Criteria for issuing permits to foreign teachers to be standardised, made stricter: Education Min

[wonder6281]

So basically; If I wanted to do a TEFL course now, having no Teaching experience with Children, I have little chance of getting a teaching position?

The fact that I have considerable experience training adults in an industrial setting!

Extensive life and work experience dealing all ages;

Count for nothing under the changes?

Feedback most welcomed.

[simon43]

As others have pointed out in this thread, getting (and retaining) qualified teachers will require a paradigm shift in salary levels.

And I don't believe for 1 second that this will happen

Simon

[bundoi]

NES salaries in Thailand should be calibrated according to Thai salary scales and cost of living, not the salary scales of home countries (obviously private schools are free to do what they want about salaries).

In the UK the starting salary for a qualified teacher varies, but let's say around 22,000 sterling p.a. pre-tax - about 3 times what an NES might make here; cost of living here 3-10 times cheaper than UK (depending on personal tastes, location).

Don't expect to get rich as an NES in Thailand.

In most businesses, when you hire a person from overseas, the salary package is significantly higher than the local salary. There are several reasons for this. First the employee may have bills and obligations in their home country. For many jobs, the contractual period will be limited. You might want to keep your house, your car, your insurance in your home country.

Second, you are providing a skill which is in demand and can't be met locally.

Many international companies will have an overseas, expat salary package and a separate salary package for locally recruited expats and a 3rd salary for locals.

Employees of, for example, the Thai Embassy in the US or the UK, receive a salary that is respectable for those countries. They also receive a salary that allows them to maintain their home in Thailand.

Unless you are a Thai national or Permanent Resident of the country, the understanding is that you will either leave the country one day, or you will have sufficient funds to retire on a retirement visa. It would not be very easy to accumulate that kind of money on a local wage. Foreigners are severely restricted in the ownership of a business or a home, so your tenure in the country is shakey at best.

I agree 100% with what you are saying about relocations within an international organisation (eg an IBM employee from London is seconded to Bangkok, or indeed the examples you gave yourself); but there is absolutely no rule about this for people who have just up sticks and gone in search of a new life - and in most cases those who expect the same Terms & Conditions as back home are very likely in for a big shock.

I also agree with your last sentence 100%; which is why I'm still astonished that so many westerners here seem to expect the same sort of tenure here that Thais have.

[Mr Yim]

The principle is great, but the Minister is looking for a Rolls Royce for the price of a Mini. Maybe they would also take a long look at how they can also improve the quality of the Thai English teachers. Few that I have met can hold a conversation in English.

[allan michaud]

"The applicants must also pass training set by the Teachers' Council of Thailand including Thai language and culture, related laws to teaching, and Thai education philosophy, in order to understand the foundation of Thai society, she said."

I do not want to become a teacher but this course sounds like fun as I would very much like to understand Thai culture (I hope this explains "Thainess") and particularly the apparent "Thai education philosophy".

[bundoi]

If I am interpreting this correctly, then you will likely need a Teacher's License or Permit from your home country before you can get one in Thailand? That will affect a lot of Filipino teachers.

The question of Philippino and other ASEAN teachers is an interesting one; as of 2015 I'm assuming they won't be categorised as foreigners in the same way that non-ASEAN nationals will be... then 2015 will see a real shakeup.

[falangadang]

This is a crock of <deleted>!

What needs changing is the policies of the dept of education and all the protocols and pedagogical systems in place that keep the students of this country in a retrograde learning environment!

Give Thai teachers better training and give school dept heads more autonomy and license to work with foreign teachers in a more constructive and consultative manner instead of enforcing hen pecking command and control upon foreign teachers that can see what needs to be done and changed but are forced to tow the party line because that's the way it is and always has been!

More cheap talk and chest beating by the higher ups to justify their own existence and massage their egos by placing false blame and false cause.

EPIC FAIL,... go back and try again!

[zyphodb]

The more hoops Native English teachers have to go through the less Teachers Thailand will get unless they dramatically improve wages which isn't going to happen, in fact wages at government schools in the provinces have actually gone down in the last 15 years for N/E Teachers by all accounts.

