Phillipinos Teaching English In Thailand?

[DummDays]

Hello Community

I have a Question:

are Phillipinos recognized as native english Speakers?

can they teach English in Thailand?

if so - what Kind of Test and Proceedures they have to go through to be able to get a Job as an english Teacher?

Thanks for your input

Cheers

[Scott]

Filipinos are not recognized as native English speakers. To be fully legal, they must take and pass, an English language proficiency exam, such as TOIEC (the most common exam here in Thailand).

[KhaoNiaw]

I've hired Filipinos who are first language speakers of English and I don't need any exam results to take them on. This is at university level so that also means they also have master's qualifications in the field.

Edited October 15, 2011 by KhaoNiaw

[beano2274]

I've hired Filipinos who are first language speakers of English and I don't need any exam results to take them on. This is at university level so that also means they also have master's qualifications in the field.

A Filipinos first language is Tagalog not English.

So if a Thai gets a Masters Degree in a subject that is covered in English then their fist language is English? No, it is still Thai, their native language.

[Scott]

I was referring to those teachers who need a Teacher's License. University teachers do not need a TL.

[cdnvic]

They let Aussies teach it

[KhaoNiaw]

I've hired Filipinos who are first language speakers of English and I don't need any exam results to take them on. This is at university level so that also means they also have master's qualifications in the field.

A Filipinos first language is Tagalog not English.

So if a Thai gets a Masters Degree in a subject that is covered in English then their fist language is English? No, it is still Thai, their native language.

I've never met a Thai who had English as a first language but I have come across Filipinos who are first language speakers of English. And know one very well whose Tagalog is almost nil. Not the norm but they exist.

Edited October 15, 2011 by KhaoNiaw

[Ijustwannateach]

There are some excellently educated Filipinos. And there are some horrible train wrecks. The REALLY better educated ones will tell you quite honestly that there are only about 2-3 REAL universities in their whole country that can actually deliver the goods at a level competitive with what we would call Bachelor's, Master's, etc. The others are VERY insecure and defensive. Most schools here tend to either avoid trying to hire them entirely, or are pretty much inundated.

[stewyk71]

They let Aussies teach it

How come when everyone who is not a moderator says a comment like this it is removed

I'm Australian and i like to take the piss as much as the next man and like the banter but

your rules are rules mate

[Scott]

Well, I don't want to get into an off-topic discussion, but some humor is allowed.

[Scott]

On a more serious note, where I work, we do not have Filipinos who teach English language as a subject. We do have Filipinos who teach other subjects, such as math, science, social studies etc. in English.

Personally, I don't think it's a bad idea for students to learn to understand a variety of accents.

[Phuket Stan]

Thats fine understanding other accents but which one do you prefer your child to speak...Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent English ????

[DummDays]

Thats fine understanding other accents but which one do you prefer your child to speak...Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent English ????

Talking about accents in english - do you guys know, how different your so called "native english" accent varies ?

take a Scottman, an Australian, a "pure" Englander and a modern american Kid - how can you guys ignore that Variety and following the Understanding of accents for a non native english speaker

I once met a scottish Girl in India - I was simply unable to understand her in the beginning....

dont even to mention a Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent ...

what means "native english" anyway - the pure Englander?

just my "2cent"

Edited October 15, 2011 by DummDays

[richard_smith237]

I worked with an Iraqi educated in Scotland... I had no idea what he was saying until he actually pointed out that his accent was Scottish... (eyes not believing the ears and all that... )

IMO - There's nothing wrong with educated Filipinos teaching English...

And what about all the locals in tourist area's speaking Aussie / cockney English... Owai mai (Alright mate) !!!

[janverbeem]

Thats fine understanding other accents but which one do you prefer your child to speak...Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent English ????

Talking about accents in english - do you guys know, how different your so called "native english" accent varies ?

take a Scottman, an Australian, a "pure" Englander and a modern american Kid - how can you guys ignore that Variety of accents for a non native english speaker?

