So many upsides
The joys of teaching internationally
There are some definite upsides to teaching internationally, especially here in Bangkok, but there are also some downsides. I am lucky enough to be part of an amazing community of ex-pat teachers who have shared some of their experiences with me.
Summertime blues
Major changes that will affect many teachers
Next year it's going to be a very long summer. Schools will be finishing in early March as usual but the new school year won't begin until mid-June. That's a 3-month holiday we're looking at. Great news for our students but it may be a little worrying for teachers that don't get holiday pay
Teaching quality vs teaching quantity
What to do when the odds are stacked against you?
So apparently my current Mathayom 2 reading class didn't finish the reading book assigned in Mathayom 1. The result is that I've been told I must teach both that book AND the one I was assigned to teach... in one semester.
Don't ask me
Postbox letter from Neil
In a previous position at a large government high school I was required to instruct my senior students in the art of expressing their opinions in English. Great idea!! One problem - these students had NEVER been encouraged to express any form of opinion in their native language and had no concept of critically appraising any statement made by their teacher.
Word of warning on a dodgy agency
Postbox letter from Mol
Unfortunately, the agency curse in Thailand has struck again. We have had the pain of dealing with a certain agency in Trang.
Does Thailand want to keep its teachers?
Postbox letter from Jonathan
I think it is plain to see that Thailand has to change the way it operates. The fat cat agency owners are making a killing ripping off teachers. The school directors are pocketing money to buy their Mercedes instead of buying what the school needs.
My anniversary
A year in Thailand
Land of Smiles, if it's not terribly inconvenient, might I stay forever?
Thailand, the sick man of ASEAN
Postbox letter from Russell
I relocated to Vietnam to see if the grass was any greener over there. Whilst I was in Vietnam at the beginning I wrote an article saying what a breath of fresh air it was from the idiocy of Thailand. But after one year I came to realize the grass was not that green after all.
Science day spectacular
Thais certainly know how to put on a show
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Thai schools love to put on a show. It's not always a GOOD show, but at least once every week or so, my school has some kind of event happening during morning assembly that lasts well into the school day.
In search of the average Thai
Are they earning 25% of what foreign teachers earn?
Often when I'm chatting with a relatively long-term foreign teacher, the conversation will turn to money and the topic of teacher salaries. And usually the person will remark that the average teacher salary in Thailand hasn't increased for the past ten years.
