Visa crackdown: Is this the end of the road for unqualified ESL teachers in Thailand?

[Jonathan Fairfield]

EDITORIAL

 

Visa crackdown: Is this the end of the road for unqualified ESL teachers in Thailand?

 

Image above: file photo via Shutterstock

 

BANGKOK:-- Following the news that the Out/In border run is now officially dead, staying in Thailand long term has become decidedly more difficult.   

 

The use of back-to-back visas will no longer be permitted.   This is arguably the biggest shake up of visa rules and regulations in decades.

 

In the coming days and weeks Thaivisa.com will take a look at how different people and sectors are affected by the new crackdown.

 

We hope to bring you interviews and opinions from various different people including a long stay ‘tourist’, an offshore worker, an online entrepreneur, a property agent, an ESL teacher, a visa run company owner, embassy official and others.

 

But first, we take a look at how the new crackdown my impact ESL teaching generally in Thailand....

 

 

 

Times are changing in Thailand.

 

Since the visa crackdown was announced earlier this week, our visa forum has been inundated with question after question from concerned individuals worried they will no longer be able to stay in Thailand.

 

There have been questions from offshore workers wondering how their unconventional work patterns can be accommodated under the new visa crackdown.

 

There are also the long term visitors to Thailand who are under 50, not married, do not work and don’t want to study Thai, but who have enough finances from overseas to support an extended stay in Thailand.

 

There have been questions from unmarried guys, fathers, divorcees, foreign couples living in Thailand, the disabled...we could go on.

 

Arguably the biggest group affected by the tourist visa crackdown are the teachers. Many of whom have been debating how teachers will be affected by the new visa regulations in our Education forum.

 

By ‘teachers’ we don’t mean the individual arriving from the the UK or United States armed with their PGCE or Bachelor Degree in Education to take a job at one of Bangkok’s leading international schools.

 

We’re mainly talking about the ‘TEFLers’ or those who in the eyes of the Thai authorities are unqualified to teach English in Thailand.

 

For those who aren’t aware, a ‘TEFLer’ refers to someone who has completed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language training program or course. A TEFL ‘qualification’ can also be obtained online. TEFL courses vary greatly in quality and the industry is largely unregulated.

 

Under the current regulations to teach in Thailand, most teachers are required to have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in any field.

 

Now despite Thailand’s education authorities claiming to only want ‘qualified’ teachers, the reality is that there are a great number of ‘teachers’ working here without degrees, and consequently without Non-B’s and work permits.

 

Demand far outweighs supply and in a lot of cases, as long as there is a farang body standing at the front of the class, that’s usually enough for the students and parents, which in turn is enough for the school management and directors. Everyone’s happy.

 

They don’t really care if the ‘teacher’ has the correct visa type or not. They are just desperate for a native English speaker to give some English lessons to the students.

 

Take Ajarn Ken as an example, who despite not having a degree, has just arrived from the United States with a spring in his step, full of enthusiasm and eager to make a real difference to the lives of school children in Nakon Nowhere. He hasn't got a Non-B visa or work permit because he hasn't got a degree so he’s most likely working on a tourist visa, which in 60 days will need to be renewed.

 

Prior to the crackdown, this would have meant a visa run to a neighbouring country but under the rules which officially come into play from August 12th 2014, he will no longer be able to re-enter Thailand on a back to back tourist visa. This means, Ajarn Ken won't be able to work in Thailand and that the school will be without an English teacher.

 

Examples such as the one with Ajarn Ken will happen all over the country and could cause a very sudden and quite dramatic shortfall in English teachers in Thailand.

 

The likes of Ajarn Ken are not only limited to the backpacker types or newbie teachers. Some of these guys have been here years, maybe a decade or more. Some may have wives, long term partners and families. Could this crackdown result in the breakup of families all over Thailand?

 

But unqualified teachers shouldn’t be teaching anyway, right?

 

Now of course there will be people who will say that ‘unqualified’ individuals shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a classroom but the truth is that many of them provide a genuine service for the people of Thailand.