Thai English teachers on the whole can't teach conversational English which is the main thing needed here as most of them leave University & start teaching English being completely unable to hold a conversation in English themselves to the point where, your average Bar Girl from the South would make a better English Teacher. What Native English teachers there are have to put up with all sorts of problems in the Schools where they work from the Thai English teachers as they're making them 'lose face'. Until this & many other problems with the Thai education system are addressed English Teaching in Thailand is just going to go from bad to worse, which I suspect is just the way the ruling Elite want to keep it as a largely uneducated populace is much easier to control & rip off...

In my opinion the single worst thing that has happened here for the learning of English by the masses is changing Movie subtitling to dubbing into Thai... I think this has had more of an adverse effect on Your average Thai's English understanding than anything else... Anyway rant over...

[Cuchulainn]

..................The applicants must also pass training set by the Teachers' Council of Thailand ......................

All I can say is..........................

[smotherb]

We all seem to agree, the system is broken. Continuing in the same vein of a sporadic few minutes of English twice weekly taught by a dubiously qualified English-speaking foreigner will never fix it. Attempting to get better qualified teachers is a step in the right direction, but so would increasing the English language contact-time and a permanent mind-set correction on the need for English-language capability among the Thais.

The entire structure of English language education in Thailand needs to change. Teaching English as a foreign language should be limited to the first few years in schools. After that, all courses need to be taught in English. To do this, of course, Thai teachers need to learn and to teach in English. However, that too requires a mind-set change, especially for Thai teachers.

The irony here is that there would still be a need for the dubiously qualified NES teachers--if for nothing more than teaching the Thai teachers.

Why is it I feel I am speaking fantasy?

[Loaded]

"THE EDUCATION MINISTRY is considering amending the criteria for issuing permits to foreign teachers - so it is standardised and stricter - to attract more capable teachers here,"

I've read this a few times and still can't understand the logic.

It doesn't matter anyway. A new education minister with 'new' education policies will be along soon.

[Lucie]

Of course there needs to be regulations to make sure that schools don't hire people who have no skills and no desire to gain skills. But skills aren't measured only by pieces of paper. Sorry to be self-centred, but again I bring up my own case:

I came to Thailand many years ago and found that I needed a teaching job to be able to stay. So I went and got one - easy, back then - no specific requirements needed. And I wasn't a very good teacher, either. But I have a philosophy of always doing something to the best of my ability, so I made a point of learning from my mistakes, my colleagues, and from some reading. Now I think I do a pretty good job - and most of my colleagues, bosses, students and their parents agree. But I don't have a degree, and so I have been told by the labour office that I won't be able to renew my work permit again.

This means that my 11 years of experience and my reputation count for nothing.

There needs to be some way of counting other forms of experience besides qualifications. I know several people like me that have left the country... and I'm to follow suit shortly.

[simondan]

Oh yeah, great idea, genius. Since when has making rules stricter resulted in increased supply. No problem with getting rid of the trash but this will throw out the baby with the bathwater. They will lose a lot of teachers who dont have the qualifications but have been teaching effectively here for years, and they will turn away the future supply of TESOL teachers who want to teach here but lack the formal teaching qualifications. And at the same time Thai nationals are teaching all subjects including English often without any tertiary training AT ALL. Thai English teachers are often barely or not fluent at all and sometimes (perhaps more often) do more damage than good. If Thailand wants to improve its teaching standards it would be much more effective if they addressed the glaring shortfall in their own national teachers (who teach a much higher percentage of student hours than foreign teachers) and their ridiculous 'no fail' policy for students. But that would take a modicum of sense and the ability or will to make decisions based on the best interests of the students and the nation, which seems beyond most administrators in this country. The only countries that will benefit from this idea are Thailand's neighbours.

[bundoi]

Of course there needs to be regulations to make sure that schools don't hire people who have no skills and no desire to gain skills. But skills aren't measured only by pieces of paper. Sorry to be self-centred, but again I bring up my own case:

I came to Thailand many years ago and found that I needed a teaching job to be able to stay. So I went and got one - easy, back then - no specific requirements needed. And I wasn't a very good teacher, either. But I have a philosophy of always doing something to the best of my ability, so I made a point of learning from my mistakes, my colleagues, and from some reading. Now I think I do a pretty good job - and most of my colleagues, bosses, students and their parents agree. But I don't have a degree, and so I have been told by the labour office that I won't be able to renew my work permit again.

This means that my 11 years of experience and my reputation count for nothing.

There needs to be some way of counting other forms of experience besides qualifications. I know several people like me that have left the country... and I'm to follow suit shortly.

