Thailand To Hire 300 Native English-Speaking Teachers

[newbie001]

I still think that it is short sighted to hire more foreign teachers especially non natives. The money would be better served shipping these qualified Thai teachers that have already a strong foundation of English to study abroad. Why depend on foreign staff to teach the children. Teach the teachers and it will go a lot further.

I also don't think that it is appropriate to pay a Filipino or a person from India more money than a Thai person who has the same ability level in English. There are many Thai teachers that are fluent in English and certified as teachers but they still get paid less than Filipinos. Not quite fair. There is no guarantee that a person from the Philippines or Indian is fluent and well spoken in English. It is more likely that more people with the same educational background from the 7 native countries can.

And no, countries that list English as their main or second language is just a ploy it doesn't actually mean that most people speak it on a daily basis. The Philippines and Malaysia have English listed as a first language but spend the day listening to people and most do not communicate in English for daily needs. Yes they comprehend and can communicate in English but they often speak their native tongue when in groups or with family. Native speakers of English think in English, speak it, dream it and live it. There is a big difference between being a native.

One thing that I noticed that most native speakers can do is understand the language when non native speak it. Sometimes when I have been with international groups with 10 + countries where all people spoke English,sometimes I had to translate English from one person to the group. I could understand someone from Japan but the person from Germany couldn't make out the words.

[AgentSmith]

America invented the computer ? I never knew that. Neither does Google. Think most of us would start with Babbage, Turing undoubtedly the Father of modern computing, (but you wouldn't have wanted to claim him anyway, unfortunate proclivities). And English has only achieved global status because of Hollywood and American culture ? You might be in Thailand but not sure about your planet.....

When I said 'the computer,' I should have been more specific (the Personal Computer). Sorry, I thought it would go without saying. And the PC is most definately an American invention (or maybe Apple might want some of the credit). But then it was Microsoft that went ahead and created the famous software (in English) which caught on and captured the world's attention by storm. Now, add the internet (mostly an American invention) to that and you have a world which needs English just to function and keep up. If you think that computers have had no part to play in why people learn English (including American movies, music,, fashion, sports, politics, money, power and so forth), you are just not about to face reality on this planet.

If for one second you believe the American people has the least bit of power, be it directly or through their politicians, you better wake up from the dream before it becomes a nightmare. And your feeling of superiority, hmmm, where have we seen that before...??

America is a product of European and African descendants. It's Europeans who started shaping this world into what it is today. Sure, today the US has some very good universities. Looking at the average however, per country, I'm not so sure you should be so proud. And the US is king when it comes to misleading mass media, something that's at the root of terrible election outcomes, an enormous gap between the rich and poor, a complete and utter lack of knowledge of the rest of the planet, a false sense of danger AND safety, and the list goes on. What about all that religious fanaticism? It scares me more than most islamic societies. You empower people that have such dark hidden agendas that a true critical thinker MUST wonder what the term axis of evil truly means. No, the US is built on a dream but turned into something completely different.

All the great empires in the past tried to take over the world through conquest. The US is trying the same but through consent. Very smart but very dangerous.

[Bagwan]

Quote :- Obec chief Chinaphat Phumirat said the foreign teachers would be from the United States, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines. Unquote.

I suggest that this guy goes back to school and takes a refresher course in Geography. He might then understand the difference between the UK and England. i am surprised that those of Scottish, Welsh or Irish derivation are not up in arms.

I can see that UK regional accents can be a source of problems in comprehension. I have difficulty at times in understanding those who speak 'Geordie', "Scouse' and Glaswegian. I know that if I spoke in my original Sarf Londun slang patois those from more than 100 miles up the road might have to listen carefully and at times seek clarification. When working in Savannah, GA it was almost a daily occurrence to be told, "I just lurve your accent." My stock reply was that I didn't have one - and they did. It was quite amusing to see the little wheels behind their eyes churning away for five seconds or so until they responded "Oh yeah."

