Thais need more work and language skills for AEC, experts say

[Maroon Watcher]

Yes there is a world outside Thailand - It's called ASEAN

Beyond that New members could be Australia and China... (Very Big Brothers and Very Powerful)

Good start!

Next step: becoming PART of the rest of the [ADVANCED] world society.

(Even with all IT's faults)

Unfortunately It will be a rude awakening...

[Thai at Heart]

Fortunately my child is attending a school that is also educating her in English and Chinese, which is taught by native teachers from the relevant countries.

Not only is English the working language of the Asean nations, but it is the working language of the whole world.

You can travel all over this planet, and will hear English spoken in every country to varying degrees, but not so many speak Thai, and this is a fact that I continually remind her of.

Unfortunately, unless she is in international school she is being taught the Thai curriculum and thainess.

So.

[MrJohnson]

Yes, very depressing. All too little, too late. This dialogue has been going on for almost two decades. The Thai mentality to learning languages is in line with many other things here - look for the back door entry i.e. path of least resistance, the easiest way with the cheapest price. This, combined with the mindset that 'learning English is very difficult for Thai people...'. Bullshit. If the Mandarin, Vietnamese and Arabic speakers can learn English then so can the Thais.

Then of course there are the communication skills. Unfortunately many Thais confuse language proficiency with communication proficiency. They are two entirely different things. The ability to discuss, debate, negotiate,articulate, rephrase, summarize and so on are where the Thais will really fall behind in the ASEAN.

I see a large, deep pothole ahead.

[Bullie]

Is "feeling like an older brother" a Thai way of saying "I'm superior to you"? If that's the case they have got a nice surprise coming when all the better jobs, especially with foreign companies, are being taken by people from surrounding countries.

At the end of the day it is probably a good thing, it will help an inward looking, navel-staring people realize that there is a world out there, and that Thailand is not the centre of the civilized world.

"Thainess", which apparently no foreigner can ever understand may in future even become something to apologize for.

[iReason]

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There are some cultural changes that need to be made. One is this concept that Thais are superior to people in other ASEAN countries. Work ethic is another. The world economies do not rely upon Thailand. The false perception generated through various ministries that Thailand is the hub of everything has to stop. Thais need to learn how to respect other people of other nationalities, especially in business. This means being on time, getting projects or tasks completed on time and accepting accountability for work not done well or not done at all. I think Thais don't really understand what accountability is and this starts with the education system. The time is soon coming when Thai graduates will be competing with other ASEAN graduates for the good jobs here in Thailand. For example, the English among staff and management of the big international banks here is appalling, so much so, they have real difficulty communicating with branches in other countries and with home office. (My wife is a banker) I think Singaporeans will be filling a lot of bank management slots now held by Thais because of language ability and work ethic.

"accepting accountability for work not done well or not done at all."

I've been here for 12 years. I have never had a staff member do this.

[wabothai]

Wether you like it or not thailand you are as any country in the world subject to a fast growing globalization. If you don't teach your children proper English, other than good morning, how are you, you will be thrown back knto the stone ages.

How many english teachers don't speak english.

I remember about 40 years ago when i was spending a year in Tokyo, many young people frequently came to me in the street to ask me whether i was willing to teach me english. In 7 years of thailand, it hasn't been asked yet.

Start now thailand before it is too late, and listen to some farangs for a change. I have many times suggested to teachers they teach each student 1 word of english every day. In one year 365 words, etc...

Does not seem to hard to me.

I would love to hear it, thailand, hub of english speakers.

[Benmart]

Did we really need experts to tell us this?

Any voice outside of TVF is most welcomed in this area. Particularly since most of the world does not subscribe to TVF.

[Benmart]

Let's kick out the English teachers when they are needed the most

wrong. if yo were to do this legally you would not have a problem. I blame you and the place where you teach. Do it right. It is not difficult.

Blame is an abundant commodity. Suggesting the correct manner, as you have done, is proper and benefits everyone in the long run.

[laocowboy2]

Thailand’s whole idea to join ASEAN is comparable to this situation:

You contract an architect to build an igloo, sign a contract to buy a snowmobile, and out of the blue you realize you live in the tropics. Consequently you complain and blame the dealer over the missing snow.

Love it - just spilled water all over my desk from laughing so hard

[bkkstooge]

"Thais needed to be well prepared in their skill sets, both professional and language skills, particularly English"

Yes absolutely yes so why is Thailand one of the lowest paying nations in ESL teaching in SEA. You can make about 30 to 35 US an hour teaching IELTS in Vietnam here your very lucky to get above 500 Baht and why is the task of getting work permits/visas an expensive and unpleasant one (ever dealt with a immigration/consulate official in a bad mood? Jeeez your short term and long term personal life and career future are in the hands of a racist with a lousy attitude)

Older brother thing???