 

These unqualified teachers or ‘TEFLers’ as they are also known, are wanted by the schools, by the parents and by the students, and in all honesty are probably much needed for the future of Thailand - a country which is under pressure to improve its competency in English, especially with the introduction of the new ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

 

In an ideal world, Thailand would without doubt want to employ qualified English teachers, but the reality is that many schools simply can’t afford more than the 30,000 THB standard salary of a teacher.

 

Why would someone with a Bachelor Degree in Education come and work in Thailand when they can go to Japan or Korea and earn double that amount? Head to the UAE or Qatar and earn five, six or even seven times the amount an English teacher picks up in Thailand.

 

School administrators should worry too

 

The visa crackdown will have a wider impact on the education system generally. As well as a possible and sudden shortfall in teachers, schools will also be forced to get their administrative procedures in order also.  

 

School administrators will have to ensure paperwork for a teacher to obtain a Non-B visa will have to be promptly and effectively processed or the teacher runs the risk of being rejected upon their application at a neighbouring consulate and then unable to return to Thailand on a visa exempt entry or a tourist visa.

 

Newbie teachers will no longer be able to teach on a 3 or 6 month probation period, whilst on a tourist visa, as is common in many schools throughout Thailand.

 

Don’t forget the language schools

 

Then there are the private language schools and agencies that for whatever reason have employed unqualified teachers, without a Non-B visa and work permit for years and years. These organisations are perhaps the biggest employers of unqualified teachers but they will now be forced to only hire individuals who qualify for a Non-B.

 

Or will they?

 

Let’s be honest, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a ‘crackdown’ in Thailand in some form or another. However, it is perhaps the first time we have seen one be implemented by the authorities so quickly.

 

The abuse of the tourist visa/visa exempt system isn’t the only area being cleaned up at present. Recent weeks have seen the authorities target corrupt civil servants, illegal taxi drivers and beach encroachers in Phuket.  

 

Many people will say that this crackdown is a good thing, especially if rids Thailand of unqualified ‘teachers’ but  others would argue that you don’t need to be qualified to be a good teacher.

 

Whatever your opinion, as the dust is just starting settle, there are still a lot of people with more questions than they have answers and even more who are worried about their long term future in Thailand.

 

[tv]2014-07-17[/tv]

 

 

[EnzoRippo]

Last time we heard about cleaning the immigration status of illegal workers, it was about the Cambodian nationals => they went back home but Thais realized they badly needed them => Cambodians came back.

Same story here? No => Thais DON'T NEED English teachers from abroad because millions Thais speak a perfect English and can teach to the children.

[ClutchClark]

They are going to quit teaching ESL.

The future looks to be MSL (Mandarin).

[MJP]

Last time we heard about cleaning the immigration status of illegal workers, it was about the Cambodian nationals => they went back home but Thais realized they badly needed them => Cambodians came back.

Same story here? No => Thais DON'T NEED English teachers from abroad because millions Thais speak a perfect English and can teach to the children.

 

It's true. My wife and all her sisters speak excellent English. One is fluent in French as well.

[Tatsujin]

The "teaching" side of this visa issue alone is going to cause "Thailand" no end of headaches. And you think you're ready for ASEAN? What a fucking joke.

[pinkpanther99]

Last time we heard about cleaning the immigration status of illegal workers, it was about the Cambodian nationals => they went back home but Thais realized they badly needed them => Cambodians came back.

Same story here? No => Thais DON'T NEED English teachers from abroad because millions Thais speak a perfect English and can teach to the children.

 

I agree with you about the Cambodians but I've have previously taught English in two schools in Thailand and the level of English speaking ability by the Thai 'English' teachers was pretty abysmal in both.

 

One school I taught at was a fairly poor govt school but the the other school I taught at for almost two years was one the leading schools in the province. I taught in the English programme and even there the Thai teachers English skills were poor and they certainly were not able to speak 'perfect English' as you mention, actually they were a million miles away from being able to do that.

 

I'm not having a go, just telling it how it was when I was teaching here.

