Teacher agencies
Do they deserve such a bad press?
I first wrote about the topic of teacher placement agencies (TPAs) back in 2006. Back then, there were relatively few TPAs recruiting foreign teachers in Thailand compared with the number who operate today - but even in those early days, there were certainly a good few complaints about them.
At least nobody died
Sometimes just be thankful that's as good as it gets
I'm now in my third year as an English teacher at a secondary school in Thailand. I guess you could say I'm a veteran now, though this is a job which 'veteran' doesn't mean much
Byeland to Thailand
Postbox letter from Brenda
I've been working at a government college for the last 5 months. While my school has kept good on the salary and pay me on time every month, the paperwork wasn't delivered on time as promised and I have had to do costly visa runs.
Work with the tools you have
Postbox letter from Khru Mark
On the topic of Thai classroom assistants and are they useful to a foreign teacher? I have six teachers with me. (One for each level that I teach.) They are all different and they all need to be treated differently.
Teaching English in Thailand
Postbox letter from Mr. Cooper
I first heard people talking about Thailand when I was teaching English in South Korea. At the time, I had no desire to vacation there. But after living in Thailand, I've realized that it really is a nice place to vacation
Par for the course
Inevitable Thai government school issues
Anyone who has ever worked in a school of any kind in Thailand can tell you that you're bound to run into a fair share of issues: getting work permits and visas, pay discrepancies, untruthful job descriptions, and the lot. That said, and correct me if I'm wrong, it seems that Thai government schools are the worst of the lot.
A time of uncertainty
How the coup has affected my life in Bangkok
It's nearly two years since we moved to Bangkok. I don't think we would have made the move if the events of the last week or so had happened in the run up to us leaving London.
Work permits for teachers
Postbox letter from Dave
My interpretation of the current rules concerning teacher licenses and work permits
Notebook concerns
How to get your students to use their notebooks effectively
Friends of mind say that they give importance to student notebooks by grading them, giving stickers to those who have a complete set of notes , stamping them with positive comments - and giving points as part of their grade to those students who have complete, neat, and beautiful notebooks.
Straight from the student's mouth
Asking for end-of-term student feedback
At the end of each semester, I ask my students to write down one thing they liked about class, one thing they didn't like, and one thing that they think I should do better.
