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

[AnotherOneAmerican]

The craziest thing is this:
 
Mr Bloggs from London goes to Uni in the UK. He wants to teach English as a second language. He's not interested in teaching the spoilt Hi-So mob in the Inter schools. Gets himself a First Degree in English Language combined with TESOL. He then goes on to study for a PGCEi. For the layman, it's a post grad designed to teach foreign students English.

Complete BS!
PGCE is nothing to do with foreigners, and nothing to do with teaching English.
It turns any B.Sc. or B.A. into the equivalent of a B.Ed. Edited July 17, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Beetlejuice]

This is great news for the real qualified teachers that will soon become in popular demand and will open up more opportunities for them in Thailand, plus give them more job security here.

Regarding the situation that many educational establishments cannot afford to pay salaries for bona-fide foreign teachers, than that’s tough luck for the schools that fail to practice the official educational qualification standards required of their teachers and good news for the students that are being hoodwinked into believing that just because their so-called English language teacher is a farang than he/she must be good not taking into account that the schools are exposing their students to these farang tourists taking on teaching jobs who could be paedophiles, criminals, wanted fugitives from their home countries and are not suitably qualified or experienced enough for the job and not reaching the standards required for the progression of the students English language education and the students not receiving the English tuition according to the standards required by the education departments, plus these tourists are not registered with any official body and answerable to no one.

 

The bottom line being; quality is better quantity, safer and more beneficial for the students.

I am really becoming to love the Junta, at last a sort of government that is establishing proper systems in Thailand and playing the rules by the book. I am happy to see that they are filtering out all the crap from the system that has become long, long overdue.

[GoonDizzy]

 

The craziest thing is this:
 
Mr Bloggs from London goes to Uni in the UK. He wants to teach English as a second language. He's not interested in teaching the spoilt Hi-So mob in the Inter schools. Gets himself a First Degree in English Language combined with TESOL. He then goes on to study for a PGCEi. For the layman, it's a post grad designed to teach foreign students English.

Complete BS!
PGCE is nothing to do with foreigners, and nothing to do with teaching English.
It turns any B.Sc. or B.A. into the equivalent of a B.Ed.

 

 

PGCEi. Note the 'i'. And read this from Keele Uni:

 

Aimed at teachers in, or aspiring to, International Schools, Universities, and Language Schools across South East Asia the Keele PGCEi offers course members direct and extensive taught input by UK PGCE Specialists and the support of a leading International School.

[duanebigsby]

The craziest thing is this:
 
Mr Bloggs from London goes to Uni in the UK. He wants to teach English as a second language. He's not interested in teaching the spoilt Hi-So mob in the Inter schools. Gets himself a First Degree in English Language combined with TESOL. He then goes on to study for a PGCEi. For the layman, it's a post grad designed to teach foreign students English.
 
Mr Bloggs goes to Singapore. They all want him. Even telling him he didn't need to get the PGCEi. In fact, a degree in Flower Arranging would've done nicely. ''Anyhooz Mr Bloggs, how does 5,000 US Dollars a month sound?'' He goes to HK. Same thing happens. In Europe, he's having interviews for jobs and competing with folk with just accredited TESOLs and DELTAs/CELTAs.
 
Comes to Thailand. ''Sorry Mr Bloggs. Your degree IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO FOREIGN STUDENTS AND YOUR POST GRAD IN THE SAME SUBJECT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR A TL! You can have a waiver for now, but you're not qualified to teach English to Thai students.  Now go and do a Masters in Ed and we'll see, but you can never change your job. See, you can't go 'in/out' again to cancel a visa in order to get a new one. So, we'll screw with you...because we can.'' To me this means either someone at the MOE has NO IDEA about education or there is something else more sinister going on.
 
It's hard for those with families here (I'm one), but screw it. Thailand doesn't want us here so go elsewhere. There are other opportunities, so if you haven't got the degree/M.Ed...start now! If Thailand is your only love then hopefully common sense will have prevailed by the time you finish.
 
If not...Asean opens and places like Singapore will snap you up. Even HK would cream over themselves to have you. It works both ways.

You don't need a degree in education to get a teaching license.
With a degree in ANY subject you get waivers. Then you do one silly course in Thai ethics and culture, and after you take 4 standardized tests which gives you your license. You have YEARS to do it.

