I was sad to see this go, as I was about to ask to be placed on it again, but I agree with your decision, Phil, for why it was abandoned. I was one of the first teachers to use the feature, and I notified you immediately after securing work. But over time, as many teachers began to be placed on the section, I had to wonder how many of them were not finding work, and how many of them had, but didn’t give a hoot to let you know. Now my suspicions of the latter are confirmed. But here’s an idea. Perhaps you can resurrect the section, but make it a pay-based thing - an advertisement for teachers looking for work. And like your ads that schools place which expire in 20 days (I believe), you can put an expiration date on these too, maybe about 30 days.

Whattya think? Can we pay to place ourselves in the section? (Keep the rate reasonable as we are out-of-work teachers who once earned diddly squat because we are in Thailand)

Phil says - “Thanks a lot Ronald for the kind words. I was very sad to see the ‘teachers looking for work’ section of the site go too. I started it because one day a young teacher with a Thai wife and baby sent me a heartbreaking e-mail to say he couldn’t find work and had no way to support his family. And that’s how the Teachers Looking for Work section came about. And within a few days, that teacher got a job offer and started work. I knew I was on to something. I knew there were a lot of teachers out there who could do with the extra help.

However - and I’m sorry to repeat what you have already said or implied - but teachers on that list were just not keeping their promises and letting me know when they had found work. Not everyone on the list was guilty - but most were. And before long the section became nothing more than a stale list of teachers, who in most cases were not actively seeking employment. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to go chasing each teacher and ascertaining their current work status. I relied on the teachers staying in touch and keeping me informed. And most of them let me down.

I’m really not interested in charging teachers to put their details up there Ron. It just doesn’t seem right. Perhaps a 500 baht donation to my favorite soi dog charity might work though?

Ronald

Overall the teacher’s salaries (for foreign teachers) is a joke and becoming more ridiculous by the day. I also agree this site provides lots of valuable information to many foreign teachers here/coming here to teach. The fact is I am sure you do not contact all the newspapers, TV & radio stations every time you read, see or hear something stupid from the media. The point I’m trying to make is that this site, as with all other forms of media, have the right to earn a profit from their business and earn a salary for their labor as well as for their employees, just like you and me have the right to do the same. The one cool thing I really like is that we do not have to work for these ridiculous salaries, visit these websites, read these newspapers etc. That’s right - we all have choices. Why not contact the ridiculous employer offering these stupid, low and ridiculous salaries and tell them what you really think of them and tell them what they can do with their funny farm? Don’t shoot the messenger. Take your complaint to the source.

Donald Patnaude

I have been in awe of your website since I started teaching in Thailand. The information that this website gives teachers and potential teachers is invaluable. However I would like to see you take a stand for teachers and stop allowing schools to advertise ridiculous salaries. And they are getting more and more ridiculous. Just today I saw salaries for full-time teachers at 15-20K baht! Outrageous! Please stop accepting these ads to help force these schools and thieving agencies to pay a liveable wage. Thank you.

Max

I am a qualified teacher, I hold an MA and have been teaching successfully in Thailand for 6 years, I wanted a change of scenery and when I saw a job advertised in another area, I applied. I received an e mail back asking me to go and have an interview. I duly attended the interview 3 hours away by car. I was met by a young foreign man who took me into the reception area and there I met with the Thai owner. The foreigner conducted the interview as the Thai owner could not speak English. ( If they had asked me, I would have told them I spoke fluent Thai, but sometimes it pays to keep this quiet ).

Anyhow, the interview was conducted with the interviewer looking and speaking at the floor for the entire ten minutes I was there. They did not want to see my credentials. The main problem was that to employ me, I had to pay them 6,000 THB for a 12-hour course Thai culture course. I asked who ran the course and the interviewer announced to the floor tiles that he did. Turns out if you don’t pay, you don’t get a job, no matter what your experience or qualifications. Incidentially they were looking for 12 teachers, all of which would have had to pay the 6,000 baht - a total of 72,000 THB for a 2 day course - so not a bad profit.
Two days later, I got a phone call from them saying if I didn’t want to attend the course, they could cover the cost cover. But I still had to pay 6,000 baht course or no course. Sorry. I wasn’t born yesterday.

Rose

Dear Phil (“Supply and Demand” – Postbox 31st March) Kudos for recognizing my facetious use of an embellishment.  As my mother used to say, “I’ve told you a million times not to exaggerate.” Of course we all form our opinions based on personal experience. Subsequently, my personal experiences have given me a somewhat different opinion than your own.  It does make me happy to hear that you can recall working as a teacher, and that you enjoyed such a rosy time of it. Like yourself, I can recall the “halcyon period” you refer to. However, I personally know of at least six good language schools that closed up shop in fear of these “nonsensical” rules when they were first implemented. How dare the Thai government expect the guests that they pay to teach their children should actually have to learn something about the culture of the students or, even worse, to pass an “impossible” competency test.

Having spouted my sarcastic rant, I would like to reiterate the main point of my original reply to Ronald. Namely that, supply and demand will always dictate the price of any product including labour. Of course any intelligent debate must have a basis in disagreement, and I do ever so enjoy educated criticism. Although you and I may “disagree completely” as to the reasons Phil, I’m sure you must admit that there are simply more candidates for teaching jobs now than in the past. Not only does the increase in traffic volume that your website has enjoyed attest to this, but yes, “statistics are available” to those willing to research them

Further, because or although we differ in our life experiences, I personally feel that these rules to which we both refer have been greatly relaxed and ignored of present, while you may not. The fact, in my opinion, is that due to the rampant, government sponsored racism that exists in Thailand, practically any unqualified, white farang can get a job teaching English here while many competent and educated teachers of dark skinned races cannot. The tone of the majority of letters posted on your site would seem to bear this out.

I would venture that, as myself, those of us still presently teaching English here in Thailand can think of current examples of this disparity. As well, I would go so far as to suggest that most of us have worked with, or know of, at least one holder of a “Khao San Road diploma” whom presently is teaching English here. This of course adds to that age-old market determiner of supply and demand, and is the point I was attempting to make.

Surely you must agree Phil that it is “always dangerous” for any party to force their opinion on others, but even more so for one in an editorial position. But that’s just my “distorted perspective” and I do concede, and strongly defend, your right to form your own.

Dan