As for the poster frantically waving the Stars and Stripes,I suggest that he gets in touch with reality. He might acquaint himself with the works of Lady Lovelace, Johnny van Neumann and Tim Berners-Lee. I have worked in the U.S. and for two American companies and the only attraction for me was the money. I think the same goes for other Europeans. I was told by a senior manager at the NASA complex in Huntsville, AL that it would be accurate to say that without European participation Americans would not have walked on the Moon as soon as they did. Our major input was to provide the money and facilities was his opinion. The driving force in the science of rocketry was a German war criminal. Check out the nationalities of Fermi, Szilard, Fuchs and Niels Bohr. Just because people cross the pond and and contribute, that doesn't make them American - and being the biggest and richest doesn't make you the best. Many Americans would be so much more loveable if they lost the inclination towards boastful BS and drank a glass of humility occasionally. All my American friends are 'quiet Americans' and delightful companions they are too.

[Tatsujin]

So . . . if I'm reading between the lines correctly, there is a shortage of qualified, native English speaking Teachers in Thailand now due to the difficulties that those Teachers face in getting visa's, WP's etc (and other issues of course), so the Govt is going to not change this aspect of things, but rather seek to bring in more Teachers by offering a higher salary?

[Bagwan]

I still think that it is short sighted to hire more foreign teachers especially non natives. The money would be better served shipping these qualified Thai teachers that have already a strong foundation of English to study abroad. Why depend on foreign staff to teach the children. Teach the teachers and it will go a lot further.

That, to me, seems to be a sensible idea. They'd learn how to drive too. I'm trying to visualise the scene when they offer a British policeman money or coming out with, "Do you know who I am?" Mr. Plod may well reply, "Show me your driving licence and insurance certificate and I'll tell you."

Having escaped a country apparently obsessed with sliding down the drain I wonder how many would come back?

Edited March 29, 2011 by Bagwan

[robsamui]

.......".......hire 300 native English-speaking teachers for its primary and secondary schools.......

300 teachers for primary and secondary schools in a country with 66 million people ?

A drop in the ocean...

LaoPo

Objection.............. 09 .... they have 67.764 10 and 11 I don't know ... expect to be 68-69 MP

and not all of 'em in education system..... several MP still to be considered.... but not all 68-69 MP though

Any chance of a translation?

[femi fan]

Oh dear, another pie in the sky action to treat the insoluble problem of thais not being able to communicate in english very well. Complete waste of time, like all these 'schemes' they come up with.

Firstly most - perhaps all - thais in positions to actually employ english teachers can't tell who is going to be good at the job or not. They tell me they know when they employ fellow thai people, but can't tell with farangs.

Secondly, most english teachers - farang and thai alike - have no training in how to teach english. They are employed mainly because they have a degree in anything and are perceived to speak the language 'properly'. That's it. No prior training in how to teach? No problem.

But this is half the whole problem, that they have no training. The other half is the curriculum, and by that i mean the course books and the assessment. These two problems actually work synergistically in creating a double negative for thai school kids and university students. They're stuffed.

It's teacher training that's required. And the other major solution will be to simply GET RID OF ASSESSMENT. It forces teachers who are untrained to simply teach grammar and rote vocabulary. This is teaching english like any other subject, and not how to communicate in the language. It's virtually a complete waste of time, english is not a subject, it is a means, a vehicle, for communicating with other people.

Speaking english is a skill, it has to be learned, it cannot be taught. The teacher is a guide.

Incidentally, it doesn't really matter which country the teacher is from, if they can speak clearly and if they are trained in how to teach the language communicatively, then that's all that they need for the job.

Well, not quite all, teaching thais means they must be non-serious in the classroom, and make it all enjoyable and interesting.

One other thing would help enormously, getting an education minister who is qualified themselves. I've only seen one in my time and he only lasted a year. Surin.

Edited March 30, 2011 by femi fan

[Bakseedaa]

Am I mistaken or is'nt the proposed salary at least 200% + greater than what English teachers here generally mak?

That amount will be what the school governor will be paid to recruit that teacher.....what amount that Governor actually pays the teacher may be a completely different amount... its called graft... welcome to LOS..

[Bakseedaa]

Why get native English teachers other than from England ? I am all for teachers speaking English if they actually teach English rather than a derivative of the English language . American English is different , so is Philippine and no doubt different again from Australia . Its all about the accent as well , pronunciation of words . I wish the Thai's luck in what they are trying to do but to start with they need someone to guide the education authority in Thailand, from the English education department in England, then maybe there is a good chance the standard will improve, if of course the students are willing to learn.

