Will booting out teachers without valid visas & work permits raise the standard?

[duanebigsby]

 

This might not sit well but i am all for much stronger laws on "teachers"

Do you employ an electrician in your home that is qualified with the right papers, or do you get a guy in the pub that "knows a bit" about electricity? 

 

Right now it is harder to be a qualified teacher in Thailand than in the UK.

 

In the UK, i would be a qualified teacher with an English degree and a teaching diploma.  I'm not talking about ESL - I'm talking secondary school English for natives.

 

In Thailand now you need a B.Ed  to get the teachers license.  It is the strictest requirement in ASEAN, probably all of Asia, and maybe most of the world for ESL teachers.

 

since when?

It's always been B.Ed. gets you teaching license no strings.

ANY other degree, plus Thai culture and ethics course, plus passing 4 exams gets you teaching license.

two routes to the license.

[casualbiker]

 

This might not sit well but i am all for much stronger laws on "teachers"

Do you employ an electrician in your home that is qualified with the right papers, or do you get a guy in the pub that "knows a bit" about electricity? 

 
Right now it is harder to be a qualified teacher in Thailand than in the UK.
 
In the UK, i would be a qualified teacher with an English degree and a teaching diploma.  I'm not talking about ESL - I'm talking secondary school English for natives.
 
In Thailand now you need a B.Ed  to get the teachers license.  It is the strictest requirement in ASEAN, probably all of Asia, and maybe most of the world for ESL teachers.
 

since when?
It's always been B.Ed. gets you teaching license no strings.
ANY other degree, plus Thai culture and ethics course, plus passing 4 exams gets you teaching license.
two routes to the license.

There are no exams now!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[nottocus]

In answer to the title of the thread…I hope so…I really hope so. Too many people out there passing themselves off as teachers when they ain't.

[brucetefl]

but they are supposed to offer them again.  At least that is the last I heard from TCT.

[duanebigsby]

I don't want TEFL ppl near anyone's kids. They are not fit for purpose

The end

back this up with what scares you about TEFL.

Also, if you want to complain about English teachers, you should use coherent language.

[brucetefl]

Now here is the magic question:

 

When they get rid of many of these teachers, are they going to get rid of the bad ones and only keep the good ones?  In my 18 years I see little correlation between qualifications and teaching skills.

 

 

In answer to the title of the thread…I hope so…I really hope so. Too many people out there passing themselves off as teachers when they ain't.

 

[duanebigsby]

 

 

 

This might not sit well but i am all for much stronger laws on "teachers"

Do you employ an electrician in your home that is qualified with the right papers, or do you get a guy in the pub that "knows a bit" about electricity? 

 
Right now it is harder to be a qualified teacher in Thailand than in the UK.
 
In the UK, i would be a qualified teacher with an English degree and a teaching diploma.  I'm not talking about ESL - I'm talking secondary school English for natives.
 
In Thailand now you need a B.Ed  to get the teachers license.  It is the strictest requirement in ASEAN, probably all of Asia, and maybe most of the world for ESL teachers.
 

since when?
It's always been B.Ed. gets you teaching license no strings.
ANY other degree, plus Thai culture and ethics course, plus passing 4 exams gets you teaching license.
two routes to the license.

There are no exams now!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

I understand that.

There will probably be an announcement when it's figured out. I can't see anyone in their right mind demanding B.Ed.'s who wants to see English improving.  We are in transition, if it goes tits up, I'm off.

[casualbiker]

[quote name="duanebigsby" post="8169332" timestamp="1406646711"][quote name="casualbiker" post="8169300" timestamp="1406646137"] [quote name="duanebigsby" post="8169290" timestamp="1406645983"] [quote name="Water Buffalo" post="8168729" timestamp="1406639395"] [quote name="Franky Bear" post="8166240" timestamp="1406608965"]This might not sit well but i am all for much stronger laws on "teachers"

Do you employ an electrician in your home that is qualified with the right papers, or do you get a guy in the pub that "knows a bit" about electricity? [/quote] 
Right now it is harder to be a qualified teacher in Thailand than in the UK.
 
