Thai Teachers No Longer Allowed To Sell Things To Their Students

[brucetefl]

The problem is not selling cosmetics. its selling their after-school tutorial classes, the classes where the students are actually taught (there is a disincentive to teach in the "unpaid" classes) and often given the answers to exams.

Thai teacher salaries are crap. I don't blame them too much for having a job on the side, streaming in some cash from another source such as sales. Just keep it away from students. They should not be clients. Seems like common sense, but to use the tired phrase, "This is Thailand."

The flip side of this coin is this. Thai teachers go above and beyond in certain aspects of the job that a Westerner would balk at. At my former Thai school (K-M6), Thai teachers practiced on their own time for a massive celebration for the school principal. Hours of dance rehearsals, singing practice, comedy skits. You name it. They did it. In order to get funds for the show, they sold homemade food items on the school grounds, and naturally the students were the likely customers. It was odd. Of course to attend the production was free, but students shelled out money for goods so teachers could have enough money for make-up, costumes, props, etc...

Just my 2 baht. Thanks for reading.

Shame they did not put the same effort into teaching, perhaps if they did you would not be crying into your beer glass for them

[tingtongtourist]

I'm a teacher and the bit that got me most was the BS about "double standards". We all know what "double standards" means in Thailand. It means you are meant to worship the ruling government and not to speak ill of their incompetence.

Thankfully I already have my ticket booked to leave la-la land. I'll be back when I am 80 so I no longer have any conscience of what this country is really good for.

Bye then, we will not miss you

maybe you should also tell him..and please reconsider to come back at age 80..because will be a even worse grumpy old p!#%k by then

[Ticketmaster]

I know a high school teacher here that allows her students that have earned bad grades to do "extra credit" projects to improve their final grade. These "extra credit projects" consist of personal services to the teacher, such as washing and ironing her clothes, cleaning her house, weeding her garden, etc.

Is a like kind trade the same as selling?

[Ticketmaster]

The problem is not selling cosmetics. its selling their after-school tutorial classes, the classes where the students are actually taught (there is a disincentive to teach in the "unpaid" classes) and often given the answers to exams.

That really isn't fair. Within the Thai educational system, teachers have so many non-teaching duties that the time left for actually teaching is severely compromised. Instead of having a dean, some teacher has to be in charge of student discipline. Instead of having a "school secretary" or bookkeeper, two teachers have to be in charge of the budget, one for receipts and one for bill paying. Instead of having a vice principal, some teacher is designated "head teacher" and has to do all the principal's administrative bidding. Etc. Teachers are constantly sent off to various seminars at the expense of teaching time. The are sent to the wat, women wearing white nun suits. They are forced to attend various celebrations during school time. They have to "guard the school" on weekends and evenings. I seriously wonder when they have any time to teach. This is not the teachers' fault; it is the fault of the structure in which they are caught up.

So when a teacher offers reasonably priced extra weekend or evening classes to his or her students to help them perform better on the ONET or other national tests, or just to help them improve their grades over all, why is this bad? Your view is extremely cynical, and while it certainly may apply to a few teachers, it surely does not include them all. The students that need these extra classes to make it through the system are lucky some teachers are willing to provide them.

[brucetefl]

I never said it applied to all teachers, but I have been here for 17 years and my 3 children have all attended Thai schools. I have also been involved in the educational system here for all of that 17 years.

This happens with many teachers at every school. And this is a serious problem.

Just last term at a local school here in Rayong the NES teachers were instructed to create their final exams 1 month in advance. They grumbled but complied. Three weeks later, their students all had been given copies of the final exams while studying at the Thai teachers' private school on the weekend.

This is just one example. I could list at least 20 more.

Allowing teachers to run these private schools is a terrible conflict of interest that fosters these problems.

The problem is not selling cosmetics. its selling their after-school tutorial classes, the classes where the students are actually taught (there is a disincentive to teach in the "unpaid" classes) and often given the answers to exams.

That really isn't fair. Within the Thai educational system, teachers have so many non-teaching duties that the time left for actually teaching is severely compromised. Instead of having a dean, some teacher has to be in charge of student discipline. Instead of having a "school secretary" or bookkeeper, two teachers have to be in charge of the budget, one for receipts and one for bill paying. Instead of having a vice principal, some teacher is designated "head teacher" and has to do all the principal's administrative bidding. Etc. Teachers are constantly sent off to various seminars at the expense of teaching time. The are sent to the wat, women wearing white nun suits. They are forced to attend various celebrations during school time. They have to "guard the school" on weekends and evenings. I seriously wonder when they have any time to teach. This is not the teachers' fault; it is the fault of the structure in which they are caught up.

So when a teacher offers reasonably priced extra weekend or evening classes to his or her students to help them perform better on the ONET or other national tests, or just to help them improve their grades over all, why is this bad? Your view is extremely cynical, and while it certainly may apply to a few teachers, it surely does not include them all. The students that need these extra classes to make it through the system are lucky some teachers are willing to provide them.

