I'm a Thai who has been teaching English for many years. I lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh for 6 years and I enrolled for an MA TESOL there. My MA there and the work at a university there taught me tremendously about CLT and communicative English; and what could really help students to communicate in English.

For any Bangladeshi student who enrolled on an English course with communicative environment, I found that almost all of them could use English well after they graduate (university level). The assessment aligned with what had been instructed and trained...and many involved speaking, presentation, discussion, listening along with reading and writing.

In Thailand....., the curriculum still focuses a lot on grammar; though many try to implement " English Conversation Class" and have the 2nd English class taught by foreign teachers. however, I was told Thai teachers would still explained to them in Thai in their classes and many even had to write the pronunciation of those lessons in Thai alphabet so the kids could read.

The parents also believe that their kids don't know enough vocabulary or don't know enough grammar to speak well. That's because generations after generations here have been taught with the grammar translation method...and it is still going on....among parents and worse, English teachers who are Thai.

I am seeing a huge gap between the practice and the need of the school to keep the look of International standard while O-Net and A-Net tests are so hopeless and do not align with any lessons they teach in classes in many schools at all.

However, I wouldn't ask who is to blame...., but what can we do to improve it?

Sunida

Dual pricing is morally wrong and according to some experts on Thai law, even illegal. However, as with a lot of things in Thailand I question the apparent illegality of it, given how widespread it is I doubt it's illegal at all.

Now when it comes to dual pricing, we need to distinguish between opportunistic greed (like when a taxi driver refuses to turn on his meter or a tuk-tuk driver tries to charge a huge amount) and institutionalized dual pricing at tourist attractions. It is easy to avoid the former - either catch a different taxi, rent a car, catch a bus, walk whatever, there are always alternatives.

However, when it comes to a temple, museum, national park etc. trying to charge a foreigner more, there are two prices only: one Thai and one foreign. Occasionally a foreigner can get the Thai price by speaking Thai, arriving with a Thai spouse or friend, showing a Thai driver's licence, work permit, tax ID card or similar, but these don't always work.

The very premise of dual pricing however is that it tries to create a feeling of "us vs. them" by making assumptions about a foreigners perceived wealth. It is one thing if one time tourists are affected as they can just decide never to come back to Thailand and many do vote with their feet and their wallets. However, apart from avoiding all dual pricing attractions in Thailand, it is not as easy for resident expats to do the same, as they may be faced with this issue on a regular basis.

Personally I have no problems with bargaining, though on a day to day basis I only engage in that part of the economy that has fixed prices. For example, I drive my own car, fill up my tank at a petrol (gas) station, which obviously has fixed prices, get my car serviced at the dealership, I eat at chain restaurants (or independent restaurants with air-con), shop at supermarkets and hypermarkets etc. just like I would do in the west. Not only because this eliminates the possibility of dual pricing but these types of businesses offer better quality food, produce and goods and I know whether I'm getting value for money or not.

Also, it's easier to find what I'm looking for. Yes I know foreign imported goods are often way overpriced, but there is often little way around that except for the occasional trip to Cambodia to bring in a few bottles of cheap wine. The Thai alternative is poor quality rubbish, so there's little choice but to pay these prices.

I don't visit markets, street food stalls etc. unless I'm on holiday and that would entail being outside of Bangkok or more likely even, when I travel to Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam/Myanmar etc. countries which have fewer supermarkets/hypermarkets etc.

Why don't I visit markets etc. (except for very occasionally Chatuchak)? Because 1) it's hot 2) the quality is poor and unless I'm looking for a souvenir I won't find anything interesting 3) the food at wet markets is often of questionable quality - food and veggies may have been tainted with formaline whereas at supermarkets it's safe too eat, while at food stalls it's too hot to eat outside plus the food doesn't taste good, nor is it fresh in many cases. I am worried about getting sick.

I'd much rather enjoy a delicious steak from Sizzler, along with some salad, which is much healthier than the MSG and sugar laden crap you get on the street. I can also pay by credit card as I don't always carry enough cash with me.

