Having to teach English to Thai teachers at no extra pay

[KarlosInBKK]

I'm in my first ever job teaching English and I work for a well respected government school in BKK. I was passed a message today by a colleague who told me that we now have to teach English to Thai teachers for two hours per week with no extra pay. Personally, I feel that this isn't in my remit as I was hired to teach M1 students and I already teach 21 periods per week. One thing that's annoyed me is that they haven't held a meeting to announce or discuss this. Is this normal for a government school? There are 15 farang staff that work at my school and I'm pretty certain that there will be others that feel the same as me. Any imput from experienced teachers will be much appreciated.

[HeijoshinCool]

Some schools do, some don't.

Like Nancy said, "just say no." Teachers are a commodity now, hard to find and hard to keep.

[Somtamnication]

Spread your wings and fly away!!! More surprises coming soon.

[stubuzz]

How many contact hours do you have in your contract? If you have 25 and are teaching 21, there is not a lot you can say.

[sirchai]

Spread your wings and fly away!!! More surprises coming soon.

Sorry, but for the first time, I have to disagree with you.. The OP will just "help" the Thai teaching stuff, plus directors and assistants to learn some English.

Your pay will be a good reputation, or not. If you're already burned out with your M.1's,, you should consider to do something else.

Sell noodle soups, might be better for you.

[rijb]

The Thai teachers might teach you something in return. Or help you in a pinch.

[sirchai]

The Thai teachers might teach you something in return. Or help you in a pinch.

Which is usually an envelope with useful cash into your pocket. They're not bad.

[otherstuff1957]

Don't worry too much out this... Odds are that the Thai teachers will bail out of the classes after a couple of weeks.

I had to do this for a school a few years ago. The first class had 20 students. The next week we were down to 10. By the fourth week there was just me and two Thai teachers. They told Admin that they thought that we should switch the class to a smaller room. We went around the corner, slipped out the back gate & had some noodles instead of a class.

[sirchai]

Don't worry too much out this... Odds are that the Thai teachers will bail out of the classes after a couple of weeks.

I had to do this for a school a few years ago. The first class had 20 students. The next week we were down to 10. By the fourth week there was just me and two Thai teachers. They told Admin that they thought that we should switch the class to a smaller room. We went around the corner, slipped out the back gate & had some noodles instead of a class.

Hope you had some good noodles....

[siampolee]

Agreed it is a bore , however it is just an extra E.C. activity at work, I did it over the years as did colleagues, no pay , however the goodwill factor and the blind eye turned to early departures or late arrivals more than made up for the time spent each week.

You are part of the team, you are building bridges, you are in a position to make your life somewhat smoother in its daily run at work. You are unwilling or unable to give two hours a week to your fellow Thai colleague who want to improve and no doubt have been told to improve their English skills?

Get in and do it, you'll be the main benefactor in the long term.

It's all about Team Work.

[zeichen]

My concern would be that you are qualified to do so. If this is your first teaching job and if you don't have a background, you will just be grinding wheels.

"Your pay will be a good reputation, or not. If you're already burned out with your M.1's,, you should consider to do something else."

I agree with this 10000%. Building a strong relationship with your Thai staff is something that is invaluable. Most schools have a huge division between local and foreign staff. Anything that you can do to create harmony with your Thai colleagues will pay back in ease of life.

You do realize that Thai teachers have to attend your class for no pay also. My last school Thai teachers had to work more hours and come in on weekends to do cleaning, long friday meetings sometimes until 7pm. So 2 hours a week is getting off pretty easy.

Make the class lively and fun and don't assume that you know more than they do. Encourage them to develop the lessons.

[KarlosInBKK]

Hi guys,

Having slept on it and read your responses I'm now feeling a lot more positive about it today. I hardly know any of the Thai teachers as we farangs are in a seperate office so I think this will be a good thing.

Right then, I'm off to work

[scooterboy]

Well, I do tend to agree with the annoyance factor, at least. Schools often make decisions to give more work - without discussing it first, or even specifying exactly what you're expected to do.

Instances of "training students for competitions" without informing in what area or subjects you're supposed to 'train', comes to mind - along with the usual "teach the teachers English", requirements to help (with what?) at sports days, official visits, internal meetings or whatever whim happens to take the director's fancy.

