Danielle is correct about the native speakers teaching better pronunciation ('Filipinos do it better', Postbox 13th November) There are many students that have learnt with Filipinos that I had to correct with their speech. As for Filipinos being more dynamic and better grammar teachers, that is quite narrow-minded and selective. Did she do her sample of native speakers teachers from the backwaters of Nan? Again, a statement that most students choose Filipino teachers over English speakers - please! This post smells like a hidden agenda and someone who is bitter that they don't get paid (and to send as much money back home) like a native speaker. The real reason native teachers are better than Filipinos for the English language are because they feel the language, it is second nature to them, and it is natural for them. Some Filipinos don't even know the difference between a brownout and a blackout!

Karl

I have been teaching in Thailand for more than 10 years. I came out here for a year initially but that has turned into more than a decade (where has the time gone?). When I started my second year here, all my friends and family told me I should just go home and that English teaching isn't really a career. I was having too much fun to take any notice of this unsolicited advice.

Fast forward to the present day and Thailand has definitely taken it's toll on me. Not even two trips a year home and numerous trips to neighbouring countries are enough to alleviate the feeling I have. I have also realised that the only thing that matters in this life is relationships, and all the people I love are back in Blighty.

I am not a qualified teacher in England (BA and TEFL only) and have no intentions or desires to become one. Teaching in England seems like such a draining career.

With all that being said, what is left for me? My BA is pretty useless and my experience doesn't really count for anything if I'm being brutally honest with myself. So where does that leave me in terms of work opportunities?

I have been living in luxury condos in Bangkok and enjoying 10 weeks of holiday every year with what I would call a nice salary of 60k (£1,500). Going back to England to stack shelves or sell insurance over the phone sounds horrible considering I'd be making less than £1,500 more than likely and struggling to make ends meet in a housing estate.

There must be some others in a similar situation to me. Where they want to return home for family reasons and/or had enough of Thailand but just can't see a decent life for themselves back home. I understand this is something I can only work out for myself, but hoping Phil posts this on his social channels so others can offer their insights?

Bangkok

I have been teaching English for 8 years and I started from a small English academy owned by a Korean. The truth is 'native speakers' can only teach pronunciation and communication. Of course, English schools across Asia prefer 'native English speakers' because Filipinos and even Singaporeans cannot teach American and British pronunciation. Honestly, in my experience, native English speakers are only hired as a marketing strategy, only as a face to attract more students. In reality, they cannot teach grammar to students who are learning English as second language or even as a foreign language. Most students choose Filipino teachers over native English speakers because the former are more creative in delivering classes. They are also dynamic compared to some NES teachers who just depend on their passports. I am not saying all but mostly as a basic observation.

Danielle

It seems that many schools in Thailand follow the pattern of asking you not to leave the premises in between lessons, even if you have huge free periods such as three hours or more during the day. They say you should use it for planning. However, I find that the environment is not always the best for planning and I like to organise my own time and planning when it suits me.

There is an irrational, feudal style loyalty model of being where the boss wants you, regardless, yet as some teachers have said, it is flouted in more roundabout ways and, yes - if you want to get away with it, never be confrontational (opposite of union style). Whoever says go to Vietnam and sample a better mode is right. You don't need all the extra 'padding' and really it's about obedience and qualities which aren't ideally suited to teaching or lecturing as a profession.

Elisha

I remember being a 16 year old in Scotland looking for work during the summer. I walked past a building site and asked if they needed any labourers. The guy looked me up and down and asked me if I was reliable...... I got the job.

"Can you start on Monday?" is what I'd expect someone looking for a labourer or kitchen hand to say. There are zero qualifications needed and you can't really do much damage. If you're crap, you're out on your ear by the end of the day, but there's no real risk taken by the employer.

"Can you start on Monday?" isn't something you should be hearing from a school, or any place, where your job is to take care of 'children'. If you have someone start off so quickly without doing at least some basic checks, you're putting those children's safety at risk. If my Thai wife knew that we were sending our daughter to a school who weren't doing a police-check on their teachers, our daughter would be pulled out quicker than you can say, "gross negligence". Yes, we can afford to send our kid to a good school, but that still doesn't make it okay or justifiable for others to be doing this.

If schools here don't mind employing any Tom, Dick or Harry who applies, that's up to them. I won't actively protest it. But dear God, don't celebrate it. It's up to schools how to run and manage themselves, but if you're employing random people without due diligence, you are putting children's safety and well-being at risk. That's a fact.

Celebrating (please note that this word has more than more definition) someone's right to put a child at risk because, "that's how they do it" isn't being open-minded and adaptable. It's actually looking down your nose at the local culture. Or to articulate it better, "it's the soft bigotry of low expectation".

John

Dear Ajarns, I made the mistake of working for an agency after many years of avoiding them. As they moved me from school to school I did not realise they were burning up my waivers as they did so.