In the UK, i would be a qualified teacher with an English degree and a teaching diploma.  I'm not talking about ESL - I'm talking secondary school English for natives.
 
In Thailand now you need a B.Ed  to get the teachers license.  It is the strictest requirement in ASEAN, probably all of Asia, and maybe most of the world for ESL teachers.
 [/quote]since when?
It's always been B.Ed. gets you teaching license no strings.
ANY other degree, plus Thai culture and ethics course, plus passing 4 exams gets you teaching license.
two routes to the license.[/quote]
There are no exams now!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app
 [/quote]
I understand that.
There will probably be an announcement when it's figured out. I can't see anyone in their right mind demanding B.Ed.'s who wants to see English improving.
We are in transition, if it goes tits up, I'm off.[/quote]

Did you read page 5 of the Bkk post today. Eye opener.
Just an extract of the article.

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[brucetefl]

thats a really interesting quote.

 

 And it shows Where things may be heading.

 

 The problem, of course, is that very few Thais speak English well enough to teach.  And those that you have a strong command of English can get 4 times the salary working in a company instead of being a teacher.

[inutil]

Right now i honest to god, hand on heart would not even remotely recommend a single friend of mine to go teach in Thailand. I think the only circumstance i MIGHT consider it, would be if they were over the hill, in their twilight years, unemployable in almost every other ESL market, and kinda ready for a nice new life experience. Actually, thats making me change the hard line in my opening statement a little. 

 

If youre under 55 though, have a degree (or dont have a degree - ive seen people here without degree's and whizzing about somehow with a tefl), id just go to China. 

 

1. Better pay.

2. Organised and CLEAR visa policy. YOu dont step foot in the country without that Z-visa. Well, you can, but you still need to go back home to do your visa because apparently shit changed in July last year enforcing this. 

3. SO MANY JOBS. 

4. SO MANY JOBS STILL in the big cities. 

5. Benefits package (flight, accommodation and severance still normal). 

6. The kids are kinda good. I mean i live in a nice big city so im kinda skewed given that ive yet to step foot out of it, but the kids here are bright, and the parents really value education. 

7. You can still work in just about every field. A bit of luck, a nice contact, and bish-bosh, youre now teaching at a legit international school. And that experience is VALUABLE for an ESLer. 

8. Bosses give you shit, of course. The scheduling can be tough, but you get GOOD at your job which can help eek out your 'career' a few more years. 

9. Lots to do and see. Its china. Its also fairly cheap. 

10. Pay is around 8000 for a reasonable gig with benefits. In a city, life costs about 3000/month. Thats 500 quid/800US squirreled away on holidays around asia or just savings for the next move. 

11. Chinese people are kinda nice. 

 

The big ones though are the visa changes, the degree requirements, and the overall contempt for English teachers in Thailand. Guess what? You tell someone youre a teacher in China and BOOM!!! Instant respect. Its like being a postie all over again. The amount of people that would cheerfully greet you with a 'morning postie!' when youre just buying something in a shop after your shift was awesome. Its that same feeling here. As an experienced ESLer in Asia, whenever someone asks me what i do, i always sheepishly (and ashamedly) reply "Teacher". And shocking enough, their face lights up! Perhaps its because i live in a city with a LOT of foreign oil workers. But its a solid job with genuine respect. Thanks Kong Zi! 

