Crackdown On "farang" Teachers

[JimsKnight]

First the knee, then the jerk. Then the response.

Here are some possible scenarios:

1. Create more paperwork and bureaucracy, which makes it harder for foreigners to work legally as teachers. End result as market demand stays the same: more foreigners work illegally as teachers.

2. Create insanely high qualifications for foreigners to work in Thailand. End result: Foreigners without insane qualifications leave the country, suddenly market demand goes through the roof without accompanying salary rises ("We will pay 30K baht a month for a Ph.D in Education!"); more foreigners work illegally.

3. Make a song and dance show to save face, then continue business as usual. End result: Normal number of foreigners working illegally.

"Steven"

I understand that as it stands right now, foreigners working legally already pay through the nose for permits, tax and some kind of teaching thai license / fee to the government. One of the reasons I never got into teaching.

Still, It may just be a storm in a tea-cup... I hope!

[otherstuff1957]

I don't remember the exact costs - but I think it's 1,900 baht for the type B Visa, which can be renewed annually for free, and about 3,500 annually for the WP and about 5.5% income tax, paid monthly. I think the Teacher's Licence was free or very cheap.

Normally, your school will pay for your Visa and Work Permit.

[AlexLah]

Hi All,

I am just thinking why a qualified teacher in their own country would give up a good salary and move to Thailand and have low salary.

It just does not make sense to me.

Alex

[sbk]

Hi All,

I am just thinking why a qualified teacher in their own country would give up a good salary and move to Thailand and have low salary.

It just does not make sense to me.

Alex

Teachers get a good salary back home?

I met some intl school teachers who made quite a good salary, got to live in various interesting places around the world and then retired to Key West . They had really enjoyed learning about other countries and other cultures in depth.

[Boon Mee]

what a hilarious thread. please keep it up lads, this is better than reading the National Enquirer or watching Jerry Springer ..haha. are you lot for real ! ROFL.

It does make for more entertaining reading than "Rain".

BTW, is that ridiculous thread still around?

Sorry for going 'off topic' - TELFers are a sorry lot anyhow (that should bring some vitrol, eh?)

[Ijustwannateach]

We teachers love you, too, Boon Mee. Bored tonight?

I know some international school teachers who have done very well for themselves and for their children. However, the downside is that you're mostly teaching white foreign kids- which I don't miss at all from the way I see them behaving around town.

"Steven"

[romulus]

Let me offer another point of view.

Perhaps the focus should be on educating the children on the dangers of such crimes. Many Thai children (especially in the outlying village areas) are ignorant to these dangers.

By educating the children, no matter what the government does, or doesn't do, the children are aware of what's proper and what's not and who to tell if anything should happen, farang or local.

Do any of the schools have a comprehensive sexuality programme? I'm looking to start one in my school...

[Turok]

AlexLah:

Teacher salary in USA lets say about $4000 per month and that is being generous. Take away about $1200 in taxes. Subtract out rent and lets be generous here also of about $700 and is much more in certain cities, minus out car payment of $300, insurance $100, gasoline for that car $300, = You do the math. Thai school salaries I agree are low but like myself I never did not do the thai schools nor would I. International schools pay much better but then you need the qualifications to get in. Thai schools will hire non qualified teachers. It wasn't difficult to earn over 100k per month in Thailand and that was above housing. It certainly was much easier to save money in Thailand. One of the things Alex you need to look at is its not the salary you receive but how much you save. $5000 a month in SanFrancisco is not the same as $5000 per month in lets say Columbus, Ohio. Its how much you keep. International school teachers can do very well and see the world. Contribute to an IRA each year and retire very well and have seen the world also. Not a bad lifestyle. Get all of your facts first before you judge someones career path.

Turok

[andy1308]

Back in the UK, anyone with even the slightest involvement with children needs to be CRB checked. I was a photographer for a local newspaper, and a CRB check was a MUST as far as schools were concerned. In my opinion that is a step too far, but it underlines the way things are going in the UK education system. I won't even get onto the subject of schools and newspaper photography!