Never happen in order for Thais to achieve this they must ditch their undeserved and unjustified superiority complex (Thainess I believe its called )and be honest about who they are and the country they live in

[rametindallas]

There are some cultural changes that need to be made. One is this concept that Thais are superior to people in other ASEAN countries. Work ethic is another. The world economies do not rely upon Thailand. The false perception generated through various ministries that Thailand is the hub of everything has to stop. Thais need to learn how to respect other people of other nationalities, especially in business. This means being on time, getting projects or tasks completed on time and accepting accountability for work not done well or not done at all. I think Thais don't really understand what accountability is and this starts with the education system. The time is soon coming when Thai graduates will be competing with other ASEAN graduates for the good jobs here in Thailand. For example, the English among staff and management of the big international banks here is appalling, so much so, they have real difficulty communicating with branches in other countries and with home office. (My wife is a banker) I think Singaporeans will be filling a lot of bank management slots now held by Thais because of language ability and work ethic.

I agree with your post but wonder how many Thai banks would pay Singaporeans enough to induce them to work in Thailand. Thailand will be a draw for the lowest educated/skilled workers in AEC and will not pay enough to attract the best/brightest.

Sorry, I reread you post and you were referring to big, international banks so, yes, they will be replacing Thai staff with Singaporeans.

[rametindallas]

luckily we are not experiencing a massive visa crackdown that will force out a lot of native english speaking teachers

oh wait..

I've read that it is against Thai law for native English speaking ex-pats to even volunteer to teach English without accreditation and permit. Can someone link to proof or disproof of this?

[IAMSOBAD]

It's against the law to think and sweat in English without a work permit.

It's called using energy/work.

I'm just saying...

Edited July 14, 2014 by IAMSOBAD

[northernjohn]

Left till last minute again,they better start learning NOW,or they

are going to be left behind,by Vietnam,Cambodia and Burma.

regards Worgeordie

From what I see in Myanmar staff I have had they are on the same par as the Thais, cue vacant look and no thought process often.

In the most basic sense, Im not talking University educated I mean at a very basic common sense level.

Today one of our banana plants got blown over, snapped in half, I told the staff to get some stick under the ones likely to fall and the one that had fallen was to be cut down completely.

I came back later and they had propped up the broken one with a stick and ignored the others unbroken but about to break completely.

The tree they propped up was already a gonner as it had snapped in half.

No thought at all, no " oh look some of the others are leaning a lot too maybe we should prop those up"

They wait until it falls down then attempt a fix.........on just that plant only.

You have brought forth a very excellent point. I hear all the time how Thailand must learn English they are behind and what not. I just wonder how many of those people have traveled in the countries they think are doing so good.

When it comes to English yes there will be a need for English speaking Thais. What I can't understand is why waste the money teaching English to some one who doesn't want a job that requires it.

If they want the job that requires it they should already be learning it. Also the government should insure the teachers can speak good English. As an American I have very little trouble understanding Englishmen and Australians in General but there are some of them I doubt even the people living in the same country with them can understand.

I have a friend who is an Irishman teaching English. I have no trouble understanding him when he slows down his speed talk. How are people going to learn good English from speed talkers or people with accents so bad there are people in their own country having trouble understanding them?

I have a friend who works locally as a translator. It is funny at times. She speaks very good understandable English but I every once in a while throw in some thing that requires culture understanding and she has no idea or what I am talking about. Kind of like trying to speak fluent Thai with out using the tones.

[outsider]

When AEC was mooted, the 'experts' said Thais needed better language and work skills. Years later, and one year from implementation, the 'experts' are still saying the same thing. I suspect they will still be saying the same thing in 2010. 'Experts'...

[DavidBonnie]

It's quite a good move to stop the teachers who are working on a tourist visa from doing it any longer as there will be a shortage of teachers and the schools/government and agencies may be forced to pay better wages AND a further step would be to insist that all teachers employed are properly qualified and taught in their home country. It's impossible to develp the Thai education system with a lot of backpackers/sex tourists who just 'fall' into teaching as a way of staying in Thailand. Just because I am English does not mean I could teach someone to be a great cricket player. Nationality does not ensure that anyone is capable of teaching. It is a profession. Perhaps these changes will encourage the government into actually investing in education. The Thai teachers teach grammar for the most part and cannot teach conversation which is precisely what most Thai students need to help them communicate in the jobs market.

[Chris Lawrence]

Thailand’s whole idea to join ASEAN is comparable to this situation:

You contract an architect to build an igloo, sign a contract to buy a snowmobile, and out of the blue you realize you live in the tropics. Consequently you complain and blame the dealer over the missing snow.

Great analogy Lupa.

Anyone can learn a language, but whats inside the person? They need to know what they want.

A bit of press on the need to expand Thailand into the intellectual/skill world at the moment. Maybe they should find out what they are good at and develop that. In other words develop the industries you are good at but make them better. Everything will follow.

Sounds as though the generals don't know which field to build at the moment? and they want to put the army into the senate? It will just end in tears again?