 
Yup. I'm talkin' bout new teachers. This is from the gov website
 
In case of applicants teaching experience with less than 1 year, they shall provide a certification letter, issued by an educational institution, and submit it to the TCT for issuing a teaching practice certificate and permitting them to attend the training course.
 
So, you're hoping that they will allow you to even take the courses you're talking about. You could get the TL after getting teaching experience of one year. Assuming you pass the Thai tests. Many schools have not told their teachers about the regs. A mate of mine (with a wife and child) had his permit refused as his degree wasn't in Education. Yeah, yeah. Maybe he shoulda, coulda looked on the internet, but he'd been teaching here for over a decade with his degree without any issues and thought he was good to go. He's now back in blighty doing a Masters. And from what I've heard (could be nonsense), the waiver scheme will end. The degree in Ed will become the requirement. Who knows? One thing is for sure. Thailand will have the toughest requirements in Asia to obtain a TL.

I'm teaching at the moment, have been for a while. I'm working with other teachers who are doing the tests and working towards their license. It may change, it may not.
But your info about the BEd is wrong at this time!

[Bernard Flint]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

 

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 agree Grimmbro. Just because someone has partied their way thro' a media studies degree doesn't make them  'qualified' to teach English - at least the TEFL course tries to give the prospective teacher some of the skills required. The TEFL course does need standardizing tho' as my friend recently took a TEFL course in Manchester and it took just one weekend with no real classroom practice whereas my friend in Thailand took his course in Pattaya and it took 5 days with 2 of those being monitored in a real classroom.

 

5 day course then let loose on thai kids, Ridiculousi

[TechnikaIII]

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

Anyone with English as poor as yours, is hardly qualified to comment on the value of quality education.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

The craziest thing is this:
 
Mr Bloggs from London goes to Uni in the UK. He wants to teach English as a second language. He's not interested in teaching the spoilt Hi-So mob in the Inter schools. Gets himself a First Degree in English Language combined with TESOL. He then goes on to study for a PGCEi. For the layman, it's a post grad designed to teach foreign students English.

Complete BS!
PGCE is nothing to do with foreigners, and nothing to do with teaching English.
It turns any B.Sc. or B.A. into the equivalent of a B.Ed.

 
PGCEi. Note the 'i'. And read this from Keele Uni:
 
Aimed at teachers in, or aspiring to, International Schools, Universities, and Language Schools across South East Asia the Keele PGCEi offers course members direct and extensive taught input by UK PGCE Specialists and the support of a leading International School.

No such qualification exists or is recognized by the UK, sounds like some sort of scam from one of the dodgy online pretend educational establishments.
The guys in Kao San road will print you one much cheaper.

Just done a quick check, and I'm right it's a scam qualification. No educational value, no experience in teaching anything.
Nor recognized by any organisation in the world, but the piece of paper looks official and the MoE may not notice the "i", eventually they will be caught out. Edited July 17, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Beetlejuice]

Please get this into your heads and try to understand:

 

The Junta are saying that providing foreigners are staying and operating legally in Thailand than they will have no problems, this includes, visa requirements for long term stayers, business owners, employees, land/real estate owners and speculators and teachers.

 

For those who are here and not strictly abiding by the laws of the land, there can be no excuses, no exceptions and no justifications for them to stay long term in Thailand. It`s that simple.

[Jingthing]

Nothing is that simple.

 

[attachment=275664:baby-with-the-bathwater.jpg]

 

(Except to the simple minded.)

[simon43]

Just done a quick check, and I'm right it's a scam qualification

 

Sorry, but to coin a phrase, you are talking out of the back of your head...

 

The PGCEi is offered by several, highly-respected universities in the UK, including Keele, Sunderland and Nottingham.

 

It is a taught, post-graduate qualification, not cheap ($5,000 USD or thereabouts).

 

I am due to start the Nottingham PGCEi in Bangkok this Autumn.

 

Back to the topic...

[Emster23]

"In an ideal world, Thailand would without doubt want to employ qualified English teachers" And I would be young, handsome and rich. Thailand doesn't have to look abroad for unqualified teachers of English. They already have a large supply of native unqualified English teachers.

 And yes Thailand will survive even if people don't learn English. One would hope aspirations for this country would be a bit beyond just survival.

[mystic1]

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

 

As of a couple of months ago, the TCT stated that the MOE changed this rule and now the minimum "Bachelor's Degree" must be in an Education related field !