I know the Thai system isn't up to anything like this right now, but isn't it the only way to ensure that teachers are free from any previous midsemeanours that they are obviously not going to own up to on their CV ?

Andy

[frogmo1]

Meaningful screening of foreign teachers is badly needed. Even well-established ESL schools such as American University Alumni (AUA) continue to require new teachers to serve a probationary period during which they do not have work permits. As long as the Thai government permits language schools such as AUA to flaunt work permit requirements for newly recruited teachers, it's unlikely that any uniform standards or criteria for teacher screening will emerge, desirable as that would be.

[Rhys]

What a minute .. the plastic don is in an adminstrative position rather than spokesman.. LET the Games begin.

[Scott]

Thailand needs to get it's act together completely on everything from types of visas to conditions for working with visas first.

It is quite complicated and time consuming for people to get the Non-Immigrant visa prior to coming to Thailand. For teachers, your documents must first go to the Education Department to be vetted. After about a month, they send a letter to the consulate/embassy where you are requesting the visa (so you must know where you are planning on being when this letter arrives). You then must go with all the documents, including the ones the school must supply and a copy of your contract (which means you are already hired). All of this only gets you the Non-Immigrant B visa.

After that then the work permit stuff starts--another 4-8 months.

After that you are legal.

[PREM-R]

(Turok Posted Today, 2006-08-21 06:50:11 )Thai school salaries I agree are low but like myself I never did not do the thai schools nor would I.

[Roybkk]

Crackdown On "Farang" Teachers:

Qualifications of foreign teachers in Thailand must meet required standards

BANGKOK: -- Authorities concerned are believed to soon set a common standard for all local schools in recruiting teachers, including those of foreign origins, following a recent case in which an American teacher was arrested for an alleged murder of a six-year-old girl in the United States 10 years ago.

Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister Jakrapob Penkair said here Friday that he would meet secretary of the education minister next week to discuss standardized qualifications of all teachers in Thailand and criteria on teacher recruitments.

"All teachers in Thailand must have the same career standard, no matter what nationalities they are. We must now be serious about that," noted Mr. Jakrapob, who is also secretary of Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai.

Mr. Surakiart, among other tasks, supervises the Ministry of Education.

"I'll discuss with the education minister's secretary on qualifications of teachers and tuitors in Thailand, particularly those work for international schools, as well as criteria for screening their backgrounds and issuing work permits for them," he told journalists.

Mr. Jakrapob's remarks followed Wednesday's arrest of John Mark Karr, 41, who had worked as a teacher of some international schools in Thailand.

The middle-aged American was arrested by the Thai Immigration Police Bureau in a downtown Bangkok apartment Wednesday afternoon following a request by US security officials on August 11.

According to Thai Immigration Police Bureau Commissioner Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsriskul, the American authorities had informed Thailand that Mr. Karr had fled the US to hide, first in Malaysia, and then in Thailand.

As the latest development, a court in Boulder, Colorado issued arrest warrants for the suspect on August 16 on charges of abduction and murder.

The arrested suspect confessed to strangling to death the then six-year-old 'beauty queen', Jon Benet Ramsey, in her home in the US state of Colorado on December 26, 1996.

The suspect said that he initially wanted to kidnap the young girl for ransom, but his demand was not met; so he strangled the kidnapped girl.

Mr. Karr left Penang, Malaysia, and entered Thailand on June 6 this year.

The immigration bureau chief said that he had ordered Mr. Karr's visa to be revoked, and that the man, found not to have committed any wrongdoing in Thailand, would be then extradited for trial in the US.

There have been thousands of foreigners working for local schools in Thailand, particularly international and language schools, a number of whom entered the kingdom as tourists with no work permits as professional teachers, according to Mr. Jakrapob.

--TNA 2006-08-18

Related links:

Alas!!! What will the poor Thais do if restrictions are appilied on farang teachers It will be a disgrace for them to speak in asain accent.