Lucie, if what you are saying is true: go home, do a one year post-grad teaching diploma (using your 11 years' experience in lieu of an undergrad degree), come back, get a job, be happy.

[Baerboxer]

Good, we need to get rid of the trash teachers who come here for a few months or want to stay to take care of their bar girl friend. I am happy to see this. But they also need to raise the salary of those who met the qualifications maybe even double it.

OMG! I never thought I'd say this but........... I absolutely agree with you 100%

It's the right thing to do. Pay the right salary and employ professional teachers. Not the inexperienced, non qualified looking for pocket money types who suddenly think they can teach.

[Scott]

If I am interpreting this correctly, then you will likely need a Teacher's License or Permit from your home country before you can get one in Thailand? That will affect a lot of Filipino teachers.

The question of Philippino and other ASEAN teachers is an interesting one; as of 2015 I'm assuming they won't be categorised as foreigners in the same way that non-ASEAN nationals will be... then 2015 will see a real shakeup.

They may have some additional advantages, but they still will be a foreign teacher and they will still need a Teacher's License -- even Thai Teacher's need one.

It will, however, be interesting to see how they deal with teacher's from other ASEAN countries.

[Brevity]

"The applicants must also pass training set by the Teachers' Council of Thailand including Thai language and culture, related laws to teaching, and Thai education philosophy, in order to understand the foundation of Thai society, she said."

It seems to me, and I think statistics show, that Thailand ranks very low in education standards both among its fellow ASEAN members and globally, yet they feel that teachers coming from counties that achieve much higher results and have much higher standards should adopt the 'Thai education philosophy'. To me, the 'Thai education philosophy' means doing as little real learning as possible in the classroom and ignoring how to acquire critical thinking ability and the skill required to do analysis. Shouldn't Thailand be looking at scrapping their ineffective approach to education and trying to change their education philosophy to one that uses better methods?

It amazes me how Thais seem completely unable to see things in this country for what they really are. They must be convinced that everything Thai is superior to all other countries, and the idea of learning from other countries or cultures in unthinkable.

From my observations, Thailand needs so much help in the area of (English language) education that the last thing they should be doing is looking for ways to make it more difficult for NES teachers to work here. The problem of insincere teachers who don't know what they're doing or don't care needs to be handled, but the approach mentioned in the first post isn't the way to go.

Many Westerners have a huge problem in adjusting to Thailand, and have a patronising and condescending attitude to all things Thai, as we can see from many threads and posts on TV. That's up to them, but those attitudes should not be allowed anywhere near a Thai classroom (private schools excepted). I'm not saying that the Culture Course necessarily fixes that problem, but it does attempt to.

Your assertion about Thailand being near the bottom of ASEAN in English is simply wrong (there was a thread last week with a link to some stats which few people seem to have bothered to review).

It amazes me that so many westerners here can only see Thailand through their own preconceptions.

Thailand ranks near bottom in English proficiency: survey

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND RANKS near the bottom in an English proficiency survey, showing the persistence of one of the key competitive weaknesses of the Thai economy.

Out of 60 countries and territories where English is not their mother tongue, Thailand manages only 55th place - outdoing only Panama, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, according to the EF English Proficiency Index.

...........

You can read the rest right here in Thaivisa forum at:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679951-thailand-ranks-near-bottom-in-english-proficiency-survey/

When I want to contradict someone, I like to provide facts or a source. It's much better than just contradicting someone.

[bundoi]

"The applicants must also pass training set by the Teachers' Council of Thailand including Thai language and culture, related laws to teaching, and Thai education philosophy, in order to understand the foundation of Thai society, she said."

It seems to me, and I think statistics show, that Thailand ranks very low in education standards both among its fellow ASEAN members and globally, yet they feel that teachers coming from counties that achieve much higher results and have much higher standards should adopt the 'Thai education philosophy'. To me, the 'Thai education philosophy' means doing as little real learning as possible in the classroom and ignoring how to acquire critical thinking ability and the skill required to do analysis. Shouldn't Thailand be looking at scrapping their ineffective approach to education and trying to change their education philosophy to one that uses better methods?

It amazes me how Thais seem completely unable to see things in this country for what they really are. They must be convinced that everything Thai is superior to all other countries, and the idea of learning from other countries or cultures in unthinkable.

From my observations, Thailand needs so much help in the area of (English language) education that the last thing they should be doing is looking for ways to make it more difficult for NES teachers to work here. The problem of insincere teachers who don't know what they're doing or don't care needs to be handled, but the approach mentioned in the first post isn't the way to go.

