China but I think that's just plain crazy. And it's not as though English or western civ is the best thing since sliced bread or boiled rice - but since there is so little effort made to avail local people (who work for 5/6/7/8000 baht a month) of a sufficient education, any education begins to look like a plus in comparison.

IMHO, a better educated populace with encourage a better and more competitive workforce and have less social turmoil than an undereducated one. BUt then again, they might not vote the way the power brokers want.

[kidtongue]

kidtongue

out that the number of schools with adequate libraries is less than the digits on 1 hand  and part of it is to blame on the informal education system

The school i worked at had a massive library full of great useful books 90% of them in english, the school was a primary school.... how many kids will benefit from the library????

It looked great and was a great selling point as the princess(sorry i don't know her name) she was larger one who came to open it....

Smoke and mirrors all the way.

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ps.

I loved my time in the LoS and teaching was good fun but I just wonder reading other posts that the burnt out feeling I had may not happen in other countries?

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Sanook2me

I hear that and know that not all that many families, who want an education for their children, can afford to go shopping at the Emporium or will own a small/medium factory making car parts or water pumps. There's enough space on the tv spectrum that they could offer plenty of decent educational tv (if there is such a thing) for the families that just hope the kids get to M3.