So the attempt to improve the quality of NES teachers in Thailand through the teacher license requirement has already started to backfire.

I have been hearing more and more about a number of good long term NES teachers who are now having to leave Thailand due to not having or being able to get a teachers license even though some have masters degrees but not in education.

As there are a number of SE Asian counties they can work at that do not have these requirements and where they can actually make more money. Also as one of them pointed out to me: "Do you actually think most teachers here in Thailand making 30,000 to 40,000 baht a month are going to spend all that money and time to get credits in education on a masters level just to get a Thai teachers license? Then when they finally get it their salary stays exactly the same? And do you think Thailand is going to attract better qualified teachers to replace them when they leave?"

The answer is no but what it will produce is even more short term inexperience teachers in Thailand replacing the long term experience ones who have to leave. Most of the new ones will probably be young teachers/travelers who will just leave after the two-year waiver expires.

And this cycle will just continue until the standard of NES teacher becomes so bad maybe someone within TCT will finally wake up and realize the disaster they have created.

If Thailand is really serious about improving the quality of NES teachers here then they need to get serious about paying them properly. This would mean substantial increasing the salary for any teacher who obtain a teachers license but as we all know this is never going to happen.

The net result of all this, which is already happening, will be that many good, experienced long term teachers will leave Thailand and be replaced by inexperienced and no more or probably even less qualified short term teachers.

What a great way to improve the teaching standards of NES teachers. It is like pouring gas on the fire to put it out!

Thomas