Farangs need to pass "Thainess" course to get teacher license

[thequietman]

And who pays for this course? The individual teacher, the teacher's school, or the Ministry of Education?

Certainly not the ministry, perhaps the teachers school is they are lucky, but generally it will be the teacher who pays. It only applies to foreign teachers who teach for three consecutive years though, so it wont be that much of a burdon to most. And considering that this replaces the recently required Qualified Teacher Status to continue teaching for more than 3 years, this actually comes as a relief.

If someone has been teaching for 3 consecutive years then it stands to reason that they are already aware of 'Thainess' and the cultural norms expected. This makes no sense. If you have just arrived then you don't have to take the course ! However if you are a seasoned teacher with 6 years experience, married to a Thai and have Thai kids and have been living here for those 6 years....................... then you need a 'Thainess Course.' !!!!! I don't get it - I really don't get it.

[a99az]

Paitoon Baboon, English teachers already fully understand what it is that makes a Thai tick. Money, face saving, and can never do wrong, oh I forgot corrupt too, how much will you make with this scam I wonder?

[attrayant]

I suppose if we ask any question, we automatically fail.

[EmptyHead]

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

And who pays for this course? The individual teacher, the teacher's school, or the Ministry of Education?

Certainly not the ministry, perhaps the teachers school is they are lucky, but generally it will be the teacher who pays. It only applies to foreign teachers who teach for three consecutive years though, so it wont be that much of a burdon to most. And considering that this replaces the recently required Qualified Teacher Status to continue teaching for more than 3 years, this actually comes as a relief.

If someone has been teaching for 3 consecutive years then it stands to reason that they are already aware of 'Thainess' and the cultural norms expected. This makes no sense. If you have just arrived then you don't have to take the course ! alt=w00t.gif> However if you are a seasoned teacher with 6 years experience, married to a Thai and have Thai kids and have been living here for those 6 years....................... then you need a 'Thainess Course.' !!!!! I don't get it - I really don't get it. alt=blink.png> alt=blink.png> alt=bah.gif>

Sorry, i agree with you, but your post makes me laugh. You claim to know Thainess, yet you don't

[green job]

Good, If I am wrong please tell me, How the hell can a teacher teach English to Thais,without speaking Thai themselves?

Also are they tested for their accent? I would not like my child to learn English in a East London,,,Birminham,,, Geordie accent.

A friend from Germany learnt all his English in Wales,when he was salmon fishing (he visited for 20 years ) He now speaks english with

a Welsh accent,and they take the piss out of him daily in Hannover

[atyclb]

could be this is an inescapable side effect of the current gov push for raised nationalism and patriotism as the most painfree logical path while they clean up society so that future democracy will have a better chance to be applied with integrity and morality ??

[Crowleys]

This kind of course have been mandatory in our school for ages.

[eddie61]

I hope this includes the University of Khao San Road, with its prestigious degrees, which epitomises Thainess.

Everything for sale, no real values, and no legal system to speak of.

Edited February 13, 2015 by eddie61

[EmptyHead]

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

Good, If I am wrong please tell me, How the hell can a teacher teach English to Thais,without speaking Thai themselves?

Also are they tested for their accent? I would not like my child to learn English in a East London,,,Birminham,,, Geordie accent.

A friend from Germany learnt all his English in Wales,when he was salmon fishing (he visited for 20 years ) He now speaks english with

a Welsh accent,and they take the piss out of him daily in Hannover

When we teach English we use eliciting methods, not translations. It will do you child good to try to learn the language without a translation. You know, critical thinking. Language must be learned like that. So when you child goes abroad and is in conversation with someone they won't be pulling out a dictionary ever 2 mins.

So which type of native speaker would you prefer? Someone who speaks with received pronunciation or a general American accent. Dream on, son. And then, when your child goes into he real English speaking world, they won't understand anything.

[johncat1]

Will this be replacing the Thai Culture Course ? ( That was a joke too )

[green job]

And who pays for this course? The individual teacher, the teacher's school, or the Ministry of Education?

You want to teach in Thailand, you must get the proper qualifications You want to teach,,,you pay,,I would say on top of that you would have to speak Thai so you could explain in class what the hell you are trying to say/teach,,,,,,My Gf son got an English teacher at school he can't talk Thai you know what,He is hopeless/useless he can't explain anything so he is teaching FA/nothing to the kids, they don't understand him so they don't learn anything.

