Possible to get non-b and work permit at language center with no degree?

[football79]

Good morning everyone!

 

I was always under the impression that it was possible to work legally with non-b visa extension and work permit at a language center with no university degree since they don't fall under the rules of the TCT.  However the other day I was talking with a Thai lady who owned a language center and she notified me that the rules had changed in the last couple months and she was now required to hire only degree holders.  However she may have mis-understood the difference between language center and private school.  I have 7.5 years teaching experience here already but have been pushed out of normal schools due to lack of degree.  I know it can be province specific with different immigration offices/labour boards but was wondering if anyone had any recent updates or information that would help clarify.  If it helps I am in Nakhon Sri Thammarat in the South.  Thanks very much for reading.

 

Have a great afternoon

[johnny Cage]

Hi mate,  the whole 7.5 years you have been teaching in Thailand you've had a work permit? Without a degree? 

 

I always thought a bachelors degree was needed to get a work permit to teach, even in language centres.

Edited November 11, 2016 by johnny Cage

[football79]

2 minutes ago, johnny Cage said:

Hi mate,  the whole 7.5 years you have been teaching in Thailand you've had a work permit? Without a degree? 

 

I always thought a bachelors degree was needed to get a work permit to teach, even in language centres.

Thanks for the reply.  Yes, I have always had a work permit as I was hired as "staff" and not a teacher.  The local immigration office has put a stop on schools hiring "staff" recently.

[Khun Robert]

As you just posted yourself: You can work as STAFF as written down in your work permit not as TEACHER.

 

[Jaybot]

3 hours ago, johnny Cage said:

Hi mate,  the whole 7.5 years you have been teaching in Thailand you've had a work permit? Without a degree? 

 

I always thought a bachelors degree was needed to get a work permit to teach, even in language centres.

yea..... and i was under the impression that before a work permit you need a teachers license which then required a degree.

[LammyTS1]

I've just completed my TEFL with an A grade. I have a diploma in accounting.
I recently visited a school with my CV & qualifications but was advised I need a degree to get work permit.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, johnny Cage said:

Hi mate,  the whole 7.5 years you have been teaching in Thailand you've had a work permit? Without a degree? 

 

I always thought a bachelors degree was needed to get a work permit to teach, even in language centres.

I had a work permit as a teacher for three years, and do not have a degree, but I did have aTEFL certificate.

[football79]

1 hour ago, LammyTS1 said:

I've just completed my TEFL with an A grade. I have a diploma in accounting.
I recently visited a school with my CV & qualifications but was advised I need a degree to get work permit.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I believe this to be the case for regular and private schools in Thailand as they must follow the guidlines outlined by the TCT (Teachers Council of Thailand) but private language centers were separate entities that did not unless the rules have recently changed as per the Thai language center owner I spoke to. 

[DerringDo]

Perhaps they could hire you as a consultant. Works for a few people in Bangkok that I know.

[football79]

28 minutes ago, DerringDo said:

Perhaps they could hire you as a consultant. Works for a few people in Bangkok that I know.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Jeremy50]

You can work as a 'language consultant' whatever that is, without a degree. A couple of guys at my school did that after their credentials were turned down by Krusupa. They re-applied and were allowed to stay. Their job of teaching remains the same, only their title is different. Absurd really. They should have, and I wish that they had, just walked away with dignity. 

[football79]

2 hours ago, Jeremy50 said:

You can work as a 'language consultant' whatever that is, without a degree. A couple of guys at my school did that after their credentials were turned down by Krusupa. They re-applied and were allowed to stay. Their job of teaching remains the same, only their title is different. Absurd really. They should have, and I wish that they had, just walked away with dignity. 

Thanks for the post

[Loaded]

A language school is classified as a non-formal school. Teachers at non-formal schools are not supervised by the TCT. If the school accepts a teacher's qualifications as a 'degree', the MoE, that issues the permission letter for the first non-immigrant B visa application, will normally not check. However, this does depend on the individual at the local MoE who signs the permission letters and their relationship with the school (does the school have any puu yai or krieng jai power). That's how teachers without degrees can legally slip through the cracks.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Loaded

[nausea]

Nothing's changed. To be legitimate you've always needed a degree and a TEFL (120 hours F2F, not on-line). If you got a work permit without a degree in the past you were lucky. Working as a teacher as opposed to a language consultant is a whole different ball game - you're talking a degree, the Thai culture course, and actively studying for the Thai teacher exams. 

[Djw6]

The bottom line is, you can teach anywhere with fake, or no qualifications as a so called " teacher", but it depends if you want to take the risk of being caught, and also providing  uneducated so called 'lessons' to students who may have higher qualifications than yourself. What gives the right of people with no teaching qualifications to teach others?

Why doesn't the Education Department check all schools (public, private, language and universities) for legitimate work permits, just for the sake of giving Thai students a decent education ?

[tonray]

8 minutes ago, Djw6 said:

The bottom line is, you can teach anywhere with fake, or no qualifications as a so called " teacher", but it depends if you want to take the risk of being caught, and also providing  uneducated so called 'lessons' to students who may have higher qualifications than yourself. What gives the right of people with no teaching qualifications to teach others?