 

Dont get me wrong, its not something i WHOLLY recommend in my heart. Plenty wrong with it compared to Korea for example, but for a safe gig, lots of options, and a genuine pay cheque that will carry you at least BEYOND the month you receive it (for thems on the bottom rung that is), then it kicks the crap out of Thailand. The extra restrictions coming in over the past month (qualifications and visa enforcement) really make me laugh at Thailand right now. Its honestly a massive joke. Unless you are DEAD SET on Thailand, i cant think of a single reason why anyone would bother taking the chance. If youre a public school teacher by trade though, seriously... why? Maybe if you live on a beach? Or maybe if youve got a MASSIVE kitty of extra funds and this is just a little extra on the side for your retirement (or semi-retirement), but for someone making a career out of this? And having to bounce through so many stupid hoops? That are constantly liable to change or with varying degrees of enforcement? And all for shit pay? For reals? 

 

Good luck Thailand! All the people forced out by incompetent visa processing or insane restrictions (m.ed? For 30,000? Are you out of your heads?) will now be applying for jobs in the countries around Thailand, and theyll be thinking "holy crap! why didnt i do this earlier?" Throw in that those remaining now get to enjoy the pleasure of contacting immigration within 24 hours of moving away from their residency, and yay! more stupid edicts set to drive most rational people just trying to make a living, perhaps see the world a bit (many of us are here not just to teach but to see the world after all) and try and keep some savings for the next silly visa/employment change. And all this in a place where its already a very difficult place to make a genuine living. Were it not for people i know being screwed by all this, id be laughing at the self-destructive stupidity of it all. Instead ill have to just shake my head, perplexed that no one appears to be looking further than their nose when they make this shit up. Seriously, good luck people trying to fill jobs. Good luck to the immigration people having to completely back track on every stupid decision theyve made in the last month when schools unsurprisingly start putting pressure on their local immi office because shockingly no one appears to be biting from the hi-so teaching fraternity with their M.ed.'s. They appear to have moved to Japan and Korea or Saudi arabia where they get paid a bucketload for their qualifications. I guarantee you, if Bruce gets round to offering the course, ill be doing the exact same thing as will everyone else who hasnt accidentally/deliberately ended up with family thai's in the beautiful country of Thailand. 

 

Dont get me wrong. I like the place. Its nice. Dont really like the whole "life is cheap" crap that comes with it mind you. But the people are 'friendly' and the food is amazing. Life is cheap (in the non mortality sense), sorta... and the beaches are lovely. The kids are incredibly sweet as well. And i genuinely think that (almost all of) the Thai teachers bust their ass to be the best because they want their students to have genuine life opportunities and they give just as much of a shit as any teacher anywhere else in the world. I wont slam thai teachers at all. But its just not even close to market value. And since China has just SO many opportunities, no ESLer down on their luck should really be struggling in a shit paying job in BF nowhere living in a hovel shared by geckos, ants, frogs, centipedes and snakes, when they could be in China on sensible pay and in a normal apartment with actual amenities. (actual mileage may vary of course - but as i say, jobs in all the big cities still exist, are still plentiful and arent ruined like Japan and korea by mass competition and the invariable race to the gutter with pay and conditions).

 

Echy thump, i dont stop banging on about this im afraid. Sorry. Dont know why i cant shut up about it. I guess its a part of my brain that just screams at Thai Visa... "But... whyyyyyy?????!??!?... Why dont you just move? Why dont you just laugh at this insanity, and move somewhere less insane?" So i feel utterly compelled to point out the alternatives :)   

[duanebigsby]

[quote name="casualbiker" post="8169300" timestamp="1406646137"] [quote name="duanebigsby" post="8169290" timestamp="1406645983"] [quote name="Water Buffalo" post="8168729" timestamp="1406639395"] [quote name="Franky Bear" post="8166240" timestamp="1406608965"]This might not sit well but i am all for much stronger laws on "teachers"

Do you employ an electrician in your home that is qualified with the right papers, or do you get a guy in the pub that "knows a bit" about electricity? [/quote] 
Right now it is harder to be a qualified teacher in Thailand than in the UK.
 
In the UK, i would be a qualified teacher with an English degree and a teaching diploma.  I'm not talking about ESL - I'm talking secondary school English for natives.
 
