Walen School - Complaint

[Contractor]

PS: It didn't bother me you added me as a friend - its not like it bestows my house keys to you or anything, so not sure what everyone's problem there is.

Hi

The problem was that a number of people suspected that the "friend" facility was being misused for a commercial purpose. In some cases, having deleted the request, it was then made again a few hours later. The situation was reported to the Mods but I don't know what action, if any, was taken.

Regards

[janverbeem]

I am currently a Wallen student so I can tell you the young lovely teachers are amusing gentle and professional each in her own way the school facilities are very good and the Thai leguage is hard to learn.

Was "hard " intended as a pun?

[Nawtier]

How many staff join single....but leave engaged ?

[MacWalen]

How many staff join single....but leave engaged ?

Nawtier, over they years we had some including getting married. If anybody is looking for a wife you could not go wrong marrying one of them, but this is obviously your skill if you can make them interested in you. They have high standards for men. If you attend a course you will certainly have plenty of time to get to know them. Interestingly enough just about all of my teachers or great majority in all schools are single.

Hope it answers your question.

[Dante99]

How many staff join single....but leave engaged ?

Nawtier, over they years we had some including getting married. If anybody is looking for a wife you could not go wrong marrying one of them, but this is obviously your skill if you can make them interested in you. They have high standards for men. If you attend a course you will certainly have plenty of time to get to know them. Interestingly enough just about all of my teachers or great majority in all schools are single.

Hope it answers your question.

okay you answer the east questions, when are you going to answer Mapguy's questions?

[MacWalen]

MacWalen, it is nice to know that you are proud of your staff. Nice to know you train them. Perhaps I have missed it, but what are your qualifications in developing curriculum and teaching methods for teaching Thai as a second language?

Now, would you please post by name the qualifications of all your teachers' academic credentials, including but not limited to their qualifications to teach Thai as a second language? In addition, would you kindly provide for all teachers resumes of their experience in teaching Thai as a second language? These requests are not invasions of privacy but common practice, for example, among international schools in Chiang Mai.

MacWalen, are there any independent accredited organizations which have objectively measured student success?

Also, MacWalen, do you or the school provide the Immigration Department with timely attendance records for the students and notify the department when the courses are completed or not in session?

Finally, what kind of "post-enrollment" facilitation do you provide graduates on visas of any sort?

Absolutely all of Walen teachers have received in-house training. By now I think a clever guy like you khun Mapguy would know and have deducted by reading thaivisa that nobody teaches Thai like we do so they obviously cannot learn how to do it somewhere else. You must be trained by our school. Does it make sense at all? Existing teachers, and when possible I, train them how to do it properly. Also we train them how to teach during interviews so straight away I can pick only those candidates who demonstrate early ability to teach our method the way we want. We really care very little if 'some experts' agree with the way we do it. It is good enough for us that the Ministry of Education agrees and registered our way of teaching and that our students make amazing progress (if they actually try to learn as it will not happen by itself). The best way to judge teaching is by results.

No need to see their resumes, I have a better offer for you, come to a class and see how well you do. We do not follow common practice, we sell on how different we are not how similar we are.

No, these are adult students, you can talk to them, very rarely anybody asks for external assessments. If they express such a desire we will prepare them for such.

You are asking about certain things that are our inside knowledge we gained by running our school. Nobody complains about the paperwork for the immigration and the MOE so obviously we know what we are doing, that is good enough for us.

The last question if hard to understand. Can you express yourself more clearly please?

[slapout]

You missed your calling, your non response to direct questions and criticism, your perchance to blow smoke (training during interview), and your reference to your dealing with two of the most inapt groups of Thai government (Education, immigration), your apparent lack of translation knowledge of the English language, your own appraisal of your own school "not so bad", etc, would lead me to believe you would not make it in the real business/political world, but you would/have fit in like a integral part of the compost pile in Thailand.

Now since you are so adapt at adding friends to yourself, would you be so kind as to delete my name from your friends list. We both know you are not a friend of mine and if you would like to come to my favorite learning venue, I believe I can explain it in a straight forward language you would understand.

[MacWalen]

You missed your calling, your non response to direct questions and criticism, your perchance to blow smoke (training during interview), and your reference to your dealing with two of the most inapt groups of Thai government (Education, immigration), your apparent lack of translation knowledge of the English language, your own appraisal of your own school "not so bad", etc, would lead me to believe you would not make it in the real business/political world, but you would/have fit in like a integral part of the compost pile in Thailand.

Now since you are so adapt at adding friends to yourself, would you be so kind as to delete my name from your friends list. We both know you are not a friend of mine and if you would like to come to my favorite learning venue, I believe I can explain it in a straight forward language you would understand.