It's a culture course, not a language course. There should be no requirement to speak Thai if you're teaching English, in fact the classroom should have a strict "English only" rule to be effective. Your GF's son's teacher may indeed be hopeless, but it may be more to do with the students than the teacher!

What a load of crap,,,,Try and get a teaching job in the UK or Germany without being able to speak the local lingo. Just trying to keep your job?

[Squeegee]

Will this be replacing the Thai Culture Course ? ( That was a joke too )

This'll be the pro-proness variant of same.

[Guitar God]

The government as good as said the integration courses and tests weren't for university educated westerners brought up in a first world country and yet it was a requirement just to live there, not to work there, not to teach children, just to not get kicked out of the country or fined for not complying.

Like I said, it seems perfectly reasonable for the government to expect teachers to know a little about the culture they're working in. Just because you have a Thai wife or girlfriend or go to gogo bars and shop at Top Market it doesn't mean you have the same cultural awareness as a native.

Seems reasonable to me. I lived in the Netherlands almost 20 years and last November I had to go back to take 7 hours worth of cultural integration tests to prove I knew I wasn't supposed to park my camel in the front lawn, slaughter goats in the house, shoot guns in the air to celebrate weddings or New Years , let religious leaders mutilate my daughters genitals and that I knew the proper way to cut in line.

Yep, nothing racist, bigoted or marginal in that comment

[brewsterbudgen]

And who pays for this course? The individual teacher, the teacher's school, or the Ministry of Education?

You want to teach in Thailand, you must get the proper qualifications You want to teach,,,you pay,,I would say on top of that you would have to speak Thai so you could explain in class what the hell you are trying to say/teach,,,,,,My Gf son got an English teacher at school he can't talk Thai you know what,He is hopeless/useless he can't explain anything so he is teaching FA/nothing to the kids, they don't understand him so they don't learn anything.

It's a culture course, not a language course. There should be no requirement to speak Thai if you're teaching English, in fact the classroom should have a strict "English only" rule to be effective. Your GF's son's teacher may indeed be hopeless, but it may be more to do with the students than the teacher!

What a load of crap,,,,Try and get a teaching job in the UK or Germany without being able to speak the local lingo. Just trying to keep your job?

I'm guessing you're not a teacher as you seem rather ignorant, or perhaps just old fashioned, on the subject. Emptyhead has already helped you out, so maybe just read his post again.

Sign up for Thai classes in Thailand and the best ones will have 'Thai only' rules.

[cardinalblue]

Who's Shirley? (Surely)

Talking about poor English skills...

CB

[attrayant]

Like I said, it seems perfectly reasonable for the government to expect teachers to know a little about the culture they're working in.

You've said it, but you haven't supported it with any kind of justification.

How does my knowing some obscure aspect of Thai culture make me better qualified to teach students about constructing passive voice sentences in English?

I'll grant that it can be beneficial to the teacher to know some basic Thai words & phrases for classroom management purposes, but that's easily picked up over the course of a few months of living here.

Anyway, is this culture course going be for the purpose of teaching us Thai? Because if not, we're on a snipe hunt with this tangent.

Edited February 13, 2015 by attrayant

[green job]

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Good, If I am wrong please tell me, How the hell can a teacher teach English to Thais,without speaking Thai themselves?

Also are they tested for their accent? I would not like my child to learn English in a East London,,,Birminham,,, Geordie accent.

A friend from Germany learnt all his English in Wales,when he was salmon fishing (he visited for 20 years ) He now speaks english with

a Welsh accent,and they take the piss out of him daily in Hannover

When we teach English we use eliciting methods, not translations. It will do you child good to try to learn the language without a translation. You know, critical thinking. Language must be learned like that. So when you child goes abroad and is in conversation with someone they won't be pulling out a dictionary ever 2 mins.

So which type of native speaker would you prefer? Someone who speaks with received pronunciation or a general American accent. Dream on, son. And then, when your child goes into he real English speaking world, they won't understand anything.

I have never heard so much bull in my whole life,, I shall certainly take this up with my friends and conections while here in this country.