In Thailand now you need a B.Ed  to get the teachers license.  It is the strictest requirement in ASEAN, probably all of Asia, and maybe most of the world for ESL teachers.
 [/quote]since when?
It's always been B.Ed. gets you teaching license no strings.
ANY other degree, plus Thai culture and ethics course, plus passing 4 exams gets you teaching license.
two routes to the license.[/quote]
There are no exams now!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app
 [/quote]
I understand that.
There will probably be an announcement when it's figured out. I can't see anyone in their right mind demanding B.Ed.'s who wants to see English improving.
We are in transition, if it goes tits up, I'm off.

Did you read page 5 of the Bkk post today. Eye opener.
Just an extract of the article.

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Scary shit. I can always go, no problems if Thailand goes this route. I'm highly doubting they will.

[duanebigsby]

Right now i honest to god, hand on heart would not even remotely recommend a single friend of mine to go teach in Thailand. I think the only circumstance i MIGHT consider it, would be if they were over the hill, in their twilight years, unemployable in almost every other ESL market, and kinda ready for a nice new life experience. Actually, thats making me change the hard line in my opening statement a little. 

 

If youre under 55 though, have a degree (or dont have a degree - ive seen people here without degree's and whizzing about somehow with a tefl), id just go to China. 

 

1. Better pay.

2. Organised and CLEAR visa policy. YOu dont step foot in the country without that Z-visa. Well, you can, but you still need to go back home to do your visa because apparently shit changed in July last year enforcing this. 

3. SO MANY JOBS. 

4. SO MANY JOBS STILL in the big cities. 

5. Benefits package (flight, accommodation and severance still normal). 

6. The kids are kinda good. I mean i live in a nice big city so im kinda skewed given that ive yet to step foot out of it, but the kids here are bright, and the parents really value education. 

7. You can still work in just about every field. A bit of luck, a nice contact, and bish-bosh, youre now teaching at a legit international school. And that experience is VALUABLE for an ESLer. 

8. Bosses give you shit, of course. The scheduling can be tough, but you get GOOD at your job which can help eek out your 'career' a few more years. 

9. Lots to do and see. Its china. Its also fairly cheap. 

10. Pay is around 8000 for a reasonable gig with benefits. In a city, life costs about 3000/month. Thats 500 quid/800US squirreled away on holidays around asia or just savings for the next move. 

11. Chinese people are kinda nice. 

 

The big ones though are the visa changes, the degree requirements, and the overall contempt for English teachers in Thailand. Guess what? You tell someone youre a teacher in China and BOOM!!! Instant respect. Its like being a postie all over again. The amount of people that would cheerfully greet you with a 'morning postie!' when youre just buying something in a shop after your shift was awesome. Its that same feeling here. As an experienced ESLer in Asia, whenever someone asks me what i do, i always sheepishly (and ashamedly) reply "Teacher". And shocking enough, their face lights up! Perhaps its because i live in a city with a LOT of foreign oil workers. But its a solid job with genuine respect. Thanks Kong Zi! 

 

Dont get me wrong, its not something i WHOLLY recommend in my heart. Plenty wrong with it compared to Korea for example, but for a safe gig, lots of options, and a genuine pay cheque that will carry you at least BEYOND the month you receive it (for thems on the bottom rung that is), then it kicks the crap out of Thailand. The extra restrictions coming in over the past month (qualifications and visa enforcement) really make me laugh at Thailand right now. Its honestly a massive joke. Unless you are DEAD SET on Thailand, i cant think of a single reason why anyone would bother taking the chance. If youre a public school teacher by trade though, seriously... why? Maybe if you live on a beach? Or maybe if youve got a MASSIVE kitty of extra funds and this is just a little extra on the side for your retirement (or semi-retirement), but for someone making a career out of this? And having to bounce through so many stupid hoops? That are constantly liable to change or with varying degrees of enforcement? And all for shit pay? For reals? 

