pathumseb
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Post by pathumseb on Apr 20, 2015 13:10:36 GMT 7
I'm kind of curious, they seem to be a hated breed over on TD, but who cares about the snide remarks of a bunch of sex pests,eh?
There are those that are teachers and those that TEFL,imo. I teach, there is more to my job than just TEFL and that's the way I like. So why is there sometimes scorn to teachers or folks that TEFL? I guess I also have to admit my misgiving about people that come out here for a term or two then bugger off home. Drives wages down and it can't be good for the students. Some also come across as all knowing Mother Teresa types that think they are saving the Thais. Lawd, that is annoying.
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SirToad
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Post by SirToad on Apr 20, 2015 13:25:53 GMT 7
I think there are some good people out there doing TEFL teaching, with dedication and commitment. It's not an easy job, that pays sod all al lot of the time.
Those that re just here to <duck> around though, do everyone a disservice, including the kids, other TEFL teachers and expats in general. I've got a few mates that are real teachers at soome of the big international schools, and they are educated, dedicated professionals. I've also got a few mates that work as TEFL teachers, and they are honest, decent people showing a lot of commitment.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 14:45:26 GMT 7
Tough job, couldn't do it, especially for the low paid ones. 30-40k a month?
But what do i think of those who do? All power to them. If it gives them the ability to stay in Thailand and pursue their dreams and/or happiness, good luck.
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me
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Post by me on Apr 20, 2015 16:14:50 GMT 7
the ones who are doing it so they can stay in the country shouldn't be unless they really want to teach.
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ATF
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Post by ATF on Apr 20, 2015 16:39:46 GMT 7
Since most teachers should have degrees they should use teaching as a stepping stone into a more suitable profession. However most teachers don't have degrees and have fake documents from Khao San Road and some of these are the proverbial sex pests. However I respect those that dedicate their life to teaching.
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pathumseb
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Post by pathumseb on Apr 20, 2015 17:54:13 GMT 7
As a grumpy, old, retired Dep Head, I despair at a lot of the "TEFLers" that create such a bad image for hard-working genuine teachers. There are far too many floaters who think they are doing the world a great service by being here (in reality, it's an escape from reality). As an example, there was a young guy who I knew, arrived here bragging about being a chef on cruise liners. He couldn't get a job cooking here, so suddenly he was bragging that he was a teacher and telling everyone how to do the job..... No qualifications, fresh from asking "do you want fries with that?" and thought that he knew it all.....AND not particularly professional in the way he talked about the students - especially the older female ones. Let him near kids? I wouldn't have let him boil me an egg. He is a prime example of some bum who needs an easy way of avoiding facing reality of getting a real job at home. He does the real teachers no favours with his image, and certainly doesn't give the kids the start in life they need. Sadly it is this kind of individual that tends to draw attention, rather than the majority who are decent, hard-working teachers who get their heads down and do their best. On the other hand, I have friends who are fully accredited teachers here, and they do a terrific job for very little remuneration. They work damned hard and always make sure they do the best for the kids in this sub-standard education system. Everyone at home asked if I was going to do a bit of part-time teaching over here......yeah, rrrrright. Nicely put and I agree completely. I may have sounded like I was being down on TEFL teachers, I'm not, a dedicated teacher is a dedicated teacher no matter what they teach. At the end of the day teaching here is much nicer than teaching back in the UK; I love less salary but on the whole nicer students. Also my purchasing power is much better here than it would be in the UK. Every year we have one teacher like the one you described. Last years claimed to be dating a princess and that he was awarded a "Best Teacher in Thailand' award. Where HR finds these people I don't know! |
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Post by Fletchsmile on Apr 20, 2015 18:05:36 GMT 7
Think Rob8891 summed it up very well. There's a wide range, so what I think tends to depend on the individual I meet. I have a TEFL qualification myself. I did a course down in BanPhe with TEFL international about 15 years back, for a month, while taking some time out. Residential course, including a week's hands on teaching. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and made some good friends I still keep in touch with. Although I really enjoyed it, it didn't strike me as something I could do for a long term career, so is just something I could fall back on or revisit in the future if time on my hands. Wouldn't be able to support a family on that salary, so it would suit more for young people taking a couple of years, or older people filling a bit of time, in my view. Think a big part of it, is it's simply not attractive enough salary-wise to many decent quality teachers, so they move on to where it is. Cheers Fletch  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 18:27:44 GMT 7
Nobody should take the p**s out of anyone who is trying to get by with a profession that is Thai accepted.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2015 20:14:51 GMT 7
Nobody should take the p**s out of anyone who is trying to get by with a profession that is Thai accepted. No one is "taking the p**s." I agree with the rest of your comment, as long as they are being professional...you hit the key word there, Trans. However, the standards that sometimes ( not, I stress, always) Thai accepted can be woefully low. The example I gave above was real: the guy openly bragged about going out with groups of students, drinking and smoking dope. THAT is what I rail against, and until the authorities set and keep professional standards, then teaching in general and TEFL in particular will always be open to its detractors. Good God, I have spent the last 40 years fending off moronic comments about my chosen profession, but nothing an nobody will persuade me that TEFL is not riddled with wholly untrained and unsuitable people: most straight off the plane from home, with no training and many with only a relatively basic education. Where are the Thai-accepted standards in employing people like this? Where kids' education is at stake, "people trying to get by" does not come close to being remotely acceptable. Would one accept someone like that teaching one's kids or grandkids? No, of course not...There are far too many of these "trying to get by" so they can "chase their dreams" - all too often at the kids' expense: they are the ones we hear about, not the good teachers. Big breaths Rob....you're on a rant again. Sorry guys, but as a lifelong teacher, and latterly as a Depute Headteacher, I was responsible for setting standards in the school. Thinking about the bad TEFLers that have come under this spotlight really gets my panties in a bunch. Over the years I have met a zillion Thai folk who have spent a zillion baht on schools and Uni to learn English and they do not understand my Oxford English...Was at a party in the week and a high ranking older lady Uni teacher told me she has a problem speaking English with her classes. She wants me, this unqualified guy to straighten her problem out.......I said yes.....Then I sang a few James Taylor songs........  |
