Parvez Amlani
Why education reform in Thailand is imminent
The Thai MOE surely has to begin the formal development of rules and regulations.
If the Thai education system was in fact reformed where certifications and teachers qualifications were vetted, then so-called teachers would indeed have to resort to “flipping burgers” in their native countries simply because they have no real qualifications to represent themselves as teachers.
Lee Lepper
Life itself is irony
A teacher's journey - different countries, different jobs.
Believe me I am thankful to be a teacher in Thailand today. Ironically I had to leave Thailand to get the best job I have ever had here.
Sion Binalon
In loving memory of Kuya Ben: A teacher and a friend
I met Kuya Ben (Kuya means older brother) through a co-teacher a month after I arrived in Thailand.
We had our last dinner in one of those makeshift restaurants that come alive only at night along Thailand sidewalks. The buzzing sound of cars and passers-by made me listen hard as to what he had said. Lost in his thoughts and blank gaze, he told me that life is short. The past should not hold me back from life and its kindness.
Karisa Blake
Failures in sarcasm
When a lesson plan can all go horribly wrong
Even when I try to tone down my sarcasm, those rascally comments still slip from my lips! I know that my students are vaguely aware of sarcasm but they don't quite understand it and they certainly would never use it on their own.
Mickey Sheehan
All hail the mighty khao pat gai
Boring yes, but never a dish to be underestimated
How many times have I been out for dinner with a group of Thai friends and that enormous bowl of khao pat gai has saved the day?
Phil Hall
Getting a job interview - part 3
Legwork and salary negotiations
I was finally being offered teaching roles but the salary was typically around the 20,000 mark and that was just too low to consider. On the other hand, in most cases I would be the only Westerner at the school.
Jesse Sessoms
Species extinction
Reflections on how technology has changed the way we travel
We have lost our identities; we are lost to ourselves. We are but a series of endless reactions to online stimuli. Before we have time to think and form our own perspective on anything, we are looking to see what our family, friends, and peers said; what the reviewers said; what the online influencers said; what the experts said.
Mark Brown
Beta testers wanted!
Testers who provide useful feedback will be given additional free materials as they are developed
California Accent provides over 300 TEFL lessons organized into 16 courses and 5 curriculums. These lessons are intended to be used by TEFL teachers in Thailand to supplement (not replace) the standard teaching materials issued by the provincial administrative organizations.
Parin Hemtanon
How to gain teaching experience when you have none
Could lack of experience be the reason why schools aren't replying to your job applications?
When I realised that I was an inexperienced teacher, I decided to create my own life-changing “teacher training program”. These are things I did to pack my resume with relevant teaching skills and experience, which I believe helped secure my first teaching job.
Nick Tarver
The pee, the nong and the wai
Aspects of Thai culture
Although ajarn.com has never shirked from handing out some just criticism on Thai education and culture I felt it was only fair to balance worthy criticism with worthy praise.
Kink Bundy
My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 7)
Poor facilities and poor student attendance make teaching difficult.
Many of the students had taken out loans to come to this school. The loans could often be too much for their families to repay and they’d need to drop out for financial reasons, and end up leaving the school with no degree and a staggering pile of debt that their families would struggle to repay.
- My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 6)
- My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 5)
- My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 4)
- My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 3)
- My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 2)
- My experiences of working at a college in Bangkok (part 1)
Charles Green
The teacher mindset
English teachers are all business owners
In Thailand, I have found that people quickly get labeled and categorized as either good or bad, helpful or unhelpful, good teachers or bad teachers, etc. Then once you are labeled it is a long and difficult process of changing your projected image.
Ace in Asia
Secret classroom management techniques
Some tips for controlling students
In the beginning days and weeks, you have to be more stern, that's just the way it is. Don't be too playful. In fact don't be playful at all. You have to show the students that you mean business.
Dr. A.E Schneider
Things I learned about recommending students for graduate and professional school
Ways to truly support students’ path forward
Once applicants have accurately assessed their skill set, standing out amongst the crowd of outstanding applicants is surprisingly straightforward and achievable with enough hard work and preparation.