Khun slapout, as you requested I removed you from my friends list. You seem to imply that doing business in Thailand is easier than in other countries and I would not manage somewhere else. Just for your info I am opening a school in the Philippines and I am sure it will be profitable. Will keep you updated. If anything you seem to be disappointed that your try to discredit me or the Walen school did not work at all.

I would like to see how you would run a business because being as unfriendly as you are I cannot see you doing well with customers and staff. This is Thailand and you calling the Thai MOE and immigration inept (definition: having no skill, clumsy) is very bad.

[elektrified]

I took a peek at the website of the school in question and there is not one single qualification published about the owner or the teachers. It looks like a fly by night operation.

[uptheos]

I took a peek at the website of the school in question and there is not one single qualification published about the owner or the teachers. It looks like a fly by night operation.

Well the teachers, quote; "are mostly young, energetic and very friendly".

[MacWalen]

You missed your calling, your non response to direct questions and criticism, your perchance to blow smoke (training during interview), and your reference to your dealing with two of the most inapt groups of Thai government (Education, immigration), your apparent lack of translation knowledge of the English language, your own appraisal of your own school "not so bad", etc, would lead me to believe you would not make it in the real business/political world, but you would/have fit in like a integral part of the compost pile in Thailand.

Now since you are so adapt at adding friends to yourself, would you be so kind as to delete my name from your friends list. We both know you are not a friend of mine and if you would like to come to my favorite learning venue, I believe I can explain it in a straight forward language you would understand.

Khun slapout, If you want to make personal attacks make them in the open forum.

Edited July 6, 2011 by MacWalen

[Loaded]

Ego has been the death of many a man

[rickthailand]

what do you think about this artical?

http://pattaya-times.com/a7347-new-major-visa-requirements-education-ed-visas-holders-must-attend-classes

[MacWalen]

what do you think about this artical?

http://pattaya-times...-attend-classes

I totally agree, some foreigners made a total joke out of the system and abused ED visas. If this visa is not available one day it will be the doing of such people. It only takes 4 lessons a week to go to school. After studying Thai for 6 years not being able to handle an interview at the immigration? Visa denied and justly so.

At the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Sunday, Immigration Volunteer and former British Consul Barry Kenyan stated the problem with Education visas as he observed it first-hand in the local Immigration office on Jomtien Beach Road, Soi 5.

“A guy came in and wanted to renew his Education visa for a 7th straight year. He waited in the queue and when it was his turn he sat at the Immigration officer’s desk in charge of Education Visas. He had all of his documents from the school. His application was completed and he had the two photos now required for any visa. So the officer looked at him and said, ‘You have been learning Thai for six years already. Is that right?’ The answer was yes so the officer looked at a nearby fish tank and said in Thai, ‘The big fish eat the little fish.” The foreigner looked at him without a clue. The officer smiled and picked up a big red stamp and stamped “CANCELLED” on the remaining portion of the current visa and told the fellow he would not again receive an Education visa,” Barry reported.

The Deputy Director of the Thailand Ministry of Education recently summoned all language schools’ owners in Pattaya along with senior Chonburi Immigration Police Investigators to address this issue and notify the schools of the crackdown.

“Now any school found to be selling the Education visa simply to allow the foreigner to stay in Thailand and not attending the school will be closed down and lose their license. All of the school’s students, whether attending or not, will have their visas cancelled,” the representative of the Ministry of Education stated.

Going to school and learning Thai is one option for people to "long stay" in the Kingdom without having to constantly do "border runs." It is especially popular with those who can self-fund themselves living here and do not need to work but are not yet 50 years of age thus not being able to qualify for a Retirement Visa. A Pattaya Times undercover investigation has discovered that some schools are selling discounted "courses" where the "student" pays a reduced fee that gets them a visa but they have no intention of ever attending a class.

Every school in Pattaya has a maximum allocated student base dependent on classroom availability. One school in particular was named and shamed. The school in question has a maximum capacity of 160 students based on if the classrooms were full every minute of every day. Most schools have 40% of students sign up for second and third years, thus reducing the capacity of the school of new students in the second year by 40%. In the case of the capacity of the school above reducing the intake of new students to 96.

The education department in very strong language asked the particular school if they thought the education department was foolish and if they do not keep records. In the last three months this school had new sign ups of 80 students and was asked where they sit their students and where are the three extra classrooms they would require to cope with this over capacity. Even if the school opened all night they still would not be able to facilitate all the students.

It has also come to the notice of the Education Department that a lot of schools are using teachers to teach Thai who are not educated to Degree standard and they have warned this must stop.

