Thailand is as Thailand does. After almost 19 years on and off in this country, it seems clearly entrenched in its ways and proud of it, arrogantly so and to its own detriment.

Teaching in Thailand remains a pedagogical wasteland of primarily unqualified people - not all but far too many - who simply have no business standing in classrooms in any country in the world; a short TEFL course does not a teacher make and neither does standing in a classroom allow one to be entitled to the title "teacher".

That being said, there is a pool of talented dedicated teaching professionals in Thailand, so what future lays on the horizon for teachers of all ilk?

Will Thailand attract pedagogically knowledgeable professional teachers over the next few years? Perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Highly educated, experienced and professional Filipino educators are available and coming in droves to lift Thailand out its quagmire of Anglophone linguistic incompetency, and thank God they are doing so because Thailand needs a pool of talented qualified pedagogically trained teachers standing in its classrooms, not the rabble that currently dominates too much of the field.

So as Filipinos move in to become a significant part, possibly the dominant force, of the teaching community in Thailand, how will Thailand respond over the next few years with regards to fair and reasonable compensation packages for those with serious teaching qualifications coming from their ASEAN community neighborhood?

It seems abundantly clear that Thailand's leaders and the business community are extremely motivated to integrate the country into the ASEAN community, mainly as a result of perceived economic benefits that Thailand will achieve as industrial leaders within the region.

The question thus seems obvious - why are Thai government officials, business leaders, and the citizenry so unwilling to compensate foreign teachers, especially Filipinos, for the professional work they are doing to ensure that Thailand itself can succeed economically with the ASEAN framework?

And will this unfair and unreasonable attitude of indentured servitude change over the next five years? I think not. Thais remained committed to one thing and one thing only, Thailand. Foreigners are to be used for the benefit of the development of Thailand and Thai people, not for the gain and development of the external "others".

Foreign teachers in Thailand need to face reality and understand that expectations of change, in my opinion, are simply unrealistic. For the foreseeable future it seems we will still see salaries sitting at an average of 22,000 baht per month for arriving Filipino teachers and 30,000 baht per month for "falangs" when working for Thai government schools and teacher placement agencies.

But here is the kicker folks, there is a ton of money available in the Thai education fund to compensate foreign teachers fairly but it is being skimmed off the top at every level and at every opportunity; a symptom of Thailand is for Thais.

One significant cold sore contributing to low teacher salaries in Thailand is the rise of the teacher placement agencies (TPAs). Will this change in the next five years, not in my opinion.

In fact, the next five years seems set to see a continued rise in the TPAs as the dominant recruitment force in landscape of Thailand teaching. Forget the reasons. It is what it is. The important issue here is this is one of the fundamental factors as to why teacher salaries will remain low in Thailand for years to come.

The Thais have yet again seen where money can be made at the expense of the foreign "others" and there is little hope that now the pot of gold has been discovered, that Thais will let go of the honey pot. Rest assured this situation will get worse before it gets better.

Note that up until a few years ago when TPAs became a huge factor in the Thailand teaching market, teachers received 12-month contracts with several reasonable benefits. So how is that we have all taken a step back towards the middle ages in salaries, contract stipulations, and the cutting of benefits while being tagged with expenses that were traditional born by Thai employers? Likely this is a direct result of the rise of TPAs and their desire to profit in every possible way.

Thailand continues to face many challenges in its drive towards ASEAN integration and linguistic development over the next few years.

The country's failed efforts to bilingualize its citizenry seems to lay in its xenophobia and fear of colonialism; Anglicization of the nation may just touch too many raw nerves in a nation that perceives itself as above so many others in the region and beyond, a sort of "Pum jai or die" attitude seems to prevail.

With this dominant attitude within the populous, is it ever likely that foreign English teachers will be sincerely welcomed into Thailand and compensated not only in a manner commensurate with our qualifications and expertise, but also in a context relative to the significant contributions we bring to Thailand and its people and the massive economic benefits that the country receives as it bilingualizes its citizenry? I'll leave that up to you to predict, but my hopes are not high.

