10K Baht Thing Again - Required To Make Report Attend Meeting?

[scooterboy]

Just got a message to say that I have to make a report about "my work at the government subsidy (10K Baht) school" - whatever that means. I'm also required to go to the Area Education Center at the end of next week to participate in a day long meeting to 'discuss the government support scheme'.

<deleted> - my contract with the school ended earlier today, after working at the school for the last 2 and a half months. I can't say I'm too surprised at getting this news, as nothing really surprises me any longer in the wacky world of education in Thailand.

Any of you guys got any idea of what this is all about - and do you also have to make a report and perhaps participate in such a meeting - or could it be that it's just in my area?

Edited September 28, 2012 by scooterboy

[thunder30101]

Just write a couple of pages on how great the program was in helping the children learn english and how they really enjoyed it, nobody is going to read it or pay attention to it anyway, then go to the meeting sit and smile nod your head a lot and eat the free lunch. Its just part of teaching in thailand and will go a long way in you making connections and getting more work. Its not that difficult to do.

[chowny77]

I have not heard about this yet. Maybe they are doing this by areas of Thailand or more than likely I will get a call on monday morning about this. We will have to see. On the teaching side this could be good, students like and enjoy

plus alittle extra money

[Somtamnication]

Write a report in the third person, to show you have accepted Thai "way".

Write it in pidgeon Thaiglis. Example:

Farang bpen teach at sakool "insert name of sakool here" 3 month. Satudent many jaidee. Teacher all lovely and give kanom farang.

Farang lesson is many with many lesson. When fontoking, Farang teach lesson on different cloud, fontok hard, fontok pben drizzle, tok-jai fontok with thunder. Satudent draw the fontok and Farang gib satar.

Food aroi maak. Or Por jaidee maak and love sakool too mutt.

Farang happy maak loey come to sakool every day.

Then, draw a high wai, color the edges of the letter with a dab of Pokemon on the upper right side, an Ultraman on the lower left and voilá!

Edited September 29, 2012 by Somtamnication

[scooterboy]

@thunder30101

Yes, I'd already done exactly that before asking about this - written a couple of pages of rather useless nonsense. I suppose other NES speakers in the area will also be required to write reports, and it rather looks like we'll all be reading our reports out loud (as I believe this is what will happen at the meeting) for the benefit of ourselves.

Our Education Service Center don't speak much English at all and I doubt they'll understand much of what is being said. Just to "help" them even further, I've chosen some lengthy and difficult English words and phrases for them to chew on, as a thank you for deducting one hour's pay from my yet unpaid salary, for not being able to teach one of my classes.

The school decided to send the said class to music practice a few minutes before my class was to start. "You no teach, you no get pay".

@chowny77

On the teaching side this could be good, students like and enjoy

plus alittle extra money

- not sure I understood that!

Sure - maybe it's by areas - or maybe it's only some selected Education Centers. Who knows... anyway, at least you won't be too surprised if you get a similar message...

Edited September 29, 2012 by scooterboy

[scooterboy]

@Somtamnification

Sounds like you've tried it a few times and have got the right idea by now!!

As has already been stated, as long as you smile and nod your head all the time, then they're happy. There's not really any need to say much after giving your report.

One thing I'm looking forward to is meeting some of the other NES speakers in the area - that's presuming somebody else actually turns up, of course!

[padped]

So does anyone know yet if this 10,000 baht scheme is going to continue ??? I just finished my months stint and yesterday after I went to collect my wages the Por Or and the English teacher were typing out the report themselves. The report was a brief summary taken from my lesson plans. I offered to help but they said no problem. This report is going to be taken to Head Office here.

[qazwsx38]

Im doing this program and I never heard of it. It could be the area you are teaching in. Im teaching at the same school my wife (who is a Thai teacher) is and she was the one that got me into this program. She said she saw the list of all the foreign teachers teaching in this district including all other languages other than English and I and a Lao teacher teaching Lao are the ONLY ones on the list in this district so that could be why I never heard of report and the meeting because especially for the meeting, there would be a lot of empty seats at the meeting.

[scooterboy]

Lucky you, Padped - though you've done much of the work already, by the sound of things.

Yes, qazi, maybe it'd be too much administration to arrange such a meeting in your area, with so few people to attend. As far as I know, there are around a dozen folks in this (quite enormous) area, but they must be quite far away from where I taught. However, I've only had the pleasure of meeting one guy (and - for thunder30101's benefit) at one of the many extra, unpaid activity and school competition days that have been held in these parts during the last few months. Some of these events were rather large and very busy, so it's quite possible that there were a number of NES people attending, without many bumping into each other.

[TerryLH]

"...at one of the many extra, unpaid activity and school competition days that have been held in these parts during the last few months."

You are hourly instead of salaried?

[nellyp]

Christ I hope this doesn't happen in my area.So far I have worked for two schoola who are definitely claiming the money including the school I'm contacted to plus another I did some work for that I think was getting the money. All this even though I have no degree. At a recent meeting in my school the director told all the teachers that the school could not claim any money off tbd government for me as I have no degree. That is quite funny really as my wife did all the paperwork for the money.

[chowny77]

Well the money is real. I have no degree but I do have TEFL cert. I would go again with your wife to find out where the June-September money has gone. Either they are lying to you and are keeping it for themselves..........which could be the case or they have just lied to you just so you would carry on teaching at their schools. I hope I am wrong completely and that you get the money.

[scooterboy]

@nellyp

Seriously doubt that any cheating's going on - this is, as long as you've had to sign your name countless times for the teaching hours you've done. This is not signing via the teacher's book, but on "subsidy sheets" specifically used for the 10K baht scheme. There's one sheet for each calendar month that you work (at each school, too!).

The local Area Education Center is (usually) the administrative organ for payment of the subsidy - and they're noted for being extremely slow in transferring the money to your school - and then on to you and which you then have to sign for upon receipt.

Some schools apparently opt to pay NES people from the teachers' account(?), then transfer the money back to whatever account it was loaned from when it finally arrives from the AEC.

However, if you haven't had to sign any subsidy sheets these last months, then it might be a more worrying sign. Hope this general info will set your mind at rest, although maybe there are different payment processes for different regions.

Best of luck and hope all goes well in the end for you - as it would certainly be no joke to find that you've worked for so long for nothing.

Do keep us informed as to how you get along.

[nellyp]

I'm sorry but i need to make a bit of clarification here. I have been paid for all jobs, wit no problems at all. I was just a bit worried about signing for working for schools when i have no WP. Thank you for your input though and also for the help you have tried to give

[scooterboy]

Well, that's a relief, then!

Anyway, maybe the info can be of interest to any other people that haven't yet received their money.

As for the WP thing - I can't help you with that and will have to leave it to folks with more knowledge.....

[chowny77]

Any news from the meeting with the education department this week?

[chowny77]

Well I guess no response means either you did not attend or there was nothing worth saying after the meeting. Another flash in the pan idea from the MOE!!