Pol. Capt. Samruai Sa-Mann from Chonburi Immigration police then told all the schools that five foreign nationals are now working undercover on behalf of immigration trying to buy the visa from schools without attending classes.

He added, the schools will be prosecuted if the undercover investigators gather evidence of such practices.

They are also to investigate visa shops who are offering the Ed Visa and law firms who offer the Ed Visa as it is only registered schools who can offer these visas, Deputy Inspector Samruai said.

The Police Captain also added that it had also come to his attention that some schools were using foreign nationals teaching without work permits. Recently two Pattaya schools have been raided by his officers.

"If we catch teachers working in schools without a work permit, we will recommend to the Education Department that these offending schools should be closed. We will also be calling all people who advertise language lessons with a visa. We will book some lessons and on arrival we will be asking for work permits of people who we believe are working without work permits," said Pol. Capt. Samruai Sa-Mann from Chonburi Immigration.

Edited July 6, 2011 by MacWalen

[Semper]

what do you think about this artical?

http://pattaya-times...-attend-classes

I totally agree, some foreigners made a total joke out of the system and abused ED visas. If this visa is not available one day it will be the doing of such people. It only takes 4 lessons a week to go to school. After studying Thai for 6 years not being able to handle an interview at the immigration? Visa denied and justly so.

At the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Sunday, Immigration Volunteer and former British Consul Barry Kenyan stated the problem with Education visas as he observed it first-hand in the local Immigration office on Jomtien Beach Road, Soi 5.

"A guy came in and wanted to renew his Education visa for a 7th straight year. He waited in the queue and when it was his turn he sat at the Immigration officer's desk in charge of Education Visas. He had all of his documents from the school. His application was completed and he had the two photos now required for any visa. So the officer looked at him and said, 'You have been learning Thai for six years already. Is that right?' The answer was yes so the officer looked at a nearby fish tank and said in Thai, 'The big fish eat the little fish." The foreigner looked at him without a clue. The officer smiled and picked up a big red stamp and stamped "CANCELLED" on the remaining portion of the current visa and told the fellow he would not again receive an Education visa," Barry reported.

The Deputy Director of the Thailand Ministry of Education recently summoned all language schools' owners in Pattaya along with senior Chonburi Immigration Police Investigators to address this issue and notify the schools of the crackdown.

"Now any school found to be selling the Education visa simply to allow the foreigner to stay in Thailand and not attending the school will be closed down and lose their license. All of the school's students, whether attending or not, will have their visas cancelled," the representative of the Ministry of Education stated.

Going to school and learning Thai is one option for people to "long stay" in the Kingdom without having to constantly do "border runs." It is especially popular with those who can self-fund themselves living here and do not need to work but are not yet 50 years of age thus not being able to qualify for a Retirement Visa. A Pattaya Times undercover investigation has discovered that some schools are selling discounted "courses" where the "student" pays a reduced fee that gets them a visa but they have no intention of ever attending a class.

Every school in Pattaya has a maximum allocated student base dependent on classroom availability. One school in particular was named and shamed. The school in question has a maximum capacity of 160 students based on if the classrooms were full every minute of every day. Most schools have 40% of students sign up for second and third years, thus reducing the capacity of the school of new students in the second year by 40%. In the case of the capacity of the school above reducing the intake of new students to 96.

The education department in very strong language asked the particular school if they thought the education department was foolish and if they do not keep records. In the last three months this school had new sign ups of 80 students and was asked where they sit their students and where are the three extra classrooms they would require to cope with this over capacity. Even if the school opened all night they still would not be able to facilitate all the students.

It has also come to the notice of the Education Department that a lot of schools are using teachers to teach Thai who are not educated to Degree standard and they have warned this must stop.

Pol. Capt. Samruai Sa-Mann from Chonburi Immigration police then told all the schools that five foreign nationals are now working undercover on behalf of immigration trying to buy the visa from schools without attending classes.

He added, the schools will be prosecuted if the undercover investigators gather evidence of such practices.

They are also to investigate visa shops who are offering the Ed Visa and law firms who offer the Ed Visa as it is only registered schools who can offer these visas, Deputy Inspector Samruai said.

The Police Captain also added that it had also come to his attention that some schools were using foreign nationals teaching without work permits. Recently two Pattaya schools have been raided by his officers.

"If we catch teachers working in schools without a work permit, we will recommend to the Education Department that these offending schools should be closed. We will also be calling all people who advertise language lessons with a visa. We will book some lessons and on arrival we will be asking for work permits of people who we believe are working without work permits," said Pol. Capt. Samruai Sa-Mann from Chonburi Immigration.