Many Westerners have a huge problem in adjusting to Thailand, and have a patronising and condescending attitude to all things Thai, as we can see from many threads and posts on TV. That's up to them, but those attitudes should not be allowed anywhere near a Thai classroom (private schools excepted). I'm not saying that the Culture Course necessarily fixes that problem, but it does attempt to.

Your assertion about Thailand being near the bottom of ASEAN in English is simply wrong (there was a thread last week with a link to some stats which few people seem to have bothered to review).

It amazes me that so many westerners here can only see Thailand through their own preconceptions.

Thailand ranks near bottom in English proficiency: survey

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND RANKS near the bottom in an English proficiency survey, showing the persistence of one of the key competitive weaknesses of the Thai economy.

Out of 60 countries and territories where English is not their mother tongue, Thailand manages only 55th place - outdoing only Panama, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, according to the EF English Proficiency Index.

...........

You can read the rest right here in Thaivisa forum at:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679951-thailand-ranks-near-bottom-in-english-proficiency-survey/

When I want to contradict someone, I like to provide facts or a source. It's much better than just contradicting someone.

Unfortunately you have not read the underlying stats in the link from the link that you have just posted (or, if you have, you have not understood them) ; the headline is contradicted by the underlying stats, as I have pointed out before.

My summary of those stats is in the link that you posted.

I agree, understanding the real data is so much better than just contradicting someone, or using headline figures for Thai-bashing.

[culicine]

I see a problem here "Thai education philosophy, in order to understand the foundation of Thai society"

Thai education is at opposite poles too western philosophy/ies. Here, and I've been told in formal seminars by Thais, that we should love and treat the students as our own kids. I raised that in a session with a western lecturer at my residential school in Australia. The look on her face was priceless. There, there is a definite separation of the relationship of the student to the teacher. As a student, I didn't like that. Neither do i like to lovey-dovey relationship we are supposed to have with Thai students here. Would be nice to have some middle ground. Having students in a room in Australia, alone, is a no-no. Would never have students on out facebook page, etc. It really does the head in of professional teachers coming here to teach Thai kids. If they import their concrete ideas here, it doesn't work out well.

[culicine]

I don't know a lot of people who come to Thailand for work. I know a lot of people who come to Thailand, decide they want to stay and then look for work. For many, teaching English is the only work they can do.

There will have to be a huge increase in salaries to get qualified teachers.

If I am interpreting this correctly, then you will likely need a Teacher's License or Permit from your home country before you can get one in Thailand? That will affect a lot of Filipino teachers.

Scott, I don't see anything in the OP which would suggest it's any different from what we have now - either a teaching certificate from abroad, or teaching credits (one year/24CP).

Never knew about foreign teachers needing Thai language ability, which has been dropped. I never need to use Thai in the classroom anyway.

Perhaps they will just be stricter with the requirements. They would need to raise salaries to at last 60K a month to get real qualified teachers though. A new teacher in Australia earns 3x as much as what I do here and I've been here 14 years. They just are not going to come, given the problems this country is facing right now.

It's like the analogy - a restaurant is doing poor business, so they raise the prices. Thai logic I'll never understand.

Compared to the 'Regulation of the Teachers Council of Thailand on Professional Practice License B.E. 2547 (2004), Volume 121 Special Part 135 D Government Gazette December 9, 2004' the following part is left out!

In addition to possessing the qualifications and having no prohibited characteristics under paragraph one, the applicant who is a foreigner shall have passed the testing and evaluation of knowledge in accordance with the criteria and procedures as set out by the Board.

Meaning 'professional knowledge tests'.

Thanks, I couldn't scroll back to check. I suspected that was left out. Are they finally realising the were not working? I would have thought making (forcing if need be), teacher to undertake a formal teaching qualification here. We don't have too many teachers without degrees, as the salary is ok, but the vast majority do not have formal qualifications. many have been doing the tests; only one had passed them all. I hope for those teachers passing the tests, they don't make the new rule retroactive. I don't think they will, as she has her 5 yr licence now. At worst, long termers will have to quit and find a new job, and restart the process with the provisional licence. If they want to be really strict, they won't allow the process to restart.

Anyway, I think the problems run much deeper than qualifications of foreign teachers. The whole system - curriculum, training of teachers, entrance exams, etc, all need restructuring.