 

Good luck Thailand! All the people forced out by incompetent visa processing or insane restrictions (m.ed? For 30,000? Are you out of your heads?) will now be applying for jobs in the countries around Thailand, and theyll be thinking "holy crap! why didnt i do this earlier?" Throw in that those remaining now get to enjoy the pleasure of contacting immigration within 24 hours of moving away from their residency, and yay! more stupid edicts set to drive most rational people just trying to make a living, perhaps see the world a bit (many of us are here not just to teach but to see the world after all) and try and keep some savings for the next silly visa/employment change. And all this in a place where its already a very difficult place to make a genuine living. Were it not for people i know being screwed by all this, id be laughing at the self-destructive stupidity of it all. Instead ill have to just shake my head, perplexed that no one appears to be looking further than their nose when they make this shit up. Seriously, good luck people trying to fill jobs. Good luck to the immigration people having to completely back track on every stupid decision theyve made in the last month when schools unsurprisingly start putting pressure on their local immi office because shockingly no one appears to be biting from the hi-so teaching fraternity with their M.ed.'s. They appear to have moved to Japan and Korea or Saudi arabia where they get paid a bucketload for their qualifications. I guarantee you, if Bruce gets round to offering the course, ill be doing the exact same thing as will everyone else who hasnt accidentally/deliberately ended up with family thai's in the beautiful country of Thailand. 

 

Dont get me wrong. I like the place. Its nice. Dont really like the whole "life is cheap" crap that comes with it mind you. But the people are 'friendly' and the food is amazing. Life is cheap (in the non mortality sense), sorta... and the beaches are lovely. The kids are incredibly sweet as well. And i genuinely think that (almost all of) the Thai teachers bust their ass to be the best because they want their students to have genuine life opportunities and they give just as much of a shit as any teacher anywhere else in the world. I wont slam thai teachers at all. But its just not even close to market value. And since China has just SO many opportunities, no ESLer down on their luck should really be struggling in a shit paying job in BF nowhere living in a hovel shared by geckos, ants, frogs, centipedes and snakes, when they could be in China on sensible pay and in a normal apartment with actual amenities. (actual mileage may vary of course - but as i say, jobs in all the big cities still exist, are still plentiful and arent ruined like Japan and korea by mass competition and the invariable race to the gutter with pay and conditions).

 

Echy thump, i dont stop banging on about this im afraid. Sorry. Dont know why i cant shut up about it. I guess its a part of my brain that just screams at Thai Visa... "But... whyyyyyy?????!??!?... Why dont you just move? Why dont you just laugh at this insanity, and move somewhere less insane?" So i feel utterly compelled to point out the alternatives   

Because we wanted to LIVE IN THAILAND NOT CHINA!

Ok rant over but really it's about where we want to live not about money. I'd rather teach in Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam than China.

[thairastawoman]

Do you really think that the problem is the teachers or the student who have mostly no interest on learning because they are raised the most stupid way possible ?

 

 

[landmonsun]

 

Because we wanted to LIVE IN THAILAND NOT CHINA!

Ok rant over but really it's about where we want to live not about money. I'd rather teach in Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam than China.

 

 

I am torn about this right now. Everything about teaching in China looks better, except that it isn't in Thailand. 

[inutil]

If it helps, the food is kinda rubbish too. Too oily and frequently makes me sick. 

Lots of really nasty habits as well. Fancy going to your local swimming pool? Enjoy the ambiance of just about everyone having a smoke when they aint swimming; be it at the side of the pool, in the showers after, or just in the dressing room. I shudder to think at just how much piss im swallowing every day. The only relief is that its an olympic pool so the kids tend to stay away (2m deep all the way). But, there will be urine! 

Still nothing quite beat the moment when in Mcdonalds, a mum whipped down the pants of her 6 year old and had him piss into a bottle instead of taking him the ten feet to the <redacted> toilet.

