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Warren Daniels
Warren Daniels, a teacher from the UK, has taught in Thailand for about six years. During that time he’s held jobs in half a dozen different schools and opened a successful restaurant. He describes himself as a ‘complicated guy’. Hmmmm. Let’s pull up a chair and chat with a fellow Brit.
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Tom Green
Bangkok-based Tom Green is a qualified secondary school teacher in his native Luxembourg. At the moment, he’s interviewing for part-time teaching jobs, but it’s hypnotherapy that is very much his first love. Are you feeling sleepy? No? Good. Then let’s begin.
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Matthew Noble
Matthew Noble wrote several blogs for ajarn.com well over four years ago. This was about the time he celebrated his first anniversary as a teacher in Thailand. Well, Matthew’s still here teaching but about to return home to the USA. Let’s find out what’s happened in the last few years.
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Stephen Emge
American Stephen Emge has nothing really to do with teaching English in Thailand, but he’s come up with an internet-based idea that just might appeal to a few teachers in Thailand and help them earn a little ‘money on the side’
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Lucie Redwood
It’s often said that Thailand can be a tough place for a female teacher. Well, Lucie Redwood has been here fifteen years already and is more than happy to tell us how she’s survived.
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Scott Walker
Scott Walker originally came to Thailand for a holiday because of his interest in Buddhism. He then quickly made plans to return here for a longer period. He tried the teaching game for a while, decided it wasn’t really for him - and has now started his own business.
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Phil of ajarn.com
In this edition of Hot Seat, ajarn.com’s very own Bangkok Phil jumps from the frying pan, right into the fire. Phil arrived in Thailand as a teacher in 1990 but since then, his entrepreneurial spirit has helped him to become a relatively well-known figure in Thailand’s TEFL industry. He’s certainly carved his own path and Phil believes the secret to his success has been the fact that he tells it like it is. True to his word, he doesn’t disappoint - Eric Haeg
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Alex Cattle
Alex Cattle is something of an ajarn.com icon. He was the inspiration behind the ‘teachers looking for work’ page on the ajarn website and like so many other foreign teachers in Thailand, Alex was struggling to find work without a degree certificate. However, good things always come to he who waits. Alex’s story is one of personal triumph. It’s a story about overcoming the odds.
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Patrick Vella
‘Edutainment’ is a word I have always despised but there’s little doubt that bringing drama into an EFL lesson is never going to be a bad thing. Patrick Vella makes a living training teachers on how to use drama in their classroom and demand for his programs is growing fast.
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David Fahey
What a treat it was to get an e-mail from David Fahey. Dave was one of our very first hot seat candidates over six years ago. Since then he has returned to the UK along with his Thai wife and built a whole new life for himself. It’s surely time to put him back in the spotlight.
Featured Teachers
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Benjamin
BA (1), Certificate (1)
British (male, 38 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Serdar
Certificate (2), BSc (1)
Turkish (male, 43 years old, native Kurdish speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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David
Certificate (2), BA (1)
American (male, 60 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Lorenzo
Diploma (1), Phd (1), MA (1)
Filippino (male, 38 years old, native Cebuano speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Niels
BA (1), Certificate (1)
Dutch (male, 29 years old, native Dutch speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Mr. Dale
Certificate (2), BA (1)
American (male, 39 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Christophe
Certificate (3), Diploma (1)
Filippino (male, 37 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Roda
Diploma (1)
Philippino (female, 26 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Elie Grace
Diploma (2), BA (1)
Philippino (female, 30 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Shanisara
BEd (1)
Thai (female, 33 years old, native Thai speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
Ajarn Guests
Fear of change?
In Thailand the government has set 2012 as English Speaking Year with a goal of encouraging students to converse in English every Monday. Such policies are useful but the major leap of enacting legislation to make English an official language for Thailand is also needed
Software for student tests
The integration of internet and computers with education and English learning is something students find normal, and classrooms without some access to educational software may seem quaint. Some students may even feel they can get more ‘professional' teaching from the numerous online ELT sites if a school is behind in IT.
Whatever happened to the shopping mall teacher?
They are the shopping mall English teachers - gliding like pale, undernourished phantoms amid the hordes of weekend Thai shoppers. The main reason I empathize with the shopping mall teacher is because I was once one myself. I know how desperate and soul-destroying it can be.
About Ajarn.com
Ajarn.com was started as a small hobby website in 1999 by Ian McNamara. It was a simple way for one Bangkok teacher to share his Thailand experiences and pass on advice. The website developed a loyal and enthusiastic following. In 2004, Ian handed over the reins to Phil Williams and 'Bangkok Phil' has run the ajarn website ever since.
Ajarn.com has grown enormously and is now the most popular TEFL site in Thailand - possibly even South East Asia. Although best-known for its vibrant jobs page, Ajarn has a wealth of articles, blogs, features and help and advice. But one principle has always remained at Ajarn's core - to tell things like they are and to do it with a sense of humor. Thailand can be Heaven or Hell for an English teacher. It's always been Ajarn.com's duty to present both sides of the equation. Thanks for stopping by.