Work Permit in Thailand

Non-Immigrant Visa

[Ijustwannateach]

Meaningful screening of foreign teachers is badly needed. Even well-established ESL schools such as American University Alumni (AUA) continue to require new teachers to serve a probationary period during which they do not have work permits. As long as the Thai government permits language schools such as AUA to flaunt work permit requirements for newly recruited teachers, it's unlikely that any uniform standards or criteria for teacher screening will emerge, desirable as that would be.

Exactly.

[moebius]

Karr is a self-proclaimed killer. He also just happens to be flogging a living as an educator in a foreign country. Instantaneously this tars the profession, an honourable and universally underpaid one if you ask most teachers, with an salient brush. Those who herald qualifications cry havoc over being tarnished; those who mean no ill take their undeserved slaps; those whose mandate is public appearance to do something about it do something about something; and all the while reality remains reality...

The girl is dead. Society is rift with problems and a lot of people crying about it. Few really come up with viable alternatives, just as the law in the US seldom produces a satisfactory outcome for such a diverse public. One can decry many ills and do little more than defend the calibre of their individual worth on what good they and they alone do while alive.

Think about it.

It's a tough life and there are terrible ways to have it ended. Do some good for somebody; however small or large you might think.

Forget about Karr; don't forget about the girl or all the others out there of all race, creed, colour, age

or gender.

If you teach; teach some values and hold to values worth learning, all the while knowing that knowledge holds the greatest value of all. Urge everyone to do well for themselves and unto others regardless of the standards swirling about you. Help people to think for themselves. Be practical and aware that what you do makes all things probable and possible for others. Care about what you do and who you are.

If you don't teach; support the good teachers you know and help them work towards a better end. See the previous advice and apply it by sharing your knowledge.

Knowledge itself is not a degree or a title, teaching itself is not an act for pay. Teaching is something which makes all things about you worthwhile to someone else.

Everybody keep on learning - it is the only way beyond ignorance and oblivion.

I don't need others to tell me whether or not I am one thing or the other; nor do I need a killer or anyone else to caste shame on me. More often than naught these cases are simply times for all to look at those beside them and determine if you truly know this person and then determine if or what there is any good you may do as result.

Unfortunately the bad and the ugly always gets the headlines, ultimately the good shares the punishment, and there are no blanket answers to any of this.

...and those in the appearance of having to do something about it do something about something.

Have a good day all...

Edited August 21, 2006 by moebius

[Laulen]

Let us hope, despite all the reported scepticism that the Thai authorities get any proposed review of teaching qualifications and work permits more streamlined than is currently the situation.

In my three years in Thailand I never did manage to get a Work Permit, although I had plenty of renewed Immigrant B visas.

As I changed my employer during my time in LOS there was no transfer facility on the Work Permit, so applicants go straight back to Non Immigrant B status again, with a further bureaucratic wait for an official Work Permit.

If the Thai authorities were serious about collecting income tax, then they would streamline the Work Permit process, and thereby increase the tax take.

Also, the Ministry of Education needs to review its 'any old degree qualification' will do, and stop ignoring teachng experience and teaching qualifications without a 'degree'. A degree is not evidence of a person's ability or competence to teach!

Good luck to the Thai authorities if they intend using CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) type checking system. In the past 15 months, doing the same work, I have had to make two applications for an Enhanced CRB check, as one 'CRB Registered Umbrella Body' was not 'acceptable' to my new employer! Bureaucracy rules whatever country you are in.

A final thought; just like a map a CRB check is out of date the day it is printed!

Laulen

Edited August 21, 2006 by Laulen

[Stephen Cleary]

From this evening's news - according to education chief Khunying Kasama Varawarn na Ayutthaya, permanent secretary of education there is to be an immediate clampdown on the 7,000 foreign English teachers working at Bi-lingual/International schools in Bangkok.

According to Khunying Kasama - she has been informed that many of the 7,000 foreign teachers are working either degreeless or holding fake degrees.

Khunying Kasama has declared 'immediate verification' of every foreign teacher's qualifications teaching at privately owned schools.