Why doesn't the Education Department check all schools (public, private, language and universities) for legitimate work permits, just for the sake of giving Thai students a decent education ?

Because at most language centers, the material is scripted and you are not much more than a native English speaking prop to engage in practice conversation with the students. The reason they allow it is that there is a demand and many of the large centers are owned by people of power and money in Thailand.

[FritsSikkink]

17 hours ago, DerringDo said:

Perhaps they could hire you as a consultant. Works for a few people in Bangkok that I know.

Yes of course why should children have a qualified teacher.

[LammyTS1]

A fellow Russian on my TEFL course had a degree and a qualified teacher yet the Thai students had a better understanding of English than her. She constantly mis pronounced and mis spelt words that the Thai students found confusing and understood to be wrong.
I do not have a degree and I am not a qualified teacher yet the Thai students understood me, enjoyed my lessons and I passed wth an A grade.
My question is, can a qualified teacher with a degree but not a native speaker, be employed in Thailand as an English teacher?



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[muzmurray]

10 hours ago, nausea said:

Nothing's changed. To be legitimate you've always needed a degree and a TEFL (120 hours F2F, not on-line). If you got a work permit without a degree in the past you were lucky. Working as a teacher as opposed to a language consultant is a whole different ball game - you're talking a degree, the Thai culture course, and actively studying for the Thai teacher exams. 

 

Wrong, no one needs a TEFL course, it is not a requirement asked for by any government office or agency.

 

How can you actively study for exams that are no longer set?

 

Misinformation at its best.

[muzmurray]

6 hours ago, Djw6 said:

The bottom line is, you can teach anywhere with fake, or no qualifications as a so called " teacher", but it depends if you want to take the risk of being caught, and also providing  uneducated so called 'lessons' to students who may have higher qualifications than yourself. What gives the right of people with no teaching qualifications to teach others?

Why doesn't the Education Department check all schools (public, private, language and universities) for legitimate work permits, just for the sake of giving Thai students a decent education ?

 

I think you will find that work permits are dealt with by the Ministry of Labour - nothing to do with the Ministry of Education.

[muzmurray]

6 hours ago, Djw6 said:

The bottom line is, you can teach anywhere with fake, or no qualifications as a so called " teacher", but it depends if you want to take the risk of being caught, and also providing  uneducated so called 'lessons' to students who may have higher qualifications than yourself. What gives the right of people with no teaching qualifications to teach others?

Why doesn't the Education Department check all schools (public, private, language and universities) for legitimate work permits, just for the sake of giving Thai students a decent education ?

 

Care to explain what an uneducated lesson is? 

[Djw6]

A person teaching who does not hold at least a degree. How does a 1 month TEFL course substitute for 3 - 4 years at Uni?

Would you want your children taught by someone with 1 months training?

[LammyTS1]

A person teaching who does not hold at least a degree. How does a 1 month TEFL course substitute for 3 - 4 years at Uni?
Would you want your children taught by someone with 1 months training?

I would want my children taught by someone who has done the 120 hours TEFL with specific training on teaching Thai students rather than a random degree and with no experience of teaching.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[silent]

On 11/12/2016 at 0:45 PM, Djw6 said:

The bottom line is, you can teach anywhere with fake, or no qualifications as a so called " teacher", but it depends if you want to take the risk of being caught, and also providing  uneducated so called 'lessons' to students who may have higher qualifications than yourself. What gives the right of people with no teaching qualifications to teach others?

Why doesn't the Education Department check all schools (public, private, language and universities) for legitimate work permits, just for the sake of giving Thai students a decent education ?

Why do we always hear that line from people like my brother who taught retarded children, oh sorry children with more challenges than their teacher, while I successfully taught one fuff a lot of adult professionals how to discuss universal equipment  matters and basic procedures with a better command of the language than they had after learning English in Universities? That kind of person doesn't usually even now what a BLEVE stands for or can comprehend what in hell their variation of spectrometer, syringe or even oven is and these people have so called decent educations from people with Masters degrees in English. GFY 

[sioux2012]

On 11/11/2016 at 11:32 AM, football79 said:

 

I was always under the impression that it was possible to work legally with non-b visa extension and work permit at a language center with no university degree since they don't fall under the rules of the TCT.  However the other day I was talking with a Thai lady who owned a language center and she notified me that the rules had changed in the last couple months and she was now required to hire only degree holders.  However she may have mis-understood the difference between language center and private school.  I have 7.5 years teaching experience here already but have been pushed out of normal schools due to lack of degree.  I know it can be province specific with different immigration offices/labour boards but was wondering if anyone had any recent updates or information that would help clarify.  If it helps I am in Nakhon Sri Thammarat in the South.  Thanks very much for reading.

 

Would it not be a starting point to ask MOE and immigration before posting on TV...just an observation

[muzmurray]

2 hours ago, sioux2012 said:

Would it not be a starting point to ask MOE and immigration before posting on TV...just an observation

 

No, probably better to ask Immigration and the Ministry of Labour.