[brewsterbudgen]

Just done a quick check, and I'm right it's a scam qualification

 
Sorry, but to coin a phrase, you are talking out of the back of your head...
 
The PGCEi is offered by several, highly-respected universities in the UK, including Keele, Sunderland and Nottingham.
 
It is a taught, post-graduate qualification, not cheap ($5,000 USD or thereabouts).
 
I am due to start the Nottingham PGCEi in Bangkok this Autumn.
 
Back to the topic...

"During a PGCEi your practical skills are not assessed and therefore, it is not a practical teaching qualification and doesnt carry any professional registration such as, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)."

[RED21]

Last year, one of my students participated in a storytelling competition. One of the judges was a big shot English teacher in a public school (she was in her fifties and everyone was tip-toeing and kowtowing in front of her). When my colleague approached to talk to her to clarify the contest regulations, one of the Thai teachers from the host school stopped her and told her it would be pointless since Ms. Bigshot Head English Teacher doesn't speak the language. My colleague ignored the warning and went ahead. Her inquiries were met with a blank stare followed by the usual "Mai Khawchai!" The other foreign teachers and I had a hard time containing ourselves from laughing out loud over the hilarity of the situation which became a hot topic in the school bus on our way back home.

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[AnotherOneAmerican]

Just done a quick check, and I'm right it's a scam qualification

 
Sorry, but to coin a phrase, you are talking out of the back of your head...
 
The PGCEi is offered by several, highly-respected universities in the UK, including Keele, Sunderland and Nottingham.
 
It is a taught, post-graduate qualification, not cheap ($5,000 USD or thereabouts).
 
I am due to start the Nottingham PGCEi in Bangkok this Autumn.
 
Back to the topic...

Sorry Simon, you've been scammed, it's completely worthless.
I understand your desperation, but better to get a real qualification in person, in country.

[AloisAmrein]

I could easily work as a teacher in Thailand, but I am not interested. I speak and write 6 languages, plus some Thai and Bahasa Indonesia. I work as a translator and quality controller for advertising companies. What I earn in Thailand in 1 month, I earn here in 1 day. The problem in Thailand is that there are not many Thais with good knowledge of English. And many farangs are not qualified for teaching English but they are still needed because the level of Thai English teachers is terribly low.

[simon43]

I understand your desperation, but better to get a real qualification in person, in country.

 

To avoid taking this post off-topic any more, I'll reply this once to your comment about the PGCEi.

 

It is a recognized and respected qualification offered by several established British universities.  It is offered to international teachers who choose/are unable to study in the UK for a PGCE.  It is not equivalent to a PGCE, since it does not enable the teacher to obtain a teaching licence in the UK.

 

It is recognized by many international schools, in Thailand and across the globe.  Whilst the holder of a PGCEi might not obtain employment in a tier 1 international school, it is readily-accepted by tier 2 schools.

 

I'm surprised that a "Yank" like you seems to think you know more about a British qualification than a British post-graduate and teacher like me.

 

You can rant about this more if you like, but I won't reply - start a new thread if you like.

 

[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. 

 

Not in my view if you also hold a teaching qualification and a TEFL qualification in addition to your astro-physics or other science degree.

 

I actually did my BSc in Zoology in the UK many years ago (I loved David Attenborough's TV programmes)!  Then a PGCE (UK), then an MA in Science Education (UK) , then a one year part-time Advanced Certificate in TEFL at a leading established UK uni which was a brilliant conversion course designed for qualified teachers in other disciplines.   This very well thought through course included an assessed teaching placement in Spain, so it wasn't just theory, and included Teaching English for Specific Purposes too.   Teaching ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is big in the Middle East for example, and if you hold numerate/science degrees AND a teaching and TEFL qualification then you're always going to be in great demand, especially with the defence and oil businesses.

 

Yes, I do agree that having all of that qualifies you more as a teacher than a TEFL certificate but, my point was, a degree in zoology alone wouldn't make you a more qualified than having a 1 month advanced TEFL certificate. 

Doesn't really matter now as apparently they are looking for people with degrees in education, which simply isn't going to happen. People won't want to work for 30k a month when they can be teaching at international schools or in Singapore, Dubai or Hong Kong. It'll mess this country's English programme right up, but, will they care?? 

