Teaching License

[a99az]

I started to teach full time in Thailand over a year ago, and the school contract I signed states: "The school will be responsible for obtaining a teacher license, work permit and appropriate visa."

After some months, a colleague and I was told that we should get our teaching license so that we could stay on and teach at the school.

At the end of last term we was asked to teach 30+ teachers English for use in the class room, the government have stated that Thai teachers must start to use English in the class. Again we are asked to teach our teachers class room English.

I think it is so unfair that we should be used this way, in one way they say we need your expertise, and then they say sorry you are not qualified as you have no license.

Is that screwed up or what?

Typed in a rush on my way to teach!!!

[Phatcharanan]

Reading your post suggests that you do NOT have a teaching license? Are you sure the school do not already have this for you?

Anyway......helping Thai teachers to learn English is part and parcel of most Thai schools routines.

[Scott]

The contract seems to have some flaws in it. First of all the school cannot be 'responsible' for providing a TL, Visa or WP. The school can assist, and the school can pay any associated fees, but if you are not eligible for a TL or the necessary Visa, you won't get a WP. This is out of their control. A Teacher's License is not all that easy to obtain, although a waiver is.

As noted by the previous poster, it's not uncommon to have Foreign Teachers teaching the Thai Teachers. It's done at a lot of schools. The push is now on for more and more teaching in English, including that done by Thai Teachers. I know of one mini-English program that is taught entirely in English by Thai Teachers. They can't find quite enough, so there are some Filipino teachers who supplement some classes.

In the urban areas, teachers who have good English skills can find better paying work. In the rural areas, good English teachers are rare.

Oh, and by the way, the Teacher's License is yours. It does not belong to school and should follow you when you leave.

[pipo1000]

After some months, a colleague and I was told that we should get our teaching license so that we could stay on and teach at the school.<BR sab="354">At the end of last term we was asked to teach 30+ teachers English for use in the class room, the government have stated that Thai teachers must start to use English in the class. Again we are asked to teach our teachers class room English

I'm not an native English speaker myself but isn't it usual that English teachers apart from having a teaching license can write proper English themselves?

[BruceMangosteen]

They can't find quite enough, so there are some Filipino teachers who supplement some classes.

Mark down those words mates. As the TL's and waivers become more difficult to obtain, some schools will certainly turn to the Republic of the Philippines to fill the slots.

I've always wondered what the parents think of this.

Regarding the OP, discrimination by gender, nationality, and age are quite common in this world of teaching English in Thai schools. It boils down to who they like(personality, not ability and qualifications). If they are asking you to jump through the hoops you can assume they would prefer you leave. The concept of telling you to leave is again difficult because they lose some face for hiring you in the first place.

[Scott]

This is an internet forum and posters, including teachers, ask questions. They don't always use proper spelling, capital letters and grammar.

Most parents that I know complain about the Filipino teachers. They want their child taught by a native speaker. The Ministry of Education wants teachers to be a proper teacher with a degree in education.

School administrators like Filipinos because they can get proper teachers with teaching credentials at about 1/4 of the cost of native speakers.

Where I work, the Filipinos don't teach English, but they teach IN English. They teach subjects such as Math, Science, Social Studies etc.

Filipinos are Asian and the administration can push them around more than the Farangs. Right now they need both--one to keep the parents happy, the other to be in compliance with regulations. It boils down to money much of the time.