I find it hard to believe that the MOE is making it even harder for teachers to come to teach in Thailand. With ASEAN so close and students still showing a less than poor performance in English they should be making it easier not harder. I have never known such a senseless and moronic system as they have here in Thailand and it is just getting worse by the day especially when the Government agencies such as the MOE should be welcoming teachers, not pushing them away by making things so unbearable that the turnover of teachers in this country is so high that it is ridiculous beyond belief.

It is a fact that Thai schools are always short of English teachers and other subjects but the MOE still insist on adding more and more ridiculous rules every semester. It will come to the point where the only ones who will come here will be backpackers who are just out to make a little money for the rest of their holiday in Thailand.

I am seriously considering leaving after being here for over three years as a professional teacher because the effort, stress and jumping through hoops for the MOE and their stupid idiotic rules is just getting too much to bear. Not only that the costs that we have to incur as teachers is getting more and more every year.

In many articles people have complained that the money they have to pay each year for work permits, visas and teaching licence makes it just not worth it. When is the ministry going to wake up and stop persecuting teachers who have nothing but good intent for the education of the Thai children and stay here as law abiding people. How many more money spinning ideas will they think up before they realize it is having a detrimental effect on their education standards.

Including the fact that foreign teachers ALWAYS get blamed for everything that goes wrong in the Thai education system and schools when they should be pointing the finger at themselves for having such a crap system in place and idiotic rules.

Is this really the land of smiles or the land of stupid rules? For the love of God Thailand wake up and smell the coffee, you have English as an adopted language to learn and you need as many teachers as you can get to give your children the best chance of being part of this community.

Dr John Smith