Teaching prathom - for peanuts...

[Mr Somtam]

I had a talk with the headmaster of my local temple school about teaching there. Another teacher told me I could expect 200 baht/hour, but he did not know how many hours the job would be etc.

It turns out they would like me to "teach" 135 kids at a time, no formal salary, and just make it fun for the kids maybe they will learn a thing or two. There is no budget, no planning, no curriculum or books, nothing basically.

I will go take a look next monday but have a bad feeling about it already.

My wife tells me to do it from the heart, yeah right, would a Thai teacher volunteer for this kind of "job" without pay?

[Bkungbank]

You will have hard to control such big students advise sing some nursery songs easy and you will find the magic.

[Mr Somtam]

I want to teach, not be a clown...

[Briggsy]

I have encountered this kind of proposal often.

I have some pertinent points for you, Mr Somtam.

1. What do hope to achieve here? If it is language teaching, I would forget it. If it is recognition as a contributor and good person in the community, this is much more feasible. If it is good connections, this is certainly on the cards. But, of course, only you have the answer.

2. Why would the headmaster be interested? Well, many reasons.

a) If you suggested it, maybe he was just resonating with you.

He may well see an economic opportunity. All schools will use farang teachers as both a selling point and an opportunity to charge the parents more.

c) He may be a believer in prosperity through osmosis. This is a common theory amongst Thai educationalists. Farangs are rich. Farangs speak English (not actually true). Farangs have farang teachers. So bring farang teachers speaking English to my school and wealth will follow.

3. Very shortly, some other Thaivisa members will come on going on about work permits. They will make a big brouhaha about it and possibly call you a criminal. Whilst what you are doing is technically illegal working, I would not worry about it.

[siampolee]

Beware Mr.Somtam, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, you are or would be like lamb being led to the slaughter if you follow the road that is being offered

[Mr Somtam]

Briggsy, good points!

I think doing something for the community and connections would be my main reason to do it. But it's all show and I am not really that kind of person, I would be proud when I added something for real, not just looked like I did.

[samsensam]

135 kids is way too many. if you decide to go ahead suggest to divide into smaller groups based on their English language ability. the kids and you will both benefit far more.

find a local speaker of english to help you manage the 'lessons'.

i did similar work while i was in china, it was fun even though i knew there was a hidden agenda (not that well hidden) and my chinese friend was benefiting financially from my work. i drew the line when asked to run teacher training workshops for local teachers for no payment.

[simon43]

I want to teach, not be a clown...

Wrong attitude if you want to teach children

I taught in Yangon a few years ago at a private school (16 children per class ==> bliss). On my day off, I taught as the sole volunteer at a monastery school in the slum area. The class size was 100+, with age ranging from 3 - 12 years.

I was left on my own with the kids for about 2 hours, until my laptop battery ran down (there was no electricity). Occasionally, a monk passed by and whacked the boys and girls quite hard with a bamboo cane, to ensure that they paid attention to me.

The children had lessons to read/write basic English, but it was the spoken English that they needed to practice.

In order for the students to actually get something out of the lesson, I devised a strategy to 'keep moving' for 2 hours, targeting different age groups in short bursts.

So for the youngest of kids, we would sing alphabet songs and watch alphabet videos, and then I'd let them fall asleep.

For the 5 - 8 years or so, we would practice simple English words (colours etc) and phonetics, with more singing.

For the older kids, we practiced simple sentences together/in groups, and then rinse and repeat.

To maximise my time, I learnt to write/speak basic Burmese, to quickly explain English words and phrases (I am a firm believer of using the local language/script with young children on a one-time basis, so that they rapidly grasp the meaning of the English word - important when time is at a premium).

This was an enjoyable and exhausting task, (I was 54 years old at the time). But after some weeks, progress was definitely being made at all age groups.

So, I'd say give it a go. But throw away those ideas of not being a clown.

Edited February 13, 2015 by simon43

[EmptyHead]

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I want to teach, not be a clown...

What is your idea of teaching?

[SlyAnimal]

Sounds like fun, if I were you, I'd probably not bother asking for money for it (And if they give you money regardless, maybe give it back to the temple in the form of a gift or just in an envelope at the next festival etc). As the goodwill within the community which you'll foster by being charitable is worth significantly more than a few hundred baht. Also the money will be going to a good cause, since it's a temple school. Also by not taking money for it, you're also under less expectations or obligations, and so it'll make it more fun for you.

