Thai officials to slash number of foreign English teachers

[cumgranosalum]

not so much

'attracted" as the only ones they'll employ. If you go for a job in any mutli-national just about anywhere in the world, they'll ask you how good your English is

Sure. Good point.

But can the Government not attract or persuade the good English speakers into teaching in the first place.

It shouldbe thought about at least instead of daft ideas about training trainers.

It d take a bit of time but its towards the greater good.

I've said earlier that the visa and work permits system in Thailand is so petty as to ensure that EL professionals find it just about impossible to set up here legally.

In truth just about every language school and government school breaks the lkaw to keep teachers....some people many find this acceptable, but without security,pensions etc real professionals stay away in their droves.

[FritsSikkink]

Only someone who never opened any other books but bank books in his life could take this kind of stupid decision.

I have "done" hundreds of Thai girls within few years here, from university to high so 30+ biatches and I think no more than 10 were able to have a conversation in English (luckily it was not what I wanted from them anyway !).

I very much doubt a hi so would have anything to do with somebody who speaks like that

[pstbkk]

[FritsSikkink]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect PRO1448334211.697876.jpg

i think you would make more mistakes in Thai

[Gandtee]

I wonder what the results would be if they surveyed 43,000 Thais with native English speaking partners. They'd do a lot better than the teachers I would guess, particularly amongst those who have lived and worked abroad for a time. Of course they would never get a teaching job as they mostly do not have university degrees, or even in many cases a graduation from high school. Still that is the section of Thai society where English is probably most widely spoken, along with mixed race children with Western fathers (or in a few cases mothers)

I agree. My foster son who was raised by my wife and I since birth speaks very good some might say BBC English, as it was. What did help of course was that my wife also speaks good English, so he has been able to get the meanings of words in both languages. He represents his school in National English speaking competitions and even though I am bragging, brings home the goods. One good aid for him was to never watch Thai television programs, only English speaking programs, some of which widened his vocabulary outside of that which my wife and I had taught him. One minor problem we had was at his first school the Thai English teachers could not speak English. Example, giraffeee.

There is no doubt that sending the children abroad increases their chances of picking up the language immensely. I have nieces and nephews whom were lucky enough to do this and on their return spoke good English, but when asked after a few months,who do you speak English to, the reply was 'to you'. And their English had deteriorated through lack of practice.

[pstbkk]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect PRO1448334211.697876.jpg

i think you would make more mistakes in Thai

I think I would ask thai native to check before I stick something to the wall

[FritsSikkink]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect PRO1448334211.697876.jpg

i think you would make more mistakes in Thai

I think I would ask thai native to check before I stick something to the wall

maybe they did too and the native wanted to have a laugh, lol

[GroveHillWanderer]

What is NOT said above, but I have read elsewhere, is that 43,000 Thai teachers of English were tested and only SIX reached the required level of proficiency in English.

What standard are the other 42, 994? And what percentage of fluency is that? Only 0.01395% of Thai teachers tested in English were reasonably fluent.

It boggles the mind that the cretins is the Ministry could even contemplate such lunacy.

That's not quite what the report said, it stated that, of 43,000 Thai teachers of English who were tested, only six "were able to speak English at native-speaker level."

That means, able to speak it as well as someone born with English as their mother tongue - which is a pretty impressive level of fluency, when you think about it. It's also a lot different to being "reasonably fluent" or even reaching "the required level of proficiency in English."

[expatbrit]

What is NOT said above, but I have read elsewhere, is that 43,000 Thai teachers of English were tested and only SIX reached the required level of proficiency in English.

What standard are the other 42, 994? And what percentage of fluency is that? Only 0.01395% of Thai teachers tested in English were reasonably fluent.

It boggles the mind that the cretins is the Ministry could even contemplate such lunacy.

That's not quite what the report said, it stated that, of 43,000 Thai teachers of English who were tested, only six "were able to speak English at native-speaker level."

