British teachers to improve Thai youths' English skills
By English News

BANGKOK, March 7 – The Thai Education Ministry is launching an eight-week project on English language teaching to students in state-run and private schools nationwide.

Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana said Wednesday that the “English Teaching Assistants Project 2013” is in cooperation with the British Council which has recruited 792 students from the United Kingdom to teach in 621 schools.

The scheme, aimed at improving Thai students’ foreign language skills to prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, will enable Thai youth to learn the language from native speakers, he said.

The Education Ministry and British Council have also cooperated in developing an English language application on computer tablets to enable students to improve their speaking and listening skills. It is applicable to specific occupational groups such as taxi drivers. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-03-07

I hope the British students are qualified to teach English.

I would think that as they are students, they will not be fully qualified to teach English here in Thailand, as they will require a BA of some sort and a TEFL. They may have a TEFL and maybe studying as teachers back in the U.K.

Also generally to work for the British Council as a teacher, or someone teaching English, the British council wish you normally have around 2000 hours of teaching.

Exactly how this is going to assist Thailand, to get to a good level of English by 2015, I do not understand. The figures would suggest about one student (792) for each school (621).

It'll be a nice eight week holiday for some British students who will spend most of the day looking like rabbits trapped in headlights and wondering why the Thai English teacher can't speak English.

Shouldn't someone also remind the students that they have to apply some effort as well !

Wonder if they will need to get work permits like anyone else living here would do if they went to volunteer to teach at a school?

Any chance to learn Thai within eight weeks by attractive Rajabhat students?

Wouldn't it be similar to send Thais ( still students) to the UK to "teach" at a university Thai?--

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

A good point. An ex student of mine who was an exchange student in Germany for one year, came back, now fluent in German.

Her English was always good, because she loves languages. She also speaks Laos and some Khmer.

You're damn right, most people here explaining about Thais' poor language skills, and can't even order a freaking noodle soup at a restaurant.

I've met many guys living here for 15- 20 years, without any Thai speaking skills.

My Thai isn't very good, but i can easily get around without any help in daily life situations.

My ex student was asking me: " What do you call a person, who only speaks one language."? Her answer was: " An American." I'm pretty sure that many speak Spanish as well.

It'll be a nice eight week holiday for some British students who will spend most of the day looking like rabbits trapped in headlights and wondering why the Thai English teacher can't speak English.

Haaav Youuu Gatttt Aiiiee Meeneeett?

I volunteered to teach English for awhile in Khong. It is useless if you do not know how to speak the Thai language. The students do not understand at all what you want them to do. I tried to have the teachers stay and translate what I wanted. None of them would, they all treated it like an hour off from the duties each day.

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

You must move in very small circles...... chuckle.

Its going to be a bit of a battle for the students, and 8 weeks is nothing in time, as it flies by. At least there is a recognition, even if the initial steps are a little faltering.

When I was studying Thai, I also found it a great help to learn to read Thai, so perhaps one area where the younger students could help is in teaching some basic vocabulary that is related to reading basic English - it needs to be some key areas, and not just assuming that they can learn by rote - so there is the likely problem.

A few weeks ago there was a report on how the Thais were the worst in ASEAN at English, maybe if they got NES with a CELTA tefl cert of at least 120 hours, instead of demanding teachers with degrees, there would be more teachers available and the quality and numbers of Thais speaking a level of English that ASEAN expects could perhaps increase.

I volunteered to teach English for awhile in Khong. It is useless if you do not know how to speak the Thai language. The students do not understand at all what you want them to do. I tried to have the teachers stay and translate what I wanted. None of them would, they all treated it like an hour off from the duties each day.

You were a necessary evil! The ones that want to learn, will learn. The ones that don't want to learn won't no matter what language you speak and it's no different in ant country in the world.

A Scottish teacher trying to teach English in England

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

As teachers actually taking an active part in the Thai education system, I think we have some right to comment on way the MOE approach learning English.

We have no due restriction over the way non-Thai's choose or choose not to learn the Thai language.

Therefore your comment is redundant, old bean

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

A good point. An ex student of mine who was an exchange student in Germany for one year, came back, now fluent in German.

Her English was always good, because she loves languages. She also speaks Laos and some Khmer.

You're damn right, most people here explaining about Thais' poor language skills, and can't even order a freaking noodle soup at a restaurant.

I've met many guys living here for 15- 20 years, without any Thai speaking skills.

My Thai isn't very good, but i can easily get around without any help in daily life situations.

My ex student was asking me: " What do you call a person, who only speaks one language."? Her answer was: " An American." I'm pretty sure that many speak Spanish as well.

9 posts before you worked in the obligatory anti American post. Good on ya.

