| Q |
Hi David.
You spent a number of years - nine to be exact - working in London as a film
editor. It sounds like a great job. What got you down about it? |
| A |
Well, I guess you spend
too long doing the same thing and it just becomes boring after a while. I
started out as an edit assistant and then worked on adult movies for a
couple of years. I ended up working in a machine room just putting logos on
the front of films and tidying things up, adding credits and cutting out
scenes for the BBFC (British board of film classification).
My last year was doing quality control for feature
films, which is totally mind numbing. You sit and watch a film and stop it
when ever you see a spot of dirt or video error and write it down, it takes
about 5 hours per film, and then you have to try and fix it. It does sound
like a great job but it really takes it out of you. I used to go home and
avoid watching TV because it made me sick. Saying that, a lot of nice people
work in TV, except for producers......... they are twats. |
| Q |
You
actually met your Thai wife in England and homesickness was already a major
problem for her. Was there no chance of her buckling down and trying to make
a go of life in the UK? How long had she been there? |
| A |
I met ‘Toy’ after she had
been in the UK for 2 years. She really tried her hardest to find a good job.
She is a qualified accountant but it just didn’t work out for her there. The
best she could do was work in a supermarket (Safeways). I used to go to her
deli counter and pick her up after work. She always had a smile on her face
but had lots of problems with co-workers from other ethnic groups. |
| Q |
Presumably
you then planned to move here for love more than anything else. When you did
your research on Thailand employment opportunities, it must have been a bit
soul-destroying to find out that teaching was by and large all there was? |
| A |
Well, I actually looked at
it as a new challenge really. I did however think that I wasn’t really cut
out for the job. I still don’t think I am the best teacher in the world but
I know I’m not the worst.
|
| Q |
No
openings in Thailand for a film editor then? |
| A |
Nah, not really. The stuff
I used to do would be done by a Thai operator. It’s only the people who are
flame and inferno artists which do hi-end special effects that would get a
job in Bangkok. |
| Q |
Did your
lack of degree play on your mind? Did you think that it would severely limit
your teaching job opportunities? |
| A |
Absolutely, it played on
my mind a lot. I want to be a better teacher and it could be argued that
having a degree doesn’t do that but it will get me on track here and maybe a
better job. I may end up where I started on the same pay and in the same
place but at least I’m not going to be the one jumping over the fence if the
shit hits the fan.
I would also like to point out that a BA in English despite where I’m
getting it can only give me a better understanding of English and make me a
better teacher. |
| Q |
Let's fast
forward to your arrival in Thailand. You started off by taking a TEFL
course. Without mentioning any names, how did that experience go? |
| A |
Absolutely, it played on
my mind a lot. I want to be a better teacher and it could be argued that
having a degree doesn’t do that but it will get me on track here and maybe a
better job. I may end up where I started on the same pay and in the same
place but at least I’m not going to be the one jumping over the fence if the
shit hits the fan.
I would also like to point out that a BA in English despite where I’m
getting it can only give me a better understanding of English and make me a
better teacher. |
| Q |
Let's fast
forward to your arrival in Thailand. You started off by taking a TEFL
course. Without mentioning any names, how did that experience go? |
| A |
The TEFL course was
exactly what I needed to get started here. I did a 60 plus 60 hour course.
The first 60 hours were very well presented, and well I didn’t learn much
but I made some friends out of it and it helped me come out of my shell a
bit, it also helped me get familiar with Bangkok. I do think the first 60
hours was worth the money and the teaching materials I was given still help
me out today.
The following 60 hours class time was a bit of a piss-take really. I had to
work in a language centre and think 10 hours would have been enough. I
wasn’t paid for doing this and as the hours weren’t available to teach it
took me the best part of a month to finish.
On the whole it was a very beneficial experience but I do feel we should
have got paid for the work we did. We did get our travel paid for though, I
suppose that’s something. |
| Q |
Do you
think it prepared you well for teaching Thai students? |
| A |
Yes. I went to observe
some lessons in a government school to see what I was letting myself in for.
I think sitting in a class of 50 of them was a bit scary at first but it got
me used to the environment. |
| Q |
You worked
in a government school for year and unfortunately it got raided by
immigration. They were looking for what exactly? |
| A |
Sorry Phil, my mistake.
Immigration did come to the school but it was for a party. We saw the
immigration van and hid in the department store opposite the school (this
was a week after two teachers were arrested).
It was this sort of thing I didn’t like so thought the best thing to do was
go and get a degree and not have to put up with that kind of stress. I would
like to point out I never worked with a fake degree, I didn’t have anything
except the authentic TEFL. Anyway, we were invited to this party too and the
immigration staff took pictures with us, very nice people. Kind of funny
really. |
| Q |
Did you or
any of your colleagues land in any serious trouble? |
| A |
Nah. Like I said we were
all just very paranoid about it all. It made me think more about my future
here though which has proved to be a positive thing. |
| Q |
They must
have been worrying times? |
| A |
Well. I don’t know. Some
people are just here in the short term and want a bit of fun. For me it’s
different as I’m married and the wife has a good career here. I think if you
are thinking about staying here for a long time and are teaching then you
need a degree. It’s not just about having the right piece of paper, it’s
about showing you’re a committed person who values the importance of
education. If you can’t get educated yourself then how can you be a good
teacher? |
| Q |
You
enrolled on a BA course at Ramkhamhaeng University. How many years for the
program and how much time do you have to give up? |
| A |
The course will take me 4
years to complete. I have to study most week days or sometimes it’s just
three days per week. You usually do one or two courses per month then have
an exam and then move on to the next one. I suppose I’m fortunate because I
saved up some money from the UK as I can’t work full time at the moment. I
have some language centre work which pays the rent but will try and go back
to the UK for 2 months per year and do some work. |
| Q |
You'll
forgive me for saying so but Ramkhamhaeng Uni doesn't enjoy the greatest of
reputations among the Thais. What made you choose it? |
| A |
The cost was the main
reason. Bangkok University was a bit out of my price range. It is worth
noting though that the professors at Ram are also shared with ABAC and
Chula. It isn’t the best university in the world but I think it’s great. I
think the grading system doesn’t make much sense but I really can’t complain
with the amount of A’s I’m getting. |
| Q |
I lived in
the Ramkhamhaeng / Hua Mark area for five years and really enjoyed it. It's
certainly a very vibrant neighborhood. Have you got yourself a little rented
house on one of the moobarns (housing estates)? |
| A |
Actually I live in a house
in Suttisan, just off Rachada. I get the bus to Ram which usually takes
about 50 minutes. I sometimes have a drink after class as there are a few
nice little bars around there. |
