| Q |
Greg, you've had something of an
interesting EFL career, starting in Honduras, then Mexico, and now several
years in Thailand. When I first contemplated teaching EFL, Mexico was high
on my list but my dear mother said she would be sick with worry. It can't be
all that bad? Did you have a good time out there? |
| A |
Mexico was great.
The food, the weather, the people - all great. I still regularly email
friends I met while teaching in Mexico. Income reliability was the biggest
disadvantage there. $600 one month, $1500 the next, and maybe just $400 the
following month. It is hard to save money anywhere, but forget it when you
can't plan ahead. That said, teachers there for a few years had a lot of
contacts and did well for themselves in occupations other than teaching. |
| Q |
Why Thailand after South America? |
| A |
I saw myself in
Mexico long term but I also wanted the chance to see more of the world
before I had too many ties to one place. I wanted to give Asia a try and
Thailand had more positive write-ups on the web than other Asian countries.
I figured I would be here for 6 months to a year but it has been 3 years and
counting and I'm still here. |
| Q |
You
worked as a GMAT prep teacher in Mexico so you obviously know your stuff.
GMAT teachers are always in short supply in Thailand. Have you tried to hunt
out a GMAT teaching position here? |
| A |
They aren't in
short supply in Yala. I never met a student who had the basic English skills
to take the GMAT or GRE. You can't really train students for the exams
unless they have good English. Otherwise you spend a lot of time focusing on
the English and very little time on the test taking hints and training
materials. I really enjoyed teaching the classes in Mexico because you got
near instant feedback on how well they were learning. It was rewarding to
see how the low pre-test scores changed into great final scores. The
students were focused, determined, and intelligent. |
| Q |
You
worked in Southern Thailand for a couple of years - in Yala to be exact. You
were there during the World Trade Center disaster, so things must have got
pretty tense down there among the Muslim community? |
| A |
Tense was an
understatement. Many Muslims, and yes I can say many, were happy to see
people die. I know because that is the feedback that I got on September 12th
and 13th. People I didn't know came up to me to express their happiness.
When the US went into Afghanistan, things changed. The attacks were both
symbols of a Muslim triumph and a Jewish conspiracy. Don't even ask me about
that logic. As things heated up, I found myself dealing more and more with
hostile Muslims. Many had settled back down, but a few still persisted to be
filled with hate. In November 2001, I went in to pay my phone bill and I was
accosted by a Muslim, and I told him what I thought about Bin Laden. After
leaving the office, I found several Muslims had gathered outside of office
to "talk" to me. Several shouts later, we were all at the police station
where a few officers said they loved Bin Laden. I guess that's the short of
it. It made the newspapers for what it's worth. |
| Q |
Let's
stick with the job in Yala for a moment. You were apparently the victim of
some appalling Thai management. Obviously we won't mention the name of the
school but what are some of the things that went on? |
| A |
From what I've
seen it was just typical Thai management. I gave everything to the school
for two years, I increased business at the school by close to 100%, and did
everything that was asked of me. I didn't take any vacations and had only
one sick day (and still forced to work half of it). When it came time to
leave, I was deprived of my bonus and a large chunk of my final salary, all
with no explanation. I got the feeling that when I ceased to make my boss
money then I ceased to be treated well. I won't even go into the things done
to my son as that is a very private matter (my embassy was involved).
Several posters on the Ajarn board tried to give me advice concerning the
job, but I didn't listen. I sure wish I had. My hard work and loyalty were
repaid with cheating and lying. |
| Q |
How
much were you earning 'down South' and did you find it enough to survive on? |
| A |
I earned enough to
survive. I can survive on 10k per month, I know because I did. To really
enjoy things, I didn't earn enough unless I clocked more than 120 hours in a
month. I am talking about the basics, cable tv, occasional movie, and
occasional dining out. Don't let schools fool you about the cost of living
issue, because it isn't that much less up-country. Rent is, but other things
are priced similar. I really don't know how anyone can get by on less than
35k a month in Bangkok. Survive yes, enjoy? No way. I am making 26k a month
and supplement it with private classes. I do ok now, better than I could in
Bangkok but still at the end of the month, I am just as broke as most other
teachers. |
| Q |
After
your experiences in Yala, you did a brief stint in Nakhon Sawan. Was it a
case of out of the frying pan and into the fire? |
| A |
I can't mention
the name of the school, but the school owner threatened to blacklist and sue
me if I said anything bad about her school. As she said, Thailand is for
Thais and foreigners aren't welcome. About all I will say is that lies
concerning money were made and with two dependents, I just can't play that
game. I should have checked out the school more carefully, found out how
many teachers stayed on after they finished their contract, and most
importantly seen how many first time teachers the school had. |
| Q |
I'm
guessing that there have been many times when you've questioned exactly what
you're doing working in Thailand? |
| A |
I ask myself that
question every Monday morning. The daily grind really gets to me. I like to
see real progress from my students, but in Thailand any progress comes very
slowly and may not be so noticeable. I am sometimes very frustrated come
Friday afternoon. Teaching in Thailand sure is hard on teachers, but when a
great student comes around or when your class has a light-bulb moment, it
makes everything worthwhile. |
| Q |
You
and I met very briefly when you first came to Thailand. You seemed to make
your mind up very early on that Bangkok just wasn't for you. |
| A |
Bangkok is big,
congested, and expensive, at least to my first timer eyes. I came to
Thailand at the end of January 2001. There were a lot of jobs opening up
"later" but none at that time. I had about $1100, not enough to make a good
go of it in Bangkok but enough in the provinces.... so I went south. My
advice to anyone reading this is to come with at least $3000 so you can
choose the job and location you want rather than having your wallet choose
for you. |
| Q |
You're now down in Songkhla province.