 

Anyway, this was 3 or 4 years ago so things might have improved since then.

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

I teach and have taught for 3 decades.  I have the necessary degrees, certificates and experience.  I work with many teachers who don't have the required documentation and many of them are excellent teachers.  It will be a shame if these wonderful teachers are shown the door by the Thai government.  I understand the current crackdown but the reality is that Thailand will be hurt in both the long run and short run by excluding these folks.

[TheSiemReaper]

They are going to quit teaching ESL.

The future looks to be MSL (Mandarin).

 

You do realize that the only people who think that Mandarin is going to be an international language are stupid white people from the West, don't you? There are more Chinese people currently studying English than there are people in the continental United States. There is one universal language of travel, trade, commerce, telecoms, IT, etc. that language is English. It's a done deal. (Mainly thanks to the 1 billion+ folks of India who all speak some English - English is in fact the official language of India). Even if English were to become an extinct language there is no way on earth that the world would turn to a language with 10,000 characters as a unifying language. It takes Chinese people, on average, until they are 16 years old to become fully literate in 3,000 of those characters.

[grimmbro]

I always love when people say Thais could teach English. There are certainly fluent english speakers here, but they can command a much higher salary doing almost anything else than teaching. Having taught a number of Teacher Training camps, the 'fluency' of Thai English teachers is a major factor in Thai students scoring so low on competency tests. Also there are more than a few ESL certificates that are rigourous in their training and include observed classroom instruction and have a internationally standardized grading system. Why wouldn't these people be qualifed to teach? They would be in other countries.

[dereklev]

They are going to quit teaching ESL.

The future looks to be MSL (Mandarin).

 

A good idea but it's not going to happen whilst English is the lingua franca of ASEAN.

[pinkpanther99]

There is a good point in the article about the schools having to get themselves in order too.

 

This is so true.

 

When I was teaching, I taught the first 3 months on a tourist visa as the school ensured me that the policy was for all new teachers to work a probation period, after which they'll sort out the Non-B.

 

When the 3 months was up and I needed to get my Non-B they sent me to Laos but they left out some crucial documentation that meant my Non-B visa was rejected upon application. I then had to re-enter Thailand on a 15 day visa exempt stamp (as it was then) to go back to the school so they could correct the mess.

 

Under the new rules, I wouldn't be able to re-enter and all because the school messed up the paperwork for my Non-B visa.

 

It turned out that a school director had forgotten to sign 3 pieces of paper! I then had to go back to Laos afterwards, which was like two trips in the space of a week, where I eventually got my Non-B but the whole episode was a major headache.

[pinkpanther99]

I always love when people say Thais could teach English. There are certainly fluent english speakers here, but they can command a much higher salary doing almost anything else than teaching. Having taught a number of Teacher Training camps, the 'fluency' of Thai English teachers is a major factor in Thai students scoring so low on competency tests. Also there are more than a few ESL certificates that are rigourous in their training and include observed classroom instruction and have a internationally standardized grading system. Why wouldn't these people be qualifed to teach? They would be in other countries.

 

This is a very good point.

 

The Thais who can really speak English well are all in the private sector, they certainly don't waste their time earning a pittance (less than 10k THB a month in some cases) teaching in a school in Thailand.

 

Fluent or very competent Thai English speakers are owners of big businesses, company directors, senior managers, or work in travel or tourism.

 

They don't teach because it simply does not pay enough.

Edited July 17, 2014 by pinkpanther99

[F K Thornbury]

Yes, there are Thais who are fluent in English.  However, the notion that teaching the language should be left solely to the natives here is piffle.

 

Unless you want broken English to prevail....which is fine I guess.....and which is currently the case.....due to students being taught year-after-year by other Thais!

[GoonDizzy]

I always love when people say Thais could teach English. There are certainly fluent english speakers here, but they can command a much higher salary doing almost anything else than teaching. Having taught a number of Teacher Training camps, the 'fluency' of Thai English teachers is a major factor in Thai students scoring so low on competency tests. Also there are more than a few ESL certificates that are rigourous in their training and include observed classroom instruction and have a internationally standardized grading system. Why wouldn't these people be qualifed to teach? They would be in other countries.