Tyson Jones

With the new regulations in place it is harder than ever to find good teachers. Those who are experienced and culturally aware are having to leave as they don't have degrees/diplomas in education and they have exhausted their temporary teaching permit numbers.

Unfortunately that means having to hire the inexperienced or basically any other white face despite their downfalls. Krusapa needs to assess foreign teachers individually regarding teacher licences and increase salaries extensively if they really want the educated and passionate in their schools.

Rhiannon

I read so often about the problem of students using cellphones in Thai classes. Although it's not the same everywhere here in New Zealand, its common for phones to have to be checked in at the start of classes and/or some schools either ban them altogether at school or students have to check them in to the office every morning where they're kept until the end of the day. It seems few teachers and schools do this sort of thing in Thailand?

Brent

The information that I am writing here is based on my experience as of March 1, 2016.

I am currently teaching in a government school. I started in March 2015 but I was only taxed in June 2015. I was deducted 875 Baht every month for my TAX and 750 Baht for my health insurance. Another 750 Baht is paid for me by the school as their share, hence a total of 1,500 Baht goes to my health insurance. To sum it up, the amount that is deducted from my salary is 1,625 Baht (875+750) per month.

When I went to the Ministry of Labor to have my work permit renewed, the officer asked for my tax record, which I don't have at that time. It is a requirement for the renewal of work of permit (W.P.5) to present the Phor Ngor Dor 91 form and tax receipt (yellow). Both documents can be acquired from the District Office (Revenue Department).

Prior to going to the revenue office, my school gave me the summary of my tax for the year 2015. The total amount that I paid for 7 months (June 2015 - December 2015) is 875x7= 6,126 Baht.

When I filed the Phor Ngor Dor 91 at the revenue, I was told to get a refund amounting to 5,875 Baht. I don't exactly know how the officer got the computation though it was all written at the back of the form 91. The cheque will be under my name and it will be sent to my school around May to June 2016.

I was surprised to hear that I will get a refund because I never got one before and my school didn't inform me neither. So I asked the officer if I could file for the previous years and she said that I can only refund for the 3 years back. I just need to get the tax record from the school. The paper must contain the total tax paid for the year 2012, 2013, and 2014 respectively.

I told the other foreign teachers in my school to file their Phor Ngor Dor 91 as well. Hurrah! we will all get out refund a few months from now :-)

I hope this information will assure you that indeed, there is a tax return/refund. We just have to file for it. You can either go to the nearest revenue office and file personally or you can ask your Thai friend to help you file online.

For translation purposes of the personal income tax forms, go to this link. http://www.rd.go.th/publish/index_eng.html

Elle

This is in reply to Methaya Sirichit's great letter (26th January)

I have been attempting to introduce the Western culture, the similarities and differences between Thai culture and Western forms of thinking. I had good results that came very quickly when I was learning the IELTS system. I would use The Bangkok Posts learning section and the articles available.

I stopped learning Thai when I started to understand just how nasty Thais are to each other. I did not want to listen. I left my own country (Australia) because I could see people becoming nastier and nastier to each other. The human race is a horrible thing.

I have recently read and listened to a radio interview about the next step in phonics. Understanding how the word was created. Knee is actually a word that was pronounced using the k to start the word. It is time that has made the K silent.

I have visited Sukhothai many times and been through the museum as well. It gives a good starting point into the Thai language, the history and its origins. I would like to know if corruption and as telling of untruths was so ingrained in Thai culture back then as it is today because there does seem to be a case for those in powerful positions in Thailand have made their own rules in today's society and many very clever and worthwhile people are not able to voice an opinion.

I have lived in Phitsunalok myself and found many of the farmers problem solving skills to far more remarkable than Bangkok's problem solving skills that are based on more money to buy things overs have designed. We currently hear about many horrible workplace problems and extortion of minorities. As an Australian I am horrified at what my country is doing in The Middle East. I grew up believing Australia was a passive country. No we are the aggressors.