An international school contacted me about a position that had opened up (I was on file with them) and I jumped at the chance. Whilst processing my work permit for the new job, the Thai MoE said I had been at three schools in a year and they were refusing me a permit. I (and my two children) were dismissed without compensation the same week and before the end of the month.

Does this mean I can never teach in a school again, or is there a time period which must pass before I can try again and hopefully get my license then?

Sincerely yours.

Ajarn D.

After a decade spent teaching in Thailand, I've decided to call it a day. The fact is that in almost every position I've held (and it must be at least half a dozen) I've been mislead over vacation time and salary. It's just so easy here, in fact almost accepted, that employers can be economical with the truth about these matters.

I've started jobs where I've been promised eight weeks of vacation (even in a written contract) and got far fewer weeks than that. I've even quit jobs to start at other schools offering a higher salary, only to find that suddenly 45,000 a month has become 35,000 a month.

Peter Davis

Preventing ageism is more about taking the lead and applying standards that are right for everyone in your community. Here's an example of equal opportunity standards applied to jobs in the USA; this was taken from an ESL job announcement for the Providence Public Library in Providence, Rhode Island, USA:

Equal Opportunity
In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at the Providence Public Library are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. PPL is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, familial status, national origin, ancestry, age (40 and above), disability, veteran status, military service, application for military service, genetic information, receipt of free medical care, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. PPL will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

No discrimination against people age 40 and above! Ajarn.com should have this standard, because ageism in Thailand is mired in the culture or in Thai society. Someone has to take the lead to prevent ageism in Thailand! For years, ajarn.com, eslcafe.com and other ESL job websites have carried ads promoting or supporting ageism. It's time for ajarn.com to have better standards. Lead the way!

Teachers in their 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and beyond can be wiser and have more experience. Very importantly, the older and wiser you are, the more likely you are to have genuine compassion for students... especially important with all the possible roadblocks students can encounter, learning a second language!

Michael Heaney, Providence, RI, USA

I was appalled at your reply that Ajarn would do a disservice to young teachers by refusing job ads that openly declare ageist policies in hiring. I'm sure you are really worried about these young teachers (like an employer will decide to hire no one and leave the opening vacant because you did not post their ageist add??) For me it is just proof that Ajarn is a corporate entity interested in the bottom line: profits, above any kind of support for basic human rights. Disgraceful answer! This is why the 20th and 21st century unbridled capitalism that puts profits above all else has got to go! The employers also, while understanding full well that a 50-year-old teacher with 30 years of experience will be better for the students learning than a 25-year-old, still will hire the 25-year-old because we live in a society where youth and attractiveness sell; another strong indictment of this outrageous corrupt capitalism that reduces us all to the common denominator of how many dollars our 'image' is worth.

Lawrence Schultz

Enough trash talk belittling Filipino English teachers teaching in Thailand or somewhere else for that matter.

The fact is: teaching English does not only entail having the native accent or using impeccable English grammar but also dedicating oneself to the "ins and outs" of the teaching-learning process ensuring that every aspect falls perfectly into a unified framework. Teaching is tedious and more often than not, the best teachers are only the most patient and dedicated ones.

They are the ones who devote long hours in preparing and organizing their daily lessons with wholehearted care and dedication; they are those who are the most approachable, caring and friendly to their students. Sad to say, the native speakers fall short in these aspects whilst the Filipino teachers show the highest regard for these characteristics despite the strong discrimination they experience everywhere they work.

English may not be the Filipinos' native language but they definitely are competitive with the native speakers whether the native speakers accept it or not.

Proof? I was in Thailand last year for a teacher training course. There were 12 of us: six native speakers from New Zealand, Canada, UK, USA and Australia, five from Asia (Philippines., China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia) and one from Germany. You know what's funny though? Half of the class had to redo their research assignments and/or failed teaching demos (native speakers and other Asians) except their Filipino counterparts who passed all assignments and demos with flying colors.

How did it happen? I understood that the other Asians failed because it's not their native language after all. But the native speakers? I thought it's their language structure we're talking about. I was tongue-tied to realize that they've got no idea about their own grammar structure & language system especially when it comes to grammar analysis, lexis analysis and functions analysis. The shocking revelation of all: they cannot teach grammar! Why? Where is the "native speaker superiority syndrome" they are boasting about discriminating against the non-native speakers particularly the Filipinos?

And they had the gall to discriminate against me during class forums, group work and assignment writing. They didn't subscribe to any of my views during group forums and class inputs, but most of the time I was right when the trainers checked the group work. But who cares, I just worked on my own, wrote my own research and nailed all my research work and teaching demos (TPs) with high pass marks!. And their grades? Forget about them! Then they came to me in the end for some assistance in rewriting their research assignments. Duuuhhh! Brainless bullies!

What about class demos? One thing is certain: they're in awe whenever they saw me in action!

Need I say more?
Final Grade:
native speakers: Pass
Filipino: High Pass

Post Script: To my fellow English lecturers/teachers in Thailand. Go to the Middle East. They have high regard for Filipino teachers and they pay triple the Thailand salary.

A proud Filipino English lecturer