Working With Philipinos...

[Osiris]

In my experience Filipinos can be a bit "catty". They certainly stick together and they dislike NES's because of the salary gap. Most Filipinos think they speak perfect English and thus should be paid the same as an NES.

I worked with Philipino teachers who were on 25% less than me, after two years, they replaced me with a Philipino also on 25% less than me. I was the only Farang teacher there. At the school where I worked before that with another three Farang teachers, they replaced us with Philipinos for half our wages. In saying that, I have to admit that the Philipino teachers are very good at their jobs, and I also have to say they were a joy to work with, and the fact that they are not English native speakers hardly makes a difference, they speak English as well as we do.

If they spoke English as well as we do, why would I get complaints from the Thai students that they do not understand the Phil teachers when they speak?

In Addition, a fact that I have not mentioned, my particular group of Phils can't think in a linear manner. I think what set this whole saga in motion was when I very kindly asked one of them to speak in full sentences.

This is the situation.

I had been listening to a conversation which was half in Tag and half in English, and it seemed as if what they were talking about would affect me, so I asked them to tell me what they were talking about. For about ten minutes I got fragmented statements; I got a verb but no subject. I kindly asked one of them to paint a picture and to speak in full sentences. After that, the attack was on.

The person I asked writes in a diary everyday, and I thought it was innocuous. The diary is a record of events designed to get me fired. When the verbally attacked me, yelling and telling me "I was sick" and "I had a suspicious mind" and that I should "show my true colors", the diary writer was taking notes furiously.

Fortunately I am in a new office now with Thai admin staff and I have zero interaction with them. I have told the Thai manger that if I am forced to interact with them I will just get a new job. She understands.

Thank you to all that have offered the insight I sought. Life has lessons to be learned, collective intelligence makes it easier.

[Scott]

A racial slur has been removed. Further racial slurs will get you a lengthy suspension.

[Fgis]

Not racist also but all the ones I met where trouble and big mouth people...

Not a secret that they hate their country, escape as soon as they can and are veyr jealous.

Maybe we would feel the same if we would have been colonized by every single country in this world :-)

[Baerboxer]

I think you should get use to working with Filipinos if you want to keep teaching English in Thailand. They are part of ASEAN and soon they will be much easier to hire than you are. One of the benefits to the free movement of labor is for Philippine English teachers to move freely into Thailand and take your job. I think Thai people are starting to realize farang teachers are just too difficult to work with. With so many different English accents (American, UK, Australian, New Zealand), Thai schools don't really care if the Filipino has an accent as long as their grammar is decent. The money they save on hiring Filipino teachers can be spent on other things.

However, I'm not sure if these Filipino teachers have teaching and English degrees. I am curious, is this the case? Does anyone have any experience with this?

I've experienced Filipino teachers at schools in 3 countries including Thailand but not including the Philippines. They all claim to have University degrees - although the standard of that degree may be questionable. Their actual ability to speak and comprehend English is not high - arround 90% of the ones I've met can't really speak English consistently clearly. and many had an incomplete grasp of grammar and/or vocabulary. In each school the Filipino's tended to band together speaking Tagalog as often as they could. Almost all were sending money home to husband/wife/kids in PI. Western and local teachers were paid more and this really grated with the Filipinos who regarded themselves as excellent English teachers - which none of the parents thought or agreed.

My daughter currently has several Pinay teachers at her school. Only the very senior ones would make the grade in a Western school. However, they are paid considerably less than their NES and Thai colleagues and that plays on their minds. I have noticed that they don't mix socially like the NES and Thais do at this particular school.