Edited January 24, 2013 by brucetefl

[thunder30101]

^ I agree and have witnessed this shameless act of not teaching in class but offering tutorials at their homes for money, trust me all thai parents know about it but what can they do but pay so their child can get into a good uni faculty for their future. Another MAJOR problem is cut and paste jibberish textbooks forced upon students at 3-4 times the cost of a good oxford or cambridge book full of mistakes and profits for the teachers and schools.

[WonnabeBiker]

What about tutoring one's own students? Isn't that some conflict of interest?!?

But my personal #1 would be directors and other heads of department to personally gain from

embezzled salaries. Ask me how I know. Ask me what happened to the December salary!

Getting paid for time worked seems to be an alien concept in Thailand.

Finally, a Thai speaker got through to the director. And he acted surprised when asked about

the salary. Seems Thais expect foreigners to give up when someone embezzles their salaries.

So he said he would "tell HR". That was 2 weeks ago.

How about this Commission widening and deepening its ethics overhaul?!

[mrmazinkle]

Thai teacher salaries are crap. I don't blame them too much for having a job on the side, streaming in some cash from another source such as sales. Just keep it away from students. They should not be clients. Seems like common sense, but to use the tired phrase, "This is Thailand."The flip side of this coin is this. Thai teachers go above and beyond in certain aspects of the job that a Westerner would balk at. At my former Thai school (K-M6), Thai teachers practiced on their own time for a massive celebration for the school principal. Hours of dance rehearsals, singing practice, comedy skits. You name it. They did it. In order to get funds for the show, they sold homemade food items on the school grounds, and naturally the students were the likely customers. It was odd. Of course to attend the production was free, but students shelled out money for goods so teachers could have enough money for make-up, costumes, props, etc...Just my 2 baht. Thanks for reading.

Here we go again Poor old Thai teachers, hard done by.Thai Government teachers are on very good money compared to most Thai’s, ask a government teacher what their salaries are before stoppages for all the loans they have taken out.In the large increase they got a few years ago it was meant to be linked to productivity but alas the later never happened.Plus they get a review twice a year which can up their salary 2% each review.That was probably why they were so keen on doing so much for the director’s party. Trying to get up a rung on the crawling ladder.It’s a job you cannot get fired from either. My Ex’s salary was just under 33K per month after loans were taken out she walks away with 14K per month.Check it out please before lending a shoulder for a poor old Thai teacher has such a rough job.Your mail even brought tears to my eyes

Spot on..the Thai teachers are eager to complete the paper chase to exaggerate their teaching abilities and increase salaries...however when most of these face something not easily cheated ie. an online toefl test for teachers of English they fall woefully short of the mark..I will also add that on completing a culture course 2 years ago many of the 'native speakers'there were incomprehensible..Instead of all this Thai teachers license game they should start with a sound 'English test'for teachers of English here..then carefully monitor the teachers product and delivery.

[Scott]

Different schools are going to deal with this in different ways. Where I work, any teacher tutoring any child from the school has to give the names to the office and they are passed on to the director, this includes both foreign teachers and Thai teachers, although some Foreign Teachers don't comply. The Thai teachers are monitored quite closely and any irregularities in the grades is viewed suspiciously.

One of our best Thai English Teachers tutors a number of her own students. She is a really good teacher and has excellent English. She mainly tutors the 'dumber' students. She meets with the parents and tells them that learning a language is difficult and it will take time and not to expect huge leaps in grades for up to 3 years.

She is an exceptional person and teacher that is in demand.

[sirchai]

Would have been nice to read: " Thai teachers no longer allowed to hit and sexually abuse the kids."--

Edited January 25, 2013 by sirchai

[chonabot]

Spot on..the Thai teachers are eager to complete the paper chase to exaggerate their teaching abilities and increase salaries...however when most of these face something not easily cheated ie. an online toefl test for teachers of English they fall woefully short of the mark.

I would love to see this applied to Thai English teachers in my department

[tomyummer]

Wow, I thought teachers only forced.....I mean sold after hours tutoring?!

[Buckaroo]

Spot on..the Thai teachers are eager to complete the paper chase to exaggerate their teaching abilities and increase salaries...however when most of these face something not easily cheated ie. an online toefl test for teachers of English they fall woefully short of the mark.

I would love to see this applied to Thai English teachers in my department

I would love to see this applied to all teachers, Thai and foreigners

[chonabot]

Spot on..the Thai teachers are eager to complete the paper chase to exaggerate their teaching abilities and increase salaries...however when most of these face something not easily cheated ie. an online toefl test for teachers of English they fall woefully short of the mark.

I would love to see this applied to Thai English teachers in my department

I would love to see this applied to all teachers, Thai and foreigners

Indeed, as a NES, I offered to take the TOEIC test, and asked if other NES teachers would take it - most declined the offer.

I was then told by the Head of English, NES teachers are not allowed to take the test...hilarious.

[Chittychangchang]

Do Thai schools have a Parent Teacher Association to raise funds for the school via fairs etc?

[chonabot]

Do Thai schools have a Parent Teacher Association to raise funds for the school via fairs etc?

Definitely not apparent in Government schools, sadly.