Jocelyn Pollak
Three fun warm-up activities
Games designed to get students focused on using English and getting comfortable with their classmates.
Have fun with these games and consider joining in with your students! Great EFL warm-up activities really set the tone for a great class. Enjoy!
John V
Excuse me, haven’t we met before?
A satirical look at TEFL personality types
If you’re just an average teacher struggling along in a sea of two legged sharks trying to do your best give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back, because you sir or madam are gold dust.
Maya Dattani
What to expect when you move to Thailand
Life in the sticks and other oddities
I packed my bags and moved to Thailand to eventually become an English teacher. I was offered jobs in different parts of Thailand, but I quickly decided to move to a village in the North East region of Thailand, as opposed to a city. Moving from a city in Canada to a village in Thailand is a radical change but it's the type of challenge I was looking for.
Stephen Saad
How much Thai can you learn through Thai songs?
Every song can be a mini language lesson
Over and above the benefit of learning the language, listening to Thai songs will allow the learner to ‘get a feel’ for the country – how it thinks, how sentiments are communicated, the culture, the essence of being Thai, at least in the context of relationships.
Todd Persaud
Get it down on paper!
The secret to managing office politics
Conflict in a workplace can pop up unexpectedly. This is why it’s necessary for you to write things down. This way, when it comes time to defend yourself or to shed light on the matter you can look back to your notes and bring up exactly what happened
Blake Sibbitt
The best place to live in Bangkok for teachers
Onnud has got the lot!
In the past, all we had was a Tesco, Big C and the beer garden. It was pretty barren. But it's distance from the "city center" and subsequent lower rents, while still having access to the BTS, has made it a popular choice for expats.
FIRE in Thailand
What does your retirement from teaching look like?
There's no excuse not to invest and plan.
Planning for retirement doesn't have to be complicated. All you have to do is spend less than you make and invest the difference for the long-term. That's it. I know you are thinking that's easier said than done, but start small.
Steve Catchpole
Peter and Nadine
When teaching careers end before they've even started.
Although teaching in Thailand can sound like one big adventure, I'm convinced that some people are not really built to leave home. Teaching in Thailand is just not for them. It's too much of a leap into the unknown.
Matthew Pape
The worst type of foreigner
Why bash other people's lifestyles and situations?
I live in a closet with no air-con and a fan. I live off of a diet of air, water and noodles. Sure, I can't afford to travel, save for retirement, get my own place and I haven't seen my family for years because I can't afford a ticket to go home and visit them, but I am living the Thai lifestyle man!
Joko MacKenna
Monsoon!
Surviving Myanmar's rainy season
I grew up on the west coast of the USA. We get rain, but we don't get thunder and lightning. I love experiencing it now. Don't grouse about it. Enjoy it.
William Putnam
The value of a bohemian life
Free time v the pursuit of extra income?
As teachers in Thailand, we all try to maximize our earnings by taking on extra classes during our evenings and weekends. However, if we have no dependents or financial worries at home, is this really the best way to go about living in a laid-back place like Thailand?
Benito Vacio
Back in the groove
How do Filipino teachers feel on returning home from teaching abroad?
Last month I shared with you my findings about the numerous reasons why many Filipino English teachers in Thailand have started returning to their country, the Philippines. This time, let us see what our Filipino friends have to say after staying in Thailand for 5-10 years and for settling back in their motherland.
Peter Clarke
Interesting Thailand stuff - October 2016
A selection of hand-picked Thailand blogs and articles
Here's some of the more interesting Thailand-related stuff that I've found on the internet over the past three months. Hopefully there's something for everyone.
Curt Crossley
The winning cover letter
And how to write a losing cover letter of course
The letter itself should be relatively short and to the point. I would suggest no more than 3-5 paragraphs. The first paragraph notes your interest in the specific school and specific job listed, and reinforces that your qualifications meet the qualifications sought by the employer.
Paul Muir
Thai cuisine and The Royal Court
Some fascinating historical aspects of Thai food
The contribution of the royal court to the cooking of Thai food is perhaps more significant than in any other nation.
Nathan Murphy
Is the drought over?
