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Posted (edited)

Go to the Language Institute at CMU, or the comparable office at another university, and ask if they organize conversation classes for their English students.  If so you can volunteer.

 

Or you can go to a bar like Oxide or Milk Club early in the evening, when the staff outnumber the customers, and find a waitress who wants to practice English.  Oxide has many university students working there, and every one I talked to at Milk Club was in college.  You will have to spend money, I don't think they appreciate customers that nurse one beer for hours.

 

I'll anticipate the next comment:  No, Milk Club did not close when the Harbor closed, it moved to south of Mahidol road.  Not nearly as convenient, but worth the effort.  https://www.facebook.com/Milk-Club-1521228941499413/

Edited by heybruce
Posted
On 5/23/2017 at 2:17 AM, heybruce said:

Go to the Language Institute at CMU, or the comparable office at another university, and ask if they organize conversation classes for their English students.  If so you can volunteer.

 

Or you can go to a bar like Oxide or Milk Club early in the evening, when the staff outnumber the customers, and find a waitress who wants to practice English.  Oxide has many university students working there, and every one I talked to at Milk Club was in college.  You will have to spend money, I don't think they appreciate customers that nurse one beer for hours.

 

I'll anticipate the next comment:  No, Milk Club did not close when the Harbor closed, it moved to south of Mahidol road.  Not nearly as convenient, but worth the effort.  https://www.facebook.com/Milk-Club-1521228941499413/

are you sure 'volunteering' doesn't break the work visa rules?  please be careful when giving advice

Posted
2 hours ago, binjalin said:

are you sure 'volunteering' doesn't break the work visa rules?  please be careful when giving advice

Yep, officially you need a work permit to do any type of work. However, can anyone link to a news report of volunteers being arrested in Chiang Mai? It may have happened, but I've never heard of this.

Posted

From my years of experience in Thailand, to find English speaking Thai girls who can speak fluently is like finding a panda.

 

At most, they can only speak mundane day to day stuff like numbers.

 

I went to the gem shop today and she doesn't even understand the word 'genuine' and 'artificial'. 

 

The level of English fluency in Thailand is at most level 1 if we follow IELTS ranking.

Posted

Lots of good English speaking girls in Chiang Mai, banking, nursing, immigration, Uni. NGO's. Mostly they stick to a Thai partner though and later have babies.

The majority of girls seen with farangs are found 'in other places', not necessarily bad places, just 'other places'. 

Posted
2 hours ago, EricTh said:

From my years of experience in Thailand, to find English speaking Thai girls who can speak fluently is like finding a panda.

 

At most, they can only speak mundane day to day stuff like numbers.

 

 

Rubbish.

Posted
8 hours ago, binjalin said:

are you sure 'volunteering' doesn't break the work visa rules?  please be careful when giving advice

If CMU has arrangements for foreigners help students with English conversation practice, it would be an informal, no paperwork affair.  Even if it were a more formal affair, the police aren't going to raid a government university for such a trivial thing.

Posted
2 hours ago, uptheos said:

Lots of good English speaking girls in Chiang Mai, banking, nursing, immigration, Uni. NGO's. Mostly they stick to a Thai partner though and later have babies.

The majority of girls seen with farangs are found 'in other places', not necessarily bad places, just 'other places'. 

Rubbish.

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, EricTh said:

From my years of experience in Thailand, to find English speaking Thai girls who can speak fluently is like finding a panda.

 

At most, they can only speak mundane day to day stuff like numbers.

 

I went to the gem shop today and she doesn't even understand the word 'genuine' and 'artificial'. 

 

The level of English fluency in Thailand is at most level 1 if we follow IELTS ranking.

I know several fluent or near fluent English speaking women in Chiang Mai, and many others who speak English well enough for casual conversation if you speak slowly and clearly. 

 

Just to be clear, I am not referring to Loi Kroh women.  The fluent and near fluent I know are mostly teachers or business owners, the one's who are conversant are mostly students.

 

Edit:  I'll include women in service businesses (not sex service businesses) in the conversant category.  Not all of them, but many restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, etc. employ women with a decent grasp of English. 

Edited by heybruce
Posted (edited)
Just now, heybruce said:

I know several fluent or near fluent English speaking women in Chiang Mai, and many others who speak English well enough for casual conversation if you speak slowly and clearly. 

 

They are the ones who I meet at customer service centers at shopping malls and banks.

 

I always ask customer service 'do you speak English?' , they always say 'little'. 

 

Their little is really very little and I had trouble communicating with them beyond very basic English.

 

To communicate at this level is nearly impossible for them.

Edited by EricTh
Posted (edited)

There's a lot of Thai women who speak English fluently because they are usually well-educated and studied abroad. The problem for most Western men is that they will never break into those circles. Once you are in those circles, you'll be amazed at how many speak English fluently.