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curtaintwitcher
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Post by curtaintwitcher on Apr 20, 2015 20:45:47 GMT 7
Nobody should take the p**s out of anyone who is trying to get by with a profession that is Thai accepted. However, the standards that sometimes ( not, I stress, always) Thai accepted can be woefully low. ...that's the crux of the problem, isn't it? Not the hordes of unwashed who p**s about in local classrooms, but the Thai admin who put them there. Thai teacher supply agencies working with hopelessly corrupt Thai admin manage to put hundreds, if not thousands, of native and non-native English speakers into English language classrooms to...teach local children to communicate sufficiently well in English to pass locally written exams. English language proficiency isn't necessary for the 90% of Thais who will not study overseas, not mingle with tourists and generally, not have anything at all to do with farang. This harebrained notion is the product of attempting to copy the English language success of other SEA countries without having had a colonial experience that set up education with appropriate goal-oriented instruction. Thai admin prefers to torture local spawn while smiling, nodding and pocketing cash from parents who themselves know only the system they suffered through...All students know what to do when the national anthem is played, when a pooyai or a khunying enters the classroom, when entertainment is required: they're trained for such nonsense. but ask them why they are parroting back on exams such information as was given them in the classroom and how this will help in the future and the stares in return are disquieting. The problem is not, I stress, the backpackers, the Cameroonians, the alcoholics or any of the non-teachers one might find infesting local English language classrooms: it is Thai admin working in conjunction with the MinofEd and ably abetted by Thai culture itself that is to blame... |
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Post by markokokprong on Apr 20, 2015 20:49:25 GMT 7
Hey,come on,they eat a hell of a lot of mama noodles.
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SirToad
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Post by SirToad on Apr 20, 2015 20:57:55 GMT 7
I am with you on that Twitcher.
What amazes me is that TEFL salaries don't seem to have increased since early 2000s. I wonder how much is actually skimmed of by agencies and schools, that should be on wages??
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curtaintwitcher
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Post by curtaintwitcher on Apr 20, 2015 21:31:40 GMT 7
What amazes me is that TEFL salaries don't seem to have increased since early 2000s. no need to pay more than the market will bear: 15K-20K gets you a gaggle of Filipino(a)s on staff who will happily organize musicals, sports events, sing-alongs and teach what they are told...as they were taught in their home country. 30K gets the staff a native speaker (possibly) on a gap year, a native speaker chained to Thailand through family connections and desperate to earn some kind of living, or an ageing ne'er-do-well still looking for paradise. Of course there are "success" stories: lifers who work their way up to 45K-50K after 20 years in a tacky bedsit, for example, or who work 7 days a week with classes and privates to enjoy a standard of living most indentured servants would spurn. Who are the truly forward-thinking, then? Those who worked in high-salary countries and vacationed here as frequently as they liked and ultimately retired here with a solid income, a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle and far fewer worries when the sun goes down. |
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pathumseb
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Post by pathumseb on Apr 20, 2015 21:48:46 GMT 7
However, the standards that sometimes ( not, I stress, always) Thai accepted can be woefully low. ...that's the crux of the problem, isn't it? Not the hordes of unwashed who p**s about in local classrooms, but the Thai admin who put them there. Thai teacher supply agencies working with hopelessly corrupt Thai admin manage to put hundreds, if not thousands, of native and non-native English speakers into English language classrooms to...teach local children to communicate sufficiently well in English to pass locally written exams. English language proficiency isn't necessary for the 90% of Thais who will not study overseas, not mingle with tourists and generally, not have anything at all to do with farang. This harebrained notion is the product of attempting to copy the English language success of other SEA countries without having had a colonial experience that set up education with appropriate goal-oriented instruction. Thai admin prefers to torture local spawn while smiling, nodding and pocketing cash from parents who themselves know only the system they suffered through...All students know what to do when the national anthem is played, when a pooyai or a khunying enters the classroom, when entertainment is required: they're trained for such nonsense. but ask them why they are parroting back on exams such information as was given them in the classroom and how this will help in the future and the stares in return are disquieting. The problem is not, I stress, the backpackers, the Cameroonians, the alcoholics or any of the non-teachers one might find infesting local English language classrooms: it is Thai admin working in conjunction with the MinofEd and ably abetted by Thai culture itself that is to blame... Great post! A massive issue is this whole everyone passes thing, kinda damaging in the long run. The issue I have had today is trying to explain the merits of a differentiated curriculumand learning materials. The admin seemed a shade confused. Put simply, Thailand wants to dance before it can walk and this is a massive problem. A total lack of awareness of SEN is also something that hacks me off. Suck kids are labeled 'stupid'. Now that really gets under my skin. |
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pathumseb
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Post by pathumseb on Apr 20, 2015 21:51:54 GMT 7
What amazes me is that TEFL salaries don't seem to have increased since early 2000s. n. Of course there are "success" stories: lifers who work their way up to 45K-50K after 20 years in a tacky bedsit, for example, or who work 7 days a week with classes and privates to enjoy a standard of living most indentured servants would spurn. Who are the truly forward-thinking, then? Those who worked in high-salary countries and vacationed here as frequently as they liked and ultimately retired here with a solid income, a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle and far fewer worries when the sun goes down. Or 65k and all the Preggo you can heat up on a single burner. Now that's living. |
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