Who cares Where that English teacher is from, as long as he or she passes the interview, is properly qualified and can speak well and understand the English language, give them a go.... better than most of the Thai English teachers .. And of course the students do need to have the willingness to learn.!

[moe666]

As it was pointed out to me once, what is the motivation for any Thai to learn english living out in the sticks. But send that little girl to Pattaya and in six months she will have ok english skills.

[brimacthai]

I agree with Dumpling on this. I have many years as a trainer. Not to take anything away from teachers as I have a lot of respect for good ones. I am wondering how difficult is it to become a teacher/trainer for Thai students learning English?

Is there any courses that could help me to "cross train" into this field?

[moe666]

Oh dear, another pie in the sky action to treat the insoluble problem of thais not being able to communicate in english very well. Complete waste of time, like all these 'schemes' they come up with.

Firstly most - perhaps all - thais in positions to actually employ english teachers can't tell who is going to be good at the job or not. They tell me they know when they employ fellow thai people, but can't tell with farangs.

Secondly, most english teachers - farang and thai alike - have no training in how to teach english. They are employed mainly because they have a degree in anything and are perceived to speak the language 'properly'. That's it. No prior training in how to teach? No problem.

But this is half the whole problem, that they have no training. The other half is the curriculum, and by that i mean the course books and the assessment. These two problems actually work synergistically in creating a double negative for thai school kids and university students. They're stuffed.

It's teacher training that's required. And the other major solution will be to simply GET RID OF ASSESSMENT. It forces teachers who are untrained to simply teach grammar and rote vocabulary. This is teaching english like any other subject, and not how to communicate in the language. It's virtually a complete waste of time, english is not a subject, it is a means, a vehicle, for communicating with other people.

Speaking english is a skill, it has to be learned, it cannot be taught. The teacher is a guide.

Incidentally, it doesn't really matter which country the teacher is from, if they can speak clearly and if they are trained in how to teach the language communicatively, then that's all that they need for the job.

Well, not quite all, teaching thais means they must be non-serious in the classroom, and make it all enjoyable and interesting.

One other thing would help enormously, getting an education minister who is qualified themselves. I've only seen one in my time and he only lasted a year. Surin.

Read the whole article, they will hire retired teachers and 4th year teaching students.

[spidermike007]

Indian and Phillapinos ? You ever noticed the heavy , over-riding accents these people have ? They are being considered to teach English , let the people pray it is understandable spoken English .

Your statements betrays great ignorance. Both Indians and Phillipinos speak excellent english. Why do you think most of the world's call centers are located there? Of course they have an accent. Just because you are unable to understand people with accents, does not mean they do not speak great english. I have been to both countries, and I can tell you from experience the amount of people with great english skills is a pure delight. Thailand could greatly benefit from this kind of language skill. Get your facts straight, please.

[dunkin2012]

In my daughters London school we went along to a parents evening. Had no problems understanding the Indian born physics teacher despite the fact he had only been in the UK 3 years. The History teacher with the strange accent that completely bewildered my wife however was another matter, in fact it left me struggling. As we walked away my wife asked my daughter what country he came from, the reply......."Newcastle Mum"

Hum............ interestin'

[Wonderboy]

Why does it even matter where an English teacher comes from? It should be their ability to speak and teach English that really matters. I never had a native English speaking teacher in my life, and it did not bother me the slightest. Not that my English is perfect, I just don't think a native English teacher would made it any better. I guess it even was an asset as in the beginning when I did not understand much English at all, we could get explanations in our native language. And regarding pronunciation. A Thai will always speak English with a Thai accent, just as a French will do with his French twist. How the teacher speaks will only make smaller differences in pronunciation.

And as a non-native, I can subscribe to the view that American English is both easier to understand and speak than British accent even though I really think British sounds nicer. Guess it is because Americans skips fewer letters compared to how it is written.

WB

[sunshine69]

I'am on Thailand know, wear do I aply?

[tonititan]

Am I mistaken or is'nt the proposed salary at least 200% + greater than what English teachers here generally mak?