Good.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Semper

[Drew Aitch]

I took a peek at the website of the school in question and there is not one single qualification published about the owner or the teachers. It looks like a fly by night operation.

During my lifetime I've come across many people whom I would refer to and 'the educated unemployables'. Seriously, some of the thickest people I have encountered over the years have not been brick layers labourers or toilet cleaners, but those with a BA, MA or BSc to boot.

Academic qualifications are no indicator that someone will excel in occupational ability. The world is sometimes way too obsessed with educational certification.

With regards to business aptitude and entrepreneurial talent, well, all I can comment here is that you will find a lot of very successful millionaires that not only left school with low grades, but NO grades at all. In actual fact, the educated ones are often the employees, or foot soldiers, of those who started with nowt but a determination to succeed not matter what!

With regards to the teaching staff at Walen and other high profile language schools, I believe they are all educated to BA level, but I could be wrong. Even so, if I were opening such a school and interviewing for language tutors, it would not be educational certificates that would impress and sway my decision to hire, but a cheerful disposition and a capacity to teach - pure and simple!

SO WHAT'S WITH ALL THE FLAMING?

I've seen some ugly threads on TV in my time, and whether MacWalen made an error here with his opening post or not I don't know, but what he got for it in return has been akin to hate mail. There really have been some unnecessarily nasty, bitter, twisted responses here that make some of the posters appear jealous beyond belief of this particular individual's success in Thailand.

ED Visas, work permits, Thai staff, and all that other jazz has got absolutely nothing to do with anyone other than the proprietor and students, or potential students, of the said establishment. I very much doubt, going by some of the malicious moaning in this thread, that any of the nit-picking bombastic bullies here fit into any of the above categories.

Aitch

[elektrified]

"...some of the posters appear jealous beyond belief of this particular individual's success in Thailand.

How do you know this guy is successful in Thailand or in any other country? He may be just burning through investors money. His approach is like a scam artist/snake oil salesman.

[THAIPHUKET]

Interesting seems, that we see the same posters again and again, a fair number with thousands of post within a couple of years, who have nothing better to do than belaboring this subject to death.

It must be boredom with life.

We wonder what they might have to show for themselves.

How about applying for a Thai teaching job and prove some qualifications on the subject.

[bod]

I took a peek at the website of the school in question and there is not one single qualification published about the owner or the teachers. It looks like a fly by night operation.

During my lifetime I've come across many people whom I would refer to and 'the educated unemployables'. Seriously, some of the thickest people I have encountered over the years have not been brick layers labourers or toilet cleaners, but those with a BA, MA or BSc to boot.

Academic qualifications are no indicator that someone will excel in occupational ability. The world is sometimes way too obsessed with educational certification.

With regards to business aptitude and entrepreneurial talent, well, all I can comment here is that you will find a lot of very successful millionaires that not only left school with low grades, but NO grades at all. In actual fact, the educated ones are often the employees, or foot soldiers, of those who started with nowt but a determination to succeed not matter what!

With regards to the teaching staff at Walen and other high profile language schools, I believe they are all educated to BA level, but I could be wrong. Even so, if I were opening such a school and interviewing for language tutors, it would not be educational certificates that would impress and sway my decision to hire, but a cheerful disposition and a capacity to teach - pure and simple!

SO WHAT'S WITH ALL THE FLAMING?

I've seen some ugly threads on TV in my time, and whether MacWalen made an error here with his opening post or not I don't know, but what he got for it in return has been akin to hate mail. There really have been some unnecessarily nasty, bitter, twisted responses here that make some of the posters appear jealous beyond belief of this particular individual's success in Thailand.

ED Visas, work permits, Thai staff, and all that other jazz has got absolutely nothing to do with anyone other than the proprietor and students, or potential students, of the said establishment. I very much doubt, going by some of the malicious moaning in this thread, that any of the nit-picking bombastic bullies here fit into any of the above categories.

Aitch

I don't agree.

Most, not all, responses were critical of nature, but in MacWalen's world "critical" means "negative".

In his drift to create his language school empire, he oversaw the fact that there are limits to what people can accept. If he would have admitted his "blunder" ("a bit of a blunder" as you call it in post 46) he would have shown real class and I suppose that many posters wouldn't have had such a problem to be added as his "friend". In contrary, those are the kind of people we want to have as friends.

By not doing so, and by avoiding to give satisfying answers to critical questions, he got what must have felt as a "beating".

Actually, I'm afraid that he still doesn't have a clue what the fuzz is really all about.

[uptheos]

Wow almost 5,000 hits.......you've gotta hand it to the guy.

[metisdead]

A post in which the quoted text had been altered has been removed as well as a reply to it.

