Ajarn.com - living and teaching in Bangkok, Thailand

Phil's Front Page Comment June 21st 2009
An ajarn discussion forum member has been prosecuted in the Thai courts for using a fake degree and now has the real threat of deportation hanging over his head. After his arrest, he also had to spend two nights in the notorious immigration detention center (Read thread here) The most amazing thing is that the guy hadn't worked a teaching job for three years and used the fake degree to apply for a job seven years ago. It's a classic case of the past coming back to haunt you but it's also clear that the Ministry of Education is getting serious with these matters. More

Dave's Journey
Dave, our man in Issan, is back with another very detailed update on life in the North East of Thailand. Apart from being the school's superstar farang teacher, Dave has now become the head of the IT department and the unofficial teacher trainer for computer software applications.

Phil Roeland
This month Phil draws on all his teaching experience and asks one simple question - what makes the ideal student? All I can say is may each and every one of your students have the nineteen characteristics that Phil has come up with. Read the article / View the writers index

Doom or Gloom?
Is the current teaching situation in Thailand going to Hell in a hand-basket? Of the 13 comments so far, ten of you say it most definitely is and three people have never had it so good. Why not add your two cents to the debate and send an e-mail to philip at ajarn.com

Geoff Richards
Another double helping of Geoff Richards - this month Geoff tackles the topics of repetition (an argument about what students really need) and writing your own readers. Read article / View writers index

Ben Finklestein
I hope it wasn't a dodgy red ant's egg omelet that kept Ben from writing a June column, but he's back this month to sing the praises of Sukhumwit soi 38. When it comes to Bangkok street-food, there's no place like it. Read Ben's article / view the writer's index

Welcome to ajarn.com's newest site sponsor
OLA Inter offers teaching positions, Thai courses with a one-year study visa and a few other things. Check out their website here.

Latest Immigration News and Changes
As of June 1st 2009, Thai immigration has ruled that you are allowed to perform four consecutive border runs (allowing you 15 days each time) after which you MUST leave and re-enter the kingdom via an international airport. This will get you a 30-day visa and then you can start doing border runs again (I think)
Visa / work Permit FAQ / Ask us a question section / Visa Guru

Tom Tuohy
The author of 'Watching The Thais' considers the influx of foreigners to Thailand and looks at how Thais have changed in the way they behave. This month - the noble art of queuing. To queue or not to queue? - that is the question. Read the article / View the writers index

Steve Crawford
Ajarn.com's man in the know reports back on an interesting conversation with a Ministry of Education official and news of a Teachers Council of Thailand 3-day seminar in Pattaya. And more to the point, what exactly does it hope to achieve? Read the article / View the writers index

Bangkok on 30K a month?
Teachers are often told that 30,000 baht a month is more than enough to live on in Bangkok. For many schools and employers, 30K seems to be the magic number. Let's put things to the test. Ajarn forum member Hollow has volunteered to document every single baht and satang he spends for a whole month. After you've read that. you may want to look at ajarn's cost of living survey to get even more facts and figures.

Steve Schertzer
This month Steve would like to introduce you to Jane Doe. 16 years old, 7 months pregnant, Jane's plight is one that's sure to make you sit up and take notice. Read the article / View the writers index

Latest Laos visa run details
Ajarn forum member, Maximus 999, has put together a terrific blog (with pictures) on the topic of the Laos visa run. If you're thinking of going then here's a man who's just done it. Hotels in Vientiane, taxis, flights, foot massages, snooker clubs, American breakfasts. You name it, Max pointed a camera at it. Top work fella!

If not Thailand then where......?
How do you save more money each month and get a job teaching students who actually want to learn? "Move to Vietnam" says Craig Berry. Craig is our latest entry in the ajarn.com Great Escape feature.

Ajarn World
Sitting at Bangkok airport waiting for a flight to Europe, the Bangkok Mouth ponders which aspects of air travel annoy him the most and decides it's almost everything.

If you're looking to rent an apartment or house in Thailand, then check out our guides in the teacher info section

Tony Sanford in the ajarn hot seat
It's been quite a while since we featured an interview with a TEFL course trainer so let's have a chat with Tony Sanford, the head trainer for Chiang Mai University's successful TEFL program. Read interview
Have a look at the ajarn hot seat index and decide if you could be ajarn's next hot seat candidate.

The Cost of Living
In our latest 'cost of living' contribution, Joshua is working in Pattaya and taking home about 24,000 baht a month. He saves nothing and has a girlfriend with a money-lovin' mamma. As Josh openly admits - it's a situation that can't go on forever.

Don't forget that if you need personal answers to work permit problems, red tape issues and visa questions, you can always ask the ajarn.com visa guru.

