The new school year is fast approaching, worse luck. I have about 20 days until the school term starts and there are crying kids clinging to parents. I ventured to the school today to see what was happening as I haven’t been there for a long time.
We have again had a big change of teachers; four foreign teachers have left for various reasons. So we needed to find 4 new farangs plus 1 more as there are more hours to be taught this year.
I believe we have found 2 definite starters for the new school year. This is always a hit and miss thing anyway, as every year teachers who have said they are coming don’t usually show up. They stop answering their phones and emails. More than likely they get a better offer in another school and take it.
I have never seen this before where people are just so rude, I mean it is so easy to email or phone someone to say you are not taking a position you originally verbally agreed to. And if the person is like this, unreliable you wouldn’t want them on your staff anyway.
Finding reliable, hardworking teachers is hard. There is a huge teacher shortage in Thailand and there are many people willing to employ unqualified people to fill these positions.
Our school you need a degree in any field or a Teaching English as a Second language certificate (TESL). At times though when desperate this can be ignored and should be to.
I have seen a few teachers come and go over the 4 years, some only last half a school year. It isn’t an easy job. It requires a lot of patience, preparation and also improvisation. Thai schools are run nothing like back in western countries. This can be good and also bad.
Some of the TESL certified and also who have a degree teachers, are useless. I have seen too many undedicated, unprofessional and couldn’t give a shit teachers who are only interested in collecting their paychecks at the end of every month. They are only teaching to get money.
I have at times become very short with people like this; I don’t take well to people who don’t make an effort. I am never one to be backwards in coming forwards.
I get frustrated at work, we all do but I give 100% for my kids, the kids I am teaching. I try and let the school politics not worry me and ignore most of the crap that frustrates many. I concentrate on my classes and that is it. All the extra curricular stuff I couldn’t give two hoots about, singing, dancing and so many other things that waste class time.
I couldn’t believe how hard it was when I first started teaching, I was so over my head to start that I was drowning. It took me half a school term to just find my feet. It took me a whole year to actually start to learn a little about what really teaching is about.
Even now I am not claiming to even be a good teacher, I try to be. I try to make every class I teach as easy as possible for students to understand and also incorporate some fun where I can.
No matter how well planned a lesson is, or you think is. It can turn to shit so easily. You have to be ready to change angles, present things differently on the flip of a coin. An exercise you thought was easy to understand, isn’t so. A game that was meant to be an easy group task game is taken over by individuals. Asking questions and getting nothing but blank stares back at you. This can happen all the time.
In a class you know a good lesson as the 50 minutes flies by, in a class where a bad lesson has been presented you are looking at your watch and it seems that only seconds are ticking by.
I enjoy these challenges, I really do. I find it rewarding work, especially with the little year 1 students, who are only 5, 6 or 7 years old. They start out in tears for the first few days and watching them grow as pupils and using what they have learnt in class is heart warming. This makes me want to teach.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, if you think this sort of challenge could be what you are looking for, if you think this could be your calling then there are plenty of positions available throughout Thailand.
Our school is looking for teachers, if interested drop me a line and I will get the head of our department to contact you. I would be more than happy to chat to you about the pros and cons, there are many.
If you are looking at living in a large city, but being away from the pollution of Bangkok and all that hustle and bustle, Isaan could be for you. Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand could be your next destination.
If interested drop me a comment and we will go from there.
Brunty
17 comments:
Brunty, I was under the impression that in order to get a work permit foreign teachers must have a degree. Your article implies you can teach with just a TESL certificate. Is that correct? Thanks
Brunty,
Sorry but no empathy. School admins make their bed and have to sleep in it. They turn away qualified experience teachers who want to live and work here so that is why they have to lower standards and in essence break their own laws.
I myself have been in that position with in fact your school. They told me to apply. I was qualified. I did and then the silent treatment until they had an emergency after hours class they needed a teacher for now.
I love teaching and found it fulfilling and satisfying for 6 years. But the games played by admin takes the joy out of it and in the context of life it just isn't worth it. And having to play the "50 first dates" every year.
Have fun and wish you luck.
Well Jason what can I say.
From my experience of living in Ubon for 15 years I have never seen such a mixed bag of people as English Teachers. Maybe the good ones go to Japan but they certainly don't stay around Ubon.
Some are here for the girls, some are here for the boys, some are here to use Ubon nas a base for traveling. Very few have had actual hands-on experience in teaching in high schools or primary schools back in their own countries. I pity the kids they teach and I feel sorry for the schools. And many of these teachers just complain and complain about Thailand. Nothing is ever right.
Maybe Thailand has to recruit directly from English speaking countries, pay airfares, pay for accommodation like Japan and Korea do, increase the salaries to 60,000 to 80,000 baht/month. But then those countries have the money.
I really don't know how to solve the problem over night. But believe me, with 2 weeks to go before the start of term, it is very unlikely you are going to get a good calibre teacher walking in off the street.
Good luck good hunting.