Apparently im supposed to be used to all this by now. So its not heaven.  

 

 

Edited July 29, 2014 by inutil

[duanebigsby]

Again, there should be three work permits for teachers.

 

1. International Schools. Class One (or whatever). QTS/US equivalent. Can teach GCSE/US curriculum. BA (Education for Primary/Elementary) or subject degree for High school. Master's in Ed or PGCE required plus experience of teaching in own country. Police checks required.

 

2. English teachers in non International Schools. Requirements. B.Ed/ BA in English Language/Linguistics or BA in TESOL (or a combination of those).Those teachers can only teach English as a second language. If you think that a degree in English Language or TESOL isn't enough to teach..ermm...TESOL/English to speakers of other languages then I must be missing something. Can work in Primary/High Schools/other after police checks.

 

3. Conversation teachers. Evening/Weekend Language schools: Requirements: Non relevant degrees (Textiles etc unless teaching Textiles in English) And/or CELTA/DELTA/Trinity TESOL plus A Levels/US High School Diploma with excellent grades. Tutors must be fully enrolled either within Thailand or Distance Learning for a degree/Master's in either English/Education or TESOL.Police checks required. Teachers in the final year of a degree can progress to level two after successful official observations (if on target to obtain degree).

 

 

 

 

Why add to the complication? ONE work permit, let each level of school choose what they want for hiring teachers. Each school sets its requirements, then a work permit is issued. Why all the extra crap? 

[duanebigsby]

I hope I don't give anybody too much satisfaction when I say it really does make my blood boil when I hear people from westernized nations saying 1000 dollars a month is ok. That is 12,000 dollars a year.... I know you knew that, but doesn't that figure scare you? That figure just makes me laugh personally. People not only say it is ok though, they say it is great, like a godsend! These are the "perpetuators" for lack of a better term. Go back in the books to see how long people have been earning 30k baht per month here, and we all have the perpetuators to thank for this. 

 

There are so many ways to just totally destroy this argument. What is you have a wife and a child, and you want to fly back home once in say 10 years. That'll be about 3 months salary, or 25% of your work year, JUST FOR THE FLIGHT. I hope your family likes water and bread. I could go on and on with these examples, as could we all.

 

People here don't seem to understand that when you bring your skills and knowledge into a place like Thailand, whose people generally are less skilled and not as well educated, there is a price for that. We can do things that no Thai can do, of course there is a hefty price for that. Now, on top of that, you must..... absolutely must.... consider that Thais do not fight for themselves at all. They don't fight for their rights or workers wages, there are no unions etc. In short, their wages are much much lower than they should be. Not my problem, and more to the point, I could not care less what they are making for these and many other reasons. 

 

Once we firmly establish in our minds why we should not care about what others make here, which you should honestly get to this point if you think about it, then you have to ask "how much am I worth?" If you are getting a figure of 12,000 dollars a year when you answer that, I feel sorry for you. That would be more than half of what a person with absolutely no skills earns in the western world. Hell, a Mexican who just crossed the border into California with one arm who was drooling on himself but can hold a rake could earn double that. 

 

I am just going to proclaim myself the winner of this "argument" given the above verbiage. This sh!t sells itself, because it is the truth. If you are one who works for 30k a month because they need to I have nothing but respect for you. Truth. But if you are one who says 30k is an ok salary and what are we complaining about, you are a perpetuator, and I am complaining because you make life much worse for all those here who would like to sell their skills at reasonable, fair market prices. 

What somebody will work for is up to them.

 

If they make less than what you think is appropriate and you laugh at them, that's up to you.

 

30k is more than twice the Thai teachers and about 6 times minimum wage. What do you think we should be paid?

 

I've said this before, in Vancouver I made $4500 a month and was hard press to put $500 away every month. Here I make $1000, and I can put $400 of it away.

