Thai schools told to screen foreign English teachers for paedophilia

[little mary sunshine]

Hope this keeps ths Euro Trash out of the schools....A step

In the right direction. Much more should be done to keep

The children safe!

[umbanda]

This makes a lot of sense. Thai parents are very casual about their children whereabouts and behavior with strangers. Unfortunately Thailand is a perfect target for predators, locals and foreigners, and we will see more news about it. Probably is already a big problem, but not reported.

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Qualified is the key word here. The vast majority of farangs teaching English fit one qualification, they speak English sort of. So, why is anyone surprised that simply speaking English will get you the job, that some perverts slip though the net. Upgrade the qualifications and stop short cutting on what Thai education needs most, good teachers with real qualifications. How about this idea, let farangs on retirement visas, teach part time. Most of us are not pedophiles and ready for this... we have qualifications.

[ChiangraiTony]

It's a long time past due.

[brewsterbudgen]

A UK police check has been required for new teachers from the UK for a few months now.

[scunner3]

Are qualified English teachers exempt?

I'm guessing the article is assuming that Thai schools only hire unqualified teachers. Anyone qualified and working at an international school must submit a police check from their home country and country they have just been working in (if it's not the same) before they can work at the school. Echoing what others have said, I would have thought that a background check system was in place a long time ago!

[BlackJack]

finger pointing begins now

[rebelplatoon]

A. Why only screen foreign teachers?

Where does it state that Thai teachers are not screened?

Get a Teaching License as a Thai involves a bladdy lot. If you can show that they can get a Teacher's License with convictions for child-sex crimes, please do.

Thanks.

I wasn't talking about Thais teaching English. I just have been involved in a few cases to help parents because Thai teachers abused kids. It turned out they had committed the same crimes elsewhere and moved school. So the fault is in the application process.

More importantly it would be good to prevent convicted paedophiles from entering certain countries

[English 1]

No thanks to our uncaring British Embassy that we have been classified as child molesters as

if the British have a lead in such vile behaviour.

I note that today a Thai football coach in Pattaya has been arrested on 40 counts of acts against minors.

Underage sex if rife in Thailand.

These scum are from all countries and backgrounds......from East and West and all others points of the compass.

Edited July 7, 2015 by English 1

[eeworldwide]

It's not exactly rocket science, is it??!

[SOTIRIOS]

....with the recent football coach incident....they better start screening their own too....teachers...and parents....

...stop pretending it's only the foreigners...

[SOTIRIOS]

....with the recent football coach incident....they better start screening their own too....teachers...and parents....

...stop pretending it's only the foreigners...

[mo3s]

yeah...eh...well...I find this a bit confusing too...eh..."Education institutions told to carefully screen English teachers with child sex abuse records"

Screen teachers...any crime...don't need official papers (teaching degree)...but some proof he/she is good (good has many aspects) is needed. They are going to do that now...sounds good. I guess.

So this means they are going to do things better....well...good and offcourse.

Try to improve every day! No need to tell that...that's normal.

Yes, child sex abuse is terrible...if that happens...that is a priority. Duh!

[loonodingle]

Have they only just thought of this now!!!!

I would have thought that would have been a mandatory part of the interview. Lets face they use there position to carry out abuse and that proven time and time again. Teachers vicars and scout leaders.

[gandalf12]

Why dont the authorities carry out this check before they issue a WP to the individual?

[razer]

If any school is looking for unqualified teachers I doubt they care about any criminal history.

[phrodan]

The assumption of many here is that every school in Thailand carries out the required checks in the first place.

I think not.

Praise has to go to the British authorities for passing this intelligence along.

Now it is up to the Thai authorities to ensure that mandated checks are actually carried out.

And it can't be a shock to many of you to think that some Thai schools are not carrying them out.

No matter what the law says.

[Fairynuff]

Two questions arise:

A. Why only screen foreign teachers?

B. Why not have a data base for entering paedophiles?

I have no desire to enter a paedophile.

[johnnytuc]

Foreign English- teachers...because Thais could never do such a thing!

What does this have to do with the story at hand? Can you show me in the article where it declares there are no paedophiles in Thailand?

To be honest, this is something that should be mandatory in every position where adults will be working with children. I know that it's a requirement in Korea and Japan for their foreign teachers.

It's also a requirement in the UK and has been for a number of years..If you have anything to do with children be it refereeing ,coaching teaching ,sports clubs,Cubs ,brownies scouts the full hit you have to have police clearance...big problem to if you take pictures of school sports days and the like and have any sort of images of other people's kids on your phone or camera without permission

[wirat69]

I understand that at present police checks are only required for teachers at International Schools... obviously to protect children of the connected few. It makes sense to require it for all schools, although I agree with an earlier poster that many smaller ones are unlikely to follow it through. I imagine there will soon be a ripe trade in police clearance certificates at Kao San Road. Also, what about all those private schools that illegally hire foreign teachers and do not provide work permits? A lot more to be done here if this is not just the usual hot air press release to make someone look good.