 

My wife studied at post-grad level in the UK. Her friends all communicate with me easily in English. Some even speak French fluently. They are mainly business owners, daughters of business owners or professionals (solicitors, accountants etc.).

Edited by Loaded
Posted
19 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

They are the ones who I meet at customer service centers at shopping malls and banks.

 

I always ask customer service 'do you speak English?' , they always say 'little'. 

 

Their little is really very little and I had trouble communicating with them beyond very basic English.

 

To communicate at this level is nearly impossible for them.

I agree that many large stores and banks should make the effort to have at least one person with reasonable English skills available during business hours.  I'm surprised at the number of businesses that don't do so.

Posted
5 hours ago, EricTh said:

From my years of experience in Thailand, to find English speaking Thai girls who can speak fluently is like finding a panda.

 

At most, they can only speak mundane day to day stuff like numbers.

 

I went to the gem shop today and she doesn't even understand the word 'genuine' and 'artificial'. 

 

The level of English fluency in Thailand is at most level 1 if we follow IELTS ranking.

Errr...you do realise the gem shop is in Thailand, right? How many gem shop workers in Europe would be able to speak Thai?

Posted
35 minutes ago, Loaded said:

There's a lot of Thai women who speak English fluently because they are usually well-educated and studied abroad […]

Studied abroad, or in a business where they come in contact with a lot of foreigners, yes. But I would think this is a limited group (definitely in Chiang Mai).

 

Well-educated alone does not equal good English due to lack of exposure to the language outside of the classroom. This is no different than in the West, where many well-educated people have been taught many other languages than English, yet most people only speak English (in addition to their native tongue).

 

Most of the Thais I have met with good English had either been abroad or adopted English media, i.e. watching a lot of movies.

Posted

If you want a good one, make the effort to learn some of her language and customs.

Posted

my missus is so fluent with English she can have proper reasoned argument with me....not only that, she  pulls it off with a "reet proper Yorkshire accent" telling me to shurrup

 

and thas not kiddin yer noz

Posted
15 hours ago, EricTh said:

From my years of experience in Thailand, to find English speaking Thai girls who can speak fluently is like finding a panda.

 

At most, they can only speak mundane day to day stuff like numbers.

 

I went to the gem shop today and she doesn't even understand the word 'genuine' and 'artificial'. 

 

The level of English fluency in Thailand is at most level 1 if we follow IELTS ranking.

Genuine or artificial? There's a difference?

Posted
17 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

Errr...you do realise the gem shop is in Thailand, right? How many gem shop workers in Europe would be able to speak Thai?

That's why I said there are not many Thai people who can speak good English but others here disagree with me.

 

 

Posted
17 hours ago, Loaded said:

There's a lot of Thai women who speak English fluently because they are usually well-educated and studied abroad. The problem for most Western men is that they will never break into those circles. Once you are in those circles, you'll be amazed at how many speak English fluently.

 

My wife studied at post-grad level in the UK. Her friends all communicate with me easily in English. Some even speak French fluently. They are mainly business owners, daughters of business owners or professionals (solicitors, accountants etc.).

 

True. But this is a very small minority that usually don't work in pharmacies, shopping malls, shops, banks where they come into contact with ordinary people most of the time. They are the exception rather than the norm and were probably educated in western countries.

 

I was amazed at how poor the English fluency level is at Bangkok Bank when I asked about their various deposit schemes.

 

Whereas if you go to Malaysia or Singapore, you can see many people in the customer service line who can speak good English.

 

Posted

Wonder what % of you farang guys speak or understand Thai/Lao even after living here for years...

I don't....:stoner:

I know a farang (did) who kept going on and on about his wife's poor English, but in fact her English was good...This creep can't speak a word of Thai after many years but slags her off to me...Not ant more he don't....

Posted
2 hours ago, EricTh said:

Whereas if you go to Malaysia or Singapore, you can see many people in the customer service line who can speak good English.

Might have to do with having been under British control until last century.

 

In Hong Kong, you’ll also meet a fair number of people with whom you can communicate in English, but go to mainland China and it’s a challenge.

 

Japan is a little better than mainland China, but probably worse than Thailand.

Posted
6 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

True. But this is a very small minority that usually don't work in pharmacies, shopping malls, shops, banks where they come into contact with ordinary people most of the time. They are the exception rather than the norm and were probably educated in western countries.

 

I was amazed at how poor the English fluency level is at Bangkok Bank when I asked about their various deposit schemes.

 

Whereas if you go to Malaysia or Singapore, you can see many people in the customer service line who can speak good English.

 

Depends on the bank branch.ALL the staff at KSK, Bangkok Bank speak very good English as many foreigners use that bank.I have never had a problem communicating in English at BB, Mae Hia, Big C Hang Dong or Chiang Mai Gate.Of course people in Hong Kong,Singapore and Maylasia speak better English ,you only have to compare the standard of education provided.Thailand are almost on the bottom rung of the ladder in Asia

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