Michael
This is precisely why I'm concerned about returning to Thailand for a period of time with my son, who will be school age soon. When I lived in Thailand, I worked at several bilingual private schools and some teachers were just as you described: unprepared and could care less. I don't want my son to be one of their students! I'd be far more secure with my son's education if all the foreign teachers had your attitude. I think if I were to live in Thailand, I'd have to wait until I could afford to send my child to an international school where the requirement would be a teaching credential - I just cannot take the chance with my boy's future.
Anon, all you need is a TEFL TESL or TESOL, most schools will acept just this. A degree is a bonus. The degree can be in any field.
Go to ajarn.com and the job sectiona nd look at the adds and requirments for different schools.
Darwin, my school is terrible like that. The person in charge of the EBP is not a people person and should not be running the department.
Admin sucks and they get no favours from me. Darwin, if you came to ACU it would be fun, I promise :)
Michael, yes there is a mixed bag here in Ubon. Most are here for girls, following them back to their hometowns after meeting them else where.
If schools paid return airfares and much better wages then the standard of teachers would be much better indeed.
I think we will be teachers short and going to Tesco asking white people, "do you speak English?" "Want a job?" lol
Amy, I have always said if I had children in Thailand at school going age I would take them back to Australia to be schooled.
The other option as you stated is very expensive International schools that employ qualified teachers only.
I just get so disheartened by so many teachers lack of effort. I am sorry for the kids in their classes
and what they are missing out on.
Thanks for commenting
For Amy P and Brunty,
The Thai Public schools in Ubon are very good. We came to Ubon in 1994. My son was 8 years old. Hardly any Thai language. Thrown into the deep end. He went to Anubaan Ubon for primary and Ben for high school.
Now he is bilingual. First in his grade B5 B6 at Anubaan and 6th in M6 at Ben which was quite an achievement with 800 in the grade.
He is well adjusted. The teachers loved teaching him. He gave a lot back to the school in extra-curriculm activities. Bought prestige to the school in winning competitions. First in thailand 3 times for English.
Now he is graduating from King Mongkut Institute Thonburi in computer engineering. No need to look for jobs. They come to him.
I asked him about doing the international courses at the university. Dad he said they are for dummies!
My advice. Do the Thai course, speak English at home, have plenty of English reading books around.
I offer no hope to you Brunty in getting a good teacher at Tesco. I really can not believe that your Catholic school has not got a good net work of foreign teachers. I suggest a plane load of teachers from the Philippines should come.
By the way, your school is not that highly regarded nowadays amonmg the Thais in town. School for rejects. Sorry about that. Being a Catholic I wanted my son to go there but my wife's family said no way.
Michael
Michael, Annuaban and Benchama are good schools.
Your son sounds like he is a very driven person and done well with his education.
It is the same for all students, those who want to succeed will if they make the effort.
Annuban is nothing different from other schools. A teacher who left ACU to go to Annuban lasted 6 months and then left there as well.
He said the same things happened there as did at ACU.
I was offered a position at Benchama and turned them down as again a teacher who worked there complained of the same things that happen at ACU.
As for ACU not being held in high regard with (Hi-so) Thais, this is true in ways.
I play golf with some very wealthy and important Thais. I have had many say exactly as you did. Many do not regard ACU as a good school.
I have brought this to the Head of English attention many times when recruiting teachers and also the way they teach.
The teachers are never monitored or assessed. Teachers are not tested and they do not submit lesson reports or progress reports on their classes. (I do for all my classes)
I write truthful reports or progress reports for all students so their parents can see if their student is doing well or struggling ( no other teacher does)
I meet with parents regularly. If someone is having problems, causing problems thier parents are called and I meet with them and discuss what needs to be done.
I do this myself. I do not go through the Head of the Department. If i did it would be swept under the carpet.
As for the teachers in Tesco, that was a joke. I used to always joke to the boss that I would go and stand in Tesco and hunt for teachers.
If I was employed in recruiting teachers there would only be one of the current teachers I would retain. The rest I would have sacked. 4 of them would have been thrown out the door.
I enjoyed reading your positive comments about teaching in Thailand. My wife is from Korat also. I have been living and working in Thailand for almost three years now.
I am also a Teacher in the Bangkok area, though I have purposely tried to keep my teaching work in language schools only, because of the craziness in schools. After a writing assignment ended last year I caught on at a local high school teaching English to level M1 through M6 and had a surprisingly good experience. So - I signed on for a full year and am actually looking forward to it. I'm teaching Mathematics and Computers as well this year. It is quite physically stressful but one does learn how to manage that with time.
I don't like the air or the traffic in Bangkok though. We are somewhat settled here but I have an idea if I can find another good school, we will go northeast some time (year).
Good luck with your new term.
Hi Dave, good luck with the new challenge and hope the year is successful for you.
Bangkok for me is just too busy, here in the country side I enjoy the lifestyle much more.
Maybe I'll see you one day up this way.
P.S.
I am one of those who started teaching here without any schooling in education. However there are plenty of teachers who are experts and teach with just their Bachelor degree.
I learned how to conduct training while in the military. Teaching properly and ensuring the 'students' understood was important as it could quite possibly safe their life.
