Skin colour and entertainment
I'd like to react to both Lyndsay's and Brian's letters concerning the EFL industry in Asia. I do partly agree with Brian that a lot of English teaching is considered entertainment and that many if not most students are not really interested in learning English seriously. Therefore, many teachers are reduced to being entertainers since most schools adopt the no fail policy. As for Lyndsay saying skin colour matters, well this is unfortunately true for many schools. Although I agree that it shouldn't be important and that qualifications and experience trump appearance, in Thailand it is still much easier to get a job when you are white.
Filipinos or other teachers who were not born white can, however, also be great teachers. Maybe given more time Thais will start acknowledging this. Finally, it is not a good idea for these teachers to argue their case by sending a letter containing about two dozen mistakes. This negates the case they are trying to make. Just saying.
Dave Watson