Have you managed to find a job you're truly happy with yet? |
| A |
Truly happy?
Probably, I will let you know when my contract ends. Seriously though, I
have a good job, no job is perfect in Thailand but my salary is paid on
time, I have freedom to teach how I want to teach, I have great materials to
work with and I have time to spend with my two sons. It is as much as I
could hope for in Thailand and probably better than what I could have back
in the states. |
| Q |
Probably a predictable question, but in
your opinion what are the major advantages and disadvantages of working in
rural Thailand? |
| A |
Rural Thailand is
great if you are married, don't have a lot of money, and are easily
entertained. I have a vcd player, tv, dvd player, Sony Playstation and a
decently equipped kitchen. Some of the real advantages are the lower cost of
living ( there is nothing to spend money on) , friendly people and a slower
pace. Some of the disadvantages are the lack of privacy (students ride their
bikes to my house in order to play in front of my house), the huge language
barrier, the lack of entertainment options, and the isolation. |
| Q |
You've taught all kinds of groups from
corporate to kids to TOEFL students. What do you prefer doing and why? |
| A |
I prefer young
children - the ages before they get too indoctrinated and their minds are
still sponges. They can pick up English very, very quickly, lesson prep time
is minimal and the lessons are enjoyable for all of us. I know it would be
hard to go back to corporate teaching after teaching kids for 3 years. And
TOEFL? I've been teaching long enough that I really hate to teach a boring
lesson. For that reason, I can't teach TOEFL anymore, it's way too boring. I
just can't figure out how to make a lesson that is boring for me somehow
less than boring for my students. |
| Q |
Now I have to mention this but you are
one BIG fella. The term 'gentle giant' was made for you. Besides making a
great Father Christmas during the yuletide season, don't the kids find you a
bit intimidating when they very first clap eyes on you? |
| A |
Gentle giant? Me?
One of my biggest concerns coming to Thailand was my size and how I would be
perceived by students. The youngest kids have a problem with it for a lesson
or two, but it's their first time studying with a foreigner so maybe there
are other issues. Older kids treat it like a big red nose on a clown. Some
kids take to patting it to see what it feels like or even if it is real. It
was irritating during my first year here, now I don't even think about it.
Funny you mention about Father Christmas, no school has yet gone to the
trouble of getting me to wear a Santa suit. |
| Q |
After a fair amount of negative
experiences in Thailand, how long do you see yourself sticking it? |
| A |
I'm here as long as I am welcome. Bad experiences happen everywhere. I am
more concerned about how welcome foreigners will be in Thailand in the
coming years. I haven't invested much in Thailand, just 3 years of blood,
sweat, and tears. I really feel for those who have invested their families,
savings, and heart in Thailand. As my sons get older, I think a lot more
about going back home, but right now I think I can do better for them here
in Thailand than back home in America. |
| Q |
I've got to ask you this as a final
question. You seem to choose Filipinas rather than Thais to be your 'soulmates'.
In Thailand? Is it just the way things have worked out? |
| A |
A
old man in Mexico once told me that when the passion ends you are just left
to the woman's cooking. I think I would die if I could only eat Thai food. I
am ok with Filipino food like adobo, spaghetti, and pancit. I found a great
girl here in Thailand. She was willing to love my son as her own and gave me
another son in November. I can share anything with her, she likes to play
Playstation games, she likes country music, and she cooks the best adobo in
the world. She just happens to be from the Philippines. |
| |
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