 

You are right though......... David Attenborough's shows are excellent. 

 

 

[losworld]

If farang employees are really needed employers will start sorting their visas out, so in my humble opinion this is pretty much a non issue. If you are an enterpreneur or business owner simply folow the rules, create a company, give jobs to Thai people and you can have your visa regardless.

 

I am happy to see an effort being made to clean up the house. On the short run it may seem harsh on the people who have been living here on back to back visas, in the long run though it will ensure that immmigrants have adequate permission to stay for extended periods.

 

We don't take kindly on illegal immigrants back in the west, so I don't really see why Thailand should do the same. In the UK you could also argue that english people would starve if there was a crackdown on illegal chinese and pakistani immigrants who run the millions of takeways that feed its middle class, or that america couldn't live without the mexicans mowing lawns and cleaning houses, but we all know that is not true, so same applies to Thailand. As much as we like to think we are god's gift to Thai society, Thai people can go on living without us as much as we can go on living without them.

 

To be honest, Thailand seems to be westernizing its immigration policies and that can only be a good thing in terms of transparency and security both for the law enforcement agencies and the safety of the immigrant population. For a country under such scrutiny for human trafficking and a poor human rights record I believe this is one small step towards the betterment of Thai society and should be praised.

 

 

 

 

 

We don't take kindly to illegal immigrants in the west?  roflmao...  Are you following the news in the U.S. with the central american refugees?  Doesn't get much kinder than that.  Also in the west they can actually become citizens and vote.  In Thailand westerners are rarely if ever afforded this option.  America and England can survive and will not starve and their lawns will be cut.  The fact is jobs have been simply replaced by lower paid workers in the west while unemployment goes up.  How do you think America and England survived prior to the influx?  And for hundreds of years.  Sorry but your logic is flawed.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I'm surprised that a "Yank" like you seems to think you know more about a British qualification than a British post-graduate and teacher like me.

Sorry but,
If you don't have the right to work as a teacher in your own country, you aren't really a qualified teacher.
As you currently hold no British teaching qualifications, why would your opinion be more valid than mine?


Back to the OP
I do believe it is the end of the road for unqualified teachers in Thailand, they may twist and turn, but in the end they will be out.
The MoE will soon catch on to the 'i' in PGCEi.

[thequietman]

 

Cattle stampedes

Anything unusual may start a stampede. Especially at night, things such as lighting a match, someone jumping off a horse, a horse shaking itself, a lightning strike, a tumbleweed blown into the herd, or "a horse running through a herd kicking at a saddle which has turned under its belly" have been known to cause stampedes.

A large stampede typically eliminates everything in its path. With livestock, cowboys attempt to turn the moving herd into itself, so that it runs in circles rather than running off a cliff or into a river and avoids damaging human life or property. Tactics used to make the herd turn into itself include firing a pistol, which creates noise to make the leaders of the stampede turn.

 

 

I think that what Thais do is similar to a huge herd of hysterically mad, stampeding buffalo. The majority of the herd may go this way and give the impression of a unified agreement to go in that direction, but we all know the buffalo are just following some hysterically mad buffalo (or two or three) out in the lead, and those following without any thought other than to find the path of least resistance as quickly as possible.

 

And then a bolt of lightening cracks in front of them, or a clap of thunder is heard overhead, and those hysterically mad, stampeding buffalo change direction swiftly and without any thought other than to find the path of least resistance as quickly as possible, so they bury their heads up the <deleted> of the ones in front of them and everyone pushes everyone else forward.

 

You all call this a crackdown. I simply call it an impression of a crackdown.

 

What it really is, is nothing more than a stampede of people all moving in one direction without any awareness of the ones around them and in front of them, other than the ones around them and in front of them are an inconvenience. Moreover, the goal is really to find the path of least resistance and avoid any confrontation or slow down.

 

The inexperienced onlookers are deceived into thinking it is an organized, well-thought out effort, and all involved somehow understand each other and are in some way support each other and working in a unified network of understanding. HA!.

 

When, throughout the past crackdowns, I think of any other issue of focus those crackdowns have targeted, and look back at the results, I almost always find collateral damage at the wayside, but the intended target still standing strong and going strong and unabated.

 

Solution? Find an alternate means to get out of the way of the herd, and let it pass by and fizzle out down the road, and you will find that thing you desired to still be there... altered perhaps, yet still there.

