Why Are The English Schools Staffed By Idiots?

[cgphuket]

Now that I got your attention... I actually mean the people who are supposedly doing the hiring in Thailand seem to be the rudest, most unprofessional people I have met in Thailand. After three years of professional employment I am out of work and looking for English teaching for the time being until something in my field opens back up (not putting down teaching, as I am qualified and have done it before). What I am encountering this time around is:

- Responses to applications are the demand to come early the following day for an interview. Sometimes I don't even get the e-mail until after the "scheduled" time. My response that I am not available at 12 hours notice (I do have other part-time work) results in either no follow up appointment, or a rude, "F$%$ off " attitude. I assume this is how they make sure they only hire people who will kiss their asses and be slaves.

- Application for a position I am very well qualified for doesn't get responded to, but they re-post their ad a few days later????

- Requests to travel up to 600km for an interview (at my expense) but refusal to discuss the details of the job (or even the benefits) over the phone.

- Job offers without even an interview, but only if I can start tomorrow.

- Correspondence from "head English teachers" that are written in 2nd grade level English.

- One school for "professional English Training" for adults that I interviewed for told me they wanted me but didn't have enough work for full-time and offered me part-time. The next day they re-posted their ad looking for even more part-time teachers. When I inquired about this, of course they never replied.

I realize that Thailand is the employers market, but if schools or even agencies want quality teachers, shouldn't they at least show a small amount of respect or courtesy to their applicants? It is truly embarrassing how poor the management and human resources is at these schools.

[thaicbr]

They should show respect.. most don't BUT complain bitterly when their new recruits get a better job and leave..go figure.

[aidenai]

After three years of professional employment I am out of work and looking for English teaching for the time being until something in my field opens back up

Yes, you've got my attention. However, not the attention of Thai school administrators. Guess why.................................

[Briggsy]

Usually the hirer will be a farang whose chief qualification has been to get along with the Thai owner or branch manager whilst he or she was still a teacher.

Getting along with the owner is no guarantee of being able to do the job of head teacher competently.

[sirchai]

After three years of professional employment I am out of work and looking for English teaching for the time being until something in my field opens back up

Yes, you've got my attention. However, not the attention of Thai school administrators. Guess why.................................

"Application for a position I am very well qualified for doesn't get responded to, but they re-post their ad a few days later????"

Guess why..............

Edited January 4, 2013 by sirchai

[BEVUP]

This reminds me of Auss but here they only allow professionals to work

It is even worse in auss when their own citizens cant get jobs but all the big companies are crying about labour shortage

Takes mths to get adescent job but find many Auss Residents have jobs

[Scott]

I am one of the people who sets up interviews and is involved in hiring. It is one of many jobs that I have, and sometimes things don't get done very well. I do try to respond to all email inquiries, but sometimes if I advertise for a NES, with a bachelor's degree, I am inundated with responses from all over the world, many who do not specifically meet the qualifications. Technically, there are problems with email addresses which don't work, (for a time, this was a big problem with yahoo and virtually all the yahoo emails were undeliverable--even though I was using the reply button).

A lot of people do not include the requested paperwork. If we need a teacher quickly and we are looking for a specific qualification, which I can't verify because the applicant didn't include a copy of their transcript, then he's not going to get a follow-up.

A very big problem in Thailand is that a lot of people are very mobile--especially those that need or rely on work. A few weeks after posting an advertisement, a lot of people are no longer looking, so writing to previous applicants is a waste of time.

I try to sometimes let good candidates know that should they see any future ads they are welcome to apply etc.

[cgphuket]

I am one of the people who sets up interviews and is involved in hiring. It is one of many jobs that I have, and sometimes things don't get done very well. I do try to respond to all email inquiries, but sometimes if I advertise for a NES, with a bachelor's degree, I am inundated with responses from all over the world, many who do not specifically meet the qualifications. Technically, there are problems with email addresses which don't work, (for a time, this was a big problem with yahoo and virtually all the yahoo emails were undeliverable--even though I was using the reply button).

A lot of people do not include the requested paperwork. If we need a teacher quickly and we are looking for a specific qualification, which I can't verify because the applicant didn't include a copy of their transcript, then he's not going to get a follow-up.

A very big problem in Thailand is that a lot of people are very mobile--especially those that need or rely on work. A few weeks after posting an advertisement, a lot of people are no longer looking, so writing to previous applicants is a waste of time.

I try to sometimes let good candidates know that should they see any future ads they are welcome to apply etc.

Thanks for the explanation Scott, that makes sense.

[WonnabeBiker]

Yo add to the original poster's list:

some schools don't want someone with all the required paperwork (WP, TCT's approval, Visa extension sorted for 1 year). One school wouldn't give me a contract and when the WP was cancelled by the old school, they wanted me to come back on a Tourist Visa and continue... like all the other foreign teachers They like it just fine that way!

Recently, I've noticed an influx of "adventurers" from African countries. Thick accents, questionable language skills (they seem Francophil) and certainly no degrees. But they are working for 15,000 Baht. Now that's what directors like!!