I once met a scottish Girl in India - I was simply unable to understand her in the beginning....

dont even to mention a Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent ...

just my "2cent"

You're absolutely right about that.

I know a headmaster at a school here who is a native English speaker from South Africa and when he called me the other day to discuss a problem with the boy,I had to politely ask him if he could explain the issue by email to me.

[Scott]

And that is the problem with native English speakers in a nutshell. A huge variety of accents. Most children will speak the accent they hear most frequently and for posters in this forum, that would be English speaking parent's accent.

English accents have been argued ad naseum on this forum and usually end up with topics being closed once they have gone full circle and the flaming and bickering starts.

Native speakers have a certain familiarity and versatility with the language that non-native speakers don't have. They have an understanding of the subtleties of the language as well, regardless of accent.

Most Thais will speak English with a Thai accent. I just haven't run into many local kids with whom there is a distinguishable accent other than Thai.

As I said, where I work we do have Filipinos as subject teachers. Between having a well-educated and knowledgeable non-native speaker teaching math in English and a sub-standard native speaker, I'll take the former.

[SirDougless]

A Filipinos first language is Tagalog not English...

A Filipino's first language is their local language (Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilongo, Hiligaynon and more than 100 others) . When they go to school they are taught their local language as well as Filipino (which is largely Tagalog) and English. Not many cultures that embrace 3 languages.

[Scott]

One off-topic post deleted.

[DummDays]

so lets go back to the original Reason for this Thread

Edited October 16, 2011 by DummDays

[otherstuff1957]

Quite a few Filipinos work as teachers in Thailand. As others have said, they vary from being native English speakers to being almost unintelligible. Just like anyone else, you should judge them as individuals, not as stereotypes.

The biggest difference between a native speaker and a Filipino is the wages that they are offered here. A native speaker will rarely work for less than 30k/month, while a Filipino will rarely make more than 20K/month. It's just a matter of supply and demand. Anyone who had done any interviewing knows that you will usually get 10 Filipino job applicants for every 1 Farang!

Edited October 16, 2011 by otherstuff1957

[Scott]

Off-topic post deleted.

[Derifo]

Thats fine understanding other accents but which one do you prefer your child to speak...Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent English ????

Talking about accents in english - do you guys know, how different your so called "native english" accent varies ?

take a Scottman, an Australian, a "pure" Englander and a modern american Kid - how can you guys ignore that Variety and following the Understanding of accents for a non native english speaker

I once met a scottish Girl in India - I was simply unable to understand her in the beginning....

dont even to mention a Fillipino,Swedish ,German or whatever accent ...

what means "native english" anyway - the pure Englander?

just my "2cent"

Seconded.

[ThaiRich]

e

A Filipinos first language is Tagalog not English...

A Filipino's first language is their local language (Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilongo, Hiligaynon and more than 100 others) . When they go to school they are taught their local language as well as Filipino (which is largely Tagalog) and English. Not many cultures that embrace 3 languages.

I work with several Filipino's. Some have excellent English skills and some have very poor skills. Usually the person interviewing them is a Thai and has such a low command of English that he/she doesn't hear the multiple mistakes that are being made. On the subjext of "native" language 99.999% of the Filipinos in Thailand are not niative speakers. They grew up in homes where Tagalog was spoken and then began learning English once they started school. Just as here in Thailand, the Filipinos from the larger cities as Manila, Cebu ect., have a better command of English. Again most of the Filipinos here in Thailand are not from Manla or other major cities, most are from remote villages. One thing is for sure they will keep coming as even the lowest paid at 15,000 baht a month is making about double they would make at home. A FILIPINO THAT WAS BORN AND RAISED IN A FAMILY WHERE TAGALOG IS THE LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION ARE NOT NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS. They can sa they are "advanced" English speakers, but they are not "native".

[DoctorG]

The difference is in the nuance. :jap:

[Scott]

I think everyone has had an opportunity to express an opinion and the OP's question has been answered. Yes, Filipino teachers who require a TL need an English language proficiency test. This does not include those at University level, however.

//Closed//