Embassies urged to find English teachers

[PeteC]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... h-teachers

The Education Ministry is calling on foreign embassies to help find native speakers who can teach English at Thai schools.

Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan said on Friday that he had met ambassadors from English-speaking countries and asked them to find teachers who can teach English and other subjects in English to Thai students, as part of government-to-government cooperation programmes.

"The aim of the discussion was to seek cooperation from embassies. A large number of teachers are necessary as we are working on upgrading the entire education system," Mr Nataphol said.

He said there are currently some 7,000 foreign teachers in Thai schools, but this is not enough, adding that another 10,000 teachers are required. He said the ministry has earmarked funds for their recruitment.

The aim of the effort is to improve students' proficiency in the English language, boost their confidence and equip them to seek further knowledge, he said, adding that Thai teachers will also be able to learn and benefit from native English speakers.

The minister said he has also come up with a plan to upgrade English-language lessons from elementary to university levels, with the aim of cutting down on the number of foreign teachers in the next three years.

Mr Nataphol added that foreign teachers must have some professional training to qualify for the job, adding that a language teaching certificate is preferred.

He also said the accent of English teachers does not matter as long as they can make the lessons fun.

[Spitfire]

Well, the irony here is pretty stark. Firstly, the MoE has clamped down on high school and below teachers for years making it barely worth the hassle for most to do it and that's before we even get into crappy salaries, endless immigration hoops to jump through, elusive teacher licenses plus work permits nightmares etc. etc. etc. I understand that there must be rules and vetting for people who want to be cleared to essentially work with minors but not to the extent that no-one wants to come. You basically have to make it a more attractive option for people wanting to teach short or long term here.

Many teachers I know have just said screw it and relocated to another country, teach Chinese students online or teach in tertiary education as it's so much less of a headache. For those teachers that do bother to do it then many end up in popular places or the big cities like BBK, HH, Chon Buri or CM etc. as the lifestyle options are there and the salaries are better. Trying to attract teachers to your average sized town like Lopburi/Buriram/ or Udon/Korat even etc. is an uphill struggle and I guess this minister is talking about those sort of places as opposed to Chon Buri/Phuket/Krabi/Chiang Rai etc. It's a combination of poor salaries, lifestyle options, unhelpful/petty rules and regulation plus obstructive immigration centers which it never used to be like.

You also don't have any adventurous teachers (young or old) because you have basically scared them all off and to get any back you are going to have to back the truck up on quite a few fronts. Many of the teachers that remain are the settled established ones with family ties here who aren't willing to chuck in the towel just yet as they really have made their lives here ...or likely to change the job they are already in.

30k a month with maybe a crappy apartment onsite thrown in with little to do and few facilities, plus reporting to Oberführer Somchai all the time just isn't going to cut it.

[Gregjam]

In the OP on the one hand it mentions getting foreign teachers but then goes on to say the aim is to cut down on their number. Not much incentive there.
In the past I had the romantic idea of perhaps, when I retire, giving something back to Thailand by helping out at a small local school by teaching English with the notion is might also make living/visa etc a bit easier. I was even thinking of doing a TEFL type course to give me some kind of certificate which would/should make things easier. You only have to read various forums to soon know that is highly unlikely. Many people I meet and work with have asked why I did not become a teacher as I have worked with different SE Asia nationalities over the past forty years and live in Thailand for the half of the year when I am not at work. Being married to a Thai, speaking, reading and writing Thai albeit not fluently still seems to amaze the locals but one would think would be useful for someone teaching Thais English language. My job even involves a good bit of training although as I have friends who are real teachers who spent a lot of time learning how to teach I recognize that a short course does not give you anywhere near the same basic depth of knowledge they have.
Unfortunately, as the saying goes, you can take a horse to water and you can't make it drink. My experience with Thai friends and family is that there is little interest in learning English from the top down. Even a nephews wife who is a teacher would rather cower in fear than try to engage me in English. In some ways I liken it to myself being force fed French throughout my years at school in the UK and hating every minute of it even to subsequently query why my sons were not being taught Spanish instead of French as I feel that is a much more useful language for those going out in the world.
Both parents and kids in Thailand need to have an urge to learn English before it becomes more than lip service and particularly in regard to conversation the teachers should be native speakers or totally fluent in English or the students will struggle.

