Foreigners may no longer require a teacher's license?

[BuddyPinkham]

SO! even more people that are UNQUALIFIED will be allowed to teach! People with no background in education, education philosophy, child (human) psychology, no training or any methods of teaching (etc) is no more than allowing the current people with fake diplomas and credentials to work here.. Way to go Thailand.

No!!, Even more people with better background qualifications in life (older), interested in teaching, proud to see that their teaching is helping, don't think that they are 'Mr know-it-all (when they ain't), don't need to have worthless bits of paper to qualify, are far more mature AND philosophical (as they have actually lived life) and in all likelihood had children of their own, so have superior training in bringing up kids and understanding them and with all it entails!!!

So YES it is the way to go and if it happens, then ABOUT TIME!!!

I do hope that is what happens

[SICHONSTEVE]

SO! even more people that are UNQUALIFIED will be allowed to teach! People with no background in education, education philosophy, child (human) psychology, no training or any methods of teaching (etc) is no more than allowing the current people with fake diplomas and credentials to work here.. Way to go Thailand.

No!!, Even more people with better background qualifications in life (older), interested in teaching, proud to see that their teaching is helping, don't think that they are 'Mr know-it-all (when they ain't), don't need to have worthless bits of paper to qualify, are far more mature AND philosophical (as they have actually lived life) and in all likelihood had children of their own, so have superior training in bringing up kids and understanding them and with all it entails!!!

So YES it is the way to go and if it happens, then ABOUT TIME!!!

I do hope that is what happens but if you are over 50, you are too old to teach in Thailand (unless you are at a university)>

Is there a rule that over 50 year olds cannot teach in schools as I didn't know this?

A government school in my home town (big school) was begging me to teach English in their school (I was 54 at the time) but I had to turn them down because I was busy teaching in my wife and I's private kindergarten school.

If this is the case then that is yet another stupid rule/law that is holding the children of Thailand back from learning English as the older teachers are more experienced and knowledgable about teaching than any of these young 'wet behind the ears' pretenders will ever be!!

[rct99q]

Well the wet behind the ears kiddies usually bring a lot of energy to the classroom and despite cultural differences the kids can relate to them with things like music, movies and facebook.

Government schools will take people up to 60 and even beyond but gets more difficult getting teachers license (to get wp) but have seen people up to 70 teaching.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Well the wet behind the ears kiddies usually bring a lot of energy to the classroom and despite cultural differences the kids can relate to them with things like music, movies and facebook.

Government schools will take people up to 60 and even beyond but gets more difficult getting teachers license (to get wp) but have seen people up to 70 teaching.

What helps them to learn English and gives them better prospects for getting a job in the future?

1). learning about Facebook, farang music and James bond films (if they can communicate with each other that is, which is highly doubtful) or

2). Actually teaching them proper English without all of these useless modern methods they employ nowadays!!

Edited September 17, 2013 by SICHONSTEVE

[pilm]

Anyone sense a massive chip on someone's shoulder?

[SICHONSTEVE]

Anyone sense a massive chip on someone's shoulder?

err......no!!!

Whom?

[rct99q]

Well I for one will use any medium to help kids "enjoy" using the English language. Be it net lingo, idioms, popular music (ever hear of Justin Beiber). The more kids can relate to a subject item the better they learn. Now you do not have to be a 20 something to belt out Baby, baby, baby song lyrics but the kids enjoy it and makes for an excellent 2 hour lesson. The song is full of popular cliches and idioms that my students are actually interested in. ม.3 students in foreign language program.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Well I for one will use any medium to help kids "enjoy" using the English language. Be it net lingo, idioms, popular music (ever hear of Justin Beiber). The more kids can relate to a subject item the better they learn. Now you do not have to be a 20 something to belt out Baby, baby, baby song lyrics but the kids enjoy it and makes for an excellent 2 hour lesson. The song is full of popular cliches and idioms that my students are actually interested in. ม.3 students in foreign language program.

They are not going to learn USEFUL English through listening to Justin Beiber songs are they.

This is equivalent (in my mind) to not enough kids learning skills/doing apprenticeships in engineering, plumbing, catering, plastering, mechanics etc: and instead, going to university to study marine biology, quantum physics, modern art, mathematics even and then leaving university with good qualifications and wondering why they cannot walk into a job whereas they are crying out for qualified engineers!!

These (so-called) academic experts have got it all wrong I'm afraid as they think what's good for them must be good for everyone else.

[Phuket electrician]

The joy of teaching is the teacher gets paid to be a student also. To be a student one has to be open to ideas, points of view and different ways to do things. Too think any other way but your own, is the only way isn't a receptive outlook - I mean everything worth inventing has already been invented hasn't it?