[Phatcharanan]

No qualified, professional teacher would ever put up with the working environments offered by most of the sweatshops masquerading as schools here, and the admin of these schools know this.

I doubt that qualified professional teachers would even apply for those positions.

[KKvampire]

The English native speaking head Teachers at language centers, schools, etc in Bangkok are usually "a**lickers" with no people management skills whatsoever, and very limited teaching or English language ability.But it fits in well with the Thai management and teaching levels so who cares.I could write a 1000 words on this but... Yawn

Edited January 17, 2013 by KKvampire

[Phatcharanan]

The English native speaking head Teachers at language centers, schools, etc in Bangkok are usually "a**lickers" with no people management skills whatsoever, and very limited teaching or English language ability.But it fits in well with the Thai management and teaching levels so who cares.I could write a 1000 words on this but... Yawn

[cgphuket]

OP here. Well. after 6 weeks of being ignored by schools I applied to, or getting ridiculous demands to travel long distances for free to interview on no notice, I secured a position in my regular field (not teaching).

At 75k a month its less than I was making but for 40 hours a week, full visa and WP expenses, one month holiday a year and accommodation allowance, its still better than putting up with psycho school owners and their pet farang lackey managers. I will likely do some private tutoring on the side but I feel sorry for the FT teachers who have to do a hard job for little money in a country where people who run the schools couldn't get a job gutting chickens in the west.

[WonnabeBiker]

My wife has 3 degrees and a lot of experience in multinational corporations. Accounting, HR, payroll - "can do" everything the new company wants.

She is replacing a manager. doing exactly what the manager did.

Alas, some Thai thinks that she is hard up. How to take advantage of someone in this situation?

Easy. Offer a low entry salary and then write the contract for some working bee, a member of staff. (As a manager, she has had hours unpaid overtime and weekend work... But according to the contract, she will be just the hired help).

I've encountered such people: Directors who only offer 15,000 Baht for regular teaching jobs, then hire French speakers from African countries who willingly work on Tourist Visas. Russians say the fish stinks from its head.

[sirchai]

Why are so many idiots applying for a teaching position at government schools? It's a part (unpaid) of my job to look for "teachers" when we need one, staying in touch with them, until they show up for an interview.

Then I have to give my opinion in form of a sheet that I'd created. Correct speech, dress code, etc...the Thai colleagues have the same form translated into Thai.

A post at ajarncom gives applicants an idea what it's all about. But the reality is that so many weird people apply, is driving me nuts sometimes.

It's not about all the Asian "specialists", being 21, and having five years of teaching experience. Whenever there're job openings, all sorts of people apply, from Africa, India, Pakistan, Russia and so on. Even when you'd written "Native English speakers" from U.S., U.K. etc........

Your email account is so full that you're wasting so much time by just deleting the unwanted posts.

Here're only two examples out of hundreds.

A native English speaker with many years of teaching experience wants to have the job "for sure." You stay in touch with him for weeks. Two days before the interview he wrote:

" Dear Mr.blablabla

I'm really very interested to work for your school as an English teacher. I'm in Pattaya now and a kind of ran out of money. Could you please send me some money that I can come for an interview, please? I'll pay you back, when I receive my first salary."

# 2

A guy who's fired from the same school just two years ago, applied for a job again. I'd told him that it wouldn't be the best idea to show up as he'd also been on a two year overstay when they fired him.

He'd called the tourist police to help them to get his deposit for his apartment back from a Thai. They arrested him right on the spot, deported him, but now he's back, guess on a new passport.

He still doesn't know why he didn't get the job........

You should really see two sides of a coin........

[joorakee]

Whenever there're job openings, all sorts of people apply, from Africa, India, Pakistan, Russia and so on. Even when you'd written "Native English speakers" from U.S., U.K. etc........

Well, I can perfectly understand them. It is not their fault that they weren't born in English-speaking countries. You should rather blame all those who have contributed to creating the commonplace opinion that becoming an "English" "teacher" is the easiest - if not the only - way to land a job in the Land of Smiles.

[mccw]

I dare say a lot of Indians speak better English than the jordies, Scots, Northern Irish etc. If your going to discriminate you may as well specify "native English speaker from the Home Counties with a good public school background."

[I Like Thai]

I am out of work and looking for English teaching for the time being until something in my field opens back up

I wouldn't employ you.

oops, should read all the thread first

Edited January 21, 2013 by I Like Thai

[Jawnie]

It does little or no good to create long lists of complaints about the hiring skills of Thai education managers. What exactly does it accomplish other than setting you up further at odds with the way things are done here. May I suggest that you simply accept the wide variation of how things are handled here and stay focused on getting a job? Also, having worked in employment law in the US, I know that nearly every rejected candidate thinks they were 'highly qualified' but for some illegal or nefarious or incomplete reason/person doing the hiring, the applicant was wronged by not being hired. Learn the culture, take a lesson, get a thicker skin and move on. Good luck!

Edited January 29, 2013 by Jawnie