 

Simply my opinionated view.

 

This has to be one of the best, most thought out posts about this subject, I have ever read on TV.

It describes what is happening to a T.

For those of us who are waist deep in this pit they call education, it describes perfectly most English departments in many Thai government schools. All of them blindly going one way, with the illusion of oneness but really just going around in circles.

The pretty signs saying 'World class standard school' and 'To be number 1' and all of it is nonsense without substance. When the appearance of a world class standard school gets preference to a real school, with a real curriculum then Thailand, sadly, is beyond repair. The illusion is all that is required here.......... not the reality of things.

[donmuang37]

Are all those using visa runs to stay in Thailand and teach English going to expelled from Thailand, or are they just going to pay more "tea money" because it will be more difficult to get a visa. Two rules about Thailand:

1. Nothing is what it appears to be, and
2. Follow the money!

Time will tell, but I'll be surprised if Thailand really gets "reform" - hope I'm wrong.

[thaitakeaway]

I think some people need first of all to understand what TEFL/TESOL actually is. It is no it just teaching English, it is a specific system that involves native speakers. Any thing outside that is NOT TEFL.

The plot thickens actually, so allow me to muddy the waters. A non-native English speaker can in fact become TEFL certified. How so? Because TEFL does not refer to the teacher but rather defines the target student population - those whose first language is not English. Many/most job ads specify that teacher applicants be native English speakers, but if demand outweighs supply, then this opens doors to people who might have grown up speaking Norwegian, Tagalog, you name it, but who fancy themselves at trying a stint in teaching English. Hence the numerous TEFL courses offered not only in the UK, US, Australia, etc, but also in places like BKK, Hua Hin, HCMC - wherever demand exists. The "training college" that I obtained my internationally recognized TESOL certificate from in Australia farms out the same course to Vietnamese natives in HCMC. And it is taught by Vietnamese. Go figure.

[jacky54]

I really don't see how getting rid of a lot of unqualified teachers will be hurting Thailand, after all English language skills here could hardly get any worse. This is not a high priority for Thais, they are more interested in instilling loyalty to the nation, morality and a lot of other indoctrination nonsense before education.

[GoonDizzy]

Just to clear something up about the PGCEi. One of the UK unis offering it is The University of Nottingham. It's pretty high in the Uk uni rankings. That uni is placed above King's College and a two places below Edinburgh whose alumni includes former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

 

The course has been designed for those wishing to teach abroad. It does not give you QTS as it is not intended for use in UK schools. To say it's a con (as some are suggesting) is both ill informed and ridiculous. Can you see a uni like that making a 'dodgy' post grad?  If Thailand will not recognise it, it says more about Thailand's rules than it does about the course.

 

It is a new qualification, so perhaps they're keeping tabs on it for a while. Fair enough. But a 'con job' it isn't.

[Bernard Flint]

Are all those using visa runs to stay in Thailand and teach English going to expelled from Thailand, or are they just going to pay more "tea money" because it will be more difficult to get a visa. Two rules about Thailand:

1. Nothing is what it appears to be, and
2. Follow the money!

Time will tell, but I'll be surprised if Thailand really gets "reform" - hope I'm wrong.

 

 

You are very wrong sir.

 

TEFL teacher, no work permit, pooing yourself. No money for flight home???/

[thesetat2013]

Under the current regulations to teach in Thailand, most teachers are required to have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in any field.
 
As of a couple of months ago, the TCT stated that the MOE changed this rule and now the minimum "Bachelor's Degree" must be in an Education related field !

it also must be accredited in the schools region. If accredited elsewhere the MOE refuses your degree. This accredation must be verifiable online.

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[RaoulDuke]

Of course, the flip side of this is that if it creates a huge vacuum of TEFL vacancies, the government could very easily address this by making it easier for individuals with teaching job offers to apply for and receive a real working visa, so they would not have to make all the absurd VISA runs.  This change also means that schools will no longer be able to keep screwing over teachers by stringing them along and avoiding filing the paperwork for a proper visa.  

 

The main goal here is cracking down on deadbeat sexpats who lack the finances to contribute to Thai society, so they can scurry off in the night to Cambodia like cockroaches in the sunlight.  People with money can always buy a visa one way or another, and the requirements for a TEFL visa can easily be modified to meet demand.  Ultimately, everyone would be better off if they were here legally, rather than having to play the visa run game or worry about being caught.  A change in the rules can work in your favor, as well, it may just take some time for things to play out.      