David

Sunday 5th July 2015 in Lumpini Park (Start and finish near the library)

Start Times: 10.0km Run 6am (400 baht entry), 5.0km Run 6.10am (300 baht entry), 2.5km run / walk: 6.20am (300 baht entry)

We encourage participants to wear school, college or university "Fancy Dress" Students can wear their current school uniform

Safe, traffic free route (all inside the park - 1, 2 or 4 laps)

Prizes for best fancy dress

Trophies for Places 1-5 male and female for 10km distance
All entrants receive a medal, T-shirt and food and drink pack at the finish line

A portion of our proceeds will go to support our "School in a Bag' project which provides educational materials in a school bag to children in Thailand who do not have adequate access to basic materials to support their studies(examples of contents of the bag include stationery, uniforms, bilingual educational teaching and learning resources, basic medications, etc)

Simple to register - just go to: educationthailand.org and fill in the online registration form, then pay the appropriate fee by bank transfer (details on website)

I have my CELTA, from Bournemouth, England. Unfortunately it means nothing to most schools over here. It's the degree they want to see. 'You have no TEFL or CELTA, but no problem because you have a degree' - you can teach.

Thai schools are full of foreign teachers who have no TEFL qualification whatsoever, but do have a 'degree' which in many cases was obtained through dubious channels. Just go into a class and start writing stuff on the white board, and hope no one takes too much notice.

Last week. one of these guys at my school marked down several classes for using the verb to dote. He had never heard of it. 'My mother dotes on me' He asked me why do the students keep writing 'dots on, dots on' ?

It seems to me that you need a particular kind of arrogance to walk into a classroom without the proper qualification under your belt.

Jeremy

Here's an open letter to my next Thai girlfriend...

Hi. Great to have you on board. I hope we have a long and fruitful relationship. But before we begin all that, please read and understand the following. If there are bits you don't like, then turn away now and never look back. This is a non-negotiable document and there are no changes going to be made.

First of all, please understand that your primary function is to enrich my life. You know, make it better. I, in return, will endeavor to do the best that I can to enrich yours. To make your life easier from the get-go, I have written down a few ideas that will help us to get along well...

First... Food! Being hungry is an opportunity, not a malady. Please don't look at me quizzically and say "I'm hungry!" like I've done something wrong. In fact, don't even tell me at all. We've got a big kitchen and there's a market just outside. This hunger thing is something you can fix yourself.

Oh, and please don't ask me to try anything you're eating. It all looks revolting and I have a sensitive stomach. And if we're eating out, I'll pay for what you eat, NOT what you order! So, go ahead and order as many dishes as you can, but be aware I'll only be paying for the ones you finish.

For my part, I will never ask you to try anything that I cook and you can have an unlimited budget for food.

Next up: The silent treatment. If I have annoyed you in some way, the best thing you can do is to tell me about it. This way, we can quickly get it resolved and move on. If you are giving me the silent treatment then sleep outside or at your parent's house until you feel like talking to me again.

The silent treatment is a waste of life. The negativity stresses me out and as a result, my quality of life suffers. Most importantly - it doesn't actually solve anything!

Gossip! During our liaison, we'll be doing lots of things together. We'll be flying all over the world, going on days out to the beach and having lots of other fun times in each other's company. During all this excitement it's worth noting that the entire time will be spent with just you and I for company. No-one else, not your family and not your friends.

Now, with this in mind you can draw the conclusion that I have absolutely ZERO interest in your friends or your family. What they do is of massively little consequence to me. To this end, it's going to be up to you to find friends to gossip with. Thank heavens for the internet and smart phones.

What's on the big screen! I have abdicated all control over the TV to you. This extends to movies. You get to choose what's on every time and I will sit through anything you want me to and I won't complain. The TV is your domain and I won't ever mention anything about what you like and what you watch. Your part in all of this is to pick a program or movie quickly and STICK WITH IT!

If there's something I really must see then I'll go to the movies on my own or downloaded it to my computer.

Complaining. I'm not a complainer by nature but when things aren't right, sometimes I'll ask for them to be fixed. I know that this isn't the 'Thai way!' but I'm not Thai. So, here's your end of the deal... support me 100% when I decide that complaining is the best way to resolve a situation. It's not that much to ask of a partner, is it? If it is, then proceed no further.

