New rules. I will need actual teaching degree to teach in Thailand?

[alex88]

I have a degree in human behaviour and I intend to get a celta and some volunteer teaching work for experience and then apply for jobs teaching English in Thailand.

However I have read recently in these forums that the Thai government is considering rules whereby you will be required to have an actual teaching degree in order to teach here?

Not only would this mean most English teachers in Thailand will be deported but it will also now be a futile exercise for me to consider getting work in Thailand.

Are my assumptions here correct?

[zeichen]

check facts first before getting paranoid.

You actually already need a teacher's license to teach in Thailand. There are exceptions but the most common way is to get a waiver. You don't need a degree in education to get a teacher's license in most countries. Many states in the US require you to take a few classes around 6-8 and take 2 Praxis tests.

Spending 1 year maximum could get you a teacher's license in your home country. In Thailand, you could take 4 tests, which are tough but not impossible,

Teachers will not be deported, they will just need to find other means. Currently there are people without degrees at all working legally even though having a degree is required technically.

[Scott]

As of now, teachers can obtain a provisional license (waiver). You can teach, but you will eventually have to get yourself fully legal.

I don't know that the OP is paranoid. Sometimes it really does feel like they are out to get us.

[alex88]

So judging from what is being said you would say that the provisional license (Waiver) would still apply to new teachers? I wouldn't mind teaching in Thailand for just a couple of years and then move on to other better paying Asian countries and come back to Thailand later on when I have had the time and money to get a teaching license back in my home country.

[Scott]

It will be very difficult to do away with the provisional license, although they could alter it. They require the Thai Culture and language course, so until that is taken, most teachers would need to be on a waiver.

You should be fine if you wish to work a couple of years in Thailand and then move on.

[fxe1200]

If you did not study successfully to become a teacher in your home country, or have not obtained a diploma in social education, I ask you not to teach in Thailand, for the sake of the kids.

[inzman]

If you feel you have something to offer the kids and have a command of the English language, I ask you to come teach here, for the sake of the kids.

Edited January 18, 2014 by inzman

[Sceptict11]

alex88

Why not just obtain a "Celta " and teach "English" in your own country of origin?

With the "degree" and the "Celta" teaching "English" at home would bring more status, a better salary and the opportunity of career progression !

Is there any reason why this would not be a viable option ?

[ozyjon]

Why do you want to teach in Thailand where you will be paid less than a rice farmer if you don't have the qualifications because there are hundreds of people from all over the world doing the same thing as you but with teaching degrees, don't end up begging in the streets of Bangkok. You could always try China, Japan and Korea, also i hear Mongolia is a real hot spot right now for teaching, re search your market well before jumping in, Thailand is finished, many teachers in Laos now or Cambodia.

[Notable]

Get a CELTA or better still a DELTA. Don't listen to the usual moaners either. Teaching here can be great fun, I did it for a few years. Some of the best teachers I saw working here didn't have degrees either.

[umbanda]

It is not a mention here that The Thai Governement started a program in 2011 for Government Elementary Schools to hire English teachers WITHOUT any degree, foreigners or Thai, even non native English Speakers like me. I was working under that program for few months. Very low salary but not full time hours.Teacher salaries in Thailand probably are the lowest in Asia. I am retired. I just did because I love to teach. I have an American friend teaching English in Korea and another in Japan, without teaching qualifications, with salaries over US$2500/month plus housing and travel expenses. They are happy about the salaries, but they are complaining about the very high basic cost of living in those countries.They were hired just trough a phone interview when vacationing in Thailand in 2010.

[alex88]

alex88

Why not just obtain a "Celta " and teach "English" in your own country of origin?

With the "degree" and the "Celta" teaching "English" at home would bring more status, a better salary and the opportunity of career progression !

Is there any reason why this would not be a viable option ?

Because I have no interest in my country. I prefer Asia. Why does anybody choose to work in Asia rather than their own country?

I already spend 3 months per year in Thailand why not make it 12?

Edited January 18, 2014 by alex88

[Notable]

I agree, don't even consider using fake documents it could get you deported. There's a college in BKK running a TESOL BA now I see (Tongsook). Although you'd need to research them. I completed a BA in Thai language here a number of years ago, if you plan to stay for the long term I'd recommend that also. It'll open plenty of doors for you, most certainly from a financial viewpoint.