Oh and whether a Thai teacher would do the same for free. My wife previously taught English at our local temple school for free for 1 term, not a lot of classes, just 3 or 4 per week I think (And smaller classes than what you've got). They offered to pay her, but she told them to not worry about it, since it was the temple school.

In regards to teaching them, you'd be surprised at how valuable it might actually be for the students. As many of the kids there will have never spoken to a "Farang" before, and they'll be excited to see you, some will be a little bit scared as well. But by teaching them, they'll learn to get over their fear (Well hopefully, so long as you're a bit relaxed about it), and you'll give them an opportunity to actually practice using English, both for listening and speaking, which they'd normally never have. Events like this are more important for simply increasing the students interest in English, rather than what you actually teach them.

Ideally try to teach something relatively easy, but try to make it fun by having competitions or games of some description, and make it involve speaking (in English) regularly. It could be something as simple as "Hello, how are you?", coupled with a handshake (since that's "fun" lol), and the different feelings etc. Whatever lesson you do though, you'll need to prepare for it, as being Prattom they'll likely have little/no English ability, and so you'll need to use pictures and body language to convey meaning etc. It's a bit of a pain to teach that many students, but it can be fun too, particularly as the expectations/pressure on you in regards to learning outcomes will be relatively low (But standing infront of 100+ kids and not having them understand anything you do/say, can be a terrible feeling, so make sure you're prepared with pictures, body language & have a good plan on what you intend on doing etc).

Songs will be good too, so long as they have simple actions to go with them, so that the kids who don't really understand it can just do the actions to sorta "have fun" while they listen to the words and associate the words with the actions.

[umbanda]

If you will teach for the money, and not because also you REALLY love to teach, no money will be enough. If you will teach because it is your PASSION any money will be OK...but..remember. By the present immigration laws do you need to have the right visa, work permit or volunteer extension to teach even FREE....privateley, in a school, or in a temple.

[WhamBam]

The g/f used to do something like this for fun with younger kids and they loved it....

http://supersimplelearning.com/songs/themes-series/halloween/the-skeleton-dance/

The sort of thing you can have fun with. I'm sure there must be other similar simple ways too.

I think many of us remember this sort of simple thing, especially for younger kids.

Muffin songs You Tube. Loads on there. Great fun - or am I being too simplistic?

Edited February 13, 2015 by WhamBam

[rct99q]

I want to teach, not be a clown...

then you have come to the wrong country. Taught for 5 years here and the best part of the job was being a clown, or a pilot, or a singer, dancer, fireman, bumblebee etc...kids of all ages here love being entertained while learning. I do not have any stats to back me up but believe they retain what they have been taught better as well.

Think of 150 native English speaking children of various ages and abilities trying to learn French from a Native French speaker going on and on about grammar and proper speech patterns blah, blah, blah....teach them dance, or being a bit of "clown" goes a long way.....in my humble opinion anyways.

[Mr Somtam]

I was not going to teach grammar, that would be rediculous in that age group. They have thai teachers for that [emoji12] anyway... But just fooling around and having fun, I don't know... Have to think hard about it. Where I come from English education starts at age 12-13, what do they suppose 6 year olds will "learn" ?

[EmptyHead]

A 6 year old will learn a whole lot more than a 12 year old, that's for sure. And they have a better chance of mastering problem sounds cos their facial muscles are still developing.

Recently, i had an 8 year old girl successfully able to pronounce "s" on the end of plural words. I had only spoken to her a few times over a few days (she isn't even in my classes). Now she can put "s" on the end of whatever word she tries to say.

I have been trying the same with my 40 year old GF for 6 years. It ain't happening, not in this lifetime.

The same girl also learned about 6 or 8 words just from speaking to me those times and has retained it. Their memories are much better.

With kids that young it is closer to language acquisition than language learning. My 3 year old speaks 3 languages, by the way.

I started learning French at 13. I think i can only remember how to say "Hello" and "My name is...." now, lol.

Check this out:

Notice the chart shows age 3-7 as the same as a native (in terms of ability to acquire language).

Edited February 14, 2015 by EmptyHead

[cgphuket]

I think you miss the point of volunteering when you discuss the "pay". If they are asking for help and you want to help and do something nice, do it. If you want money, tell them no. Thailand: the land of "whats in it for me?" There are plenty of people willing to help others for free. Plus, its a temple school, not British international. The kids are there because they have little options.