That amount will be what the school governor will be paid to recruit that teacher.....what amount that Governor actually pays the teacher may be a completely different amount... its called graft... welcome to LOS..

I got the impression that the new teachers being hired will be certified teachers in their home country, not TEFL teachers. And those teachers generally make more than 83k in Thailand. So if that is the case, it's really not a salary increase. It's bringing in a different type of teacher.

[mikecwm]

Indian and Phillapinos ? You ever noticed the heavy , over-riding accents these people have ? They are being considered to teach English , let the people pray it is understandable spoken English .

I once spent 2 days on a bus from Anchorage to catch the ferry to Seattle with an American from one of the Carolinas and we had to use the New Yorker bus driver to interpret for us.

I had no idea what he was saying - nor he I, and I'm English with very little accent.

An Indian educated in UK will have perfect diction. But - if you compared him with a Brummie or a Geordie (Birmingham and Newcastle to non-English born) then none would understand any of the others.

Generalisations are dangerous things.

[sunshine69]

Pheonix.... out of interest the top University in the major three accredited rankings is CAMBRIDGE!!

[beb]

Pretty sure China is enjoying a bubble right now. That house of cards is ready to fall. Not a bad idea to learn Chinese if you're going to need it but English isn't going anywhere soon.

Let me remind you all that China is not improving their English. If you want to do business with them, you must learn Chinese. English a the thing of the past. We did business with the west, but it looks like business with the west will soon be devoured by the Chinese. Why do you think so many westerners have started to send their kids over to places like Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong. etc? What is the education minister thinking? Don't get me wrong. Finding quality English teachers is excellent. I've seen Italian English teachers (who couldn't even speak proper English) teaching in one of those language schools in BKK. It was so ridiculous. Hiring just about anyone off the streets just because they are 'farang'. With that aside, why is Chinese any less important?:ermm:

[AWESOME17]

Why get native English teachers other than from England ? I am all for teachers speaking English if they actually teach English rather than a derivative of the English language . American English is different , so is Philippine and no doubt different again from Australia . Its all about the accent as well , pronunciation of words . I wish the Thai's luck in what they are trying to do but to start with they need someone to guide the education authority in Thailand, from the English education department in England, then maybe there is a good chance the standard will improve, if of course the students are willing to learn.

[fred110]

.......".......hire 300 native English-speaking teachers for its primary and secondary schools.......

300 teachers for primary and secondary schools in a country with 66 million people ?

A drop in the ocean...

LaoPo

The new teachers should be used to teach the Thai teachers and get their pronunciation up to par, then the Thais can teach many more students.

[gleeglee]

Do you mean the same as the Scottish, Geordie, Scouse and Cokney accents, then there is the welsh the irish and Brumy. You should think about your comment again.

Indian and Phillapinos ? You ever noticed the heavy , over-riding accents these people have ? They are being considered to teach English , let the people pray it is understandable spoken English .

[faithchad]

It's good news for educators but do be careful which country you are drawing from, Thailand!

[AWESOME17]

Reading through the comments posted above , I surely agree to hire native speaker teachers , priority from England (the proper English- the Queen's language) if not USA (American English). Other countries like India- the manner they speak &deliver their speech is too fast a speed for Thais to capture ;Filipinos with their American English Tagalog slang will confuse the Thai students even more..simple examples like pronounce Tesco 'Lotus' , bus , back...etc. I sincerely trust that the Ministry of Education &those in search of good teachers to lift up the English Language speaking skills in Thailand , please seriously look into getting qualified teachers & not just choose those 'so called native speakers ' who are travelling as tourists ;at the same time trying to earn some pocket money to support their travelling &pleasure seeking expenses while in Thailand.

Place the needs of yr people first....not own self less interest .

It is so sad that many language centres & private schools even some government schools do not place a criteria in choosing the right native speaker candidate as teacher ; how English Language going to be promoted nationwide in order to improve the English Standard in Thailand.

[dunkin2012]

Indian and Phillapinos ? You ever noticed the heavy , over-riding accents these people have ? They are being considered to teach English , let the people pray it is understandable spoken English .

Maybe you should think again considering the fact you can't even spell. Have your heard the heavy over-riding accents that some people from the UK speak with... haha

Just watch any English Premier League football match. I can't understand a word of what these people are saying; and they're allowed on live Television! I think I'd take a Flippo over these guys any day.

