To open and run a school

[MXcross]

Thank you to all that have replied I will pass on what may be relevant to the lady who's thinking on this venture.
bapak Thanks very much but I'm pretty sure she has all the legal stuff in hand, but if not I will get back to you if that's ok?
Without turning this into a play ground hissy fit ! dom 77, I suggest you read what is written before commenting! (like right above your first post)
Sometimes it's better to let people think you're a fool. Than to open your mouth and confirm it.

[GLCQuantum]

Dtaii Maii said...

The problem is not in itself the quality of the individual teacher, but the inability of the Thai employer to know what to look for at interview.

In a nutshell. I could go on and on but I wont - the above says it all.

[johnnyk]

I seriously object to the term washouts. We work hard for a living and are totally committed! I would suggest that the person who mentioned this shold stick it where the sun does not shine! Those kind of comments are extremely annoying!

There's a reason for calling them "washouts". Thailand has a long-standing reputation for hiring caucasian drunks and dopers with no clue. There are many good, hard-working teachers but still more than enough bozos to overshadow them. Far too many "schools" hire on the basis of being white and capable of standing up.

[margaretcarnes]

I seriously object to the term washouts. We work hard for a living and are totally committed! I would suggest that the person who mentioned this shold stick it where the sun does not shine! Those kind of comments are extremely annoying!

There's a reason for calling them "washouts". Thailand has a long-standing reputation for hiring caucasian drunks and dopers with no clue. There are many good, hard-working teachers but still more than enough bozos to overshadow them. Far too many "schools" hire on the basis of being white and capable of standing up.

I think a lot of us will have come across the 'old school' type of farang teacher - (in inverted commas) - of the type who used to teach as a means of supporting themselves in the LOS. The kind who got a fake qualification in Pattaya. Who hung around the back alley bars off Victory Monument after classes.
I've known a few - basically good guys, with good intentions, and often very clever. They got away with it and hopefully did some good for their pupils, while slowly drinking themselves into blackboard oblivion.
But times do have to change, especially if the Thai educational system is going to drag itself into the 21st century.
My only doubts are that things go too much the other way, as they have in the UK, where perhaps too much emphasis is placed on getting those bits of paper before being let loose on a class.
I'm sure we can all think back to some brilliant teachers/tutors we have known in the past who have had the ability to inspire. That is a quality which can't be learned IMO. Sadly now it is an ability which can't be assessed and quantified either.

[johnnyk]

I seriously object to the term washouts. We work hard for a living and are totally committed! I would suggest that the person who mentioned this shold stick it where the sun does not shine! Those kind of comments are extremely annoying!

There's a reason for calling them "washouts". Thailand has a long-standing reputation for hiring caucasian drunks and dopers with no clue. There are many good, hard-working teachers but still more than enough bozos to overshadow them. Far too many "schools" hire on the basis of being white and capable of standing up.

I think a lot of us will have come across the 'old school' type of farang teacher - (in inverted commas) - of the type who used to teach as a means of supporting themselves in the LOS. The kind who got a fake qualification in Pattaya. Who hung around the back alley bars off Victory Monument after classes.
I've known a few - basically good guys, with good intentions, and often very clever. They got away with it and hopefully did some good for their pupils, while slowly drinking themselves into blackboard oblivion.
But times do have to change, especially if the Thai educational system is going to drag itself into the 21st century.
My only doubts are that things go too much the other way, as they have in the UK, where perhaps too much emphasis is placed on getting those bits of paper before being let loose on a class.
I'm sure we can all think back to some brilliant teachers/tutors we have known in the past who have had the ability to inspire. That is a quality which can't be learned IMO. Sadly now it is an ability which can't be assessed and quantified either.

Margaret, we live in an age of credentials now. I have seen people with MA degrees get very well-paying teaching jobs here in Canada and they were useless bookworms. They could crunch numbers and cite sources but could not communicate as humans, basically they were cut out to be cubicle dwellers. They got hired on the basis of a Master's degree over people who had only BA +TESOL. Some had never been offshore and knew nothing of their client group cultures. The less-credentialed "rejects" could communicate and empathize with the difficulties of learning a new language but that's not good enough. Admin played it safe and decided on the basis of a piece of paper.