[Balance]

Remember, you will need work permit in order to teach for peanuts.

[TerrylSky]

Go ahead an do it - once. It will be fun, and if you are creative, you can inspire the kids to want to learn more. Use it as an opportunity to to show them how useful English will be in their future, study techniques on their own, go through some accurate pronunciation drills real quick, and make some new friends and contacts - perhaps some single pretty ones - after school "bpai tee-o nakhrap!

[ThaiRich]

Do it and have fun with it. Don't get too caught with the "I'm a teacher " ego. Most teachers here in Thailand except those that are at crazy expensive international schools spend more time entertaining than actual teaching. Just go and have fun and let the kids have fun. It's true you need a visa and work permit. It should also be noted that many officials gladly turn a blind eye when it's to the benefit of the local community.

Follow your heart.

[dotpoom]

I have encountered this kind of proposal often.

I have some pertinent points for you, Mr Somtam.

1. What do hope to achieve here? If it is language teaching, I would forget it. If it is recognition as a contributor and good person in the community, this is much more feasible. If it is good connections, this is certainly on the cards. But, of course, only you have the answer.

2. Why would the headmaster be interested? Well, many reasons.

a) If you suggested it, maybe he was just resonating with you.

He may well see an economic opportunity. All schools will use farang teachers as both a selling point and an opportunity to charge the parents more.

c) He may be a believer in prosperity through osmosis. This is a common theory amongst Thai educationalists. Farangs are rich. Farangs speak English (not actually true). Farangs have farang teachers. So bring farang teachers speaking English to my school and wealth will follow.

3. Very shortly, some other Thaivisa members will come on going on about work permits. They will make a big brouhaha about it and possibly call you a criminal. Whilst what you are doing is technically illegal working, I would not worry about it.

Some excellent points there.

[HeijoshinCool]

Something for nothing is a waste of time for everybody.

Charge them 20 baht each per hour. Take that money and put it into a kitty, rewarding the best students the end of the month. You can also use money for buying materials.

As for the truly poor kids, use some of the same money for scholarships for those who do their homework.

[Mr Somtam]

I would love to give something to the local community, for free. But since it was first discussed as a JOB I expected excactly that. I don't have any source of income at the moment so I am looking for WORK, as in "trying to earn some money to live."

If I can't make any money I will be back in my home country in no time and I won't be able to add anything to the community.

I don't expect much but when they first talk about a job and then talk it down to volunteering for a chocolate bar and a coke, that's just disappointing. Too bad the kids will always suffer because of this cheap charlying ...

[kerrysum]

This subject sure seems to get worn out, on this website. Imagine trying it in your own country. Many friends in Thailand sent their

children to English school, in Thailand.... Problem? They didn't speak English at home. They must live in the condition, where it may berequired .... What else can one say? End of conversation....

[colinneil]

OP you want to teach!! Keep taking your medicine, in time you will get better.

Teaching Thai children is not for the faint hearted, basically they are like animals, no respect nothing.

Stay home read a good book.

[NoshowJones]

Mr Somtam, go ahead and do it, you may very well enjoy it, google educational games for children. But do remember that technically, you do need a work permit, although in that case, especially up in the sticks, no one will bother you.

There are Farangs all over Thailand helping out at English camps etc, playing games with the children. Have a good time.

[NoshowJones]

I want to teach, not be a clown...

To be a successful teacher in Thailand with Prathom classes, that's up to 6th grade, you also have to be a bit of an entertainer, or clown as you put it.

[NoshowJones]

Beware Mr.Somtam, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, you are or would be like lamb being led to the slaughter if you follow the road that is being offered

You have got it all wrong.

[kovaltech]

I want to teach, not be a clown...

Mmmm... maybe another avatar would help....

[Briggsy]

Okay, we are getting somewhere now.

Mr Somtam needs money or it is back home time for him. This is his motivation.

Mr Somtam,

Are you living in the middle of nowhere? If so, there are few money-making opportunities. You will just have to go around all the local schools leaving your CV. Much better if you can speak Thai or you can expect the school secretary to run away when she realises you cannot speak Thai and you expect her to speak English.

If you are near a bigger town, go to a language institute and the teaching agencies. Stick your name down along with leaving your CV and you will get your 35,000 a month if you put in the hours.

[Mr Somtam]

Amphur meuang nakhon sawan, I speak enough thai to communicate with people on basic stuff.