I am a non-native English speaker from Europe but I've been teaching here in Thailand for five years now and never had a problem with documents and being employed as a legal teacher. But now my school have told me that according to The Ministry of Education website (which I cannot check because the info in question is only available in Thai apparently) - I need to satisfy all of the following requirements.

Firstly I need to show the school a TOEIC score of 600 or a TOEFL score of 550 or an IELTS score of 5.5. I also need to show them a 'self-improvement certificate' from the last academic year (something I have never heard of) and finally, my school have told me that I need to obtain a criminal clearance report from my country of origin. They won't accept a CCR that's been obtained from a police station in Bangkok.

Suddenly, life here has just got ridiculous. I have a degree in architecture. I've done the Thai culture course and obtained the certificate. I have a non-B visa. And I'm registered with the Teachers Council of Thailand and have had a valid work permit for the past five years. Why is teaching here now so problematic?

Ajarn says: Yes, it's a lot of hoops to jump through but have you thought that there is just a slight chance that the school doesn't want to employ you anymore. And rather than tell you to your face, they are just putting these obstacles in the way in an effort to force you to quit. It may not be because they are unhappy with your performance. Perhaps they simply can't afford to employ you anymore or they are looking for a cheaper option and this is their way of saving face. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.

Fozzie