[Ludacris]

Bundoi,

Would you care to comment on Thailand's standing in the recent PISA tests? I'm sure you looked at the underlying data in that study too.

You appear to have tunnel vision when looking at Thai education, which is probably the viewpoint of an owner of a teacher agency for only bottom of the barrel English teachers. Please don't forget that there is a huge middle area of English programs and semi-international schools that need teachers for subjects other than English.

At the mid-level, schools are actually seeing a shortage of qualified teachers who are willing to work for the 60K-80K range. This is most likely a result of the Thai Teacher's Council requirements that were introduced about 5 years ago. Anyone with their head on straight went out and got qualified, whether that's an M. Ed or a teaching certification in their home country, and those teachers are not willing to work for that salary range anymore - they are now looking at the real international schools. I predict that tightening the rules even more will further increase that shortage.

Also, your argument about how foreign teacher salaries should be comparable to local salaries is ridiculous. It has already been pointed out it is normal in many industries to pay extra for experience and talent that is not available locally. Also, I would like to add that foreign teachers are at a huge disadvantage compared local Thai teachers for many reasons - foreign teachers do not have easy access to credit like Thai teachers to buy houses and cars, foreigner teachers do not have the same job security (ie. job for life that Thai teachers have), Thai teachers are able to move up the gov't salary ladder which foreigners are excluded from, Thai teachers will collect a pension when they retire, when Thai teachers want to visit their family it's a trip that takes only a few hours and costs a few hundred baht, and Thai teachers also have a huge support network of friends and family to help them during hard times which foreigners usually do not have. And unofficially but probably one of the most important parts when it comes to salary, Thai teachers are part of the money flow at a school that is off the books that foreigners never see, which could be greater than their actual salary.

Thai teacher salaries have been set with all of the above in mind, so you can't expect a foreign teacher to work for the same salary as a Thai without adding in all the other benefits of the job and culture.

[Brevity]

Of course there needs to be regulations to make sure that schools don't hire people who have no skills and no desire to gain skills. But skills aren't measured only by pieces of paper. Sorry to be self-centred, but again I bring up my own case:

I came to Thailand many years ago and found that I needed a teaching job to be able to stay. So I went and got one - easy, back then - no specific requirements needed. And I wasn't a very good teacher, either. But I have a philosophy of always doing something to the best of my ability, so I made a point of learning from my mistakes, my colleagues, and from some reading. Now I think I do a pretty good job - and most of my colleagues, bosses, students and their parents agree. But I don't have a degree, and so I have been told by the labour office that I won't be able to renew my work permit again.

This means that my 11 years of experience and my reputation count for nothing.

There needs to be some way of counting other forms of experience besides qualifications. I know several people like me that have left the country... and I'm to follow suit shortly.

Lucie, if what you are saying is true: go home, do a one year post-grad teaching diploma (using your 11 years' experience in lieu of an undergrad degree), come back, get a job, be happy.

How much do you know about using experience in lieu of an undergraduate degree? If you know some way to actually get somewhere with this approach please share.

I was trying to help a friend in a similar situation and it was appalling how few credit hours are granted for job experience at true accredited univesities. We were always hitting a wall regardless of the fact that this person had tremendous relevant experience and accomplishments. He could put almost all of his "educated" degree-carrying colleagues to shame in conversations, especially those pertaining to the area of teaching and education, yet he couldn't even get 25% of the credit hours and more likely only about 10%. Education is a business, and universities aren't too keen to give diplomas without first receiving a fair bit of tuition cash.

[Thai at Heart]

Allow RETIRED teachers to volunteer.

Allow foreigners to volunteer for low level jobs such as reading and listening for junior schools.

[chrisinth]

As others have pointed out in this thread, getting (and retaining) qualified teachers will require a paradigm shift in salary levels.

And I don't believe for 1 second that this will happen alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

Simon

There you go Simon. I think you are the first poster on this thread that has mentioned the point of retention of said teachers.

Given that qualified teachers would apply for the jobs, how would the educational offices entice a professional teacher to remain, unhindered in their teaching practice?

[sirchai]

"THE EDUCATION MINISTRY is considering amending the criteria for issuing permits to foreign teachers - so it is standardised and stricter - to attract more capable teachers here,"

I've read this a few times and still can't understand the logic.

It doesn't matter anyway. A new education minister with 'new' education policies will be along soon.