I am not your Son.I take it that is part of your own elocution Many Many persons in important positions have had to have elocution lessons

even certain English football players he he,, The whole English teaching system needs to be cleaned up in Thailand,and I shall get the ball rolling.

[EmptyHead]

"Just because you have a Thai wife or girlfriend or go to gogo bars and shop at Top Market it doesn't mean you have the same cultural awareness as a native."

Gimmae a break. Thai people don't go to gogo bars? Thai people don't shop at Tops?

Let me wrap up what it means to be a Thai teacher:

1. Hit them with a ruler til they be quiet.
2. Write the answers on the board.
3. Tell them to copy.
4. Hit a few of them some more with a ruler.
5. Play with smart phone.
6. Get them to line up while you give lovely ticks in red pen in their notebooks.

But who can blame them? What would you do for 9k a month?

As for Thai culture:

1. Do whatever you please at any given time to your own benefit without a single thought for anyone else (unless they are your family....maybe...sometimes)

Edited February 13, 2015 by EmptyHead

[Wombat6]

And who pays for this course? The individual teacher, the teacher's school, or the Ministry of Education?

If your not a teacher, why do you care ??

[Shaunduhpostman]

Should be classic. Too bad I am not teaching anymore.

[brewsterbudgen]

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

Good, If I am wrong please tell me, How the hell can a teacher teach English to Thais,without speaking Thai themselves?

Also are they tested for their accent? I would not like my child to learn English in a East London,,,Birminham,,, Geordie accent.

A friend from Germany learnt all his English in Wales,when he was salmon fishing (he visited for 20 years ) He now speaks english with

a Welsh accent,and they take the piss out of him daily in Hannover

When we teach English we use eliciting methods, not translations. It will do you child good to try to learn the language without a translation. You know, critical thinking. Language must be learned like that. So when you child goes abroad and is in conversation with someone they won't be pulling out a dictionary ever 2 mins.

So which type of native speaker would you prefer? Someone who speaks with received pronunciation or a general American accent. Dream on, son. And then, when your child goes into he real English speaking world, they won't understand anything.

I have never heard so much bull in my whole life,, I shall certainly take this up with my friends and conections while here in this country.

I am not your Son.I take it that is part of your own elocution Many Many persons in important positions have had to have elocution lessons

even certain English football players he he,, The whole English teaching system needs to be cleaned up in Thailand,and I shall get the ball rolling.

I recommend you take a few English classes yourself first!

[green job]

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

Good, If I am wrong please tell me, How the hell can a teacher teach English to Thais,without speaking Thai themselves?

Also are they tested for their accent? I would not like my child to learn English in a East London,,,Birminham,,, Geordie accent.

A friend from Germany learnt all his English in Wales,when he was salmon fishing (he visited for 20 years ) He now speaks english with

a Welsh accent,and they take the piss out of him daily in Hannover

When we teach English we use eliciting methods, not translations. It will do you child good to try to learn the language without a translation. You know, critical thinking. Language must be learned like that. So when you child goes abroad and is in conversation with someone they won't be pulling out a dictionary ever 2 mins.

So which type of native speaker would you prefer? Someone who speaks with received pronunciation or a general American accent. Dream on, son. And then, when your child goes into he real English speaking world, they won't understand anything.

I have never heard so much bull in my whole life,, I shall certainly take this up with my friends and conections while here in this country.

I am not your Son.I take it that is part of your own elocution Many Many persons in important positions have had to have elocution lessons

even certain English football players he he,, The whole English teaching system needs to be cleaned up in Thailand,and I shall get the ball rolling.

I recommend you take a few English classes yourself first!

How is your German? Kluge-Scheisse Yes I must admit I need to brush up,thanks for the tip

[Shaunduhpostman]

Would make a great documentary. Interview the people who've come up with the scheme and some of the Thainess teachers, some people taking the course, get footage of class sessions. Would present a lot of aspects of what goes on here in a nutshell.

[EmptyHead]

What a load of crap,,,,Try and get a teaching job in the UK or Germany without being able to speak the local lingo. Just trying to keep your job?

I'm guessing you're not a teacher as you seem rather ignorant, or perhaps just old fashioned, on the subject. Emptyhead has already helped you out, so maybe just read his post again.