 

I think you're talking about the DELTA/CELTA or Trinity TESOL. Those are all enough to teach ESL legally in Europe. They're also bloody expensive courses. (Level 5 professional qual above a HND and below a level 6 full hons degree). The problem is they can lumped in with Beach TEFLs by those without knowledge on the subject.

[mc1984]

Qualified English teachers??? Because a bachelors degree in zoology or computer science makes you a qualified English teacher....... What a joke.

 

If you have a TELF certificate, you are already a more qualified English teacher than some one with a degree in, say, astro-physics. 

[gabruce]

 

Last time we heard about cleaning the immigration status of illegal workers, it was about the Cambodian nationals => they went back home but Thais realized they badly needed them => Cambodians came back.

Same story here? No => Thais DON'T NEED English teachers from abroad because millions Thais speak a perfect English and can teach to the children.

 

I agree with you about the Cambodians but I've have previously taught English in two schools in Thailand and the level of English speaking ability by the Thai 'English' teachers was pretty abysmal in both.

 

One school I taught at was a fairly poor govt school but the the other school I taught at for almost two years was one the leading schools in the province. I taught in the English programme and even there the Thai teachers English skills were poor and they certainly were not able to speak 'perfect English' as you mention, actually they were a million miles away from being able to do that.

 

I'm not having a go, just telling it how it was when I was teaching here.

 

Anyway, this was 3 or 4 years ago so things might have improved since then.

 

 

He was being sarcastic and/or humorous.

 

[pkkpaul]

To Quote the OP..."Why would someone with a Bachelor Degree in Education come and work in Thailand when they can go to Japan or Korea and earn double that amount? Head to the UAE or Qatar and earn five, six or even seven times the amount an English teacher picks up in Thailand."

 

Is it possible the ‘TEFLers’ have forced that salary level down, schools will opt for the way cheaper option than

employing someone with a Bachelor Degree in Education...

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by pkkpaul

[Borzandy]

Could we expect a crackdown concerning unqualified Thai teachers..

[Rorri]

 

Last time we heard about cleaning the immigration status of illegal workers, it was about the Cambodian nationals => they went back home but Thais realized they badly needed them => Cambodians came back.

Same story here? No => Thais DON'T NEED English teachers from abroad because millions Thais speak a perfect English and can teach to the children.

 

It's true. My wife and all her sisters speak excellent English. One is fluent in French as well.

 

Well that's your "small family group" out 65 million, your argument is a bit weak, maybe you need to focus on what Thailand needs, not only your happy little family.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Rorri

[Carioca]

I am unaware of many people disagreeing with the military about any of the changes (politicians excluded of course).  I remain optimistic that their address of many issues, tourist visas this time, has more important reasons than crackdown on english teachers.  They could simplify it tremendously by just giving english teachers an education visa as long as they teach.

[navara]

The need for teachers who can teach some basic English is huge, special in the rural areas. Those areas do not have the funds to pay for a qualified teacher, some schools do not have the funds at all. So they depend on those non-qualified teachers who come to teach for less. Or as I do, for free. Most of the teachers simply like to stay in Thailand and get some pocket money, which is hardly enough to cover the costs.

 

Thailand assumed that non-qualified teachers are not good enough to teach, this is nonsense of course. Native teachers are qualified, but there are over 200 English dialects. Often I hear better English with non-native speakers, than with native ones. It's about the pronouncement and not about the grammar, Thai teachers are good at grammar, they do not need any farang to teach this.

 

It will be a huge set back for the Thai educational system, when they forbid those good non-qualified teachers to teach poor Thai students.

Edited July 17, 2014 by navara

[bubba]

Don't most countries have qualifications and working visa requirements for teachers? What's wrong with Thailand doing the same?

 

OT: I am just going to take a wild guess here: unqualified students with ED visas of convenience will be next in the clearing out.