Jealousy. I'll never give you a reason to be jealous. I won't flirt with, chat to, or in anyway engage in the company of women in (or not in) your presence. I understand that it'll take time for you to believe this, but be patient. I'm a 'one woman man' and I do NOT want my penis in the blender!

An issue for you - a tissue for me! Finally: I masturbate. Get over it! But I'll do it either when you're out of the house or (if I'm desperate) when you're fast asleep. If this is an issue then leave now. Find yourself a guy who lies about whether he masturbates or not!

Hello? Where did she go? Bloody hell, she's gone. Who said honesty was the best policy - what a load of rubbish! :)

Mark

Regarding the American English vs British English debate and which one is best for students to learn, the standards of ESL text books as they apply to Thai schools and businesses are of such an appallingly low level of quality and effectiveness that the difference in what side of the pond it hails from, is almost a non issue. The people who come up with these nuisance books have never been outside their own country and have no idea what they are doing.

The general distinction between the two (in my experience) is that British based books are harder to learn from. The British books make too many assumptions about what students already know. They focus more on grammar and the books are just too 'busy' and dull.

The Americans make it easier (more white space/pictures, etc) but they still use the word 'soccer' so they obviously haven't tippee-toed into the real world of TEFL either. NOBODY outside North America uses the word 'soccer.' And nobody in Asia is called Maria Sanchez or Pedro Escobar!

I've seen some series' of books start out with good intentions and sound ideas but veer off the straight and narrow after a couple of levels.

All the books used in Thailand are crap, but the most neglected and barren area of GOOD materials is for teenagers. Writers and educators who come up with these God-awful books just aren't even on the same planet as their target audience. I end up re-writing all the books for whoever hires me or writing materials from scratch. It takes time but the benefits of doing this are light years ahead of anything published by the anonymous dolts at Macmillan or Cambridge, etc.

So, American English or British English? Just give me plain, easily digestible English, that people actually use, please!

Mark

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

Your speaking voice and how you sound is so important when interviewing via Skype!

Skype interviews are used as a last resort when looking at candidates for a job because it's a dreadful way to communicate, compared to a 'face to face' interview. They are often used as a preliminary way of screening candidates when schools in Thailand hire from abroad. They are also used by schools outside Thailand to 'poach' teachers. Myanmar does this a lot!

Sure, you can get the lighting and sound adjusted for optimum performance and you can even tweak your internet connection so it won't be interrupted... but if your prospective employer can't understand you then that job may slip through your digital fingers!

It's hard enough for Thais to understand English, and without the body language and other advantages of a 'proper' interview, you may find yourself either having your statements misunderstood or simply not being understood at all.

Here are some basic ideas that may help you to cruise through an online interview and overcome the handicaps that this type of interview poses. These ideas should also help you even if the interviewers are themselves native speakers.

As this list is a long one and the subject matter is unending I'll just highlight some points of importance and you can follow up these by Googling for more information.

1 - Breathing! Take deep breaths and calm yourself before the interview starts.

2 - Before the interview, practice enunciating your answers. Read answers to questions into your phone or computer and play them back. How do they sound to you? Cut down on the 'umm's and 'er's!

3 - Slow down the tempo and turn up the volume of your answers and say the words clearly. You don't have to sound condescending to pull this off and you may want to practice this before the interview.

4 - Think about your answers before you say them out loud. The interviewer won't mind waiting a few seconds, especially if the pay off is worth it to him or her.

5 - Learn to listen! One hurdle of this (or any) type of interview is that you are giving answers to questions that nobody has asked. Listen to and understand the question and return a pithy and considered response.

6 - Open your mouth when you speak! This is unbelievably crucial and will go a long way to helping you to be better understood.

7 - Inflection, inflection, inflection! Monotonous speech is boring and difficult to understand, especially on the phone or in a video interview.

8 - Finally, don't try to be funny. Your light-hearted banter won't translate well over the internet and you'll look unprofessional. Interviewers will be able to gauge your personality well enough, without you having to resort to jokes and off-topic anecdotes.

Good luck.

Like I say, this is a subject that can be explored forever and I've covered just some brief points. But if you just follow these, you'll find your online interviews will go a lot better than you had even hoped for.

Mark

"But it doesn't mean that they are good teachers". Something we often read or hear.

What defines 'a good teacher'?