Were a student to think this way, as a teacher I accept that now is not the right time for them to study, mark them as present and allocate scarce resources to those that want to learn.

See the point of view?

[Rhys]

Gents.. it all depend on what school you work for govt, private, university, high school.. what ever..

[rct99q]

Gents.. it all depend on what school you work for govt, private, university, high school.. what ever..

i am not sure I agree with this.....100%.

I was hired to improve the reading and writing skills of the students I was assigned. All are at various levels of ability. I would however use any trick to help bridge the communication gap between myself and my students be they government, private, high school etc. Had I said I use Robert Frost or "The Fog" by Sandburg in helping students understand the beauty of English I am sure it would have received a nicer reply then Justin Beiber.

[Yooyung]

Gents.. it all depend on what school you work for govt, private, university, high school.. what ever..

i am not sure I agree with this.....100%.

I was hired to improve the reading and writing skills of the students I was assigned. All are at various levels of ability. I would however use any trick to help bridge the communication gap between myself and my students be they government, private, high school etc. Had I said I use Robert Frost or "The Fog" by Sandburg in helping students understand the beauty of English I am sure it would have received a nicer reply then Justin Beiber.

You're right. Whatever it takes to get them interested. I know the harsh realities of having 40 disinterested matthayom students in a non air con room. You have to get through to them somehow. I am just starting to bridge the gap now at the school that I am working at. I have been there now since the start of the new term. Basically, in this culture, rightly or wrongly you are not going to ge much out of the kids untill they actually like you. I am talking more in Matthayom now but it holds in adult classes to a certain extent. We dont live in Germany, this is Thailand. The way others may want it to be is just not the way it is...I work with what I think will get my students involved. Once I get their interest, their respect and they actually like me, then they are much more likely to go the hard yards with me later.

That is the way it is here...

[gosompoi]

The TCT (Teachers Council of Thailand) has made announcement all teachers will still require a licence. Testing for Thai teachers will be replaced with a 1 year course and after completing the one year teaching course they can submit the certificate to TCT for issuance of a licence. Foreign teachers will need a education related Bachelor's degree and pass 5 new TCT exams. Previously only a bachelor's degree and passing 4 exams was required. Also one last change, provisional licences will only be issued for four years.

Edited October 2, 2013 by gosompoi

[Yooyung]

The TCT (Teachers Council of Thailand) has made announcement all teachers will still require a licence. Testing for Thai teachers will be replaced with a 1 year course and after completing the one year teaching course they can submit the certificate to TCT for issuance of a licence. Foreign teachers will need a education related Bachelor's degree and pass 5 new TCT exams. Previously only a bachelor's degree and passing 4 exams was required. Also one last change, provisional licences will only be issued for four years.

Very interesting. I am a bit confused though. So you can take a course, then present it to the council and they will give you a licence INSTEAD of sitting the 5 exams? Or are the 5 exams included in the course?

[inzman]

So where are they going to get all the new teachers with an ED degree. And the current teachers will all get sacked. So basically, no more English speaking teachers in Thailand? Shooting their foot, me thinks!

[gosompoi]

The TCT (Teachers Council of Thailand) has made announcement all teachers will still require a licence. Testing for Thai teachers will be replaced with a 1 year course and after completing the one year teaching course they can submit the certificate to TCT for issuance of a licence. Foreign teachers will need a education related Bachelor's degree and pass 5 new TCT exams. Previously only a bachelor's degree and passing 4 exams was required. Also one last change, provisional licences will only be issued for four years.

Very interesting. I am a bit confused though. So you can take a course, then present it to the council and they will give you a licence INSTEAD of sitting the 5 exams? Or are the 5 exams included in the course?

Thai(not foreign born) teachers do not have any tests, they only need to take a 1 year course and then they will be issued a licence. Foreign teachers (Not a Thai) must take and pass 5 exams (12 sections) and take the The culture course. There is no other options to skip for Foreign teachers. Professional Knowledge tests are supposedly back on track twice yearly in 2014 and beyond.

[gosompoi]

So where are they going to get all the new teachers with an ED degree. And the current teachers will all get sacked. So basically, no more English speaking teachers in Thailand? Shooting their foot, me thinks!

Yes this is going to be a big factor,with this need of an education related degree. This would mean if you have a degree in English then you can teach english, if you have a degree in Math then you can teach math but you can not have a degree in Music and teach english. You could teach english with a education development degree. But to teach english with a Math degree, I don't know because they say they are not related. Also anyone thinking they can get their 3rd waiver will be in for shock. No provisional licenses beyond 4 years for Foreign teachers.

[culicine]

So where are they going to get all the new teachers with an ED degree. And the current teachers will all get sacked. So basically, no more English speaking teachers in Thailand? Shooting their foot, me thinks!