To the OP - tread carefully and watch your back.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Baerboxer

[Hilary Si AKo]

Dear friend,

I feel so sorry with your predicament. I found it ironic for the fact that:

1. Most Filipinos work well with any other nationalies, even with the hardest people to deal with, they can be flexible and will try try their best to be friend with you UNLESS-- you are acting like you rule the universe and that you are superior than any other else just because you speak the language and that you are from the West. I have worked with hundreds teachers, all from the West, mostly thought they are superior and they complain every single nonsense around them... I once worked with a guy who was so upset with our Thai staff that he started saying........in front me of me- an Asian, "Asian are F%$#@" stupid..blah blah"... and he forgot that he was talking to an Asian..............(I am not sure what to call him- maybe another stupid human being--sorry for my lack of term).

Just to let you know: Filipinos may have a totally different culture with you guys, but they are willing to accommodate other cultures including yours! Just dont attempt to treat them like they are stupid..... "you will reap what you sow".

You said, you are extra nice to them, I hope that is true.

2. You complain that they stick together and keep information among themselves (whatever that information).

If that was personal or something not relevant with your work- don't be nosy. That's what my American boss told me about Americans. (I am not sure either if this represents the entire USA).

However, if a relevant information was witheld from and affected your job, talk to the right people at school. Go to the Thai admin in-charge if you think that they keep information from you. Common sense- that's what's it's called.

3. They send money back home: Well, that's very true. That islands depends a percentage of their revenue from the remittance sent by the Filipino Overseas Workers around the world. But- THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! It is part of their culture. Now, if you don't do that in your country, then leave those people who care for their families.... they are happy they can do that..........goodness!

4. I noticed that most people who leave comments here are TEACHERS..... I imagine that YOU ARE ALL PROFESSIONALS and that you exactly know what professional ethics are...??!!!. Then go back and listen to what you are saying (typing)......

Sir, if you find this bunch of Filiponos a pain in your back, and that you are a nice person anyway as you said you are, do confront them! I thought westerners are confrontational as oppose to Thais or Asian? I think you can talk to them nicely and for sure, they may NOT SPEAK A PERFECT ENGLISH as you all said, but THEY WILL DEFINITELY understand you--believe me.

I've got many Western friends, they hang out with us, we even invite them to our home for meals and I never have problem with them----------because they LEARN TO ACCEPT EACH OF OUR DIFFERENCES. We dont need to agree in everything but at least we can meet at the middle.

[doontp]

I once worked with a guy who was so upset with our Thai staff that he started saying........in front me of me- an Asian, "Asian are F%$#@" stupid..blah blah"... and he forgot that he was talking to an Asian..............(I am not sure what to call him- maybe another stupid human being--sorry for my lack of term).

I currently work in the vicinity of a western guy like that. He's always complaining about how stupid Thais and people are in general and apparently thinks he's a gift from god. I shared a teachers' office with that guy for two years and couldn't cope with his crybaby attitude anymore. The truth is that he is an angry, lonely and disfunctional old man.

I have shared a teachers’ office with three Phillipinos for the last two years. We have exchanged a total of about 10 words during this time. They speak Tagalog and I seldom ever hear them speak English. I don’t ask anything of them and vice versa. I have absolutely no problems with them and vice versa. We are cordial with one another. I’m pretty good at focusing on my work. I’m a NES and I don’t need help with anything. They are welcome to ask for help, but they never do and I am the least bit bothered.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Scott
font

[aidenai]

I once worked with a guy who was so upset with our Thai staff that he started saying........in front me of me- an Asian, "Asian are F%$#@" stupid..blah blah"... and he forgot that he was talking to an Asian..............(I am not sure what to call him- maybe another stupid human being--sorry for my lack of term).

I currently work in the vicinity of a western guy like that. He's always complaining about how stupid Thais and people are in general and apparently thinks he's a gift from god. I shared a teachers' office with that guy for two years and couldn't cope with his crybaby attitude anymore. The truth is that he is an angry, lonely and disfunctional old man.

I have shared a teachers’ office with three Phillipinos for the last two years. We have exchanged a total of about 10 words during this time. They speak Tagalog and I seldom ever hear them speak English. I don’t ask anything of them and vice versa. I have absolutely no problems with them and vice versa. We are cordial with one another. I’m pretty good at focusing on my work. I’m a NES and I don’t need help with anything. They are welcome to ask for help, but they never do and I am the least bit bothered.

That's better.

[Yooyung]

I once worked with a guy who was so upset with our Thai staff that he started saying........in front me of me- an Asian, "Asian are F%$#@" stupid..blah blah"... and he forgot that he was talking to an Asian..............(I am not sure what to call him- maybe another stupid human being--sorry for my lack of term).

I currently work in the vicinity of a western guy like that. He's always complaining about how stupid Thais and people are in general and apparently thinks he's a gift from god. I shared a teachers' office with that guy for two years and couldn't cope with his crybaby attitude anymore. The truth is that he is an angry, lonely and disfunctional old man.

I have shared a teachers’ office with three Phillipinos for the last two years. We have exchanged a total of about 10 words during this time. They speak Tagalog and I seldom ever hear them speak English. I don’t ask anything of them and vice versa. I have absolutely no problems with them and vice versa. We are cordial with one another. I’m pretty good at focusing on my work. I’m a NES and I don’t need help with anything. They are welcome to ask for help, but they never do and I am the least bit bothered.

Thats the way I operate. I have a thick skin, people see that pretty soon after meeting me. I have worked with my fair share of drama queens, most of them Anglo Saxon men who cant really handle living in Thailand, but continue on regardless. The thing is the are Phillipinos for gods sake...they come to Thailand to actually MAKE money! We go and live there because we like it, and can go back to our first world countries at the drop of a hat. I just dont take any notice of petty office stuff. If a bl**dy Phillipino has a problem with me then they can say it to my face, if not I really couldnt care less what they think of me. Most of the time their English is unintelligable, yet they do seem to think they are native speakers. Give me a break. They are insecure and rightly so. Idont have to rely on my job to send money back to my family, they do!....and they have dam_n awful taste in music.

[Yooyung]

Personally I have never had a problem with them though, and I have worked with quite a few.Yes, they stick together like flies to .... but then again so do the falang teachers. If they want to prattle away in Tagalog at lunchtime then so be it. If they are conspiring to get rid of you then it aint gonna take much to outsmart them.It takes quite a few of them to change a lightbulb.If the school gets rid of you in favour of another Phillipino then I pity the poor kids and the school probably aint worth teaching at anyway. Hopefully the new TOEIC tests will sort the wheat out from the chaff. I reckon most of the ones I worked with would have a hard time with it. Shut down the endless touritst visa route and certain others avenues and Thailand could have itself a pool of reasonably well qualified teachers.....

[Hilary Si AKo]

Personally I have never had a problem with them though, and I have worked with quite a few.Yes, they stick together like flies to .... but then again so do the falang teachers. If they want to prattle away in Tagalog at lunchtime then so be it. If they are conspiring to get rid of you then it aint gonna take much to outsmart them.It takes quite a few of them to change a lightbulb.If the school gets rid of you in favour of another Phillipino then I pity the poor kids and the school probably aint worth teaching at anyway. Hopefully the new TOEIC tests will sort the wheat out from the chaff. I reckon most of the ones I worked with would have a hard time with it. Shut down the endless touritst visa route and certain others avenues and Thailand could have itself a pool of reasonably well qualified teachers.....

Hopefully the new TOEIC tests will sort the wheat out from the chaff. I reckon most of the ones I worked with would have a hard time with it. Shut down the endless touritst visa route and certain others avenues and Thailand could have itself a pool of reasonably well qualified teachers.....