[alex88]

Why do you want to teach in Thailand where you will be paid less than a rice farmer if you don't have the qualifications because there are hundreds of people from all over the world doing the same thing as you but with teaching degrees, don't end up begging in the streets of Bangkok. You could always try China, Japan and Korea, also i hear Mongolia is a real hot spot right now for teaching, re search your market well before jumping in, Thailand is finished, many teachers in Laos now or Cambodia.

I want to teach in Thailand because it is the place I love and I spend most of my time here anyway.

Also I have met a lot of English teachers in Thailand and very few of them had a teaching degree. If the new rules are enforced the vast majority of teachers will have to leave.

[hotrod4098]

why would some one think they are a teacher just because they speak english

some are just drop outs from there own country who come to thailand and over night think they can teach..

its just a visa dodge for a lot of people...

[alex88]

why would some one think they are a teacher just because they speak english

some are just drop outs from there own country who come to thailand and over night think they can teach..

its just a visa dodge for a lot of people...

Because sometimes they get hired and turn out to be better teachers than those with a 'teaching degree'

[Dr Robert]

Enforce the need for a teaching degree in Thailand and give the kids a fair go-the vast majority of teachers without teacher training and experience are making it difficult for those who do/have. This nonsense that good teachers don't have to have appropriate training needs to be debunked. How many of the advocates in here are qualified to make a good judgement that these unqualified people are indeed capable teachers? Would you see a doctor because they claim to be human and get sick and are therefore qualified to practice medicine? Would you fly with a pilot who claims they can fly because they launched a kite... take on a lawyer who only had the experience of being in court for a youthful transgression? For goodness sake, if you aren't trained as a teacher it stands to reason you are unlikely to be a capable teacher. If you are serious, do the hard yards, get the training and make a decent job of it or get the hell out.

[Notable]

I'd have to agree that some of the teachers I've witnessed teaching who had either teaching degrees or PGCE's, weren't necessarily great teachers. You can't compensate for zero personality with qualifications.

[hotrod4098]

teaching in thailand is used as a visa scam..reason being they have no cash to stay thailand long time...

as i said how can a drop out be a teacher..some have never worked at all in there own country..unemployable comes to mind...

then they get a job teaching...can that be right...they are less educated than the person they are teaching...this is for self gain..

nothing to do with improving the childrens education..

[sushi5734]

Actually there are proposed changes to the licensing of teachers in Thailand which would require a B Ed degree or some form of graduate teaching qualification PGCE or equivalent. It's completely unworkable, its even more ridiculous than the tablet scheme!

Of course Thailand would be better off with thousands of qualified western teachers, however there's just one small detail.......Why the hell would any qualified teacher work in a normal Thai school, be treated like crap and get paid £700 a month, when they could go to China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore or numerous countries in the Middle East and be paid vast amounts of money and be treated with respect? The problem with the Thai education system is not with the foreign teachers (although there are some dreadful examples) the problem is that a significant proportion of the Thai teachers are stuck in their ways, unsackable, rude, arrogant, ignorant, corrupt, downright mean and nasty to the kids......you know, all of the qualities you're looking for in someone to shape and mould the future of the country.

The changes haven't been introduced yet, but as far as I understand it, everything with the TCT is on hold until it's resolved, which given the current situation in Bangkok could be quite some time. A lot of people are going to be up s#!t creek without a paddle when it comes to renewing visas and work permits this April, as you can't get either whilst working as a teacher without a teachers licence or a waiver, which the Teachers Council of Thailand are not issuing at the moment.

Having said that there are always seems to be a loophole or dodgy back door way in Thailand!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Notable]

You only need to look at the other ASEAN member states teaching requirements to see what's going to happen. BA degree plus PGCE, CELTA or TESOL. There's no way they're going to insist on an ED degree.

[alex88]

Why do you want to teach in Thailand where you will be paid less than a rice farmer if you don't have the qualifications because there are hundreds of people from all over the world doing the same thing as you but with teaching degrees, don't end up begging in the streets of Bangkok. You could always try China, Japan and Korea, also i hear Mongolia is a real hot spot right now for teaching, re search your market well before jumping in, Thailand is finished, many teachers in Laos now or Cambodia.

What is amazing is that far more advanced countries such as Japan and Korea hire CELTA teachers but Thailand is proposing banning these teachers as inadequate. Incredible!

[LotusBoy]

The OP is correct. It's coming...... The tests for the 5 Year Thai Licence have been on hold. No one knows when or if they will start up again. Even the Thai cultural course is paused, and not needed anyway now.