[LuckyLew]

How the heck cares? Thailand survived before these unqualified people showed up and Thailand will survive if they all leave

Thai people are still poor in English without without them

I am so tired of reading this malarky about "teachers this and teachers that"

If you cannot get a valid visa ... bye bye ... mai pen rai

[JimMagee]

Qualified or not to teach English, I would argue that just the exposure alone to a native English speaker, for most Thai students, is beneficial.  Just to help them hear the English words spoken correctly, and to help them not be so shy around foreigners is a big step forward.  I have worked around Thai English teachers who speak English well, but mispronounce many words.  In my experience around Thai kids is that they have a decent English vocabulary, but they don't now how to form sentences.  English sentences are nearly in reverse of Thai sentences as far as organization of words.  The Thai English curriculum focuses so much on grammar that the students are confused and are shy about using the wrong verb or tense.  So they choose to not speak at all.  Just listening to a native English person speak will help them a lot. 

[HannahD]

If there is a great shortage of native speaker TEFL instructors then the void will be filled by ASEAN. There are many, many teachers in Philippines or Myanmar who have excellent English language skills and who find the wage scale in Thailand quite adequate. 

[mc1984]

Qualified English teachers??? Because a bachelors degree in zoology or computer science makes you a qualified English teacher....... What a joke.

 

If you have a TELF certificate, you are already a more qualified English teacher than some one with a degree in, say, astro-physics. 

Oops, that should say TEFL* certificate........

[Rorri]

Don't most countries have qualifications and working visa requirements for teachers? What's wrong with Thailand doing the same?

 

OT: I am just going to take a wild guess here: unqualified students with ED visas of convenience will be next in the clearing out.

In case you have only just woken up, it comes down to money, qualified people can make more in other countries, why come to Thailand and settle for maybe 30000 baht a month. Thailand needs english teachers more than english teachers needing Thailand. Hope this isn't to hard for you to understand.

[BudRight]

There's a few points, but here are the highlights.

1. The definition of a qualified teacher keeps changing.

2. The very top people that Thailand wants to attract will not work for 30,000 baht a month with free accommodation.

3. No school will arrange a work permit for a teacher that hasn't passed probation and a teacher would have to be crazy to teach without a work permit.

4. Some westerners apparently know Thais with fantastic English. I've never met any, good for you. Those Thais are almost certainly not English teachers. Honestly, if you speak fluent Thai, would you waste your talent teaching Thai? Thought so.

5. This must be viewed in light of the crackdown on education visas in that some schools that employee foreign teachers also have foreign students.

All they need to do now is ratchet up police inspection of schools.

I was once fond of saying that if Thailand enforced all the rules the country would be unlivable. Take the current situation as you will. Edited July 17, 2014 by BudRight

[Khun Loong]

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Qualified English teachers??? Because a bachelors degree in zoology or computer science makes you a qualified English teacher....... What a joke.

 

If you have a TELF certificate, you are already a more qualified English teacher than some one with a degree in, say, astro-physics. 

Hmmmm......... a few months ago I was on the BTS and trapped listening to (I had no choice as there were talking above everyone else) a group of Americans bragging about how easy it was to teach English in BKK and all the stupid things their students said.....! Everyone of their ignorant, ill informed, grammatically incorrect sentences contained the word "like" between every few words, said with a whiney accent of course. No way would I let those TELF stars near an English language classroom.

[LuckyLew]

 

Don't most countries have qualifications and working visa requirements for teachers? What's wrong with Thailand doing the same?

 

OT: I am just going to take a wild guess here: unqualified students with ED visas of convenience will be next in the clearing out.

In case you have only just woken up, it comes down to money, qualified people can make more in other countries, why come to Thailand and settle for maybe 30000 baht a month. Thailand needs english teachers more than english teachers needing Thailand. Hope this isn't to hard for you to understand.

 

 

If what you say is true Rorri ..... why do so many english teachers come here?

I would say it is the freedom, lifestyle and or women/ladyboys/men

for that there is a price to be, you must be qualified to stay