Sign up for Thai classes in Thailand and the best ones will have 'Thai only' rules.

Yeah, i think he is old fashioned, that's all.

I wonder what he thinks a teacher does when teaching a multilingual class? I was at a school in BKK, where the regular students are from Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, and China (all in the same class). And believe it or not (Green Job), they learned English together in the same class and the teacher only spoke English (shock horror). In fact, they learned better since the lingua franca was English (i.e. they couldn't cheat in their own languages). And this school uses the best teachers (imported from around the world). They apply cutting edge methodology and are used by Cambridge University for teaching CELTA courses.

Onto my next glass of wine. Thank god its Friday!

[carter1882]

Typical - all the cowboy teachers who perpetually bang on about the low standard of Thai education and administration and when those same authorities come up with what is essentially professional development for their own good they are above it! Most of these cowboys should be rounded up, lassoed and shown the door or at the very least directed back to their barstools.

[ggt]

I would love to read the Thai version of "Thainess"...

My version would likely be quite different from the official version...one could save the 42 hours of indoctrination by reading a couple of TV forums showing "Thainess" in action...

[SaamBaht]

Thailand has many faults and flaws, indeed many countries have. However, at the root of all of these is a deep seated arrogance that both hides and protects its ignorance of the real world with ingrained insularity. I am presently living and working in an Arabic country, I have worked in many countries, but I have never been forced to accept their cultures. I do respect and acknowledge the cultures of these countries that I work in, although I do not believe in them. Thailand needs to understand that respect has to be mutual. It cannot be forced or inserted. This more than the many illogical acts places Thailand at the basement of the food chain. It doesn't happen in any of the 9 Arabic countries I've worked in, or the African countries, tribal backward countries like Papua New Guinea, or progressive countries like India, China and Russia. Only in Thailand, no where else and this is a sign in fear.

Because of the many rules that Thai society demands, and the archaic caste system, many foreigners never integrate into Thai culture and society.

However, I think this Thainess course and the previous culture courses are merely opportunities for Thais to enrich themselves. It's a money grab plain and simple.

[nithisa78]

the only good thing about threads like these are some of the replies

some are very funny and some just hit that nail.

so my 25 stang

i can not follow any traffic laws or driver consideration

i can find way to do as little as possible whilst appearing reup roi

i can throw litter

i can use skin whitening

i can 'practice' Buddhism while been as materialistic as possible

i could, if need be barely speak english and still teach grammar out of a book

shirely thats already 50%

and considering the no fail policy

yey i've already passed

what should i wear at the presentation ceremony?

http://udon-news.com/en/main/authorities-and-dealing-with-them

[brewsterbudgen]

What a load of crap,,,,Try and get a teaching job in the UK or Germany without being able to speak the local lingo. Just trying to keep your job?

I'm guessing you're not a teacher as you seem rather ignorant, or perhaps just old fashioned, on the subject. Emptyhead has already helped you out, so maybe just read his post again.

Sign up for Thai classes in Thailand and the best ones will have 'Thai only' rules.

Yeah, i think he is old fashioned, that's all.

I wonder what he thinks a teacher does when teaching a multilingual class? I was at a school in BKK, where the regular students are from Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, and China (all in the same class). And believe it or not (Green Job), they learned English together in the same class and the teacher only spoke English (shock horror). In fact, they learned better since the lingua franca was English (i.e. they couldn't cheat in their own languages). And this school uses the best teachers (imported from around the world). They apply cutting edge methodology and are used by Cambridge University for teaching CELTA courses.

Onto my next glass of wine. Thank god its Friday!

One of the best and most enlightening classes on the CELTA course is when the tutor conducts the whole lesson entirely using a language unknown to everyone in the class, and by the end you've learned something new! My tutor did it brilliantly in Polish!

[attrayant]

Typical - all the cowboy teachers who perpetually bang on about the low standard of Thai education and administration and when those same authorities come up with what is essentially professional development for their own good they are above it!

That's because this will do nothing to change education in Thailand, much less get to the heart of the problems. That's exactly why they are "above it". It's window dressing and smacks of little more than an attempt at opening up another revenue stream (from us to them, of course).