Yes this is going to be a big factor,with this need of an education related degree. This would mean if you have a degree in English then you can teach english, if you have a degree in Math then you can teach math but you can not have a degree in Music and teach english. You could teach english with a education development degree. But to teach english with a Math degree, I don't know because they say they are not related. Also anyone thinking they can get their 3rd waiver will be in for shock. No provisional licenses beyond 4 years for Foreign teachers.

All for the privilege of teaching 50 kids ESL for the grand sum of 30K a month! For most teachers, they do NOT have a degree in their teaching area - e.g. most teach english but have degrees in accounting, economics, whatever - Usually not linguistics. Let alone having some kind of education degree. So I don;t think much will change, apart from having to do an extra exam and having less time on the provisional licence. We will see a continuing trend for non-native speakers teaching here, who have education degrees, or just go back to using Thai teachers.

[NeverSure]

Again, what a shame. There are so many bored NES retired farangs in Thailand who could at the very least teach conversational English. Many would pay for a TEFL and teach for free. Many could use some extra income.

I said before that I saw village schools in Isaan which had never had a NES teacher and were being taught English by a Thai who couldn't speak it. The kids were learning some vocabulary and some grammar rules and to some extent to read and write. Even then, it was butchered. They were being taught in Thai and will never learn to speak or understand English this way.

But the Thai teachers had teaching credentials from a Thai university and had learned English from a Thai.

I guess that piece of paper is worth more than actually knowing the subject.

[puchooay]

So what is this all about? Is it a power struggle?

The minister of education says one thing and the TCT say something else. Surely, I know TIT but, the minister has the last word.

Maybe I am missing something. Maybe the laws about teching licences are still there and getting more absured while the minister is trying to change the tempory licence rules??????

The article in the Daily News definately said that they were going to allow the schools more say about their teachers. Maybe that was in reference to the phase prior to meeting the TL requirements??????

I for one am on my 1st waiver, according to the TCT computer. I am likely to be about 3 months away from getting my BSc when my current waiver expires. In this situation surely it would be better for the TCT to allow me another 2 years. In that time I could then work on the tests and get my licence.

[gosompoi]

So what is this all about? Is it a power struggle?

The minister of education says one thing and the TCT say something else. Surely, I know TIT but, the minister has the last word.

Maybe I am missing something. Maybe the laws about teching licences are still there and getting more absured while the minister is trying to change the tempory licence rules??????

The article in the Daily News definately said that they were going to allow the schools more say about their teachers. Maybe that was in reference to the phase prior to meeting the TL requirements??????

I for one am on my 1st waiver, according to the TCT computer. I am likely to be about 3 months away from getting my BSc when my current waiver expires. In this situation surely it would be better for the TCT to allow me another 2 years. In that time I could then work on the tests and get my licence.

Power Struggle, Ministry of Education is in charge of Education(MOE), Teacher Council of Thailand (TCT) is in charge of Teachers. TCT sets the rules for teachers and issues teachers licenses. MOE wants more teachers to be able to teach, TCT wants only teachers approved by them to be able to teach. Immigration, Labor Department and TCT work together setting the rules for work permits, visa extension and teachers licences.

[Slip]

So what is this all about? Is it a power struggle?

The minister of education says one thing and the TCT say something else. Surely, I know TIT but, the minister has the last word.

Maybe I am missing something. Maybe the laws about teching licences are still there and getting more absured while the minister is trying to change the tempory licence rules??????

The article in the Daily News definately said that they were going to allow the schools more say about their teachers. Maybe that was in reference to the phase prior to meeting the TL requirements??????

I for one am on my 1st waiver, according to the TCT computer. I am likely to be about 3 months away from getting my BSc when my current waiver expires. In this situation surely it would be better for the TCT to allow me another 2 years. In that time I could then work on the tests and get my licence.

Power Struggle, Ministry of Education is in charge of Education(MOE), Teacher Council of Thailand (TCT) is in charge of Teachers. TCT sets the rules for teachers and issues teachers licenses. MOE wants more teachers to be able to teach, TCT wants only teachers approved by them to be able to teach. Immigration, Labor Department and TCT work together setting the rules for work permits, visa extension and teachers licences.

Meanwhile, time ticks by for the victims of the system, both children and adults.

[Dutchiebangkok]

So where are they going to get all the new teachers with an ED degree. And the current teachers will all get sacked. So basically, no more English speaking teachers in Thailand? Shooting their foot, me thinks!

Yes this is going to be a big factor,with this need of an education related degree. This would mean if you have a degree in English then you can teach english, if you have a degree in Math then you can teach math but you can not have a degree in Music and teach english. You could teach english with a education development degree. But to teach english with a Math degree, I don't know because they say they are not related. Also anyone thinking they can get their 3rd waiver will be in for shock. No provisional licenses beyond 4 years for Foreign teachers.