I guess what they meant is "The shit has hit the fan and all involved smell pretty nasty now".Go with the flow said the cow and flew away.-

[SICHONSTEVE]

Oh dear!!

What are they doing?

Try to attract English teachers by making it nigh impossible to get a teaching WP - talking about twisted logic!!

[Sceptict11]

There was a person asking about visa/work-permits on one of the other Forums. He claimed to have been offered a job teaching English to Thai children

He was asked if he possessed a Degree or Diploma. He answered to say he had a NVQ Level One in painting and decorating which was the equivalent of a Diploma !

With such talent being available to Thai Schools you qualified people will never secure a pay rise !

Edited January 15, 2014 by Sceptict11

[zeichen]

I think that actually Thai MOE must first realize that the teachers and their qualifications are not the issue. If a teacher is qualified and experienced, they may be able to create the curriculum and provided all aspects of language learning. However in the current state of schools, they are given limited resources, large classes and told exactly what to teach which has been created by people who know nothing about 2nd language learning.

Qualified and experienced teachers will most likely work for private language schools which pay better and usually have programs developed by people who know what they are doing.

The other thing that I think is seriously lacking in the Thai system is the disconnect between MOE/Administrators and the classroom. In California all administrators need to actually teach a number of classes a year. That way they are affected bu the rules that they are enforcing and actually will be albe to help problem solve these ridiculous demands that they sometimes place.

If MOE realizes foreign NES actually have more use and more ability than just pronunciation and entertainment, they actually might get results.

Korea had a similar problem. They spent huge amounts of money and got limited results and blamed the teachers. The real sisue was that their hands were tied and weren't utilized to their fullest. They also put huge amounts busy work on them and desk warming while others were on vacation.

"

NES salaries in Thailand should be calibrated according to Thai salary scales and cost of living, not the salary scales of home countries (obviously private schools are free to do what they want about salaries).

In the UK the starting salary for a qualified teacher varies, but let's say around 22,000 sterling p.a. pre-tax - about 3 times what an NES might make here; cost of living here 3-10 times cheaper than UK (depending on personal tastes, location).

Don't expect to get rich as an NES in Thailand."

The failure with this argument is that Thai teachers make a lot more than foreign teachers. Hate to break it to you Bundoi. Thai teachers get a pension, Thai teachers often teach cram classrooms making 10-20k baht extra month. Thai teachers salaries do start low but within 5-10 years increase dramatically.

The other failure in this argument is that foreign experts are always paid more. They are not local and don't ever get paid a local salary in any field or any country. Yes, cost of living might be low for a local person, but people often have other expenses in their home country. Thai people in general don't have 20-50k dollars in debt for college.

[duanebigsby]

We all seem to agree, the system is broken. Continuing in the same vein of a sporadic few minutes of English twice weekly taught by a dubiously qualified English-speaking foreigner will never fix it. Attempting to get better qualified teachers is a step in the right direction, but so would increasing the English language contact-time and a permanent mind-set correction on the need for English-language capability among the Thais.

The entire structure of English language education in Thailand needs to change. Teaching English as a foreign language should be limited to the first few years in schools. After that, all courses need to be taught in English. To do this, of course, Thai teachers need to learn and to teach in English. However, that too requires a mind-set change, especially for Thai teachers.

The irony here is that there would still be a need for the dubiously qualified NES teachers--if for nothing more than teaching the Thai teachers.

Why is it I feel I am speaking fantasy?

I agree with everything you say except the "dubiously qualified foreigner" part.

My role is conversational English, listening and speaking. As an educated, degree holder (not education) , mature, Native English Speaker I am helping my students towards the goal of improving their language skill. I'm perfectly happy to take the tests etc to satisfy the Teacher's Council . The new rules as proposed would kick me out.

Thailand needs three times the NES teachers, one third the class size, and tons more contact time with the NES. It also needs to treat school more seriously. Student here spend more time practicing their singing for the grad ceremony, sports days, and camping days than they do in class studying to graduate.

[Lucie]

Allow RETIRED teachers to volunteer.

Allow foreigners to volunteer for low level jobs such as reading and listening for junior schools.

Reading and listening for junior schools are low-level jobs?

No. It's vitally important to get them started on the right track from the beginning. I don't think it would help the "high-level" teachers at secondary level to inherit a group of confused, disillusioned and thoroughly unskilled kids from their backpacker junior teachers.