A good teacher to a private school/mall ed center is one who attracts more students to enroll.
Is that YOUR definition of a good teacher?

A good teacher to all the other schools is someone who's friendly, won't whine about gate duties and who shows up every day.
Is that YOUR definition of a good teacher?

A good teacher to students is the guy who is the most fun and entertaining for the duration of the period that he is teaching.
Is that YOUR definition of a good teacher?

A good teacher to me is someone who has a good understanding of everything that is is expected of him from his employers.
Is that YOUR definition of a good teacher?

Now... look at all the qualities in the above scenarios... you attract more business... you are affable, reliable and you don't gripe about stuff... you are entertaining and fun to be with in the classroom... you understand what is expected from you...

Now - if you are all of these things AND you can 'teach' English, then you're a f***ing genius and you'll already be earning a pot of gold.

Mark

Re: Living on the new wage mentality, Ajarn Postbox 1st March) Good letter by Bob there about the low wages paid to Western teachers in Thailand. Everything Bob has said is frank and honest.

Let's face it, you spend a fortune at home getting a degree - in most Western countries anyway - and then they offer about the same money you get for being unemployed in Australia if you go to work there.

There are few benefits - 10 days holiday a year I used to get - you cannot afford to fly home for a visit, and you certainly cannot save enough to ever have any sort of future in your own country.

Unless you just want to have an adventure or get started in your career, for most graduates Thailand is a very unattractive place to work.

Like Bob said, then they treat you like absolute crap as well. The more educated you are, the more you are going to rub up against the educational establishment in Thailand. Thai 'educators' prefer people who do not challenge them intellectually, and who do not care about academic standards - that is, about aiming for the cognitive and language skills benchmarks for smart people, and about the principles of academic integrity. Most of the time they are more happy with unqualified and/or inexperienced teachers as a result.

Wages have not gone up in the twelve years since I was there either. I actually did some Thai studies courses at university, or took an interest in their country, which was a complete waste of time career-wise. It never helped me get a better job. All it did was add to my workload, because everyone was constantly creeping to my office for translation. (It is an odd thing, too, that Thai educators who are completely unable to write a coherent sentence, and who can be barely understood - and who are supposed to be foreign language teachers, or recognize how hard learning another language is - it is an odd thing they should be so disrespectful to people who are trying to grapple with their language, or so self-assured that they can speak English better than any foreign person could ever speak in Thai.

Plain disrespectful they are, a lot of them. But that is the national ethos, isn't it.

Sure enough, Thailand is a 'poor' country, in terms of the wages people tend to make. Although we should not forget some of the world's richest people come from Thailand - say no more.

A lot of the reason salaries are so low for Western teachers, however, is simply that the Thais, as we have touched on already, do not appreciate the value of a good education. They think the money they pay is a fortune to have someone come and conduct a few sing-alongs, which is what their idea of a good English class entails. They think it is a fortune to pay for a lot of the types that such low wages attract.

But that is how it is. Certainly no use getting any of them to listen to reason. You might as well speak to a piece of wood. Or you could write a letter here and vent your spleen to everyone else who does not matter, or who is powerless to effect change.

You have the choice of enjoying some time there for reasons other than the salary, and the accolade of your peers - and certainly Thai university students, at least, can be a lot of fun to teach. It is a good way to garner some experience. And there are a lot of nice people in Thailand, the teaching establishment is not everyone.

Or you can just head off to any one of the other many countries that hire English teachers, and that offer very good wages and conditions. And, if you like Thailand, just spend your three months holiday there every year instead.

Captain Haddock

I don't understand why other websites copy and paste jobs from Ajarn.com, Well I do - it's for content and attracting traffic + revenue. However, copy and paste from an SEO point of view is like pissing in the wind!

There are now duplicate jobs posted and Google hates duplicate content! This means that the site that posted the jobs first (Ajarn.com) is in the highest pecking order in the search engines rankings. The other sites will merely be penalized for duplicate content.

Unless of course the job ads are reworded or spun which would have to be done manually, and is a major pain in the butt + time consuming. You could of course auto spin the content - but then you risk it appearing as unintelligible and unreadable nonsense.

Bottom line - copy and paste will not rank your site!

Jo