Job Discussion Forums

rexbex · Joined: 06 Dec 2010 Posts: 9

i'm glad to read other views here on the topic, know that they will be of use to those seeking answers re: thailand.

i want to add something else from my experiences there: did see a thai female teacher run into a classroom then lock the door to escape an angry male high-school student carrying the floor's fire axe. why upset? she hadn't used a friendly tone in addressing him. all axes were later removed. so this is progress!

i wouldn't want to delve into the level of stress or, more likely, panic that the local teachers face.

re: qualifications: my view is that native intelligence, an aptitude for learning and a dedication to teaching are more valuable than degree/s and certificate/s. i've noticed that those willing to learn the local language/s and dialect/s are the most effective and thus the most appreciated.

my journey into the thai language ended when my in-person petition for a teaching certificate was denied. not a problem in itself but was rebuffed when kindly asked to register for the series of tests to qualify and politely informed that the building held an atm.

i once asked the thai coordinator whether i could tutor the 5-10 students in each section i was teaching 10-15 minutes prior to the morning assembly. the response was that she knew what thai parents want and, should i pursue the matter, the head of the english program would be informed. "if i tell the head, she will not like you." searched around on campus and via internet and learned that, to local teachers, this would be a challenge, perhaps forcing them to do gratuitous work later on.

okay.

my cursory reading of the first edition of the e-l portions of the gat--used for uni placement--told me that the test was obviously poorly devised and structured. why would it be so? the more times the test is taken, the more money into the coffers of the authors and agencies that administer the exam. what's worse is that the students from poorer areas are effectively disenfranchised from registering for it more than once.

i looked about bkk after my contract was completed, and noticed the same at every school i visited: clearly inebriated expats, curiosities involving expat visas and work permits, curiosities involving expats themselves and even more curiosities about the curiosities. what i learned was that the only environments free from this were those at the international schools.

funny--if there are so few positions available at these top schools, why so much interest in efling in thailand?

plumpy nut · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652

Speaking Thai is a seriously major plus for classroom control. However people will learn Thai to be able to speak to a Thai girlfriend or run a business in Thailand. I don't know of anybody who would take the time to learn Thai to teach better in Thailand, given all the nice perks and opportunities for advancement in Thailand. I've never been exposed to anything quite so avaricous and weird.

plumpy nut · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652

omrb83 · Joined: 25 Jan 2012 Posts: 9

Another questions needing to be considered:

Why do expat teachers who a) disapprove of the education system, and b) don't seem to like Thailand, stay there?

I always scratch my head when I read comments from people who clearly don't enjoy Bangkok and are not happy with the Thai education system as a whole. Why would one stay in a place they don't like? That's the question I don't have an answer to...

Shimokitazawa · Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Posts: 458 Location: Saigon, Vietnam

omrb83 · Joined: 25 Jan 2012 Posts: 9

I'm not being self-righteous. A little sarcastic, maybe, but it annoys me to read some of the comments here from people who clearly hate their situation there and take every opportunity to discourage people from coming. I work in Honduras and it's not like I go skipping out the front door to work everyday (or most days for that matter). Many people I work with and several people who post here about Bangkok simply are not happy with their jobs. Relating it to your home country is meaningless. Career mobility in the States or other English speaking countries is extremely difficult, whereas teaching abroad is not, to an extent. You have plenty of choice where you may teach outside of your home country (assuming you have experience and qualifications), while inside your home country you do not. I'm not saying it's easy or right to pick up and leave a job you don't like. I'm not thrilled with the students I have or the situation in the country I work in, but I'm not bailing on my job. I just think that there are some people who have the opportunity to leave Thailand without bailing on a job when their contracts are done who chose not to. They then proceed to discourage others from teaching there due to their own grievances with the education system and/or their negative experiences in Bangkok. Again, to me, this begs the question: Why stay somewhere that makes you unhappy if you don't have to? There's no way you can't take your experience in Thailand and move to another country that makes you happier; but to constantly talk down a country/city because you don't like being there is, to me at least, pointless and annoying. If I didn't like being in Honduras due to some things that bother me here, then I would leave after my contract is up. There's nothing tying me down here and there is, I would imagine, little tying down the teachers who complain the most here. I just don't think it's right to use a forum to discourage people from coming where you work just because things haven't gone so well for you.

MaiPenRai · Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 390 Location: BKK

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:53 am Post subject:

I suggest that everyone take a deep breath and get back on topic without the heated asides. If not, this thread will no longer be available and sanctions will be in order for those who choose to disregard this friendly warning from the Mod Team.

The thread is temporarily locked so the deep breathing may begin.