I understood the current checks take place for all LICENCED teachers... and some schools take "all comers" irrespective of licencing

[johnnytuc]

and taxi drivers

[dean008]

Schools should do all they can to protect children, I think everyone agrees.

I recently joined a school and I was asked to do such a check, the cost inc postage £109 or 5000+ baht. I said no problem as long as the school pays, they decided against it, so it is clearly not compulsory.

None of the other new foreign teachers were asked as this is (I believe) a new British initiative fir British nationals.

A strict system covering all nations including thailand is needed

[little mary sunshine]

RETIREMENT is the key word here. I worked

For 35years, now: golf, travel, the beach, time

With friends fills my day. No time to teach, that

Can be rewarding but hard work too!!

[robertson468]

So.......there I was sitting at home, minding my own business when up pops her (Thai Wife) who must be obeyed and said, "you speak pretty good English, can you go and talk to the Uni Students for five days and they will pay you XXXbaht". The salary was very good, but I said, "I don't have a work permit". The Uni Official said you don't need one, we will just put you down as a Guest Speaker. Do I need a background check? Do you need a what? You know to make sure I won't molest any of the Students? No-o-o-o that's not a problem, we know your Wife well.

So there you are, if they know pan-ra-ya well, your obviously a good upstanding Dude who needs neither qualifications, work permit, or background check.

[Mudcrab]

One would have thought that the required home country police check would have turned this up.

Does the guy in the photo know how his image has now been tagged??

One would also think the UK might keep better track of who they allow to travel internationally:

UK embassy recently notified that some British citizens who have child sexual abuse records have disguised themselves as English teachers and have arrived in Thailand to work as teachers.

Or refuse/cancel their passports.

[dageurreotype]

Foreign English- teachers...because Thais could never do such a thing!

What does this have to do with the story at hand? Can you show me in the article where it declares there are no paedophiles in Thailand?

To be honest, this is something that should be mandatory in every position where adults will be working with children. I know that it's a requirement in Korea and Japan for their foreign teachers.

Oh for chrissakes enough already, the poster's playing on the words of the stupid Koh Tao cop .. which I suggest all posters desist from referencing as it's not only old but some posters don't get it and clog up the thread with even more inanity than usual.

[scorecard]

Foreign English- teachers...because Thais could never do such a thing!

What does this have to do with the story at hand? Can you show me in the article where it declares there are no paedophiles in Thailand?

To be honest, this is something that should be mandatory in every position where adults will be working with children. I know that it's a requirement in Korea and Japan for their foreign teachers.

Lets' be straight forward about this, pedophiles exist in all countries and in all configurations, and both male and female. Not saying it's OK at all, but it is reality.

I recall maybe 20 years back I was invited to a graduation party in Bangkok, wealthy Thai family, lots of western friends, most of the Thai family had spent years abroad in study, they all spoke fluent English, their youngest son was graduating from Cxxxx.

One of the Thai guests (a middle aged very obvious lady-boy - not being judgemental about that) arrived from a city very close to Bkk with 4 high school boys, probably M6, the middle aged lady-boy was their home room teacher. The 4 high school boys were not lady-boys, in fact they were all football stars from their school team and very str8 acting.

The lady-boy loudly announced, in English that he has brought a present for the western men coming to the party, and explained further that they could choose any one of his boys but with a nice fee for the boy selected.

The Thai guests just totally ignored the teacher who proceeded to approach many of the western men in the room, in English, until it all started to take over the party, then the father of the graduating student stepped in and quietly told the lady-boy teacher to leave and take the high school boys with him. He spoke very politely to the HS boys and just said 'maybe you should get going, it's already late'.

But before they were told to leave one of the westerners spoke to a couple of the high school boys in Thai (none of the boys spoke any English) and asked them did they understand what was happening and asked them their ages. None had turned 18.

They answered that they were not aware of the real reason why their teacher had brought them to the party but revealed that they had been to their teachers house before and he had tried before to molest them. For the party day they were instructed to arrive early at the teachers house and he gave all of them new expensive underwear to put on and he had insisted that he had to check that the underwear fitted well before they got fully dressed, and had arranged for another lady-boy teacher to give them haircuts and other grooming.

Edited July 7, 2015 by scorecard

[little mary sunshine]

Passport stamped "Convicted

Child Molester". Should help!!

[Lorn]

Are qualified English teachers exempt?

I'm guessing the article is assuming that Thai schools only hire unqualified teachers. Anyone qualified and working at an international school must submit a police check from their home country and country they have just been working in (if it's not the same) before they can work at the school. Echoing what others have said, I would have thought that a background check system was in place a long time ago!

Y'all are confusing the meanings of the words qualified and qualification. Being qualified doesn't only mean having the requisite degree(s). If you had them and then were convicted of committing a child-sex offense you would be disqualified from teaching. You would not get/keep a teaching license from your home country no matter whether you had a masters or doctorate. Therefore a qualified offender could only be one that has not been caught yet. Otherwise it's an oxymoron.

[kkup]

Anyone found with a previous history in child sex offences should be deported. Then locked up in a little box.

Edited July 7, 2015 by kkup