You are correct that most farang coming to Thailand to teach do not have the skills. I suspect they are further infuriated by the fact that the students are not the centre of the schools here in Thailand but the amount of money required to give a perceived education that allows students to understand the world they live in is.

The international schools now have lowered the grade levels by allowing extra testing so those students who do not have the knowledge they should have learnt in normal class time to move up the education ladder.

I suspect it is the human race at the moment that is creating its own problems. The difference between Thais and others is really a small thing.

The few Thai friends I have will speak English with me as they trust me not to judge them. I suspect those who are scared of speaking and showing aptitude know that it will killed of by those controlling for more money. Which in turn is just our belief in pieces of paper with numbers written on them.

Have fun.

chantaburi

OK I have read a variety of opinions on the topic of 'Why can't Thais speak English?' Some are correct but some are outright shallow.

I am a Thai, born and bred, and I have had some Eng-teaching experience. I used to be an IP lawyer, then quit to become a law professor; I am now teaching in Phisanulok but currently on a sabbatical leave. I developed a course called "English for lawyers" to teach law students practical English for professional purposes (for a legal profession).

As for my language background, I speak rather good English, I have an intermediate command of French, basic Chinese, and have taught myself ancient Greek. Here are my observations and criticisms:

1. I think most Thai have a working knowledge of English. The ability to use English among Thai population is known to be better than in Japan or China. Thailand is a very popular tourist destination, it is not a secret that people here use English well in their professional lives.

2. I never had any problem creating motivation for my students. As a Thai, I know that mastery of a foreign language requires that 95% of the work be done outside of the classroom. So, my foremost goal has always been to create motivation and love of learning English.

I have a realistic expectation and always tell my student that they will not walk away from the course being able to use proficient legal English as a professional. And improving English will be their life-long project.

By "motivation" I do not mean presenting a language as a "tool," that is how the anglo-saxon think about language. For me languages are portals to other cultures. I motivate students partly by introducing them to a small body of English literature, something their schools never did. Teaching them songs, poems by William Blake or Lord Tennyson. I taught them how to read English blank verse which is the gate to Shakespeare, and give them something to memorize.

This may appear somewhat high-brow but it proved fresh to students who had spent a life time learning grammar; most of them like my materials.

3. I attempt to explain grammar and vocabs as logically as possible. My knowledge of classical language (Greek) and French allow me to explain tenses better than contemporary textbooks. Students are always interested in etymology and your French or Latin can help.

Making language appear logical is one of the best way to draw enthusiasm from students. The law students I taught were not linguistically brilliant. Most law students are those who hate both English and math; it is actually a common knowledge that people who come into the legal profession don't have many aptitudes. (this is pretty true in the U.S. too) But if you present your subject interesting enough, they will learn.

4. Yes. Thailand's English language education is obsolete, inefficient and time-wasting. It is that bad. In my generation, we all went to public schools. But Thai upper-middle classes are now sending their kids to international schools.

Unfortunately, the upper class of the future will be those who speak bilingual but having no profound grasp of either language. I think it is sad that the elite are giving up on the state's education system and choose the path that will produce future elite who will treat languages as tools rather than culturally important assets.

Will the country ever produce quality literature when the better-educated don't even know enough Thai anymore? We will see.

5. Most farang teachers don't have background in languages, not even as a student. They come from all walks of life and come to Thailand to pick up language-teaching jobs.

Thai always appreciate native speakers. But language teachers should be adequately passionate about language and be able to transmit the desire to learn to students. Most of you don't even know another European language and may not have any interest in literature.

6. It is true that Thais are quite lazy. But they are not stupid.

Thais are 40% of Chinese ethnicity, they are genetically pretty smart. Thai culture is a bit like France - that is pretty laid back.

The whole state is bureaucracy, most people dream of civil-servant jobs that employ you for life. Thai bureaucratic system is like a socialist state with in a capitalist state. So it is not one of your corporate-driven societies.