 

Takes about the same time to save enough for a flight home. My small apartment in Vancouver was 45,000 baht a month! Put the money crap into perspective!

 

What do you think we should hold out for while not teaching at all?

[duanebigsby]

 

 

Because we wanted to LIVE IN THAILAND NOT CHINA!

Ok rant over but really it's about where we want to live not about money. I'd rather teach in Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam than China.

 

 

I am torn about this right now. Everything about teaching in China looks better, except that it isn't in Thailand. 

 

I'm an older person, so where I want to live is more important than the other concerns. If I were young and starting out, I'd consider other places too.

[gp2002]

The quality of teachers will not improve because people teaching illegally are ejected from the country. The fact is, many of these people are good and effective teachers.

The only way Thailand will EVER have better teachers is to pay more. But it just can't. Not many people with the proper training as teachers want to come work here for $1000 a month. Besides, they have teaching careers back home.

However, Thailand is finding a way around this. More and more Filipinos are being hired to teach. They work for 70% the wage as Farang and will work all the days and hours a school wants without complaint.

I know Thais still, generally, want a white face in the classroom. But, when they have to choose between whatever and nothing, they will take the whatever.

I agree.

 

I have been teaching here since 2004 and the salaries are still the same.  Most of the ads on ajarn.com are laughable. These schools want teachers to be qualified up the 'gazoo' (BEd, QTS, certification, Masters preferred, etc) and they're offering a whopping 25-30,000 baht per month!! GIVE YOUR HEAD A SHAKE!!!

 

So since no qualified teacher would work for that, they loosen the qualifications and hire the backpackers who will gladly take that.

 

You get what you pay for.

[iamariva1957]

Siampolee, you do realize that many of the non-native speakers with the 'mangled' accents are the ones who are eligible to remain here?  

 

Many of these people do have degrees, including degrees in education, they are excellent teachers, but their level of English may leave a lot to be desired.   We hire many non-native English speakers as subject teachers -- math, science, social studies, PE, Health Education etc..  When they submit a written test, it is pretty clear that some are sorely lacking in English language skills. 

 

Countries, including Thailand, have every right to set criteria for who they want living/working in their country.   They do, however, need to think about the consequences.

 

The overall problem with education in Thailand is not due to the standard of English teachers and the overall standard will not be improved regardless of what rules they implement for foreigners in the country.   The education problem is a Thai problem and needs to be solved structurally.  

 

I agree with your assessment. I also offer you my services. Having been a teacher (in the NYC school system back in the early '80's) and then in the film/TV industry for the rest of the time till 2008, a teacher/lecturer of 20th Century History in colleges and high schools in the US and the EU as well as being a qualified TESL teacher and taught in the Thailand & Cambodia for the past 4 years... well I am available! Let me know of I can be of help to you. I am not kidding and I apologize for my using your posting as a reason for making an application.

[Greg Nixon]

A very big problem is that currently there is no government, per se.   The current situation doesn't leave a lot of room to know who to talk to about the existing problem.   There is little direction as to what Immigration is doing in relation to other ministries, such as the Ministry of Education.  

 

Thailand, like many tropical countries, is not known for planning and forward thinking to begin with.  

 

I think the situation will get much worse before it gets better.  

 

You are a teacher? You misspelled Ministry of Education. It should be Misery of Education. 

[bbbbooboo]

Of course it will. In Thailand less is always better(or is that more, I get so confused?)

[Newguy70]

Pretty decent article article here on the ins and outs of the visa crackdown and how it affects teachers and overall standards of English education in Thailand.
 
My take: Removing the bureaucratic costs for schools to hire foreign teachers would be a big step forward. Would solve the visa/WP issue for many people, and maybe even allow schools to pay a little bit more and attract potentially better English-speaking staff.
 
http://asiancorrespondent.com/125194/thailand-visa-teach-english/
 

Nope.

Schools are already using their influence and using the volunteer on paperwork route.