Teacher's crib
Take a look at what teacher Steve Salyer has done to his studio apartment in Sukhumwit 71. Let Steve be your inspiration. Now isn't it about time you paid more attention to your living environment and stopped your mother worrying so much?

PJ's Journey
How difficult is it to return to the UK after 7-8 years teaching English in Thailand? PJ concludes his journey and finally starts to feel like an Englishman again.
Dave's Journey / Julia's Journey / Great Escape / Articles Index

The 'Ask us a Question' section
Teaching English in Thailand? Is there part-time work available? What's the best way to get started? Where can I work once I have the work permit book? Which visa is the best one to get? Should I fix up a job before I arrive? Is it possible to approach schools directly? What should female teachers wear in the classroom? Do couples make good teaching colleagues? And lots, lots more.

Julia's Journey
Ajarn.com followed one female teacher from the UK as she prepared for a new life in Thailand. What did she worry about before she left home and what advice did she receive? What happened when she got to Thailand? How easy was it to find a job and make new friends?
Read Dave's Journey for a male perspectiv

Tony Dabbs - Health Matters
Ajarn.com's resident health insurance guru, Tony Dabbs, explains exactly what you are getting when you take out a health and accident insurance policy. Read the article / view the writers index for more Tony Dabbs health and health insurance related articles

Ken May's back!
He's been away far too long, but Ayutthaya's finest returns with an article on one of Thailand's most progressive educators, Dr Chinnapat Bhumirat. Ken met and interviewed Dr Chinnapat at the Ministry of Education and this was the first time that a high-ranking official had consented to such an interview. Read the article / View the writers index

Ajarn tax
Tax expert Chang has submitted this terrific article to dispel the myths and the scare stories and the mumbo-jumbo that surround teacher taxation in Thailand. If you've a case to stake a claim - then Chang's on your case.

Those crazy interviewees
In this fun article, Phil takes a look at some of those rather eccentric individuals who you're bound to meet if your job involves hiring teachers. Meet the interviewees who arrive with bags of supermarket shopping, the lady who was disappointed the salary on offer didn't match what she'd earn in New York and those interviewees who rather unwisely choose to bring a 'partner' along.
Articles Index

Put a winning resume on-line
With more and more employers scouring the ajarn.com resume database, it's important to make the most of the opportunity to have your details on-line. I've spent some time looking over a hundred resumes and put together a short guide on where I think many of you are going wrong.

The ajarn guide for newbies - Teaching English in Thailand - If you fancy it then check out the newbie FAQ
Work permit and visa FAQ - Ajarn.com muddles its way through Thailand's complex red tape
The visa guru - get your questions answered by the wise one
Health insurance for teachers - our resident health insurance expert Tony Dabbs is standing by
Health insurance options - are schools that offer you free health insurance really giving you something worthwhile?
Links page - a whole host of links that may actually be of use to teachers in Thailand
Region guides - guides to towns and cities in Thailand written by teachers for teachers and opportunities for work, etc
The cost of living - how much do you actually need to earn to survive in Thailand?
Your questions answered - all sorts of questions answered on the topic of teaching in Thailand
Ajarn world - an offbeat look at life in Bangkok from the Bangkok mouth
Filipino Section - a section of the website especially for our Filipino readers
Postbox - got something you want to get off your chest?, then the postbox is the place
Thai Student Diary - a frank account of what life is like as a student in Thailand.
Teacher agencies - are they a teacher's friend or the devil in disguise?
Teaching freelance - how easy is it to cast off the shackles of an employer and go your own way?
Beating the teacher trap - here are ten stories of people who 'escaped' teaching and found something else
Renting an apartment - the definitive ajarn.com guide to renting an apartment and all the perils and pitfalls
Renting a house - the guide for those who have had enough of apartment living and fancy renting their own mickey
Black teachers in Thailand - controversial teaching issue yes, but just how prejudice are Thai employers?
Interviewing for jobs - how to get it right and why contacting employers by e-mail is a no-no
What do Thai students think of us? - I mean what do they really think
Problems at your school? - actually there are 25 things wrong with every teaching job
The mass transit factor - how the Bangkok BTS and MRT systems work and how they've improved teachers lives no end
The great escape - we ask teachers where they ended up after Thailand and if the grass was really greener
A to Z of teaching in Thailand - the good, the bad and the downright ugly
The teacher's room - the anatomy of that very special place
Who do you work with? - a humorous look at the sometimes strange breed of human being that teaches English
Dress for success - with the ajarn.com teacher fashion guide
Thai teaching assistants - angels from the planet Xerox or Satan's snitch?
Ajarn art - take a peek at the ajarn.com art gallery
How employable are you? - take the ajarn.com fun quiz and find out

For a complete index of all the articles, features and sh...stuff on ajarn.com, then please click here