Ajarn.com supporting ageism?
Postbox letter from K.Dempsey
Surprisingly, a respected top university in Thailand was one of the first to promote this kind of blatant prejudice against teachers. Someone there has decided for some reason that anyone over 50 is braindead and incapable of teaching English to undergraduates!
A job gone wrong
Postbox letter from MP
In March I was offered a job through a teacher placement agency. They offered a great package which included free accommodation, a great placement, a decent salary and 50% insurance.
Show me that you love me
The Bangkok freak show, and my response to John Wilson.
Last month John Wilson, the director of a Language Institute in Thailand, wrote an article for www.ajarn.com. It was an article about creating a good impression at job interviews.
Those crazy interviewees
A tongue-in-cheek look at some rather eccentric teachers
I’ve always been wary of religious types. Let me be the last man to begrudge anyone the right to have a faith but there’s a time and a place. Sunday morning in church springs instantly to mind. But if I ever saw the name ‘Jesus’ written on a lesson plan I would subconsciously file the teacher under ‘one to keep an eye on’.
Can you start on Monday?
What lies behind that oft-heard request?
This request often means the organisation you are joining is less than adept at hiring procedures and is pressed for time. The ‘power-dressing princess’ delegated to find new recruits may have had little aptitude for the practicalities of recruitment.
First impressions count
Get the basics right first
Here are some valuable interview tips derived from my experience as the academic director of the Language Institute at DPU.
How employable are you?
Take our fun quiz
Find out if you're the kind of teacher who any school would be proud to have as part of their team.......or perhaps why no one ever sends you a reply to your e-mail application?
Finding work in Isaan
How easy is it to get jobs in this region?
General Internet searches tend not to provide a very complete picture of employers because many of them don’t have websites. Those that do are unlikely to show any interest unless you’re in the immediate vicinity.
PJ's journey
How difficult is it to adjust to life back in the old country?
How easy or difficult is it to adapt back to a life in your native country after spending seven or eight years teaching in Thailand? Will jobs be easy to come by? Are your old friends still around, and if so, how will they react when the wanderer returns? How does it feel to suddenly find yourself thrown into a world of credit crunches, binge drinking, escalating crime rates and a world far removed from the one you left behind?
The need to be realistic
Postbox letter from Mr John
I have some degree of sympathy to those who find it difficult to hire teachers