[Robinhood]

Hi, I agree Gregjam that it seems contradictory to want to recruit many new foreign English teachers, only to then replace them a few years later with locally trained teachers. However, from a Thai perspective,they have to justify spending double on falang teachers rather than locals.

The point I really wanted to make, is that being a native English speaker isn't really any sort of qualification to actually teach the subject. For the younger age groups, class management, the ability to entertain and clear pronunciation in front of forty students are the key requirements (IMO). But the older students will ask you why do you say it like that.

Example: In Market Village you can see a sign, for the rug shop downstairs close to the entrance,

"Looking cost you nothing"

If a student asked you, is this correct?, what would you say? If it's wrong, why have you corrected the sentence as you have?

How long would it take you to formulate the correct answer live in class? (It took me longer than I would have available if I was teaching/managing forty students.)

So while native English speakers will most likely land the jobs, I think a TEFL certificate, a good grasp of English grammar and a lot of resilience can be rightly added to the job requirements!

[HHTel]

Example: In Market Village you can see a sign, for the rug shop downstairs close to the entrance,

"Looking cost you nothing"

If a student asked you, is this correct?, what would you say? If it's wrong, why have you corrected the sentence as you have?

I don't quite understand. When I was teaching at university, my first problem was to get the students to actually ask questions. Many of them will sit there taking copious notes (in Thai) and will not ask a question whether they understand or not.

In your example, it's a simple matter of tense. It's correct as a sentence but probably would be better stated in the future tense.

[handdrummer]

I don't quite understand. When I was teaching at university, my first problem was to get the students to actually ask questions. Many of them will sit there taking copious notes (in Thai) and will not ask a question whether they understand or not.

I taught a one day master class for MA students at a University in Bangkok and had the same experience. At the end of the seminar I asked if there were any questions & the interpreter asked them, in Thai. No one responded. When the class was over and most of the students had gone, several students approached me & asked questions. Maybe they thought they'd lose face if they asked in front of the other students?

[alleykat]

Hi, I agree Gregjam that it seems contradictory to want to recruit many new foreign English teachers, only to then replace them a few years later with locally trained teachers. However, from a Thai perspective,they have to justify spending double on falang teachers rather than locals.

The point I really wanted to make, is that being a native English speaker isn't really any sort of qualification to actually teach the subject. For the younger age groups, class management, the ability to entertain and clear pronunciation in front of forty students are the key requirements (IMO). But the older students will ask you why do you say it like that.

Example: In Market Village you can see a sign, for the rug shop downstairs close to the entrance,

"Looking cost you nothing"

If a student asked you, is this correct?, what would you say? If it's wrong, why have you corrected the sentence as you have?

How long would it take you to formulate the correct answer live in class? (It took me longer than I would have available if I was teaching/managing forty students.)

So while native English speakers will most likely land the jobs, I think a TEFL certificate, a good grasp of English grammar and a lot of resilience can be rightly added to the job requirements!

You're both talking about grammar which the general consensus a few years ago was that there was too much focus on this and not enough on practicing actually speaking English. This idea is reinforced if you look at Thai graduates with degrees in English who can explain the grammar in writing but can't engage in real-life English conversations.
So a native-English speaker who isn't a fully trained teacher, who can get the students to speak English is more beneficial and more fun than a 'trained' teacher who is going to give boring grammar lessons. The grammar comes naturally like it did for you and I.
Can you remember grammar lessons when you were learning to talk English?