I volunteered to teach English for awhile in Khong. It is useless if you do not know how to speak the Thai language. The students do not understand at all what you want them to do. I tried to have the teachers stay and translate what I wanted. None of them would, they all treated it like an hour off from the duties each day.

Matter of technique. When I studied for my TESOL/TEFL certification the students were forbidden from using their native language (L1) in the class and the instructors, if they knew the students language, were not allowed to use it either. It was an excellent methodology and based on total immersion and contextual teaching.

An example. The first day of our training, the instructor came into the classroom and started off right away speaking Japanese (he was not Japanese) and teaching the 1st hour as such. This demonstration of the methodology was powerful and impressed us.

Bottom line, you do not need nor necessarily want to use the native language (L1) in the class room.

I volunteered to teach English for awhile in Khong. It is useless if you do not know how to speak the Thai language. The students do not understand at all what you want them to do. I tried to have the teachers stay and translate what I wanted. None of them would, they all treated it like an hour off from the duties each day.

Matter of technique. When I studied for my TESOL/TEFL certification the students were forbidden from using their native language (L1) in the class and the instructors, if they knew the students language, were not allowed to use it either. It was an excellent methodology and based on total immersion and contextual teaching.

An example. The first day of our training, the instructor came into the classroom and started off right away speaking Japanese (he was not Japanese) and teaching the 1st hour as such. This demonstration of the methodology was powerful and impressed us.

Bottom line, you do not need nor necessarily want to use the native language (L1) in the class room.

I've taught both ways. Before I learned Thai only in English. For classroom management it is not possible like emergencies bloody nose and things like that. Head lice washing day is also difficult in English. However I have never met a person who actually spoke Thai and taught in English (I am sure they exist although I have not met one). I know there are international schools that do this but I have only worked in government schools except on a college level.

Head lice washing day is also difficult in English.

That's where props come in to play in the teaching.

I didn't know we still had that many left in the UK who can speak English !

Students from the UK teaching English in a country they don't really know...

Would they send all those guys who will become English teachers abroad, for let's say four years, they'd come back brainwashed and the would speak English.

It's jut common sense, seems it will never change, agencies sent crappy backpackers to good schools. Directors and staff of the English department make free holidays in Europe, States etc...

Most people know what's up, but they don't really care. And ASEAN will do the rest.

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

understand but you'd think if I'd had 8 years of lessons I should know sometihng.

British teachers to improve Thai youths' English skills

in cooperation with the British Council which has recruited 792 students

So, teachers or students? Sounds more like a student exchange program of sorts.

I volunteered to teach English for awhile in Khong. It is useless if you do not know how to speak the Thai language. The students do not understand at all what you want them to do. I tried to have the teachers stay and translate what I wanted. None of them would, they all treated it like an hour off from the duties each day.

This is where some training comes in very handy.

The Thai English teachers can speak Thai very well, yet their English teaching is somewhat lacking compared to a trained NES who speaks very little Thai.

Again, a redundant point.

Thailand should allow qualified English teachers to volunteer or tutor privately. Not everyone wants a full-time job. Not everyone wants a boss. Don't threaten to jail us or deport us. You might learn something.

The work permit laws seem to be set up to protect Thai business people who run the schools. It's illegal for me to "use my knowledge or exert energy" unless one of them gets a cut. So the Thai English schools are preventing Thais from learning English.

That's the problem with trying to control everything. You can't grow.

I have to chuckle when I see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills... yet I know almost no farang that can speak more than three words of Thai, even the ones that have lived here for years. If it's so damn easy to pick up a language, then how about picking up the one in the country you reside in before you rip into them for not learning your language.

Totally off topic.

Please point out where in this thread you "see Westerners constantly bashing Thai people for their poor English skills"

You can't, because nobody has!

Please keep your westerner - bashing drivel to yourself.

There was a comment in an earlier post about Thai English teachers being unable to speak English. That is a fair comment. If somebody is teaching English, it is not unreasonable to expect that they have the ability to communicate in English.

80 or 90% of Thai English teachers that I have spoken to, I have had to converse in Thai because they cannot speak English.

Back to the topic..

Am I to understand that this is being started now?

Haven't the schools just closed for an 8 week holiday?

I hope the British students are qualified to teach English.

Needless to say, 'British English' is not common English.

As linguists have said - America as a new country needed to identify and codify the language the country would use, so Noah Webster created a dictionary of the American language - English as it was spoken in the 18th century and they way Americans continue to speak it.

Simple test - a much large population of native speakers call the last letter of the alphabet 'ZEE' than use the term 'ZED'.

Now the obvious step, is to ask the thousands of American retirees living here to assist their local schools - modify the immigration code...