"Any teacher found to be violating this regualtion is to be arrested, deported and blacklisted"

Source: Local Thai Evening News

Edited August 21, 2006 by stevesuphan

[sriracha john]

From this evening's news - according to education chief Khunying Kasama Varawarn na Ayutthaya, permanent secretary of education there is to be an immediate clampdown on the 7,000 foreign English teachers working at Bi-lingual/International schools in Bangkok.

According to Khunying Kasama - she has been informed that many of the 7,000 foreign teachers are working either degreeless or holding fake degrees.

Khunying Kasama has declared 'immediate verification' of every foreign teacher's qualifications teaching at privately owned schools.

"Any teacher found to be violating this regualtion is to be arrested, deported and blacklisted"

Source: Local Thai Evening News

If this is verifiable... this is GIGANTIC news... there's dozens of threads in the Teaching in Thailand forum that should be updated with this news. It's only fair to give a "heads up" as it's been standard practice for a long time to issue responses such as "don't worry too much about work permits" or "don't worry about having a degree", etc. to queries about "how do I go about this and that." Otherwise, people are setting themselves up for a big surprise when the latest and greatest crackdown occurs.

This sounds to be a BIG change from the status quo.

This has the potential to at least equal, if not surpass, the impact of the crackdown on the "mail my passport out of the country to get a visa" and the "send my passport to get stamped at the border without me" that occurred three years ago and resulted in fundamental changes in the manner in which many ex-pats live their lives in Thailand.

Edited August 21, 2006 by sriracha john

[Laulen]

From this evening's news - according to education chief Khunying Kasama Varawarn na Ayutthaya, permanent secretary of education there is to be an immediate clampdown on the 7,000 foreign English teachers working at Bi-lingual/International schools in Bangkok.

According to Khunying Kasama - she has been informed that many of the 7,000 foreign teachers are working either degreeless or holding fake degrees.

Khunying Kasama has declared 'immediate verification' of every foreign teacher's qualifications teaching at privately owned schools.

"Any teacher found to be violating this regualtion is to be arrested, deported and blacklisted"

Source: Local Thai Evening News

Shocking, predictable, and it will do nothing to meeting the 'insatiable' desire of people who want to learn English. Khunying Kasama Varawarn na Ayutthaya has missed an opportunity to streamline foreign teacher's qualifications and instead sought to reassure nervous parents through political grandstanding.

What value is there given to Cambridge or Trinity ESOL teaching qualifications, especially at Diploma level? None, from the journalist who wrote this report.

Thank goodness that I am back in the UK teaching at a senior level (A/DOS) in a well-known private language school, and on top of that a 'survivor' of not one but two British Council inspections.

I would love to teach in Thailand again, but with this crackdown I stand not a chance. And before anyone asks, the Interior Ministry are quite happy to issue Work Permits; it is the Education Ministry who need to evolve and change.

Laulen

Edited August 21, 2006 by Laulen

[marquess]

From this evening's news - according to education chief Khunying Kasama Varawarn na Ayutthaya, permanent secretary of education there is to be an immediate clampdown on the 7,000 foreign English teachers working at Bi-lingual/International schools in Bangkok.

According to Khunying Kasama - she has been informed that many of the 7,000 foreign teachers are working either degreeless or holding fake degrees.

Khunying Kasama has declared 'immediate verification' of every foreign teacher's qualifications teaching at privately owned schools.

"Any teacher found to be violating this regualtion is to be arrested, deported and blacklisted"

Source: Local Thai Evening News

This was always going to happen at some point, I suspect that alot of people who were planning to come here, will now be thinking twice about it, or give the matter a miss entirely. I wonder how long it will be before teaching rates go up?

[Ijustwannateach]

Something like this is just to be expected, and as Laulen says it's a big waste of time.

Out of 7000 private school teachers with real work permits, how many of them will be found to have fake or no degree? Maybe a few hundred? The industry is sad but not *that* sad, I hope.

And that will leave the thousands and thousands more (surely more than the ones who have work permits- by a multiple of 3 or 4 or more, I'd imagine) who are completely illegal and unregulated:

completely untouched by this "crackdown."