For Thai kids, English is just another subject like math or chemistry. They are chores that kids have to put up with until the final exam. My point is that, to stimulate them to learn English, you have to present English as, not only professionally, but also culturally important to them. I believe that teachers should have some knowledge about local cultures to make connection with students.

I doubt most farang teachers know much about Thai culture. Thais are both conservative and nationalistic (think about a country where 80% are the GOP Republicans). Thus, they'd super appreciate foreign folk who learn their culture or languages. But Thais know more about the world than you think they do.

Maybe it's you who know too little about the place in which you are working

Methaya Sirichit

O.K... please tell me anyone, is this some sort of joke, troll, or a serous posting worthy of some semblance of merit to be allowed here at Ajarn? For a moment I thought I'd inadvertently clicked on a ThaiVisa.com thread by accident.

So, Dr. Evil, if you sincerely believe all that you wrote, I'm here to offer a rebuttal. First thing off the bat, you mention "pedophiles hoping to score on your twisted fantasies".

Well, I think it's safe to say there are probably just as many, if not more, people of this type in your own home country than here living as expats. Sure, the odd one pops up now and then, but no more so than you see elsewhere.

YAHOO just had a post today about a US female teacher having sexual relations with two of her students. It's a global phenomenon and not one unique to Thailand. Plenty of Thai teachers, I assume, are also in similar situations but we just don't hear of it much as it's not on their radar in the way it is in the West.

Then you refer to "drunks just trying to get laid." Hmmmmmmmm, again I see plenty of Westerners living back in the U.K., U.S., E.U., A.U., etc. doing this very thing as well. It's also a world-wide phenomenon and nothing new under the sun.
Plenty of Thai blokes doing just the same every night of the week, if not more! Why is an expat "evil rubbish" for this and a Thai is not?

So then you suppose that Thailand is out on a house-cleaning spree and mission to rid itself of foreigners with the Ministry of Education is now proposing I must marry a Thai to keep my job? I think not.

I have a Masters of Education degree, a teacher's license (on number two now of the new, 5-year certificates issued with a photo ID), speak fluent Thai, and have been living and working here for well over two decades now. Having a Thai wife is the last thing I would ever want, need, or have and I assure you that nobody is going to fire me for my choice of whom I marry, or not as is my case, prerogative, and HUMAN RIGHT.

I attend so many educational meetings, seminars, conferences, etc. it would blow your mind (and bore you to death!). I work in school administration, teach only 12 classroom hours per week, and am very, very familiar with any and all directives regarding foreign teachers as that's a big part of my admin position.

Please, do provide some factual support for your "prediction of the outcome" of that supposed meeting. And the statistic you quoted of "removing 80%" of foreigners deemed "undesirable", please inform us all of your source on that as well that you're referencing.

Sounds like a soundbite you heard on the tube or read in some forum, but I'd be willing to bet it's far from fact or ever actually going to happen. As is the supposed "database" where we are all being profiled and spied upon. Really? A Thai NSA is in the works now specifically targeted towards expats? My oh my.

If I understand correctly, in summary, your position is that only persons of approved sexual orientations, marital status, alcohol/drug consumption habits, etc. are going to be permitted in to live in this "New, Improved and Sanitized Thailand" you claim will come to effect in 2016? Am I right? And I thought this was Christmas, not April' Fools Day.

Good luck with your delusional visions of grandeur, mate. The Thailand I have known, loved, and lived in since the early 80's is still very much the same as it was then, and will always be, regardless of what "crackdowns", "crusades", and "hubs", you want to use as scare tactics to make this country your own personal utopia.

It's just a country, a place like any other, no better in some ways and no worse in others. We live on a very small planet nowadays, and it is high time to disregard the xenophobic notion that Thailand only belongs to those born here. Immigration and Emigration are common to every country I know of, save North Korea.

