Good to see schools getting more organised
Postbox letter from Ricky
I've just returned to Thailand for my second teaching stint after a five-year hiatus back in my homeland.
The dreaded teacher burnout
How is it caused and how can you avoid it?
"I'm a new teacher about to start work in Thailand and this will be my first full-time teaching gig. I often see more experienced teachers refer to 'teacher burnout'. Just out of interest, what are some of the things that contribute to such a condition?
Filipino teachers need to get tougher
Postbox letter from Joe, Bangkok
The Filipinos at my school are overly obedient and never question management. To the point that they end up working evenings and weekends for free. The Thai management see this and now expect the same from westerners.
Why can't Thais speak English?
Some of these students have had over 2,000 hours of English.
Considering that English has been the international language of tourism and commerce for I don't know how many decades now, and there are I don't know how many thousands of English teachers all over the country, why is the general level of English so poor?
Archaic ideas are holding the students back!
Postbox letter from Keith
I have been working in Thailand for two years now, and with regret I have decided to bid farewell to a country that I adore.
The management is a nightmare
Postbox letter from Qualified Teacher
I've been working at a Thai government school for three months and the foreign teachers feel like they are tolerated, not wanted.
18 red flags
18 points to consider carefully when choosing a school
From unpaid mid-term breaks to having to pay for white-board markers. What are the things that turn teachers off the idea of working for a particular Thai school - and are they justified?
The DoS by default
What can happen when your director of studies is a clueless foreigner
I've worked under four foreigners. The first one was fantastic. A fully qualified teacher with his own business who really wanted to be the best. The thing I liked the most about him was his honesty. The next three were just terrible people.
Go with the flow
Don't come to Thailand if this kind of stuff makes you mad
As westerners, we like to have schedules and we like to know things ahead of time. Stuff like that doesn't happen so much in Asian culture.
What makes a good school?
Postbox letter from Kyle
For a school or any business to truly work well, everyone has to feel respected and appreciated. From the head honcho to the cleaners, they all have to feel they have a part to play and are contributing.
