Teacher's License

[Neeranam]

I had a teacher's license from about 1996- 1999. I worked for a Language school.

I stopped teaching English a few years ago and was in a university anyway.

If I wanted to teach again, would I need to do all this nonsense culture course and exams?

[phosphorescent]

Yes.

[Neeranam]

Yes.

Are you sure ?

[Scott]

Hopefully, some posters will come along who have some concrete experience with this. Just to get the ball rolling, I believe the people who had a TL on/before 1993, were grandfathered in and exempt from the new regulations. I believe it is the same for Thai and Foreign Teachers. Those after the cut-off date had provisional licenses (sometimes referred to as a waiver).

Unless there is an expiration date on the Culture Course, you should not have to repeat it. Have you taken any of the exams?

[thaicbr]

Hopefully, some posters will come along who have some concrete experience with this. Just to get the ball rolling, I believe the people who had a TL on/before 1993, were grandfathered in and exempt from the new regulations. I believe it is the same for Thai and Foreign Teachers. Those after the cut-off date had provisional licenses (sometimes referred to as a waiver).

Unless there is an expiration date on the Culture Course, you should not have to repeat it. Have you taken any of the exams?

2003 not 1993

[Scott]

Sorry.

[aidenai]

If I wanted to teach again, would I need to do all this nonsense culture course and exams?

Not if you're going to teach in a university.

[Neeranam]

So, as I had 1 before 2003, I would be grandfathered?

I never did a culture course for my last license. No tests.

[Scott]

I very, very much doubt that you would be grandfathered through at this point in time. People who had a license pre--03 and continued to renew it were exempted. Your license, I presume, would have expired.

[aidenai]

So, as I had 1 before 2003, I would be grandfathered?

I never did a culture course for my last license. No tests.

Here are the rules. Like Scott wrote. That's past.

Clause 6 Any foreigner who is a teacher in any educational institution prior to the date of enforcement of the Teachers and Educational Personnel Council Act B.E. 2546 (2003) shall submit an application for a license to practice the teaching profession within one hundred and twenty days from the date of enforcement of this Notification.

Notified on this 17th day of July 2006.

Sermsak Wisalaporn

(Professor Sermsak Wisalaporn)

Chairperson of the Teachers Council of Thailand Board

http://www.ksp.or.th...ownload/013.pdf

So, if you want to teach in basic education schools under the supervision of the OBEC, the following rules apply.

Persons who have had teaching experience with not less 1 year and hold other degrees without a teaching license from abroad; or those who do not hold a graduate diploma in Education with a study course of not less than 1 year, must pass the test, training and assessment as follows:

(1) Thai language and culture

(2) Professional ethics

(3) Professional knowledge

When they have passed the assessment according to (1), (2) and (3), they can file an application.

http://www.ksp.or.th...ing license.pdf

[Neeranam]

OK, thanks Aidenai - sounds like a headache.

[wayned]

If you had a teacher's license, do you still have it? It should be a little light blue book.

[Scott]

Even if he has the little blue book, it is most likely expired. They have to be renewed.

[culicine]

I very, very much doubt that you would be grandfathered through at this point in time. People who had a license pre--03 and continued to renew it were exempted. Your license, I presume, would have expired.

I understand that to be the case. I would have been grandfathered, but my school 'lost' one of my teaching licences...I think for the year 2006. Hence the chain was broken. Fortunately I was doing a teaching grad dip ed at the time, so that qualified me for the new licence.

[aidenai]

OK, thanks Aidenai - sounds like a headache.

The Thai Language and Ethics Course is nothing more than a seminar. Yes, it cost money. About 5,000 Baht.

The Professional Knowledge Tests by The Teachers' Council of Thailand is indeed a headache. The tests are held twice a year. In May 2013, test #11 will be held. The tests started in December 2007 and tests #1 to #4 were virtually impossible to pass. The first overhaul came with test #5. However, at test #10 more and more test takers seemed to have passed 1, 2, 3 or even 4 sections of the 4 section tests at the first run. I guess there's hope.

I like to stress that the teacher license requirements from The Teachers' Council of Thailand ONLY apply to working in basic education schools. i.e. K12 schools.

The requirements don't apply to tertiary educational institutions and it seems that teacher placement agencies and outsourcing agencies have found ways to evade the requirements.

[Neeranam]

If you had a teacher's license, do you still have it? It should be a little light blue book.

I still have it - no little blue book, just a couple of sheets of A4.