Edited July 17, 2014 by RaoulDuke

[thesetat2013]

The craziest thing is this:
 
Mr Bloggs from London goes to Uni in the UK. He wants to teach English as a second language. He's not interested in teaching the spoilt Hi-So mob in the Inter schools. Gets himself a First Degree in English Language combined with TESOL. He then goes on to study for a PGCEi. For the layman, it's a post grad designed to teach foreign students English.
 
Mr Bloggs goes to Singapore. They all want him. Even telling him he didn't need to get the PGCEi. In fact, a degree in Flower Arranging would've done nicely. ''Anyhooz Mr Bloggs, how does 5,000 US Dollars a month sound?'' He goes to HK. Same thing happens. In Europe, he's having interviews for jobs and competing with folk with just accredited TESOLs and DELTAs/CELTAs.
 
Comes to Thailand. ''Sorry Mr Bloggs. Your degree IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO FOREIGN STUDENTS AND YOUR POST GRAD IN THE SAME SUBJECT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR A TL! You can have a waiver for now, but you're not qualified to teach English to Thai students.  Now go and do a Masters in Ed and we'll see, but you can never change your job. See, you can't go 'in/out' again to cancel a visa in order to get a new one. So, we'll screw with you...because we can.'' To me this means either someone at the MOE has NO IDEA about education or there is something else more sinister going on.
 
It's hard for those with families here (I'm one), but screw it. Thailand doesn't want us here so go elsewhere. There are other opportunities, so if you haven't got the degree/M.Ed...start now! If Thailand is your only love then hopefully common sense will have prevailed by the time you finish.
 
If not...Asean opens and places like Singapore will snap you up. Even HK would cream over themselves to have you. It works both ways.

You don't need a degree in education to get a teaching license.
With a degree in ANY subject you get waivers. Then you do one silly course in Thai ethics and culture, and after you take 4 standardized tests which gives you your license. You have YEARS to do it.

 
Yup. I'm talkin' bout new teachers. This is from the gov website
 
In case of applicants teaching experience with less than 1 year, they shall provide a certification letter, issued by an educational institution, and submit it to the TCT for issuing a teaching practice certificate and permitting them to attend the training course.
 
So, you're hoping that they will allow you to even take the courses you're talking about. You could get the TL after getting teaching experience of one year. Assuming you pass the Thai tests. Many schools have not told their teachers about the regs. A mate of mine (with a wife and child) had his permit refused as his degree wasn't in Education. Yeah, yeah. Maybe he shoulda, coulda looked on the internet, but he'd been teaching here for over a decade with his degree without any issues and thought he was good to go. He's now back in blighty doing a Masters. And from what I've heard (could be nonsense), the waiver scheme will end. The degree in Ed will become the requirement. Who knows? One thing is for sure. Thailand will have the toughest requirements in Asia to obtain a TL.

I'm teaching at the moment, have been for a while. I'm working with other teachers who are doing the tests and working towards their license. It may change, it may not.
But your info about the BEd is wrong at this time!

Tell your friends good luck. Because the TCT and MOE are no longer offering the Thai Teachers test for foreigners to take. I have been trying to take that test for 6 months and only recently found out they have been cancelled forever. The only way to get that real thai teaching license now is with an education degree

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[mjj]

Just to clear something up about the PGCEi. One of the UK unis offering it is The University of Nottingham. It's pretty high in the Uk uni rankings. That uni is placed above King's College and a two places below Edinburgh whose alumni includes former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
 
The course has been designed for those wishing to teach abroad. It does not give you QTS as it is not intended for use in UK schools. To say it's a con (as some are suggesting) is both ill informed and ridiculous. Can you see a uni like that making a 'dodgy' post grad?  If Thailand will not recognise it, it says more about Thailand's rules than it does about the course.
 
It is a new qualification, so perhaps they're keeping tabs on it for a while. Fair enough. But a 'con job' it isn't.

I want to keep improving my employability and pondered the idea of doing either the PGCEi or an online Masters. Unfortunately due to them not being recognised in many countries, I decided against it. For me doing a DELTA is the best option as it is internationally recognised.

I can fully empathise with someone wanting to improve their qualifications, but why do a course that is not fully recognised.