The future of English teaching

[charleyboy]

I've got teaching certificates and have taught in Thailand for over 7 years.
I speak, read and write Thai.
I think that being able to converse with Thai "kids" in their mother tongue is advantageous.
All my foreign language teachers in the UK when I was growing up happened to be...English!

[PeteC]

The below appears to be positive news. Pete

Plan to hire native English-speaking teachers

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Pl ... 52083.html

The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) will seek a Bt350million budget to hire 300 native English-speaking teachers for its primary and secondary schools to tackle the shortage of English teachers, a senior official said yesterday.
According to the proposal, the native speakers would each get about Bt1 million per year - a salary of Bt83,000 per month - compared to the Bt9,000 per month drawn by Thais teaching English.
Obec chief Chinaphat Phumirat said the foreign teachers would be from the United States, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines.

[migrant]

I'm sure many speak better than me, but isn't native the working word??

the foreign teachers would be from ...... India and the Philippines.

[Vital Spark]

83,000 baht a month

That's about 53,000 baht more than most teaching jobs pay!! Someone, surely, has got their maths wrong?

VS

[E-Dork]

83,000 baht a month

That's about 53,000 baht more than most teaching jobs pay!! Someone, surely, has got their maths wrong?

VS

Vital Spark. From your post you say most teaching jobs pay 30,000. That is the real lowest of the low salary only for those who really shouldn't be getting a teaching job anyway as have no experience. The only other people that I know of that work for that salary are non-native speakers (european mostly)

Working in Bangkok most guys are on the 60,000 mark after supplementing their income with a full days teaching on one of the weekend days (there is endless amounts of private work available everywher in Thailand). Some people do both Saturday and Sunday plus some evenings and pull in around 75,000 - 80,000 if the extra lessons are through a language school or 90-000 - 100,000 if they have found a steady flow of private lessons for themselves (language schools only pay around 3-400 an hour whereas you can charge 800-1000 baht an hour for a house call. If you are teaching and bringing in anything under 50,000 (unless you are a backpacker or one of the above mentioned kind of people) you really should consider a change of school.

I would have thought that the 83,000 salary mentioned is to hire actual teachers rather than simply farangs. A 'TEACHER' earns no less than 60,000 salary here without extra classes.

[Vital Spark]

Ouch! That was a tad harsh E-Dork.

I'd like to think that I was a reasonable teacher (having taught at a university here for 12 years), and I am a native speaker.

The basic salary at most universities is 19,700 baht per month, plus 8,000 baht housing allowance. We get a top-up from our university which takes us to just over 30,000 baht. I could work evenings and weekends to bring in some extra dosh, but I value my free time. With two of us working, and living in a non-touristy area, we have a lifestyle that suits us both.

VS

[E-Dork]

Ouch! That was a tad harsh E-Dork.

I'd like to think that I was a reasonable teacher (having taught at a university here for 12 years), and I am a native speaker.

Not read the rest of your post yet but will reply to this first.

Sorry you've misunderstood what I was getting at. There are many GREAT teachers who came here with no experience at all but worked hard at it and enjoyed it... sometimes no degree no nothing. And judging from your prior posts I would assume that you ARE a very good teacher who gives a damn about her students education. I have a friend who was a window fitter back in the UK, came here and became a fantastic teacher who is loved by both the other teachers and the students.

The point I was making when I said maybe they are hiring 'REAL' teachers, was teachers that are already teachers in their home country. Guy's with all the paperwork crap, B.Ed (have this and your on 50,000 already), PGCE's, Celta, Tefyl, Tefl. I wasn't implying AT all that these guys are superior in any way teaching wise because I've met guys with a Masters of Education who couldn't build a rapport with his students if his life depended on it.

Teaching isn't something you can learn from books. No amount of paperwork is going to change your persona or your ability to teach. It's something you can do or you can't...unfortunately there are many who can't that get given a job here just 'cause they're white.

Sorry for the misunderstanding

[Roel]

A short remark just to avoid another misunderstanding. If someone has a 1-year extension of stay based on employment he must indeed earn a salary of at least 50,000 Baht. But please note that employer often is doing the employee and himself a favour by showing a 50,000 Baht salary only on paper. Employee do not mind paying tax over a higher salary than he actually receives as it saves him or her a couple of visa runs.