That means, able to speak it as well as someone born with English as their mother tongue - which is a pretty impressive level of fluency, when you think about it. It's also a lot different to being "reasonably fluent" or even reaching "the required level of proficiency in English."

Some will deliberately misrepresent anything to indulge in their favorite sport of "Thai Bashing".

[pstbkk]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect PRO1448334211.697876.jpg

i think you would make more mistakes in Thai

I think I would ask thai native to check before I stick something to the wall

maybe they did too and the native wanted to have a laugh, lol

555555 after reading that he will be kick out from Thailand by director general for teaching english

[Thunder26]

The ministry of education does not focus in the right direction. It is not only the fault of the teachers, but it is also the fault of the system.

Most of government schools do not have a well established curriculum regarding teaching English. Some of them don't even supply books to the students or teachers.

Furthermore the number of students is way beyond 30 in most classes. How can you make 50 students speak English if the foreign teacher sees them once a weak? This is ridiculous.

First they should come up with a strong curriculum that teaches 4 skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening, not just conversation that some schools focus on. These schools fail from the start. What a waste of time!

And saying that foreign teachers do not play in important part in teaching English, then why on Earth most private bilingual and international schools boast with their English proficiency?

It is a fact that serious schools with proper curriculum in teaching English and with proper qualified teachers excel in English. At least 80% of students become fluent in English by the day they graduate.

[rubl]

Somehow I get the impression that lots of posters in this topic have a personal interest in the topic. Almost as if they feel threatened in their personal existence here.

[brewsterbudgen]

Somehow I get the impression that lots of posters in this topic have a personal interest in the topic. Almost as if they feel threatened in their personal existence here.

I very much doubt any currently contracted teachers in government schools will be fired. It's a long-term project and should it achieve its desired aims, it will only affect future recruitment of foreign teachers.

[Rhys]

Where are the schools that do it right... ?

[cumgranosalum]

Somehow I get the impression that lots of posters in this topic have a personal interest in the topic. Almost as if they feel threatened in their personal existence here.

The majority of expats actually working in Thailand are in education. Partly because if you look a the list of jobs open to foreigners this is the one with the most vacancies.

This along with most other jobs open to foreigners requires a degree or more which puts them in the top 30 to 40 % of education in their home countries.

As most EL teachers who stay the course have degrees that involve writing or use of English language you can expect some pretty fulsome replies on this thread....there have of course been a few posts like yours that appear to express bewilderment at this....this is to be expected

[JGV]

This policy change is called social control. A population with no English skills is easier to control. Also easier to corrupt (reallocation of funds set aside for farang salaries) which means more cash for corrupt government officials.

[brewsterbudgen]

This policy change is called social control. A population with no English skills is easier to control. Also easier to corrupt (reallocation of funds set aside for farang salaries) which means more cash for corrupt government officials.

Nonsense. However unrealistic the solution, it at least appears to be an attempt to address the issue of improving the standards of teaching English in government schools. Using professional native speaker teachers to teach the Thai teachers is a start.

[Nomyai]

Gene Simmons of KISS said if you want make money .........YOU NEED TO SPEAK ENGLISH!

[MobileContent]

Somehow I get the impression that lots of posters in this topic have a personal interest in the topic. Almost as if they feel threatened in their personal existence here.

The majority of expats actually working in Thailand are in education. Partly because if you look a the list of jobs open to foreigners this is the one with the most vacancies.

This along with most other jobs open to foreigners requires a degree or more which puts them in the top 30 to 40 % of education in their home countries.

As most EL teachers who stay the course have degrees that involve writing or use of English language you can expect some pretty fulsome replies on this thread....there have of course been a few posts like yours that appear to express bewilderment at this....this is to be expected

I would say the majority of expats in Thailand work in the tourism industry.

Some English teachers who are on a tourist visa should be called English teachers without a work permit but not expats.

A person with a tourist visa is not an expat but a tourist.