Perhaps you hope and pray Thailand is headed in that direction instead?? If it truly is, as you purport, then I guess I better start packing my bags, sell the house, truck, and say goodbye to all my students. OH! Wait! This is THAILAND. Sabaii, sabaii, arai godai, and mai-bpen-rai.

Anyway, on a more rational and sane note, Happy Holidays to one and all here at Ajarn.com and please, please drive defensively if you're on the roads during your school break over New Years! Better yet, keep the car at home and just fly.

Cheers!

Back home for Christmas in Zandvoort Aan Zee

In response to 'Kicking out the undesirables' (Postbox 10th December)

I first of all do not think that anyone from any A.S.E.A.N country would want my Thai wife. I could possibly have seen this happening around nine years ago but she has changed considerably since then. We have been happily married for ten years. I consider ten years to be a short length of time like a spit in a wind storm. I always say "getting fatter and older together".

My wife has a daughter and I was uncle to her when she was six. Now she is sixteen and I am poppa.

My wife has managed a successful business of eight years of which I am a 'silent' partner. We have Thai documents (partnership) to prove this. I support the business when needed.

Concerning our daughter's education she is in a very prominent high school in Chiang Mai. She is in grade 11. We want her to eventually go to a good university such as C.M.U.. I help support our daughter's education too! I am constantly transferring money over from my country to help with our needs.

We also have a block of land in our local area of which we will build a house on it eventually. I can say that we are not "hi so" as my wife comes from a middle class family the same as I do.

I can honestly say that I do not drink alcohol of any kind. I don't drink beer, wine, whisky or spirits. I never acquired the taste of alcohol when I was young and in a way moved to Thailand to escape the yobbery, wankery and binge drinking in my country.

Now, you are probably asking yourself how old is this guy? Honestly, I am fifty years old.

Do I fit what Thais are seeking "disciplined, neat, clean, organized, mentally stable and responsible foreign people"? Perhaps?

For eight years I taught English at government high schools, factories, a small language school, an elementary/high school and an elementary school. The first six years were very good. I taught at three high schools. The first year in the south. Three years at a school near Chiang Mai and two years at another school again near Chiang Mai. Teaching took a nosedive after the six years.

In to the seventh year, I became involved with a teaching agency. This experience was not a good experience and I am glad that I experienced a teaching agency at this very late stage of teaching English in Thailand. I think I would have stopped teaching entirely if I had this experience during my first year of teaching.

As an example, the foreign teachers employed through the agency at a high school were all told that we would have a three-week term break. This changed dramatically to working an extra two weeks doing thirty hours a week(all together sixty hours) instead of the usual twenty hours a week while threatening your current teaching position.

By the end of those two weeks you just didn't care anymore.

Another issue with the agency was that foreigners needed visas and time to get visas to work legally. The agency moaned about the time involved to get a visa.

We all know about small language schools and what they don't provide. I worked at one for four months and did not get what was necessary to work there so I stopped at the end of the fourth month. Not having any official documentation from the small language school at all I did not get paid for the fourth month either.

I stopped because of not having the necessary documents as this really rides on your shoulders after some time.

During the last year I taught at an elementary/high school. I was employed at this school for one reason which was I didn't drink alcohol. During a Christmas day activity morning I was accused of drinking. I had been sick with a flu for two weeks, taking medicine and still coming to school. I have never been accused of drinking in my entire life until that day. How would that make you feel?

Lastly, at an elementary school I was abused by a true foreigner hater. If you have had the experience of being confronted by or even verbally attacked by a true foreigner hater in a school they can be real
nasty pieces of work. Never in my life have I experienced a person with such a hatred towards foreigners until now.

Would I want to teach again? Perhaps? Perhaps not?

Ken

Your Thailand travel blog isn't very good - but don't worry, I can help you. Follow my instructions and you'll soon be on your way to attracting an online audience.

Let's face it, your writing is dull and what you are doing is boring. It's not new (except to you) and the way you are telling it makes people zone out. The best and most widely read blogs are controversial. They polarize people and make them ecstatic or angry. But even if you can't summon up the wherewithal to be different, there are still ways you can be more interesting.

Have an opinion. The only thing that distinguishes you and the other 10,000 people teaching English in Thailand is YOU. Nobody, except your parents, cares if you can be a clown in the classroom. Nobody cares if you ate fried rice for breakfast. And nobody (not even your parents) care if you just bought a beach pebble on a string at a local market for a discounted fifty baht.

Offer an opinion that distinguishes between what you do now and what you did in the past or what other people are doing now. Nobody really gives a toss about two nappy wearing vegans who live in a shack at a crappy school in Nakorn Nowhere... unless one of them is having second thoughts and wants to go home, or one of them is getting drunk and screwing ladyboys.

Don't do reviews. I have better and more reliable places on the internet to turn to for reviews. Unless you have had a particularly extraordinary experience at a restaurant or hotel, then keep it to yourself.

Don't do facts. I recently read a REALLY long, detailed blog on Thai marriage. All the facts were there. It was nicely written... short paragraphs, bullet points and useful information on what to do, where to go, requirements needed, etc. It's probably really interesting if you're a man about to get married to a Thai girl. But really he could have simply posted a link to Thai Visa and saved himself a few hours of work.

The problem is that lists of facts can be found anywhere. The information isn't new and there are better places to find this information. Also, there was a sense of detachment about the whole piece. It was impersonal and dull... it wasn't a 'blog.'

Don't share with us what you ate or bought. I don't care what you ate... unless it's extremely interesting and you have photos. For example, if you have recently eaten stuffed toads in Cambodia and have pics to prove it, THEN I'm interested. Nom-tam-sum-tom-bing-bang-bong is BORING. Keep it in your belly and squirt it out later into a hole in the ground, not an online travel blog!

Always have a comments section that you engage with. If you don't have a place for me to add my opinion to your opinions then I don't like your blog. Blogs should be interactive, interesting and (genuinely) controversial.

And be thick skinned. Be ready for a barrage of criticism. More importantly, learn to embrace criticism and carry on regardless. Accept that it's part of writing a public account to your thoughts online.

Develop a pithy style and use headlines. Even the most fascinating stories can be rendered painful to digest by bad design. Nobody wants to read an endless stream of words. Break up your writing into short snappy paragraphs. Use multiple headings to guide people through the direction of your story and have original photos to break the monotony.

If you aren't a professional writer - don't try to be. Seen a cool word, looked it up and now you want to use it? Well, don't. Keep the language simple. It's a blog not a novel and you're a marketing major from Hull university not bloody P G Wodehouse.

Avoid all quotes by famous people. They are pretentious garbage. 'You know, Mark Twain once said...' I already want to kill you!

Don't add pictures of famous or interesting places that you go to unless you are in them and doing something stupid. I've lost count of the amount of blogs I have seen that have photos of a market in them. Or a stray dog. Or someone selling a mango. Or a slightly blurred off-center picture of the view from your crappy apartment. (It's a mountain in the distance and overhanging electrical street cables in the foreground, am I right? Brilliant!) Unless you want me to come over and break your camera, stop doing this!

Here's a list of words to avoid...

Amazing. If I see this in your blog I will hunt you down and stab you with your own pen.
Delicacies - Thai food is a world away from being delicate. Don't describe your street food poisons as delicacies.
Adorable - cute. Yeah, we get it. Your students worship you because you're so great and they are so cool. They squeak and squeal and touch your hair. Limit the adjectives to ones that won't make me barf. Thanks, much appreciated!

Read through your blog and count the references to 'I'... Now destroy them all. I thank you! And any word with 'iron' in it. (Irony/ironic) You don't know what it means and I hate people pretending that they do.

Finally...Above all - edit yourself and keep it short. Ask yourself this... "Am I writing a blog or a journal?" If it's longer than about 500 words, then it's too long or it's a two-parter!

Right, I'm off to the market now to buy some amazing nom-tam-sum-tom-bing-bang-bong. I'll write all about it when I get back.

Mark