[dtaai-maai]

The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) will seek a Bt350million budget to hire 300 native English-speaking teachers for its primary and secondary schools to tackle the shortage of English teachers, a senior official said yesterday.
According to the proposal, the native speakers would each get about Bt1 million per year - a salary of Bt83,000 per month - compared to the Bt9,000 per month drawn by Thais teaching English.
Obec chief Chinaphat Phumirat said the foreign teachers would be from the United States, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines.

E-dork, you're talking through your hat, old chap. The sort of salary you mention is paid by private international schools to people who work their socks off, and they are usually, as you say, well qualified. Teachers at government schools generally earn 20-30k. They also work pretty hard, I imagine. International universities also pay much better than government universities - no mystery there either. You mention people teaching privately in Bangkok, then working weekends as well, and earning 60-80k, but it's state-run primary and secondary schools Pete's article mentioned, and a salary of 83k. Indian and Philippino teachers included or not, it just ain't gonna happen, old son.

Vital Spark. From your post you say most teaching jobs pay 30,000. That is the real lowest of the low salary only for those who really shouldn't be getting a teaching job anyway as have no experience. The only other people that I know of that work for that salary are non-native speakers (european mostly)

Working in Bangkok most guys are on the 60,000 mark after supplementing their income with a full days teaching on one of the weekend days (there is endless amounts of private work available everywher in Thailand). Some people do both Saturday and Sunday plus some evenings and pull in around 75,000 - 80,000 if the extra lessons are through a language school or 90-000 - 100,000 if they have found a steady flow of private lessons for themselves (language schools only pay around 3-400 an hour whereas you can charge 800-1000 baht an hour for a house call. If you are teaching and bringing in anything under 50,000 (unless you are a backpacker or one of the above mentioned kind of people) you really should consider a change of school.

I would have thought that the 83,000 salary mentioned is to hire actual teachers rather than simply farangs. A 'TEACHER' earns no less than 60,000 salary here without extra classes.

I don't think VS misunderstood anything. It was offensive to probably 99% of farang teaching in Thailand outside Bangkok. And who'd want to live there?

(Including me! )

[barrys]

A short remark just to avoid another misunderstanding. If someone has a 1-year extension of stay based on employment he must indeed earn a salary of at least 50,000 Baht. But please note that employer often is doing the employee and himself a favour by showing a 50,000 Baht salary only on paper. Employee do not mind paying tax over a higher salary than he actually receives as it saves him or her a couple of visa runs.

Hi Roel,
I'm pretty sure that this doesn't apply to teaching, but certainly does for private companies ....

[Roel]

I personally met two teachers who it applied to. One in Chiang Rai, one in Bangkok.

[E-Dork]

I don't think VS misunderstood anything. It was offensive to probably 99% of farang teaching in Thailand outside Bangkok. And who'd want to live there?

Sorry if I offended, that certainly wasn't my intention and maybe should have worded things a whole lot differently. It appears I am wrong on the salary thing then - Was just going from what I have encountered.

[Spitfire]

All depends where you are I reckon, BBk is one thing, the provinces which get lackluster funding are quite another.

I hear that average teachers are not paid too well in places like Phuket etc as many will do it as a retirement pass time, thus lowering the salary for the average teacher.

Again, go to somewhere like Yasothon/Kalasin/Udon thani/Loei etc and the you will probably find the 35-40k situation in full force as the schools are simply not funded to the point to which BBK schools of all description are used to.

When one leave the big bad city of BBK then the game changes in so many ways, not just this one, whether it be Korat/Khon Kaen or Hua Hin, not the same ball park.

Those that 'lay it down' from within BBK probably have little, if any, experience of outside said area, which ironically, most of the Thais they interact with on a work basis probably come from the north/south/northeast etc that have gravitated toward the bright lights of the city to find money.

Interesting thought really. Yes, the pickings are better in BBK but it comes with a whole load of cons imo, but not disrespect to anyone.

[johnnyk]

30K is about standard up country unless its a bona fide international school but they hire only very well-qualified people with PGCE and MA/MEd degrees plus experience.
But 30K up country plus an easy 10K more from privates can give you a nice life away from BKK and resort towns.