In any case, Indian and Philippino teachers would still be a huge improvement over the status quo.

Simply making more English TV programs and films accessible would probably also do wonders - yet the nationalists would prevent it. I remember I vacationed in Greece as a kid, and nobody spoke English there. Then a few years later I came back and suddenly all the kids spoke English. Turns out Greek TV was broadcasting lots of English-language films, with subtitles, and the kids picked it up from that.

Really a very simple solution IMO would be to make all the kids programming English. Thais love to park their kids in front of the TV anyway; if all that stuff wasn't Thai dubbed but instead in English, the kids would just pick it up at an early age. It's not a Oxford-certified English program, but they'd pick up some basics and quite possibly learn more than they ever would in school.

I have been to an auction in UK once.... understandin' their English was almost Nil. .... cockney and some regions up north have ...... their own unique dialects

But the majority have beautiful accents ...... and easy to understand

[KarstenBoAndersen]

I hope it will be TEACHERS !!!

Not 3 weeks TFL graduates, that run around the country and call themself teachers !

Thai people who pay for english programs at Thai scholls are being cheated like hell, there is many white that can speak eanglish !! But no teachers !

I know that in Khon Khaen may many at KHON khaen Wittau. school take the last year on the Thai program to be sure they can pass tests for Universities !

[Payboy]

I would rather learn English from an Indian or Filipino teacher, than from a plumber who spent all his money and needs to take up teaching to continue his holiday in Thailand.

[asiawatcher]

.......".......hire 300 native English-speaking teachers for its primary and secondary schools.......

300 teachers for primary and secondary schools in a country with 66 million people ?

A drop in the ocean...

LaoPo

At least it is a start LaoPo. And the populace at schools, assume 30% of the 66M broken down gives (remember the baby boomers make up 2/3rds of the population right now) ...

19.8m at school

@40 per class room = 495,000 students (@30 per class 660,000)

divided by the number of teachers works out 165 kids per teacher (@30 per class, 220 per teacher)

Not 'that' bad ... so that means if they are successful and they can draw from graduates in future to continue to educate (and of course drop the salaries). No time like now to get a TEFL qualification as my maths shows should be 97,000 Baht a month not 83,000 as quoted. Not a bad salary for expats in the LOS.

Cheers

AW

[steven100]

Unless Thailand is willing to adopt some practices followed in Western education, the teachers will not be able to influence the areas which are in desperate need of development. There are a large number of reoccurring problems in Western/Thai classrooms, and unless they are addressed from the top-down, no real improvements are possible.

The fear of failure is a real motivator, but the system for failing students is just a sham here. Students are obviously pushed on through the grades regardless of the academic achievements. Most of the good, certified western teachers I meet over here complain endlessly about this issue.

A much larger difference which continually create problems in "farang-led" classrooms is that westerner students are taught and encouraged to be individualistic and act as free-thinkers. Thais typically do not value those sorts of skills, and in fact they are discouraged subtly and overtly. Raising one's hand in class is often seen a sign that that student doesn't understand - something which is terribly embarrassing in the group-think environment.

Of course, the west doesn't have a corner on education and they're not doing everything correctly, but there has been a LOT of good work done in the last 30 or 40 years which has not been adopted here in the Land of Smiles.

exactly , I agree totally. sadly , unless teaching english is implemented properly throughout all thailand schools there will be a continued lack of school graduates who fail to speak the most widely common language used throughout the world.

How can a well educated thai work internationally when he cannot even speak english ? he can't .......

The government needs to seriously implement english speaking into the school curriculum ...

The government needs to make it compulsary , that every child going to school must learn english ... this will give each and everyone of them a better future through employment in future years.

Some years ago , they introduced the 10k computer deal for students ( cheaper now of coarse ) ... this was in part a good idea , however it didn't go far enough in that there should have been a requirement that any student wanting the computer must learn english also , this would need extensive monitoring through study and exams.

I am not an english teacher , but I do know that if something like this is going to be applied , you need to do it correctly or not at all ... otherwise it will be a waste of time ... meaning , in five years we will be back to square one.

Just my opinion. :jap: