Working With Philipinos...

[NoshowJones]

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.---

That's very interesting Sirchai, and I can't disagree with you, but the two I worked with I had excellent conversations with them.

[NoshowJones]

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 can only give you my experience with two of them over two years, I suppose I should be bitter against them as they cost me a very good job.

[SlyAnimal]

Please ensure that any comments made are not sweeping generalizations. If you want to express an opinion, please ensure that it is expressed as an opinion, not a fact, and limited to your experience (unless you have statistical/academic data to reference to of course)

As this topic is a bit borderline, however it has been a, mostly, mature conversation so far (which is why I've allowed it to continue to run).

[sirchai]

Please ensure that any comments made are not sweeping generalizations. If you want to express an opinion, please ensure that it is expressed as an opinion, not a fact, and limited to your experience (unless you have statistical/academic data to reference to of course)

As this topic is a bit borderline, however it has been a, mostly, mature conversation so far (which is why I've allowed it to continue to run).

Note: My posts are not sweeping generalizations. Just my personal opinion and experiences I had made.Sorry, for any confusion that my posts might have caused.

[Phatcharanan]

Note: My posts are not sweeping generalizations. Just my personal opinion and experiences I had made.Sorry, for any confusion that my posts might have caused.

Consider yourself as having been publically flogged. :-)

[Osiris]

Please ensure that any comments made are not sweeping generalizations. If you want to express an opinion, please ensure that it is expressed as an opinion, not a fact, and limited to your experience (unless you have statistical/academic data to reference to of course)

As this topic is a bit borderline, however it has been a, mostly, mature conversation so far (which is why I've allowed it to continue to run).

Note: My posts are not sweeping generalizations. Just my personal opinion and experiences I had made.Sorry, for any confusion that my posts might have caused.

I do not find your comments to be sweeping in any sense. In fact, I appreciate your opinion and insight into a difficult matter. Thank you for bringing your intelligence and wisdom to the table!

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed; The topic is not about religion.

[TomJoad]

I agree with most of the advice you're getting here. Just would like to add one thing. Don't let the experience sour you on Filipinos in general. Some of the nicest people teaching in Thailand are. It just sounds like you didn't get lucky where you're at right now.

[Ijustwannateach]

Scott, I know where you're coming from, but really- I agree with Chonabot that Choice 4 could be:

4. Pay your genuine foreign teachers enough so you get genuine foreign teachers. There are a lot of 'schools' out there that WON'T do this, but I'm pretty sure from looking at the numbers and monies involved (and I've done THIS before on the forum, too) that there aren't any schools- at least in cities- that CAN'T afford to do it.

But back on topic:

Filipinos come from a country even more desperate and dysfunctional than Thailand, educationally. To quote my very well-educated Filipino friend, 'there are only 3 or 4 universities that could be considered 'real' from an international perspective in the entire country.'

Odds are many of those here who have 'real' degrees aren't the ones from those universities. I'm sure their degrees are real, but there isn't any 'real' comparison. I helped send a friend's child there to a 'university' that had a curriculum, roughly as it seemed to me, similar to that of a high school.

[Storekeeper]

Hi Steven ... love and miss you babe ...

PS ... Respectfully disagree with your Filipino pals about their educational institutions as would thousands of Sailors who have graced the steel decks of many a warship.

[Phatcharanan]

Hi Steven ... love and miss you babe ...

.

Hey! Long time! You still in Japan?

[Rolo Tomazi]

I once worked with a Filippina who spoke fluent English, she'd lived in the US for many years and acted very "American" - she could have been born there but she wasn't, she had a passport from The Filippines. We, some NES and some non-NES agreed that she was doing her job as well as we did, actually some non-NES had a stronger accent than she had.

But the school did not pay her as much as they paid us, only two thirds. When I talked to a Thai teacher about that I was told that it's because she looks Asian.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Rolo Tomazi

[thaicbr]

At my school we have a fairly large foreign teacher set from all over the world. UK. USA. Australia. Europe. China and of course the Philippines. As with all people some are nice, some not so much.

As for accents. Some of the Philippine have heavy accents. Some lighter. None have what I would call near native English speaker accents. Some of the Europeans do.

As for attitude generally the ones at my school keep to themselves BUT I know they are not adverse to shoveling manure if it serves their purposes.

[Storekeeper]

Hi Steven ... love and miss you babe ...

.

Hey! Long time! You still in Japan?

Nope, been back in the USA for about a year. But, may be going back to Japan in 4-5 months.

And of course there are tons of Filipinos working on the base there. Lots of retireee from my era as well. As a matter of a fact there is one Filipino dude still there who was born and raised in the USA ... Graduated with me from the OU masters program on base in Yokosuka ... And he speaks English just like us Yanks. One of many but most of them now hold US passports so you won't find them competing for TEFLer jobs.

When I was teaching in Thailand there were a couple of Filipino brothers who spoke English at the native level. As a matter of a fact there are plenty of Filipinos who speak native level English simply because they attended international schools ... And have never been to an English speaking country.

[Storekeeper]

And for the record ... ALL of the Filipinos who worked at the school in Pattaya I was at for two years spoke English in the same flat tones as this Ohio boy.

IMHO the subject will continue to be beat to death simply because there are few jobs for foreigners in Thailand and it would behoove us white folk to belittle the English speaking ability of the Filipinos. If the Thai were smart they'd ask themselves, "Why can the Filipinos learn perfectly acceptable spoken English without NES teachers and we can't".

Edited March 28, 2013 by Storekeeper

[lostinisaan]

"Now you can sell your white skin again." That was one annoying sentence ( out of a few) I've heard from them short before signing a new contract.

. Being disrespectful and speaking Tagalog all day long another problem, that might cause other foreigners in the English department to freak out one day.

Many of them being racist isn't really a good deed.

I was asking one Filipino who came back from a visa trip:1. " Did you have to pay for a visa to come into Laos? No response.

2. " Do you have to have a visa for Laos? No response.

3. Do people from the Philippines have to purchase a visa for Laos? No response

4. You buy visa for Laos? Answer: No, I not.

Beginning of a school year, two days before the kids showed up. Everybody had to introduce him/herself.

One female with a thick accent said: " I from the Philippines. We have beautiful bitches there. ( Guess she still doesn't know why we're laughing.)

Then the spell test, made by a girl from the Philippines in an EP set up. There was a grade 4 girl who was just brought to that school for 4 weeks, she grew up in the States. So the "teacher" says something like heart.

The native English speaking student: " Teacher, do you mean the one in your chest, or the opposite of soft?" An American colleague sitting there to make some copies:understood that the teacher didn't understand the student's question and said: " I guess she meant the one in your chest. "

The "teacher": " That's unfair, now you gave them the answer. ( It was a s p e l l i n g test.....

Edited March 28, 2013 by lostinisaan

[candypants]

sounds like alot of folks here feel threatened

[Rolo Tomazi]

Talking about accents, my daughter went to first grade and had a British teacher, she came home and said: "Moon-die, Tyoose-die, Weens-die..."

I corrected her right away.

Accent may not be the main issue here; I've seen it elsewhere that Filippinos started working in departments consisting of Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese.

A year later it was half Filippino and not long after that a non-Filippino had no chance to get a job in that department.

That's what I don't like. And it may be threatening to some.

[jocko]

yes I get your point.....I had 40 working for me in Oman.... nice enough lads but found 6 didnt have a clue about the job Advanced Ultrasonics on pressure vessels....not one had any cert of competency but broke down in tears when I sussed them..... sad but who said life was fair..... if they screwed up and a vessel exploded and fatalities who would get blamed.. yup me...... they had to be terminated

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Same for me in the 80s also in the Oman so nothing's changed

As you know all these guy's are sent by recruitment agencies who don't care.

[Storekeeper]

A year later it was half Filippino and not long after that a non-Filippino had no chance to get a job in that department.

.

Now that I cannot argue with. A friend once asked me, "doesn't it bother you that we will hire them but they would never hire us?"

[wellred]

Maybe you could bake some cookies or fairy cakes and bring them in for the staff? At the very least it will make it lot harder for them to hate you.

[Scott]

I will close this topic because I think that everything has been said and there are unnecessary racist overtones that keep creeping into the thread.

//closed//