| Q |
Dave.
Welcome to Ajarn's first hot seat of 2007 (you can feel the pressure
building). Now, you carved out a successful career in the corporate world
and also worked in the Royal Australian Air Force before deciding to become
a teacher. What prompted this drastic career change? |
| A |
I had an unfortunate
accident that forced an early retirement from the Royal Australian Air
Force. I had always dreamt of becoming a teacher as a child and found that
this was the opportunity to pursue that goal. I had completed a Certificate
in Vocational Education and this had renewed my passion to become a teacher.
I was also lucky enough to have commenced my Grad. Dip in Education while I
was in the Air Force. This I completed at a Private International School in
Southern Queensland. I went on to complete my M. Ed while I was teaching for
Education Queensland. |
| Q |
Although
mainly known for your work as a TEFL course trainer, you do keep your hand
in as a teacher I suppose. How many hours do you currently teach and where? |
| A |
I still do some teaching
with Text and Talk in their school. I have been teaching adults and children
as well as helping teach a corporate client. During the last school term, I
also taught some lessons in the Government Schools in Pattaya. I have also
done some corporate training in Pattaya. |
| Q |
Do you
prefer teaching adults or children? |
| A |
Other than teaching my
TEFL Courses, I prefer teaching children. My most enjoyable teaching
experiences were teaching in the Government Schools in Pattaya during my
first 18 months in Thailand. Children are our future and one reason that I
came to Text and Talk was to give trainee teachers the benefit of my
experience in working with children and an insight into the way teachers can
gain maximum learning outcomes for their students. |
| Q |
Pattaya
has always struck me as very slim pickings for an English teacher. I
remember when I took over ajarn.com about five years ago. The salaries in
that part of the world were a joke given the amount of money you could
conceivably get through. Any comments? |
| A |
For the properly trained
teacher, a good salary (by Thai Standards) can be made in Pattaya. Teachers
in the government school project receive a salary of approximately 30 000
baht per month which is above the given average of about 25 000 baht per
month. I have not been to other areas of Thailand so I can not comment
further on this issue. |
| Q |
Let's get
on to the TEFL courses. This industry has become fiercely competitive. Do
you think that's been a good thing? |
| A |
Competition in any
industry is good as long as it is kept on a fair playing ground and that the
trainees are taught properly and effectively. I have had students come to me
when I have been teaching and asked for help. When I have asked them to show
me a lesson plan, they have responded with “What’s a Lesson Plan?” The
proper planning of a lesson is one of a teacher’s most important aids. |
| Q |
On a
typical course, how many of the trainees want to stay and work in Thailand
compared to those who want to go elsewhere? |
| A |
In the 18 months that I
have been a TEFL Trainer, all of the trainees that I have taught except for
three have wanted to stay and work in Thailand. Of those three, a couple of
them are now working successfully in China and the other in Indonesia. |
| Q |
The
general vibe must be that Thailand has become less attractive to an EFL
teacher though? |
| A |
Due to the changes to the
rules regarding visas, work permits and other things, many trainees are
quite concerned about teaching in Thailand. Alternatively, good teachers are
made very welcome here and they are given every assistance by their school
to stay. |
| Q |
Which part
of your TEFL courses do trainees enjoy the most and which part do they
'dislike'? |
| A |
From what I have seen, the
trainees especially like the Evaluated Teaching Practice. At first they are
nervous about teaching Thai students face to face but when their first
lesson is completed, the comments are normally, “It was nothing like I
expected. I really enjoyed myself”. On the other hand, I feel that many
dislike taking their written exams. Most trainees state that they have not
had to study for a long time and it is hard work. |
| Q |
How do you
keep things fresh (for yourself) when you are basically teaching the same
course month after month? |
| A |
Every course holds its own
challenges and motivations. Every trainee is an ‘individual’ and must be
treated as such. I never teach the same course exactly the same way as each
group of trainees are different and have different needs and abilities. The
trainees themselves keep me fresh and active. Also, as the teacher, it is my
job to motivate myself as well as the students. |
| Q |
It's often
said that TEFL courses are so intensive that trainees should put everything
else aside for four weeks so they can concentrate solely on the course
itself. Let's be honest - that must be difficult (or more difficult) in
Pattaya given the obvious distractions? |
| A |
TEFL Courses are
definitely intense and intensive, especially the first 2 weeks when trainees
are being prepared for their evaluated teaching practice. It is true that a
trainee can find many distractions in Pattaya and our 6 week course requires
the trainee to work very hard but they still can find time to enjoy
themselves. Due to many trainees not having been in a learning environment
for some time as well as a variety of leisure activities in Pattaya, most
students coming to Pattaya prefer to do the 6 week course instead of the 4
week course. |
| Q |
What do
you do when you get a particularly difficult trainee - someone who knows all
the answers and would probably benefit from a good old-fashioned slap. You
must get them surely? |
| A |
I keep my patience whilst
teaching that particular part of the lesson and then talk quietly with the
relevant trainee. With good interpersonal communication we can come to a
workable understanding. Any teacher who can not control themselves and work
through a specific situation is not a ‘genuine’ teacher. As a former
Teaching/Principal, my worst situation was actually in Australia – but I
won’t elaborate on that. |
| Q |
What do
you think is the falsest claim that TEFL courses come out with? |
| A |
Personally, I feel that
the falsest claim is that a person can be trained as a teacher in 1 or 2
weeks and without the benefit of proper classroom instruction. From a
personal point of view, less than 100 hours of face to face classroom
instruction would be ineffective. I have seen this from experience where
there was a teacher in a school who could not write a lesson plan and had no
classroom management experience. |
| Q |
I've got
to ask you this one because it's one hot forum topic that never goes away -
do you need a degree to be a teacher? |
| A |
This is a very contentious
point. I have trained (and worked with) some very excellent teachers who
have not had degrees and who could teach much more successfully than people
with degrees. The opposite is also true. It really depends on the
individual, their ability and their dedication to teaching. |
| Q |
And while
I'm at it - do you think we're about to see a huge foreign teacher shortage
as more and more teachers get cheesed off with the ever-changing government
and immigration rules? |
| A |
I can see a teacher
shortage in Thailand. The rules need to be stabilized for the benefit of
all, or most importantly, the Thai children will be the ones who are going
to miss out on the benefits of a good quality education from a native
speaking English teacher. |
| Q |
Are
schools going to have to do without their native-speaking 'ajarn' or will
more and more schools be throwing open their doors to the non-native
speaker? What's the future for these institutes? |
| A |
From personal experience,
schools need their native speaking teacher. Some schools will need to
complement their staff with non-native speaking teachers but these teachers
need to be properly trained and in Thailand. Native speaking teachers should
be given first preference for employment and then the non-native speaking
teachers who did their training here. |
