Long Term Trends In Teaching Opportunities In Thailand

[dalpumpkin]

Howdy,

Excellent information here about the present state but I'm interested in the longer term future.

Does anyone have opinions on topic title by way of extrapolating any current trends that you are seeing in falangs involvement in Thai education sector? My personal interest English specific but broader comment welcome.

Questions in my head are around the appetite for Falang's English teaching skills as Thailand becomes more global (assuming that She does and my personal opinion is that it will increase significantly) and the flow-on impact on qualification requirements?

DISCLAIMER

If you wanted to know why I was asking, it's both because I was thinking of retiring in LOS in 5-10 years with perhaps a bit of English teaching involved, and, more importantly, I just thought it would be an interesting topic. I acknowlege this post is speculative in nature rather than practical. Apols, I must admit that I have not completed a topic search, so if a repost over old ground please burn me.

I have no current involvement in Thailands or the Earths education systems.

David (DLP)

[PeaceBlondie]

Predicting the future in Thailand is like fortune telling; shamans and Brahmins are good at it (even the Thai Brahmins only predict the current harvest). We don't know the academic calendar as far ahead as next week, usually.

Let's speculate/fantasize that for non-professional westerners with a non-education degree and a TEFL, the circumstances improve 100% in the next few years. That's not good enough, in my opinion. The situation now, for such teachers, is way below 'dismal to atrocious.'

Even the Western countries can't predict five years into the future.

Hopefully, Thailand education will wean itself off the rote teaching methods, the large classes, the boring lectures, the meaningless worksheets, silly tests and exams, and the "Every Thai child shall pass" concept. Within the next fifty years.

And the Thais will decide by themselves what the system does, and how and when the system changes. They won't be seeking advice from graduates of two Ivy League unis, such as George W. Bush.

[Buki]

Amen to that.

[Ladphrao]

To identify trends requires on to step back and look at the past and the big picture; something few Farang English teachers bother to do. Most of the time Farang English teachers take a snap shot view of the educational system in Thailand and compare it to an idealized version of a western educational system that has never been (Please see PBs post in this thread for an example).

Sorry, this is off the cuff so I may be off by a few years, but one can get the gist of the idea even if there are some inaccuracies to follow.

50 years ago there were only two universities in the entire country, today there are scores of them.

25 years ago there were no university programs in Thailand being taught in English, today there are dozens of them.

20 years ago, there were two international schools in the country and Thais were not allowed to go to either. Today, there are dozens of both international and bi-lingual elementary and high schools in the country that are open to Thais as well as others.

20 years ago, the notion of 7 years of universal education outside of Bangkok was more wishful thinking than a reality, today 12 years of free education for all throughout the country is coming close to being an accepted fact.

15 years ago, English classes in Thai schools were rare and never would a Farang be hired to teach in a government elementary or high school. Today, English is mostly a mandatory subject and there are many foreign teachers throughout the Thai educational system

15 years ago, there were few options for Farangs to teach in Thailand, mostly jobs were in language schools, a few private high schools and some universities, but mostly only for teaching English. Today there are probably 10 times as many foreign teachers in the county as in 1990. Teachers are teaching a variety of subjects besides English in elementary schools, language schools, private corporate classes, private and government high schools, universities, gradate schools and even in research institutes.

I know this goes against the code of the Grumpy Old English Teachers of Thailand Association’s (GOETTA) policy of never saying anything good about education in Thailand, but if one step back and looks at the big picture the opportunities for foreign teachers in Thailand has never been better and should continue upwards. There are plenty of opportunities for serious teachers in both higher and primary education, while there is still plenty of room also for “non-professional” teachers (with and without four week wonder courses) to teach English and sometimes other subjects at lower wages.

Are there problems and imperfections in schools and the educational system in Thailand? You bet there are, but what benchmark do you want to use? If you want to measure Thailand’s educational system to some idealized western system of professional caring teachers and students eager to learn (where I come from most teachers went into the profession because their grades weren’t good enough to get into any other field in their university days and most students were more interested in cars, girls (the boys), boys (the girls), beer, pot, hairstyles, football, music, and TV shows than in studying) then the Thai system falls very short of the mark. If you use the Thai educational system of 10, 20 and 50 years ago as the benchmark one will see the system in a much more positive light.

PS I wonder how long it will be before this post is deleted or edited due to its breaking the GOETTA’s code of ethics.

[mbkudu]

^^^Thanks for the fresh air. ^^^

[Plus]

There will be more opportunities in teaching subjects other than English, both in universities and high schools. Wages will be adjusted to the inflation but no major imporvements. Making "big bucks" will actually be more difficult due to the bigger market and stronger competition.

International school gold rush will be over, only the strongest and the shittest will survive. Middle ground school will lose students to EPs.

Teachers won't be out of work, if that's what the OP is worried about.

Thai teachers with reasonable command of English will not arrive in big numbers in at least a decade, when the current crop of children enters the job market, and mind you, they are not dreaming of teaching when they enroll in EPs or international schools.

[PeaceBlondie]

Yeah, I must be a charter member of GOETTA, or at least a member in good standing. You're right; I'm pessimistic. However, I tried not to be so in that post (#2 here). You're right; great progress has been made, and I should have given due credit to that.