Well, I guess this is just more job security for me, then.

And, once again: these are checks that "undesirable alien" Karr would have passed with flying colours.

"Steven"

[Freddie_fly]

Thailand has become a haven for foreign criminals and sexual deviants.

I would like to see the visa amount substantially increased for those acquiring one year visas, a termination of the visa runs and government agencies

From each home country a special document is available from police confirming there is nothing or something on file about applicants. I have one myself, from Scotland Yard London police. Cost £10, 40 days for issue.

So people who have a larger amount of money will have no criminal record?? What planet did that one come from.

The letters you refer to from home countries are actually only available from the States and UK. If they are available from other countries ..... Do I need elaborate na

and no I am not a teacher it does not pay enough in any country :-(

Just to clarify some misconceptions here, In the UK, you will get a letter saying that there is no information available for your name under the Freedon of information act, In the US Its easier, you pop along to any Highway police office and hand over your drivers licence and you get a printout saying you are not wanted for any felonies. These letters are also available from every country. I know as I had to get one for my Brazilian work permit, as did fellow workers from Germany, Phillipines, Mexico, India, Canada, faeroes, Norway and China. I later found out that a friend who lives in Phuket, went to Bangkok and got one from the Thai authorities in Chaeng Wattana, he is British too. So for 400 baht you can be "criminal free" here in Thailand. All he had to show was his passport and a letter from Immigration in Phuket that he was "resident".

regards

Freddie

[sriracha john]

Something like this is just to be expected, and as Laulen says it's a big waste of time.

Out of 7000 private school teachers with real work permits, how many of them will be found to have fake or no degree? Maybe a few hundred? The industry is sad but not *that* sad, I hope.

And that will leave the thousands and thousands more (surely more than the ones who have work permits- by a multiple of 3 or 4 or more, I'd imagine) who are completely illegal and unregulated:

completely untouched by this "crackdown."

Well, I guess this is just more job security for me, then.

And, once again: these are checks that "undesirable alien" Karr would have passed with flying colours.

"Steven"

I may be wrong, Steven, but I believe you might be misreading the Khunying's comments. She's not saying there are 7000 teachers in BKK with work permits, but that there are 7000 teachers with suspect degrees.

Are there any official numbers on the number of work permits issued to teachers in BKK? I'd be surprised frankly if the number was anywhere near that high.

I think when they begin the actual "crackdown" they will find the percentage of teachers lacking in either degrees and/or work permits is quite high and if the authorities are serious about correcting the problem, it could spell trouble for many.

As you say, those that are 100% legit, like yourself, will have heightened job security and I would imagine even a nice bump in wages to coincide with the disappearance of the many teachers that are not 100% legitimate, so at least there will be some positives in all of this.

*edit* - as is the case with most crackdowns, the actual precipitating event (Karr's arrest publicity) will have little to do with the actual execution of how the authorities conduct it. He'll be but a long forgotten blip in the history of work and visa rule changes in a fairly short amount of time.

Edited August 21, 2006 by sriracha john

[Silvercharm]

CHILD ABUSERS

Ministry to compile suspects list

Stringent checks are now in store for foreigners wishing to teach

The Education Ministry yesterday offered to compile a list of foreigners suspected of committing crimes against children.

Khunying Kasama Varawarn na Ayutthaya, the ministry's permanent secretary, said it was a measure to help schools screen foreign applicants.

She was speaking after a meeting with representatives of relevant authorities, international schools, bilingual schools and English language schools.

The meeting was held in the wake of last week's arrest of John Mark Karr, a suspect in the 1996 murder of an American child beauty queen.

Karr managed to find teaching jobs in Bangkok before he was arrested here last Wednesday.

"We will seek information on suspected child abusers from various authorities overseas," Kasama said yesterday. She added that she had contacted the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) for information.

She said relevant parties would go into more details about a plan to develop a database of foreign teachers in Thailand next month.