[John1012]

It will raise the standard of the Thai immigration laws. 

 

If the teacher can't figure out how to procure a teaching visa (it ain't rocket science) ... or won't take the time to do so ... then they're likely not good teachers anyway. 

Boll**ks.    Maybe the 'good' teachers cannot be bothered with the immigration/moe/wp bs for a low paying position. Who wants to be a second/third class low paid guest in a xenophobic country? 'Good' teachers can work in other Asian countries. If Thailand wants 'good' teachers then it should make it very easy for qualified NES teachers to work here, and it should make it easy for non b-ed TEFLers to find work as S & L teachers to assist the native Thai English teachers. There also seems to be a resistance from the Thai's to assimilate with the rest of the world, they need to keep their 'Thainess' (LOL), with some sort of extra requirement to understand Thais before one can legally teach S & L. Flying round in ever decreasing circles , the eventual outcome is that one disappears up one's own rectum, whilst others with a more open approach to the world  stand, watch and benefit.

[lostinisaan]

    Just a question. You're living in deepest Isaan, a city called Sisaket. There's a "highly educated" car mechanic, with numerous degrees, attended seminars, etc, named Thaksin.

 

But there's also Khun Somchai, a guy who just knows how to fix a car and he'll find the problem immediately, fix it for less money than Thaksin takes.

 

  Your car will be properly fixed in a short period of time by Somchai, while Thaksin's still trying to find the problem.

 

 

  Would you bring your car to Thaklsin, or Somchai, to get it fixed?  It's not always about a degree, it'a about the ability to do something in an efficient way. 

[Grindting]

Why would anyone with a degree in the UK which took 3 to 4 years of graft and a huge wedge of £20,000+ debt and any skill and post grad education in 'teaching' want to go and work in Thailand as a real career choice, on £600 per month??

NONE!!! They will only want to work in the top schools on the highest salaries. The local government schools in the back of beyond haven't got a chance in hiring both good and well qualified (at the same time) teachers that they want and expect to pay a pittance

[enuff said]

.

 

 

Face it.  They should stop teaching English as a core subject tomorrow and start teaching Mandarin.

There's over a billion Chinese a few hundred kms to the north, you know.

Besides, the Chinese teachers I have met are much more dedicated, more qualified and work for about half the money.

 

It's 2014 and the English horse has long left the stable.

 

'nuff said

 

 

~

Edited July 30, 2014 by 'nuff said

[inutil]

...because China has dropped English en masse and in no way sees it as a gateway to opportunity for their children. Thats why theres so few jobs in China these days... :) 

[pogal]

Just a story to add.

I sat the teachers exam last year as required and got 5/8 of the papers. Then this year I heard it was cancelled and then 2 weeks before my visa renewal they said I had to be enrolled in a Masters in Education! My university said it is impossible to get that done in 2 weeks and could we have more time, they said no. So my university changed my visa to some kind of administrative position and will begin to do that to all the other teachers in the future and has cut ties with the MOE further exasperating the decline of education in Thailand.

I've been a teacher (with a degree in linguistics) for 14 years in Thailand and always done what is asked of me including 2 years enrollment in the Thai Teaching Licence (one year I didn't go because I was hospitalized) but then after they wasted my 2 years and 16,000 baht, they nullified the exams I had passed and gave me 2 weeks to enroll in a masters! In the past when applying for other jobs I found out my Linguistics degree holds less value than a 3 week TESL course. I was advised to get a TESL course if I wanted to remain in Thailand teaching.
The MOE in Thailand should be disbanded by the army and start from scratch with some people who know what they are doing. Disgraceful behavior. Everyone who ever sat a Thai teaching licence should get their money back too. I wonder what the legality of making people pay for a course and then nullifying the papers you have already earned and paid for?

 

[aidenai]

@ pogal - interesting. You seem to be working in a university to which the TCT requirements apply. Never heard of that before.