I challenge you to do an empircal research as to how and which 'race" of teachers (Thai) students learn best. Students can learn regardless of race as long as that teachers know HOW TO TEACH. Who are the 'qualified teachers' you are referring to, the native speakers?..................QUALIFIED NES usually work at their home country because they make real money there......... most NES teachers at govt or private schools are......??????????????... unless a teacher is a professor at a Uni and holds a PhD, then most NES around are just one of the "chaff" your are referring to:)

[maturebrit]

now I will probably upset a few but forget the tagging..... corporal punishment like in Singapore..... few come back for a second dose of that....barbaric it might sound but the Brits introduced it and Singapore maintained it as an effective means of curbing crime

[maturebrit]

now I will probably upset a few but forget the tagging..... corporal punishment like in Singapore..... few come back for a second dose of that....barbaric it might sound but the Brits introduced it and Singapore maintained it as an effective means of curbing crime

..apologies... commented on wrong post

[Yooyung]

Being able to actually speak English would be a decent start wouldnt you say? It aint much pal, but its better than nothing.....

[Yooyung]

...and you can work your way up from there. If a person is teaching English in Thailand but cannot converse on anything other than the most basic level then, yes I would say they are the 'chaff' and there are plenty of them. Basically you need to be able to speak, read and comprehend English to be able to teach it effectively. Does that sound fair enough to you? PHD's aside a TOEIC test is a fair gauge of this.

[JDGRUEN]

The complaints that the majority of Filipino English teachers in Thailand do not speak English well is partly do to their accents and probably has more to do with actually not knowing the English language and grammar fully. While a few posters disagree, this seems to be the overall consensus of the posters on this thread (most with direct observational experience). Students learning English for the first time will acquire the accent and deficiencies of the English language spoken by the teacher. While this is an understatement, and should go without saying - this fact sometimes seems to be ignored by some. I would ask the defenders of the Filipino teachers if they would like to have their young children taught by the likes of the characters in the Scottish movie 'Train Spotters'? Heavy accents and poor English do not an English teacher make... to use a bit of older more poetic English.

Many if not most people who enter academia - especially when teaching English work to soften their accents - even eliminate them in some cases to enhance communication.

Philippine Call Center ... 'confush' ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZx3rUGct2s

Philippine Call Center - English versus Tagalog

[teacher17]

The last school I worked at had 2 filipino teacher's and then me...the lone falang teacher. I was very nice to them...and at first they were friendly...but they talked in their native language ALL the time, even when I was eating lunch with them (they can speak English perfectly fine,) so I was always left out of the conversation. If I tried to ask them something in English or talk with them in English, they would bluntly answer me and then revert back to talking to one another in their native language. The school did not want to hire me for another year...to this day, I still don't know why...but I have this feeling that one of the filipino's had something to do with it. She was always "kissing ass" as you say....I think they do feel threatened sometimes by the NES teacher's. But now I am at a better school and they have a Chinese teacher (no filipino's) and I must say that the Chinese teacher's I have encountered are SO much more friendly than the filipino teacher's I have met.

Note to any filipino's who may read this: In no way do I mean to say that ALL filipino teacher's like to "kiss ass" and are unfriendly...just the ones I have encountered seemed to be this way....I am sure there are many awesome filipino teacher's out there!

It's obvious why the school would not hire you for another year, the Philipinos are probably working for about half your'e salary. It happened to me, I was the only Farang English teacher with two Philipinos. They got kept on and my contract wasn't renewed after two years, and another Philipino took my place.

Yes,this might have been true, except that after I left, they actually hired a new falang teacher (I heard this from my old students).

[onionluke]

[balo]

English is about communication , to be able to understand each other , as a non native speaker I have my accent , I didnt learn it at school, even if I had a Norwegian teacher .

Most Filipino teachers speaks fluent english , but with an accent . Thais that learn English will develop their own accent , the most important thing is that we understand each other in our daily english conversations.

Edited February 5, 2013 by balo

[Scott]

Here's the dilemma for many:

1) Have your child learn English from a Thai Teacher.

2) Have your child learn English from a Filipino or other non-native English speaker.

3) Have your child learn English from an almost-sober former truck driver from US/UK/Aus.

If you chose 3, keep in mind he may miss every Monday and there's a good chance he won't make it through a full semester, let alone a full academic year.

Edited February 5, 2013 by Scott

[chonabot]

Here's the dilemma for many:

1) Have your child learn English from a Thai Teacher.

2) Have your child learn English from a Filipino or other non-native English speaker.

3) Have your child learn English from an almost-sober former truck driver from US/UK/Aus.

If you chose 3, keep in mind he may miss every Monday and there's a good chance he won't make it through a full semester, let alone a full academic year.

Thankfully there is a 4th option

[Osiris]

Here's the dilemma for many:

1) Have your child learn English from a Thai Teacher.

2) Have your child learn English from a Filipino or other non-native English speaker.

3) Have your child learn English from an almost-sober former truck driver from US/UK/Aus.

If you chose 3, keep in mind he may miss every Monday and there's a good chance he won't make it through a full semester, let alone a full academic year.

Thankfully there is a 4th option

With application fees as much as 250,000 baht, and annual tuition as much as 1,000,000 baht, the fact that the parents know there is a "fourth option" is glaringly apparent.

On a side note, with fees, for some, at astronomical levels, I'm starting another business. I may need advertising...

[chonabot]

Here's the dilemma for many:

1) Have your child learn English from a Thai Teacher.

2) Have your child learn English from a Filipino or other non-native English speaker.

3) Have your child learn English from an almost-sober former truck driver from US/UK/Aus.

If you chose 3, keep in mind he may miss every Monday and there's a good chance he won't make it through a full semester, let alone a full academic year.

Thankfully there is a 4th option

With application fees as much as 250,000 baht, and annual tuition as much as 1,000,000 baht, the fact that the parents know there is a "fourth option" is glaringly apparent.

On a side note, with fees, for some, at astronomical levels, I'm starting another business. I may need advertising...

I was actually talking about decent NES teachers who work in Government and private schools.

They do exist

[JDGRUEN]

When it comes to why there may be such an influx of bargain basement priced Filipino English Teachers in Thailand ... taking into account TiT ... then one has to consider graft, fraud and corruption. How could this be done in a school's English Department? Easy ... use an age old trick in government and corporations - the Phantom Employee.

The Scenario - At a much higher management level than the schools' English Department Director... there is a budget drawn up by a senior manager. A senior manager could set the total salary budget to allow for the higher salaries most often given to Farang Teachers... then actually approve filing the slots by hiring mostly the less expensive Filipinos. Because of the lower wages, seven (7) Filipinos are hired instead of say .. 3 or 4 Farangs plus 1 or 2 Filipinos. One (1) token Farang is actually hired for the department.

Real fraud comes to light if one could see the actual budget where ten (10) teaching slots are slated. And the hiring records show all teacher slots as being filled. The other two extra slots are Phantom Employees - giving two monthly Farang level salaries to a son/daughter or niece/nephew hired under the names of previous employees who are no longer in Thailand or more likely just use Thai names. Send a little payoff if necessary to a labor department buddy for the WP and everybody is happy. There are more than enough teachers because of the 'extra' lower cost Filipino teachers that were hired. At least it seems that way. The school has fairly low class size. Everything is good. The names of teachers gets lost in the total number of teachers in the school. Fake performance reviews are drawn up, etc., etc., etc.

This Phantom trick works in plenty of other ways .. the Phantom supply vendor, the Phantom custodial/cleaning contract, the Phantom telephone or IT service contract.... etc.

Edited February 6, 2013 by JDGRUEN

[Osiris]

Here's the dilemma for many:

1) Have your child learn English from a Thai Teacher.

2) Have your child learn English from a Filipino or other non-native English speaker.

3) Have your child learn English from an almost-sober former truck driver from US/UK/Aus.

If you chose 3, keep in mind he may miss every Monday and there's a good chance he won't make it through a full semester, let alone a full academic year.

Thankfully there is a 4th option

With application fees as much as 250,000 baht, and annual tuition as much as 1,000,000 baht, the fact that the parents know there is a "fourth option" is glaringly apparent.

On a side note, with fees, for some, at astronomical levels, I'm starting another business. I may need advertising...

I was actually talking about decent NES teachers who work in Government and private schools.

They do exist

Sorry mate, my response was directed at the Scott, the moderator. Sorry for the ambiguity.

[borabora1]

I have known and worked for a short periods with Philipinos, and it was a few years back.

Be aware that in some case, many schools are more interested to have them than Foreigners. Because culture and personality easier to handle by thai schools teachers and management.

UK accents are sometimes very hard to catch, and maybe their attitude and approach are most compatible towards the thais.

I have lived in the Philippines, and know filippinos is other places. Wherever they go they stick together. They are nice at first approach but very nationalist. And in the end will always remain together!

Thailand is a country rated as very poor in term of english skills ability.

Please see the following :

http://www.ef.co.th/__/~/media/efcom/epi/2012/full_reports/ef-epi-2012-report-master-lr-2

from : http://www.ef.co.th/epi/

Thailand is still continuing to fall. Despite the country tops other destinations with highest visitors entries... What an aberration!!!

So after all, considering that Thailand even in the very last proficiency in the world, it is clear that other asians like the philippino could work it out. Maybe preferred by Thai Teachers. Let's put all Philippino and get the thai teacher deported to Malaysia / Singapore to improve their english for a good decade!

Ony 3% of English teacher ( thai ) have fluent proficiency....

[Phatcharanan]

When it comes to why there may be such an influx of bargain basement priced Filipino English Teachers in Thailand ... taking into account TiT ... then one has to consider graft, fraud and corruption. How could this be done in a school's English Department? Easy ... use an age old trick in government and corporations - the Phantom Employee.

The Scenario - At a much higher management level than the schools' English Department Director... there is a budget drawn up by a senior manager. A senior manager could set the total salary budget to allow for the higher salaries most often given to Farang Teachers... then actually approve filing the slots by hiring mostly the less expensive Filipinos. Because of the lower wages, seven (7) Filipinos are hired instead of say .. 3 or 4 Farangs plus 1 or 2 Filipinos. One (1) token Farang is actually hired for the department.

Real fraud comes to light if one could see the actual budget where ten (10) teaching slots are slated. And the hiring records show all teacher slots as being filled. The other two extra slots are Phantom Employees - giving two monthly Farang level salaries to a son/daughter or niece/nephew hired under the names of previous employees who are no longer in Thailand or more likely just use Thai names. Send a little payoff if necessary to a labor department buddy for the WP and everybody is happy. There are more than enough teachers because of the 'extra' lower cost Filipino teachers that were hired. At least it seems that way. The school has fairly low class size. Everything is good. The names of teachers gets lost in the total number of teachers in the school. Fake performance reviews are drawn up, etc., etc., etc.

This Phantom trick works in plenty of other ways .. the Phantom supply vendor, the Phantom custodial/cleaning contract, the Phantom telephone or IT service contract.... etc.

[Osiris]

In my experience Filipinos can be a bit "catty". They certainly stick together and they dislike NES's because of the salary gap. Most Filipinos think they speak perfect English and thus should be paid the same as an NES.

I worked with Philipino teachers who were on 25% less than me, after two years, they replaced me with a Philipino also on 25% less than me. I was the only Farang teacher there. At the school where I worked before that with another three Farang teachers, they replaced us with Philipinos for half our wages. In saying that, I have to admit that the Philipino teachers are very good at their jobs, and I also have to say they were a joy to work with, and the fact that they are not English native speakers hardly makes a difference, they speak English as well as we do.

Your post reads like a Philipino masquerading as a native English teacher, which is something I would not put past them. In my research and short experience I only know them to be a cagey, manipulative, disingenuous group of people. All people act in a way that is most comfortable and familiar...

As for them speaking English as well as natives; and pigs fly!

[sirchai]

In my experience Filipinos can be a bit "catty". They certainly stick together and they dislike NES's because of the salary gap. Most Filipinos think they speak perfect English and thus should be paid the same as an NES.

I worked with Philipino teachers who were on 25% less than me, after two years, they replaced me with a Philipino also on 25% less than me. I was the only Farang teacher there. At the school where I worked before that with another three Farang teachers, they replaced us with Philipinos for half our wages. In saying that, I have to admit that the Philipino teachers are very good at their jobs, and I also have to say they were a joy to work with, and the fact that they are not English native speakers hardly makes a difference, they speak English as well as we do.

Your post reads like a Philipino masquerading as a native English teacher, which is something I would not put past them. In my research and short experience I only know them to be a cagey, manipulative, disingenuous group of people. All people act in a way that is most comfortable and familiar...

As for them speaking English as well as natives; and pigs fly!

I agree with you. I guess I know why he's replaced by Filipinos. But I pretty much doubt that such a text would come from a guy who grew up in a civilized country, with English as the mother tongue.

Their educational system isn't better than Thailand's, they finish university, (if they attended one) when they're 18. I bet a European high school graduate knows more than any of them graduated at "Manila International $fivedegree university."

They mostly use Tagalog to communicate, English only in emergency cases, like acting to be a teacher of the English language in Thailand.

I've never seen a Filipino being an English teacher in a European country. They do some housework, babysitting jobs, the lucky ones work at Mc Donald's.

This isn't to criticize anybody from the Philippines, it's just my own personal experience from Europe and now Thailand. I know that there are decent teachers out there from the islands, but the majority are uneducated and on fake degrees.

What bugs me is that so many can't follow a conversation in "normal" English, not even speaking fast. I'm sick and tired to simplify my speech again and again, that I'm being understood by "English teachers." ( Not the Thais)

They don't know much about history, geography,etc.. their country's piss poor, which isn't their fault. People like Imelda with her 100 million pairs of shoes gave this country the rest.

But there's always another side of the coin. It's a shame what some agencies do to Thai kids. Hiring "Native English speaking backpackers", who were for example electricians, waiters, truck, or cab drivers, government issues, (soldiers) and other useful occupations.

Some of them were convicted criminals, but the agencies want to make money. Nobody freaking cares.

It's understandable that Thailand needs educated English speaking professional teachers. Why can't they just send their own folks who want to become an English teacher abroad?

They'd come back after let's say four years, perfect in English, their mind will be changed as well, regarding the loss of face problem.

Seems that this country's far away from reality, their educational system' s more than questionable and it seems that they don't get it fixed in the near future.

Oh, we're Asians and need other Asians to teach English, because some of them speak a little bit better than the majority here. That's pretty sick, or?

Thais with a very good command in English will never get this job, as the superiors aren't able to understand this. So they hire foreigners with a worse command in said language, instead of thinking abut their own people..

What do jobless Thai English teachers think, when they hear some Filipinos speaking? Especially those who were abroad.

I'd like to take my uncle as an example. He taught English in Germany his whole life,then made it to the principal of his high school. You wouldn't know that he's German, when speaking with him.

Never heard that students didn't like, or understood him. Would Germany hire English teachers from the Philippines? It would never happen.

Just being born in as English speaking country doesn't make a person to a successful teacher.Best example is my little wife. She's Thai and her speaking and writing skills are outstanding.

But she could never teach her own language in another country. It's actually not easy to teach English here at a primary school, considering the cultural and educational gap, with all the "useful" boy scout and other nonsense activities, where so many English classes were just canceled.

Thailand, wake up, there's still light at the end of the tunnel.---

Edited February 9, 2013 by sirchai

[SgtPepper]

The Filipino agenda here in Thailand is more about Jesus than teaching English. Many of them are here to spread the 'born again ' message and being a teacher is secondary.

[Phatcharanan]

The Filipino agenda here in Thailand is more about Jesus than teaching English. Many of them are here to spread the 'born again ' message and being a teacher is secondary.

Maybe in your little village.............certainly not my experience.