I brought this with me into my Thai classrooms. It seemed to work as my personal report card for me was feedback from the students. I treasured all the times they would come to me and thank me or send an email thanking me and telling me they were hoping they would have me in a future class.
In all the 6 years I was teaching I was never once offered any advice, assistance or teachers with degrees in education.
I never attended any TESL training and the guys I asked about it said they never used the techniques they learned after getting the certificate.
I thought that after 6 years of teaching and having all that real life experience I wasn't going to pay 60000TB to get one. Plus they told me after completion I would have to work for free or 'pay to work' for two months to get certified. Hmmmmmmmm
and FYI you will notice there is an old link to my blog in your blogroll. I successfully transitioned my blog using wordpress on my server. Blogger was creating techical nightmares when trying to ftp data fm blogger to my server.
Might be fun but I think my heart is no longer in it. I love the students and love teaching but don't really want to be in that system. and if they are in need they have my number.
Hey Darwin, I would rather have guys like you working next to me than a lot of the other teachers we have had in the past.
Just because you don't have a TESL or TOFEL or whatever they courses they are. I have seen the guys who come out of these courses and most are not worth a piece of shit.
The TEFL centres are interested in teh money and don't give a rats arse about readying the teacher for real Thai teaching. I don't think a TESL teacher has ever used what they are taught in the course in a classroom.
The current requirments for teaching, such as complete an absolute bullshit Thai Culture Course. I have not read one good thing about it and all the people accuse the Thai education department of nothing more than a money grabbing exercise.
The 60,000 Thai Baht course to qualify people who don't have a degree in Education is a joke. Farangs are expected to study Saturdays and Sundays for 1 year to get this qualification that is only good in Thailand. That is a pisser.
Sit three tests, they cost 1,000 Baht per test and are near impossible to pass from what I have read.
I told the school long ago, I would not be doing the 60K course or the Culture Course.
The funniest thing is these rules only apply to people teaching primary and secondary. You don't need these for teaching at university level or in business or language schools.
The people who came up with these ideas are total fuc$ing idiots but what can be expected when you see how the country is run at times.
The school seems to have found enough teachers. Today there were 6 new bodies present all keen to start the new term, not like me :)
Hi Brunty,
I taught in Jinan, China for a summer session in 2002. I loved it. I am now retired, aged 63, and would like to come to Thailand to teach. Is my age too old? I have a BS in Conservation, and my command of English is very good. I am considering getting a TESOL here in San Francisco, but, after reading your comments about the usefulness of one of these, I don't know if it is necessary. Please advise. I like the way you write, and what you have to say about the attitutes of people who teach there. I loved the kids I taught in China. The only complaint I had was that there were so many, that I was overwhelmed. I couldn't connect with all of them the way I wanted to. But, after 7 years, I am still in touch with one student who is now in a university in Shanghai.
Rob
I work at the oldest private school in Thailand. It is rated by some as the second best school for boys in Thailand. Our English programs are very good except for the administration. Overall, we have a very dedicated group of teachers. Yes, we do have a group that do not care and only like to collect pay checks, party, and work on other projects not school related. These are all part of an administrative problem.
All of the Department Heads and Coordinators are under qualified to supervise and have less training than most of their teachers. Many teachers have degrees, licenses and certifications. A few have advanced degrees. But the powers that be ridicule, manipulate and have no people skills. They wonder why they have a turnover or people file complaints and not happy.
If schools would put the qualified in the right position and the lesser where they would be better suited, praise people sometime and not put them down all the time, treat teachers like the professionals they are and act like a professional to them as well maybe they would find a career teacher or two. The money is good at my school but the management of the department sucks.
Hi!..my name is Peter..I am "retiring" soon...I am a graduate with a teaching certificate..I need a teaching english job close to Amnat Charoen,Isaan....do you know local
schools I could apply to? Many thanks..Peter Holmes
IS THIS SIGHT EVER UPDATED?
OR MAYBE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT?
Hello sir,
I am currently trying to decide between teaching in Thailand and teaching in China. If I chose Thailand, it would be in a public school on a four-month contract.
From feedback I have been receiving, though, it sounds like people are not enjoying their time teaching in Thailand. One fellow taught in Korea (as have I) and then came to Thailand; he quit after 3 months. He now teaches in Spain and when I asked him about his time in Thailand, he didn't seem too negative, but he did seem disillusioned by working with 50 students per class at such an intense pace.
Another person spoke very negatively about the experience and wrote about it, found here:
http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader/reader1363.htm.
His basic complaints were that the environment was far too lackadaisical and too many students were not taking the work seriously.
Having worked in Korea, there were some parts about the situation that made my blood boil, but overall I definitely enjoyed my time. Can I then ask you--is teaching in a public school in Thailand (in this case probably rural) a pleasurable experience, or do you mostly agree with the second person?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated,
Chris
Chris some rural schools are great as small classes and really fantastic kids, but the pay is usually very low.
Teaching at some schools can be very hard, large numbers and unmotivated students.
Even the private school I am at can be very trying, very trying.
Students can be motivated, and you do have to be very strict and stick by your rules no matter what.
I have a freind in Taiwan and he really enjoys teaching there.
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