Kasama, however, assured parents that her ministry and schools had carefully recruited foreign teachers by conducting checks into their qualifications and any criminal record.

"But if you see any suspicious teacher, please alert us through hotline number 1579," she said.

According to Kasama, her ministry has conducted qualification checks on 7,000 foreign applicants for teaching jobs during the past year. Of them, only 45 have submitted fake certificates and none had any criminal record.

"But from now on, we will tighten the screening even more," Kasama said.

International Schools Association of Thailand's vice president Kumari Shinawatra said her association's members had always made careful background checks before recruiting any teacher.

"We have checked whether their certificates are genuine and checked their history with their former employers and with the police," she said.

However, an informed source said only leading international schools had acceptable standards in recruiting foreign teachers, while smaller institutes or language schools were often so desperate to acquire foreign teachers they didn't bother with any detailed checking.

That was fast! Only 45 out of 7,000 had fake certs and doccuments,

source: http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/22/nat...al_30011603.php

[marquess]

Something like this is just to be expected, and as Laulen says it's a big waste of time.

Out of 7000 private school teachers with real work permits, how many of them will be found to have fake or no degree? Maybe a few hundred? The industry is sad but not *that* sad, I hope.

And that will leave the thousands and thousands more (surely more than the ones who have work permits- by a multiple of 3 or 4 or more, I'd imagine) who are completely illegal and unregulated:

completely untouched by this "crackdown."

Well, I guess this is just more job security for me, then.

And, once again: these are checks that "undesirable alien" Karr would have passed with flying colours.

"Steven"

I think that what is being said is that of the 7000 teachers checked last year, who perhaps applied for work permits, 45 presented fake certs, I think the real issue here, is checking for a criminal record and references and then the hot line that has now been set up. This will give a disgruntled employer an opportunity to put presure on those, who might not quite be as kosher as they might wish to be.

I may be wrong, Steven, but I believe you might be misreading the Khunying's comments. She's not saying there are 7000 teachers in BKK with work permits, but that there are 7000 teachers with suspect degrees.

Are there any official numbers on the number of work permits issued to teachers in BKK? I'd be surprised frankly if the number was anywhere near that high.

I think when they begin the actual "crackdown" they will find the percentage of teachers lacking in either degrees and/or work permits is quite high and if the authorities are serious about correcting the problem, it could spell trouble for many.

As you say, those that are 100% legit, like yourself, will have heightened job security and I would imagine even a nice bump in wages to coincide with the disappearance of the many teachers that are not 100% legitimate, so at least there will be some positives in all of this.

*edit* - as is the case with most crackdowns, the actual precipitating event (Karr's arrest publicity) will have little to do with the actual execution of how the authorities conduct it. He'll be but a long forgotten blip in the history of work and visa rule changes in a fairly short amount of time.

[sriracha john]

She said relevant parties would go into more details about a plan to develop a database of foreign teachers in Thailand next month.

Kasama, however, assured parents that her ministry and schools had carefully recruited foreign teachers by conducting checks into their qualifications and any criminal record.

"But if you see any suspicious teacher, please alert us through hotline number 1579," she said.

According to Kasama, her ministry has conducted qualification checks on 7,000 foreign applicants for teaching jobs during the past year. Of them, only 45 have submitted fake certificates and none had any criminal record.

"But from now on, we will tighten the screening even more," Kasama said.

International Schools Association of Thailand's vice president Kumari Shinawatra said her association's members had always made careful background checks before recruiting any teacher.

"We have checked whether their certificates are genuine and checked their history with their former employers and with the police," she said.

However, an informed source said only leading international schools had acceptable standards in recruiting foreign teachers, while smaller institutes or language schools were often so desperate to acquire foreign teachers they didn't bother with any detailed checking.

---------------------------------------------

That was fast! Only 45 out of 7,000 had fake certs and doccuments,

source: http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/22/nat...al_30011603.php

Thank you for that report, Silvercharm....

and yes, it's obviously impossible to verify 7000 file folders full of documents quickly, and as it was done over the past year, most were probably not screened for criminal backgrounds, work permits, etc. as these issues only came to the forefront after Karr's publicity.... BUT they are at least beginning a process that will hopefully end in a better situation for Thailand regarding teachers.