And - yes, this is with complete disregard for whatever may be specified in one's contract......

That said, it's always a good thing to help out the other teachers - who, as already has been pointed out, have to use extra unpaid time, as well.

Happy teaching!

[noendtoit]

As Nancy and Heijoshincool said, just say no. Most Thais just go along to get along. If you go along, there will be more and more and more. Stand up and say no, and they will leave you alone. Tell them that if they really want you to teach the teachers, then they need to cancel an equal amount of time from your student teaching periods and then you would be happy ti do it.

You get respect, only if you are entitled to it. Don't let anybody walk on you.

[ihunnieibee]

The Thai teachers don't wanna do this just as much as you. Don't worry.. It won't last!!!!

( If it ever even takes off in the first place!!)

[Bardeh]

I was asked to do the same thing at my old job. Like you, I was tempted to say no, but I did it anyway. It was actually quite fun while it lasted, and I got to know some of the Thai teachers better than I would've done otherwise.

However, the teachers were as bad at attending as my students were, and it didn't last that long. Like others have said, they're giving up their free time just the same as you are, and they'll wriggle out of it before too long.

E: Also, I was shocked at the way they behaved as soon as they became 'students' again. Heckling each other, talking over each other, arriving late, not bringing any pens etc. It made me realise where my students got it all from!

Edited June 18, 2014 by Bardeh

[Scott]

Where I work, at various times this happens. We have a set number of teaching periods and the teacher may be asked to do it provided that it doesn't exceed their maximum teaching load. If it does, then they are paid extra.

The advantage of these classes have been noted by some other posters but it should also be added that there usually isn't an overview, a lesson plan, no books to mark or grades to give.

The problem that I've seen is that these classes tend to be hit and miss and don't last long, thus they do not accomplish much other than to waste a fair amount of time.

[little mary sunshine]

If you are a certified, qualified teacher with a degree in education, youu should be

able to say no and get another position any where. If you're one of those people

with "some other degree" attempting to "teach" you're probable in a situation where

you must do what you are told.

[ggt]

Welcome to Thailand...enjoy your stay...

[Bernard Flint]

How many thai teachers for you 15 non thai english teachers???

3 hours a week and you are complaining????

Just do it and stop moaning, you should be proud that they trust you to teach adults too.

btw

I didnt know that there are respectable GOVERNMENT schools hahahahah

[Bernard Flint]

As Nancy and Heijoshincool said, just say no. Most Thais just go along to get along. If you go along, there will be more and more and more. Stand up and say no, and they will leave you alone. Tell them that if they really want you to teach the teachers, then they need to cancel an equal amount of time from your student teaching periods and then you would be happy ti do it.

You get respect, only if you are entitled to it. Don't let anybody walk on you.

for u

[Sirbergan]

Well, I do tend to agree with the annoyance factor, at least. Schools often make decisions to give more work - without discussing it first, or even specifying exactly what you're expected to do.

Instances of "training students for competitions" without informing in what area or subjects you're supposed to 'train', comes to mind - along with the usual "teach the teachers English", requirements to help (with what?) at sports days, official visits, internal meetings or whatever whim happens to take the director's fancy.

And - yes, this is with complete disregard for whatever may be specified in one's contract......

That said, it's always a good thing to help out the other teachers - who, as already has been pointed out, have to use extra unpaid time, as well.

Happy teaching!

Regarding competitions - my school (I taught for one year, this was 4-5 years ago) wanted me to write 12 speeches, then teach and repeat these speeches over and over again. They were supposed to memorize all of them. Madness! Instead I suggested writing a long prologue and epilogue, in order to ensure that at least large parts of their speech would sound perfect. The rest would be up to the student. Fortunately the English teachers, after some arguments, agreed to this.

[Sirbergan]

The problem that I've seen is that these classes tend to be hit and miss and don't last long, thus they do not accomplish much other than to waste a fair amount of time.

Not much of a problem considering the OP doesn't want to do it in the first place

[recom273]

This rubbish gets on my nerves, every year the workload increases. If its not teacher training, its ASEAN camps, etc ..