[cumgranosalum]

This policy change is called social control. A population with no English skills is easier to control. Also easier to corrupt (reallocation of funds set aside for farang salaries) which means more cash for corrupt government officials.

well to make money in the final stage, you have to sell something.....if you want to trade ANYWHERE in the world you need to speak English....so how do you think they'll make any money with this plan?

[cumgranosalum]

Somehow I get the impression that lots of posters in this topic have a personal interest in the topic. Almost as if they feel threatened in their personal existence here.

The majority of expats actually working in Thailand are in education. Partly because if you look a the list of jobs open to foreigners this is the one with the most vacancies.

This along with most other jobs open to foreigners requires a degree or more which puts them in the top 30 to 40 % of education in their home countries.

As most EL teachers who stay the course have degrees that involve writing or use of English language you can expect some pretty fulsome replies on this thread....there have of course been a few posts like yours that appear to express bewilderment at this....this is to be expected

I would say the majority of expats in Thailand work in the tourism industry.

Some English teachers who are on a tourist visa should be called English teachers without a work permit but not expats.

A person with a tourist visa is not an expat but a tourist.

"I would say the majority of expats in Thailand work in the tourism industry." - but you'd be wrong.

[Nomyai]

Ive heard it said English is chickenshit and only for bargirls.................hahahaha!

[FritsSikkink]

This policy change is called social control. A population with no English skills is easier to control. Also easier to corrupt (reallocation of funds set aside for farang salaries) which means more cash for corrupt government officials.

well to make money in the final stage, you have to sell something.....if you want to trade ANYWHERE in the world you need to speak English....so how do you think they'll make any money with this plan?

trade with china

[Lorn]

Fair enough. If the current bunch of farang rejects scraping a living on the English teaching circuit were any good, Thailand wouldn't score so poorly for English speaking. Let the locals have a go.

Except for the fact that foreign English teachers in Thai government schools still need to teach the government curriculum which is often wrong and has been dumbed down to the level Thai English teachers can teach.

Not that English teachers in Thailand are all the cream of the crop (some are, some aren't) but if they have to teach trash, the children will not learn regardless of how good or bad the teacher is.

Actually the curriculum is of way too difficult a standard. The problem is the final exam/university entrance exams. Until the format of those move away from grammar and vocabulary, you can't expect teachers to focus on communication skills.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Lorn

[connda]

Somehow I get the impression that lots of posters in this topic have a personal interest in the topic. Almost as if they feel threatened in their personal existence here.

I very much doubt any currently contracted teachers in government schools will be fired. It's a long-term project and should it achieve its desired aims, it will only affect future recruitment of foreign teachers.

I doubt it will affect the future recruitment of NES teachers, as the MoE project is doomed to failure before it starts.

[Mister Fixit]

What is NOT said above, but I have read elsewhere, is that 43,000 Thai teachers of English were tested and only SIX reached the required level of proficiency in English.

What standard are the other 42, 994? And what percentage of fluency is that? Only 0.01395% of Thai teachers tested in English were reasonably fluent.

It boggles the mind that the cretins is the Ministry could even contemplate such lunacy.

That's not quite what the report said, it stated that, of 43,000 Thai teachers of English who were tested, only six "were able to speak English at native-speaker level."

That means, able to speak it as well as someone born with English as their mother tongue - which is a pretty impressive level of fluency, when you think about it. It's also a lot different to being "reasonably fluent" or even reaching "the required level of proficiency in English."

Some will deliberately misrepresent anything to indulge in their favorite sport of "Thai Bashing".

It was in the Unmentionable Newspaper and others. Some will deliberately (or through stupidity) misrepresent anything to lick Thai backsides ...

[Mister Fixit]

This policy change is called social control. A population with no English skills is easier to control. Also easier to corrupt (reallocation of funds set aside for farang salaries) which means more cash for corrupt government officials.