The establishment of the database is essential and long overdue. The establishment of a phone

tip-off line is similarly overdue, however, it is certainly open to abuse. It is a terrific way, especially with the Thai non-direct confrontational style, to simply get a lead on a "bad teacher" which will require further investigating and verification.

As mentioned in the article, ISAT-member schools, in my opinion, are not the real problem as the truly international schools already do a fairly good amount of pre-checking, verification of documentation, and issuance of proper work permits/visas. To begin to find the real problem teachers, the Ministry should begin with establishments employing Bulgarian (Disclaimer: with apologies to any of our brethren Bulgarian thaivisa members; it was a country totally picked at random) who learned English as a third language and work for ABCDEFGH(etc.) Language School of Better English where compliance with work permits, proper visas, criminal background checks, and educational documentation verification are all non-existent.

Edited August 22, 2006 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Screening of foreigners for teaching jobs gets overhaul

The Education Ministry plans to issue standard regulations for the screening of foreigners who apply for teaching jobs

The regulations will be applicable to all international schools and state and private schools offering bilingual education, permanent secretary for education Kasama Varavarn told the International Schools Association following the detention of John Mark Karr, a suspect in a high-profile murder case, who arrived back in the United States yesterday. The regulations will be developed on the basis of the screening criteria of the association. In the past, each type of school had set its own criteria in selecting foreign teachers, which had made it easy for unqualified applicants to slip through the net, Khunying Kasama said. The association, which has about 70 schools under its umbrella, has two screening levels. First, it will check the qualifications of the foreign applicants with the universities the applicants graduated from, and also investigate the applicants' history and backgrounds with their former employers and overseas police. For the second screening, it will refer the matter to the Office of the Private Education Commission to repeat the procedures again to ensure the foreign applicants meet all the qualifications.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/22Aug2006_news03.php

-----------------------

Again, while the ISAT should be applauded for their efforts, their schools don't really seem to be the main problem.

[sriracha john]

Institutes want vetting centre

Operators of bi-lingual teaching institutes want a mechanism to help them screen foreign teachers, following the high-profile arrest of John Mark Karr last week. An executive of the English teaching institute, Direct English, said those in the business have so far screened candidates with different priorities. "Oh, I see you're white... you've now completed our 'screening'. Can you start tomorrow?" They generally had no idea who to contact in order to check criminal backgrounds of the candidates, and therefore concentrated on their educational backgrounds and teaching experience, said the executive, who asked not to be named. According to the executive, Mr Karr once applied to Direct English, but was turned down as he failed to demonstrate a proficiency in teaching adults. Do you have proof he applied and you turned him down, Mr. Unnamed Executive? "It has proved difficult to get qualified foreign instructors over the past five years and this has prompted several language institutes to loosen their screening process," said the executive. If they got any "looser," they'd have to accept deceased white teachers.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/22Aug2006_news08.php

Edited August 22, 2006 by sriracha john

[Scott]

As of sometime last year, the screening process was tightened up by the MOE. Now, all potential teachers must submit a copy of their degree and copies of their passport. These are then verified (presumably) and sometype of criminal record check is done. I know they do check the degrees, but I wasn't aware of the criminal records check and I am not sure how they do that.

Whatever process the MOE uses, after about a month to 6 weeks, they issue a letter to the relevant embassy/consulate where you plan to get your non-immigrant visa. You can then go and get the visa.

Once you have the non-immigrant visa then the process of getting a Work Permit begins. The whole process varies in the amount of time, but takes up to 9 months--all of during which most teachers are working. It would be quite difficult to go through the vetting/screening process ahead of time since this would require extensive planning and a lot of teachers would be hired elsewhere (as in another country) while waiting. The reasons for this, of course, have to do with salary, which is quite low here.

A simple criminal records check on Karr would have shown his teaching license was suspended in California.