They are and will change so that all Teachers here will need a Degree in Education. Even Thai teachers need this an Education Degree to teach, just like any other country. As I said, it's coming........

Don't even think about these so called Life Degrees, the MOE are on the ball as are most schools in Bangkok now.

[crazydrummerpauly]

I think a lot depends on where you live and what kind of school is involved. Up in my far-flung North-Eastern Isaan town, i have turned down offers of teaching jobs at private schools on a number of occasions - no questions about qualifications asked - and on one occasion i was actually asked by the mayor's wife to teach higher English to town councilors and council staff. When i asked about needing a work-permit, she laughed loudly and mentioned something about her father being a 'big man' in BKK politics. I took this as solid proof that i should stay a mile away from that offer. If you are presentable, sober, and speak clearly, the offers will come after people in a town get used to seeing you around and also see who you associate with. However, i understand that there will be other schools in other locations who will do everything 'by the book'. I just think it's worth knowing that there are schools where even people with indecipherable so-called English accents, and no qualifications at all have been employed for years in my area, without permits because many schools don't want the hassle/paperwork/cost involved. I'm not recommending anything btw - working without a permit involves some serious risk of course - but anyone desperate to teach could teach. Also, getting worked up about 'new rules' kind of ignores the simple truth that in LoS, rules are what most people routinely ignore with enthusiasm! And as others have said, there is always that highly useful 'Waiver'. How it will pan out in a year or three - well who knows ? Thais are pragmatic above all else, and if they have kids lining up to pay for English classes and no-one in sight to teach them, guess what - 'You like to teach for me ?'

Edited January 18, 2014 by crazydrummerpauly

[alex88]

In My country (Australia): In Australia, CELTA meets the requirements for a qualification allowing you to teach in NEAS accredited private language schools and University language centres, along with a degree in any subject.

[F4UCorsair]

If you did not study successfully to become a teacher in your home country, or have not obtained a diploma in social education, I ask you not to teach in Thailand, for the sake of the kids.

I couldn't agree more.

I've seen posts here by people who identified themselves as teachers, whose grasp of the English language is, at best, tenuous. How those people could pass on their 'knowledge', with a clear conscience, and worse, be paid for their efforts, is beyond my powers of comprehension.

They're the ones who use 'who's' instead of 'whose', 'there' instead of 'they're' or ;their', etc. It's not my intention to be the grammar police, and I appreciate that not everybody who posts here has a great education, but I think a kid whose parents are paying to have him/her taught English have an expectation that the teacher firstly has the knowledge, and secondly can pass on that knowledge.

[F4UCorsair]

why would some one think they are a teacher just because they speak english

some are just drop outs from there own country who come to thailand and over night think they can teach..

its just a visa dodge for a lot of people...

Because sometimes they get hired and turn out to be better teachers than those with a 'teaching degree'

Solid research turns up this 'fact'??

[Scott]

A large number of off-topic and argumentative posts have been removed. If you wish to use other countries as an example about regulations, then do so as a comparison.

It might be wise to refrain from talking about how great and wonderful a specific group of teachers are. Unless you have actually been a student in those classes, an assessment of anyone's teaching ability is probably subjective.

This topic is about the rules for Thailand.

[Ajaan]

As of now, teachers can obtain a provisional license (waiver). You can teach, but you will eventually have to get yourself fully legal.

I don't know that the OP is paranoid. Sometimes it really does feel like they are out to get us.

"Out to get us"??? If you're not a real teacher, you shouldn't be recognized as one. I (and many others) spent years and lots of hard work and study to become an actual language teacher.

[Scott]

I don't know what you mean by an 'actual language teacher'. Do you mean you have a degree in education? A major in English? There are a lot of people who have spent time and money complying with regulations to be a legal teacher. Unfortunately, for some, the regulations change and they don't have a good or effective manner of grandfathering current teachers.

The country needs to decide what it is that it wants to achieve with regard to English language instruction, then work toward achieving it. If they want teachers licensed and experienced in the home country of English speaking countries, then they are narrowing the field of potential teachers. They will have to increase the salary substantially and the method of recruitment will need to change. Probably visa and work permit rules will need to be expedited.

If they wish to use those with other qualifications, then perhaps the curriculum, lesson plans etc. should be designed by a Licensed Teacher. The point is there are a number of ways to structurally approach the problem.