Nonsense. However unrealistic the solution, it at least appears to be an attempt to address the issue of improving the standards of teaching English in government schools. Using professional native speaker teachers to teach the Thai teachers is a start.

'Improving the standards of teaching English in government schools'?

By teaching 500 people who can barely speak English anyway in SIX WEEKS and then expect them to teach others?

What planet are you (and the Min of Ed loonies) on?

[FritsSikkink]

This policy change is called social control. A population with no English skills is easier to control. Also easier to corrupt (reallocation of funds set aside for farang salaries) which means more cash for corrupt government officials.

Nonsense. However unrealistic the solution, it at least appears to be an attempt to address the issue of improving the standards of teaching English in government schools. Using professional native speaker teachers to teach the Thai teachers is a start.

'Improving the standards of teaching English in government schools'?

By teaching 500 people who can barely speak English anyway in SIX WEEKS and then expect them to teach others?

What planet are you (and the Min of Ed loonies) on?

the current teachers reached 67 out of 70 so far, so what is your point? they will drop to 68 or even 69? you (the teachers) think they are god's gift but in fact have done nothing to improve the ranking at all. Edited November 27, 2015 by FritsSikkink

[Mister Fixit]

What is NOT said above, but I have read elsewhere, is that 43,000 Thai teachers of English were tested and only SIX reached the required level of proficiency in English.

What standard are the other 42, 994? And what percentage of fluency is that? Only 0.01395% of Thai teachers tested in English were reasonably fluent.

It boggles the mind that the cretins is the Ministry could even contemplate such lunacy.

That's not quite what the report said, it stated that, of 43,000 Thai teachers of English who were tested, only six "were able to speak English at native-speaker level."

That means, able to speak it as well as someone born with English as their mother tongue - which is a pretty impressive level of fluency, when you think about it. It's also a lot different to being "reasonably fluent" or even reaching "the required level of proficiency in English."

Some will deliberately misrepresent anything to indulge in their favorite sport of "Thai Bashing".

Here you go - http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/500-top-teachers-to-attend-English-course-run-by-B-30273530.html

To quote - 'Only six of the teachers passed the exam in the Mastery Level C2 (very close to native speakers), while 900 other teachers obtained the Vantage Level B2 (sic) and the Effective Operational Proficiency Level C1, he revealed. The method of training the selected teachers is being formulated, he said.

Let me tell you, I've taught up to B2 level and it's pretty bloody basic.

To have only SIX teachers from 43,000 be at C2 level (almost fluent) is a complete joke. They may as well pack up and go home, as should you.

[FritsSikkink]

What is NOT said above, but I have read elsewhere, is that 43,000 Thai teachers of English were tested and only SIX reached the required level of proficiency in English.

What standard are the other 42, 994? And what percentage of fluency is that? Only 0.01395% of Thai teachers tested in English were reasonably fluent.

It boggles the mind that the cretins is the Ministry could even contemplate such lunacy.

That's not quite what the report said, it stated that, of 43,000 Thai teachers of English who were tested, only six "were able to speak English at native-speaker level."

That means, able to speak it as well as someone born with English as their mother tongue - which is a pretty impressive level of fluency, when you think about it. It's also a lot different to being "reasonably fluent" or even reaching "the required level of proficiency in English."

Some will deliberately misrepresent anything to indulge in their favorite sport of "Thai Bashing".

Here you go - http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/500-top-teachers-to-attend-English-course-run-by-B-30273530.html

To quote - 'Only six of the teachers passed the exam in the Mastery Level C2 (very close to native speakers), while 900 other teachers obtained the Vantage Level B2 (sic) and the Effective Operational Proficiency Level C1, he revealed. The method of training the selected teachers is being formulated, he said.

Let me tell you, I've taught up to B2 level and it's pretty bloody basic.

To have only SIX teachers from 43,000 be at C2 level (almost fluent) is a complete joke. They may as well pack up and go home, as should you.

they are at home unlike you