I was thinking one thing as I ended that post, and I'll add it now. Govt. budgets have a habit of perpetuating themselves, which isn't always a bad thing when it comes to national education. Thailand is rapidly approaching zero population growth. If they keep funding education at the same level, they should be able to build enough classrooms (and educate more teachers), which would bring down the class size. If the oldtimers finally retire, maybe the next crop of leaders will actually implement student-centered learning, throw away the rote system, make reasonable tests, etc.

Ah, that's it: optimism!! Timbuk3 sang, "The future's so bright, I've gotta wear shades."

[mbkudu]

I think one thing that might be kicking Thailand's education in the @$$ and making the country change things is 'face.' When Thailand sees other, poorer, less sophisticated countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and maybe even Laos gaining ground quickly, they'll do something about it.

[dalpumpkin]

Thanks all for taking the time to respond.

I agree that it is difficult to predict the future, especially in a country like Thailand which, although now more stable, has been politically volatile and with cultural issues, such as "face" playing a significant part in the fabric of society. I read some optimistic information, where the Government is looking to increase the levels at the upper end ( increased levels of Ph.D qualifications and some talk around some increased funding for upper level students?) which one would hope, would filter down and raise the standards in general.

Economic reality will mean that Thailand will improve it's education system. Surely, a robust education sector that recognises that skilled workers are essential in a competitive Asian environment will come. I reckon if you take the progress over the last 20 years and the good talk going on at the present, it's just a matter of time.

Hopefully some better quality assurance gets implemented.

Couldn't see any lesser demand for cheaper end options, and so think that the range (from a "fake" degree fresh out of Koh Sahn Rd to the upper end skilled professional) is going to be significantly brighter in the years to come.

David

[Ladphrao]

If one uses one's own culture and education system as the yardstick to measure, the members of the GOETTA will have no worries and can continue to complain about the same things for the foreseeable future. The Thai educational system has gone through faster changes in the last thirty years than the western system has in any thirty year period, but the complaints of the ethnocentric western teachers are still the same. There is no reason to think the rate of changes in the Thai system has slowed down dramatically, maybe slightly, but overall it will continue to evolve in a uniquely Thai way. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Thailand to turn into Britain or America.

Overall, teacher wages will probably follow the overall economy, but there are many economic and business factors preventing substantial wage hikes for the vast majority of the English teachers. There will probably continue to be some additional openings at the top end, especially in higher education, but let's face it, Thailand is an attractive place to live and people with high and low qualifications are often willing to accept lower wages than they could get in their home countries to live here and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

My predications, a leveling off in increases in opportunities for English teaching but a continued increase in opportunities for teaching other subjects for the next 5 to 10 years and that will probably level off as well. Wages will probably rise slightly faster than inflation, but one should expect teaching, and especially English teaching, to remain the lowest paid work done by educated foreigners in the country. From my discussions with Thai school administers, they often think having Farang teachers is more hassle than it is worth, one of the reasons I suspect a leveling off. Jobs will be still be available, but the rate of increases in jobs may slow.

But then again I might be all wet and have gotten it completely wrong.

PS

<I'll let you know if it isn't. KK>

Edited February 21, 2006 by kenkannif

[Ijustwannateach]

[Ladphrao]

<Well no you won't make comments like that. KK>

Teaching in Thailand is terrible, also was and always will be. Is that better?

Edited February 23, 2006 by kenkannif

[Ijustwannateach]

[kenkannif]

Say what you want (within reason) but please cut out the censor comments etc. or I will.

Thank you kindly sir!

[mijan24]

Ladphrao a couple of good reads many a truth U have written.

[uberflight]

Hope I am in the right forum. I saw some people asking about opportunity based on qualifications. So here goes:

I have taught at a local community college for a couple of years (I have very positive reference from a department head). The subject was illustration. I Have worked in web design and technical illustration with some freelancing (ronweed.com). I have no degree.

I appears from what I have read that English is the primary reason for hiring falang teachers. I have read that other courses are sometimes offered to falang. I have other skills that I could test out on to get certifications (A+ Computer and a Personal Trainers certification). Would that matter?

I assume that I would have to get a TEFL.

Any feedback would be great.

[wilko]

Predicting the future in Thailand is like fortune telling; shamans and Brahmins are good at it (even the Thai Brahmins only predict the current harvest). We don't know the academic calendar as far ahead as next week, usually.

Let's speculate/fantasize that for non-professional westerners with a non-education degree and a TEFL, the circumstances improve 100% in the next few years. That's not good enough, in my opinion. The situation now, for such teachers, is way below 'dismal to atrocious.'

Even the Western countries can't predict five years into the future.

Hopefully, Thailand education will wean itself off the rote teaching methods, the large classes, the boring lectures, the meaningless worksheets, silly tests and exams, and the "Every Thai child shall pass" concept. Within the next fifty years.

And the Thais will decide by themselves what the system does, and how and when the system changes. They won't be seeking advice from graduates of two Ivy League unis, such as George W. Bush.

What Thailand decides to do with its education, will in the main be dictated by toutside forces relating to Thailand's place in the world ecconomy. however it can be safely said that some of these reactions will be uniquely Thai and somewhat unfathomable.

It would seem the the TEFL industry is in fact doing itself out of a job by doing the job to well on a world scale. Many institutions are finding that they are already achieving the level of English they require. Thus the market is no longer an "equipement " market.

Couple this with the dominance of the Chinese economy, it may become more important for companies and schools in the region to focus on Chinese.

there will always be a need for English but it may not require the number of teachers that it used to.