So does this mean that almost everyone is screwed? Guess I’ll have to start looking for a teaching job in communication or concept development. Teaching concept development to Thai students… seems like a real challenge.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Dutchiebangkok

[kunnatee]

Foreign teachers will need a education related Bachelor's degree and pass 5 new TCT exams. Previously only a bachelor's degree and passing 4 exams was required. Also one last change, provisional licences will only be issued for four years.

From the Teachers Council website :

Routes to teaching licence

Route 1 : Persons who have had teaching experience with not less than 1 year and

1. Hold a degree in Education or

2. Hold other degrees and a teaching license from abroad or

3. Hold other degrees and a graduate diploma in Education with 1 year

course of study.

In addition, they also must successfully complete a professional training course and pass

assessment of knowledge as follows:

(1) Thai language and culture

(2) Professional ethics

-------------------------------

= If you have a bachelor in education, you don't have to pass any tests.

[kunnatee]

(ever hear of Justin Beiber)

"“Oh come on, Bill, they’re the New Kids, don’t pick on them, they’re so good and they’re so clean cut and they’re such a good image for the children.

[word that the admins would censor] that! When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children?"

Bill Hicks

[puchooay]

So what is this all about? Is it a power struggle?

The minister of education says one thing and the TCT say something else. Surely, I know TIT but, the minister has the last word.

Maybe I am missing something. Maybe the laws about teching licences are still there and getting more absured while the minister is trying to change the tempory licence rules??????

The article in the Daily News definately said that they were going to allow the schools more say about their teachers. Maybe that was in reference to the phase prior to meeting the TL requirements??????

I for one am on my 1st waiver, according to the TCT computer. I am likely to be about 3 months away from getting my BSc when my current waiver expires. In this situation surely it would be better for the TCT to allow me another 2 years. In that time I could then work on the tests and get my licence.

Power Struggle, Ministry of Education is in charge of Education(MOE), Teacher Council of Thailand (TCT) is in charge of Teachers. TCT sets the rules for teachers and issues teachers licenses. MOE wants more teachers to be able to teach, TCT wants only teachers approved by them to be able to teach. Immigration, Labor Department and TCT work together setting the rules for work permits, visa extension and teachers licences.

Notice I said the Minister Of Education and not the Ministry.

Surely the Minister of Education (Mr Chaturon) is the boss at the TCT??????

[gosompoi]

Foreign teachers will need a education related Bachelor's degree and pass 5 new TCT exams. Previously only a bachelor's degree and passing 4 exams was required. Also one last change, provisional licences will only be issued for four years.

From the Teachers Council website :

Routes to teaching licence

Route 1 : Persons who have had teaching experience with not less than 1 year and

1. Hold a degree in Education or

2. Hold other degrees and a teaching license from abroad or

3. Hold other degrees and a graduate diploma in Education with 1 year

course of study.

In addition, they also must successfully complete a professional training course and pass

assessment of knowledge as follows:

(1) Thai language and culture

(2) Professional ethics

-------------------------------

= If you have a bachelor in education, you don't have to pass any tests.

Do you have a link?

[Phuket electrician]

Nothing has changed, there are no new requirements for a 'teachers licence' as any teacher with 1 years experience and the stated qualifications is exempt.

TV members still seem confused. An NES 'teacher' is only required to present English language, there is no requirement to understand the ins-and-outs of education.

Any teacher working in Thailand will know every course they teach is English vocabulary in context and pronunciation. Some TV members persist with 'what use is a western degree.' Without suggestion of a better system to recruit foreigner teachers. What's the point?

[kunnatee]

From the Teachers Council website :

Routes to teaching licence

Route 1 : Persons who have had teaching experience with not less than 1 year and

1. Hold a degree in Education or

2. Hold other degrees and a teaching license from abroad or

3. Hold other degrees and a graduate diploma in Education with 1 year

course of study.

In addition, they also must successfully complete a professional training course and pass

assessment of knowledge as follows:

(1) Thai language and culture

(2) Professional ethics

-------------------------------

= If you have a bachelor in education, you don't have to pass any tests.

Do you have a link?

It's in the "Routes to teaching license" PDF on this page:

http://site.ksp.or.th/download.php?site=englishsite&SiteMenuID=29&Sys_Page=2&Sys_PageSize=20

it's also summed up on

http://site.ksp.or.th/about.php?site=license&SiteMenuID=219

[kunnatee]

It is also presented in exactly the same way in the manual that was given to us when I passed the Thai culture course 2 months ago.

Members of the Teachers Council were present during the course.