I dont know where posters get the idea of teambuilding or brown envelopes .. your not part of the teaching team, your dispensable at the first sign of trouble and you are free so dont expect an envelope ( i cant even remember when the westerners got a red one for the chinese new year, let alone any other colour )

Rest assured, from prior experience, there is a 80% chance that the first lesson doesnt even happen .. and 95% chance it doesnt go on longer than one month. TT's know everything already, its a loss of face to accept training from a native speaker (TEFL) teacher. ETS: TT's are amazingly busy, they are taking register at flagbreak, they teach 4 hours a day, are often in 30 mins before and 30 mins after us, constant planning meetings, boy scouts / girl guides .. the last thing they also want is 2 hours sitting in a classroom.

To assess how serious it is, have you been given a curriculum ? or is it "just go and teach them speak English for an hour or two every week". Its only the most progressive schools that will suggest real training with a proper curriculum. The forward thinking teachers who want to improve will ask for your assistance every morning, and invite you to lunch / social activities, they dont need formal 'training'.

Good luck .. There are plenty more 'well respected government schools' in Bangkok if it all gets too much.

Edited June 18, 2014 by recom273

[NoshowJones]

Hi Sirchai, Possum here. The way I see it, this could be very difficult for Farang teachers ie, How many teachers will he be asked to teach in one class? These teachers will be at different levels of English speaking from beginners upwards.

If I was in the OPs situation, no matter how many were in the class, I would start off by asking them to ask me questions, unlike the students, the teachers will not be shy, and then you can just take it from there. Would you agree with that?

[laurenrebecca]

I teach 23 contact hours a week, and have been asked to teach 2 hours a week to the Thai teachers for each of the last 3 years. The first year, about a dozen teachers showed up the first lesson, and by the 3rd we were down to 4. A moth later, I was in the classroom every Wednesday afternoon with nobody showing up. Second year, nobody showed up. This year, nobody has shown up yet, and we are now 6 weeks into school.

Unless the school director really keeps on the Thai teachers, they are not going to hold interest for long.....the teachers that want to learn usually ask me to give them a short lesson privately. This is not a problem, as they then in turn help me out whenever I need anything, or get told about meetings, etc.

None of the other foreign teachers at the school (1 american and 1 Filipino) get this from the Thai teachers. They are left alone, normally not included in extracurricular events, and not told about things that go on in staff meetings etc.....but since I bend over backwards to help the Thai Teachers learn English, they include me in everything...and I actually feel like I belong at the school, and not just a "farang teacher" who will last no more than a year.

Give the teaching a go. The benefits FAR outweigh the 2 hour weekly inconvenience.

[wayned]

Periodically all Thai teachers that teach English are required to take a proficiency test. The same test is given to EP program teachers and those that teach English in small elementary schools. Those that did not get a passing score have to attend remedial courses in English on their own time usually during school closures. The province where I taught also required all foreign teachers to take the test, I taught math. It was a basic test but there were a few ambiguous questions. I unfortunately made the highest score in the Province and was therefore asked to teach the remedial classes during the break and was paid 500 baht a day for two classes. Prior to the test the teachers in my school asked me to hold after hour classes to help them pass the test. I was paid 500 baht for each of these classes from the teachers themselves to try to avoid the remedial classes during the break. The funny thing was that the head of the English Department in the school failed the test!

[belg]

why dont you go see the other farang teachers and start a union and demand extra pay ?

[khaowong1]

Agreed it is a bore , however it is just an extra E.C. activity at work, I did it over the years as did colleagues, no pay , however the goodwill factor and the blind eye turned to early departures or late arrivals more than made up for the time spent each week.

You are part of the team, you are building bridges, you are in a position to make your life somewhat smoother in its daily run at work. You are unwilling or unable to give two hours a week to your fellow Thai colleague who want to improve and no doubt have been told to improve their English skills?

Get in and do it, you'll be the main benefactor in the long term.

It's all about Team Work.

And there's no I in team.

[Benmart]

I tend to swim with the flow and see where the river takes me. If the current becomes too swift, I can always paddle to the shore and walk to my destination.

So much for the water-logged suggestion. Good luck at school!

Easy Does It