30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.

Some off topic troll posts have also been removed.

[MacWalen]

I have been thinking that since we have a student party in Bangkok every year we should make one this year in Chiangmai too. Together with my staff we found a fantastic place! I have been reading Chiangmai forum for a few years now and I have never seen any posts about school parties. Time to change it!

We will give a good example to other school and throw a real good one. We know how to dance like crazy so great fun guaranteed. Last year we had a party in the biggest venue in Sukhumvit, club Insomnia with hundreds of students joining. I will keep you posted.

Walen School - the best school parties!

[bridge]

I have been thinking that since we have a student party in Bangkok every year we should make one this year in Chiangmai too. Together with my staff we found a fantastic place! I have been reading Chiangmai forum for a few years now and I have never seen any posts about school parties. Time to change it!

We will give a good example to other school and throw a real good one. We know how to dance like crazy so great fun guaranteed. Last year we had a party in the biggest venue in Sukhumvit, club Insomnia with hundreds of students joining. I will keep you posted.

Walen School - the best school parties!

MacWalen,

You just keeping digging yourself deeper and deeper with this post. What 'examples' will you give to other schools, That MacWalen throws the biggest dance party. Perhaps pitch to adults and not kids, especially in CNX.

ps. Perhaps Spicey's on the moat is available for your dance party.

[uptheos]

What's wrong with a party?

[Nawtier]

Name tags in Insomnia....coool.

Are we allowed to pull chicks ?

Is there a curfew ?

Free red cordial ?

Can you reserve the 50 odd square metres around the DJ box just for us...

[MacWalen]

I have been thinking that since we have a student party in Bangkok every year we should make one this year in Chiangmai too. Together with my staff we found a fantastic place! I have been reading Chiangmai forum for a few years now and I have never seen any posts about school parties. Time to change it!

We will give a good example to other school and throw a real good one. We know how to dance like crazy so great fun guaranteed. Last year we had a party in the biggest venue in Sukhumvit, club Insomnia with hundreds of students joining. I will keep you posted.

Walen School - the best school parties!

MacWalen,

You just keeping digging yourself deeper and deeper with this post. What 'examples' will you give to other schools, That MacWalen throws the biggest dance party. Perhaps pitch to adults and not kids, especially in CNX.

ps. Perhaps Spicey's on the moat is available for your dance party.

You need to be at least 20 to attend the party. We found a nice place and it is not Spicy. I've had a party every year so don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You are getting boring with your 'digging myself deeper' phrases all the time. I'm not digging myself deeper into anything. You just don't know our school, there is nothing wrong with having a school party once a year. All staff love is and so do students.

Sounds like a new idea in Chiangmai, doesn't it? Perhaps you are a bad dancer that's why you do not like the idea . I on the other hand enjoy my music and some dancing, why not. I will not give any examples of other school. The culture of the Walen school is unique and this is what I care about, others do their own business.

i think there will be more people who like the idea of a party than those who don't. Uptheos for one likes the idea. I am sure there are others too. I think I can get a few hundred coming to the party.

Walen School - all study and no fun is totally missing the point

[MacWalen]

Name tags in Insomnia....coool.

Are we allowed to pull chicks ?

Is there a curfew ?

Free red cordial ?

Can you reserve the 50 odd square metres around the DJ box just for us...

If you come you will not be disappointed, this much I can promise to you.

[harrry]

Sounds like a new idea in Chiangmai, doesn't it? Perhaps you are a bad dancer that's why you do not like the idea . I on the other hand enjoy my music and some dancing, why not. I will not give any examples of other school. The culture of the Walen school is unique and this is what I care about, others do their own business.

i think there will be more people who like the idea of a party than those who don't. Uptheos for one likes the idea. I am sure there are others too. I think I can get a few hundred coming to the party.

Walen School - all study and no fun is totally missing the point

We have the English school because the owner can speak a little English, The Thai school because the owner cannot speak Thai, The surfing school as the owner can surf a little. Just when does the dancing school because the owner can dance a little start?

[beano2274]

I have never been to a Thai school and do not really want to, so I cannot comment on things that happen at these schools. But at English language schools the best teachers that I have encountered do not have the correct qualifications, but the experience, which was more important at the time. The teachers qualifications are not important to the students, the teachers ability to teach is.

The only problem I have with MacWalen is the constant advertising after every post, surely the advertising that is already on this site, is enough, but then again the rules are clear about no flaming of sponsors or advertisers. So now no-one can flame me, see below.

Chiangmai, the place for great parties!!!!!!

[bridge]

"you are getting boring with your, you are digging yourself deeper all the time". Pethaps you have confused me with someone else.