[HHTel]

Can you remember grammar lessons when you were learning to talk English?

I was pretty fluent in English (no other language of course) by the time I was 5 and I'm sure my Mum and Dad never mentioned grammar as I was learning. Seems to have worked!!

LOL!

[MrTea]

Example: In Market Village you can see a sign, for the rug shop downstairs close to the entrance,

"Looking cost you nothing"

.......

In your example, it's a simple matter of tense. It's correct as a sentence but probably would be better stated in the future tense.

Umm, retired English teacher and confessed pedant here - it <should> be 'Looking costs you nothing' (an aphorism giving friendly advice). 'Looking will cost you nothing' is perfectly correct, but to my mind, would be a very weird sign to encourage customers with. (oops, dangling conjunction)

A Thai can teach English, no problem - my Thai daughter is taught English by a native Thai speaker. But (I CAN start a sentence with 'but', dammit), it tends to be very dry in the rote learning style. The teacher doesn't use English for general instruction, so there is no real 'immersion' that you might expect with a native English speaker (who is also probably weak in Thai).

I would certainly consider teaching English for a few hours a day, say 500 baht per hour, but there are so many problems in doing it. Immigration, regulations, taxes here and back home, etc, etc.

After paying 220 baht for a pot of tea at Seen Space yesterday, I might have to bump that up to 600 baht per hour

[Robinhood]

Brilliant!

Mr Tea spots the missing "S"

I wasn't looking to start grammar wars but my example "Looking cost you nothing" should have been "looking costs you nothing" I was thinking third person singular but an aphorism!!

I agree with a lot of the comments such as Alleycat saying focus on the speaking and HHTel questioning the lack of classroom response at Undergraduate level.

My focus on grammar is not so much driven by a desire to use it during teaching, but by being able to correctly explain why we say something in English if the question arises.

As for dangling conjunctions!

[HHTel]

Lol. One is past tense and the other is present simple. Both are correct in context. Future: 'looking will cost you nothing'.....hehe!

[Spitfire]

All things aside, the top-and-tail-of-it is that unless they back up the truck on the Nazis attitude/regulations towards foreigners, then they won't come or be able to be found. Even then, seems like the minister only wants them for a little bit and then will 86 them all anyhow. Dream on Oberführer!

[MrTea]

Brilliant!


As for dangling conjunctions!

I should have said ''with' is a preposition. grammar fail...

[VincentD]

I have been tempted to contribute to this thread since I first spotted it over a week ago and have finally succumbed to that urge..
Having been exposed to the locals grasp and usage of the English language at various levels of interaction, here are some observations I have made over the years.

1. For those who have a reasonable grasp of the language, it is not so much a grammatical slip, but one of accent and intonation. Couple this with the Asian mentality of 'loss of face' it is no surprise that many just clam up.
2. On the education front, and the point of view of a parent, I have seen very little interaction between the local and 'farang' teachers. Not just because of the disparity of wages, but also a clash of cultures. A lasting impression that formed when I had to attend a parent-teacher get-together (at a decent school offering the bi-lingual programme) was that the organizers of the event were catering for Thais. So after a slew of speeches and getting the parents to play silly games, I got up and left, leaving my wife to see if there was anything of value to be gleaned from this interaction. Not one 'farang' teacher was in sight, my assumption was that they were all hiding in the common room.
3. At work, with an international company, two languages were used. Grammar was not a big part of it, comprehension was. The locals who worked there did make an effort to understand and communicate to get the job done, as did the farang staff.
4. Yes, the intent to exclude foreign teachers from the local market and have Thai-only English teachers is obvious. I have seen this model applied in Singapore - the 'angmo' teachers were told to go home and let the Singaporeans teach English. This is why the standard of English of the later generations of Singaporeans is absolutely atrocious.
My two baht worth..

[Nereus]

This is why the standard of English of the later generations of Singaporeans is absolutely atrocious.

Oh yes, La!