My experiences with water shortages in Thailand
I have lived with drought restrictions in Australia, but nothing like this. The dam at the back of the town has been bone dry, with any rain simply falling down the cracks.
John Wolcott
Why studying photography has helped me become a better teacher
Recompose, refocus and reshoot
Like learning photography, becoming a better teacher is more about learning from mistakes than it is delivering perfect lessons every single time.
Julia Knight
Would the NHS be so concerned?
Is Thai healthcare about care or cash?
I am pregnant with my second child and despite all the protests about how much I hated it the first time around and 'would never ever, not ever do it again' have found myself in the club.
Cassie Lahmann
Thailand’s weirdest of the weirds
Some of the quirkier aspects of Thai culture
I want to be as respectful as possible when I discuss Thailand's quirks. I don't think I could have picked a better country to live in without having ever visited or knowing much about the culture.
Lidya Belete
How to survive in Pattaya if you're not a sex tourist (or if you're a woman)
You can escape the unsavoury aspects if you truly want to
I came to Pattaya because of the ocean. I saw pictures of what looked like paradise, and thought I could live a life of quiet contemplation.
Neil McDonough
Are we living in groundhog day?
And can you take advantage of it?
If the 20th century belonged to Europe and the USA, then perhaps the 21st century can belong to SE Asia and cities like Bangkok, can perform as well as cities like London, Paris and Frankfurt.
Colleen Setchell
Paws for thought
Sometimes Thailand is no place for the animal lover
I'm constantly amazed by how many stray dogs and cats I see on the streets around Koh Samui. Some are lucky enough to look half decent, others aren't that lucky. For those of you who don't know how things work in Thailand when it comes to strays, here's the run down.
Zach Laan
Grayscale
Potentially contentious issues in the LOS
"All in the game" is a great statement for Thailand. Omar, Avon, Stringer and the rest of the gang nailed it. Thailand is controlled by a few at the expense of the majority. The majority respond by doing what they can. It applies to all facets of daily life. For foreigners living in Thailand we're somewhere on the border of it all.
Bob Sohigian
The simple life of Sapa
Exploring Northwest Vietnam
From the moment you catch your first glimpse, your eyes become prisoners to the panorama. With its close proximity to China and the well renowned Himalayas, the main area in Sapa Town allows for the hilly, Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range to reveal itself.
Marguerite Anne Tremel
When life gives you mangoes
Go and make mango-flavored ice cream
A couple of weeks ago, I was walking down the street and a mango fell out of the sky right at my feet, a gift from the mango go-go gods.
Carl Heaton
Running a niche website
Part four of ten ways to supplement your teaching income
Are you passionate about something? Do you have a lot to say on a certain subject? Are you an amazing cook or fitness guru? Running your own niche website is a great way of expressing your opinion and making money.
John Quinn
A stroll around Chiang Mai's Eastern District
A fun-filled glimpse into the past on every street corner
I was sitting in a small garden coffee shop just behind my school sipping a cooling iced-coffee yesterday afternoon, when I started to think about the area surrounding me. Its history is the history of foreigners in Chiang Mai, as this area is where the first foreigners settled, lived and worked in the late nineteenth century.
Scott Hipsher
Are degrees required to teach?
Opinion continues to be divided
Three things which seem unavoidable are death, taxes and debates on ajarn.com about the requirement for teachers of having a degree. Those without degrees generally argue a degree is not necessary, while those with degrees will normally make the case a degree should be required.
Elizabeth Frantz Larson
Back to civilisation?
Have I really been away for two and a half years?
I need a little intermission from Asia, from being abroad, from the frustrations. It's time to remember why I moved away again, time to take a step back and get out of the bizarre madness that has become my life.
Auntie Nim
Old things from the village
Keeping the memories of those olden, golden days alive
My foreign friends and students who know my life habits ask me why I love old things; old houses, old wood furniture, and even pieces of an old rice mill that I keep underneath my old wooden house in Bangkok. It seems strange, doesn't it?
Sascha
Getting serious
Switching from a rural vocational college to a Bangkok university
So. Finally. After three terms it was time to say goodbye to Udon Thani, the vocational college and the Isaan region and to say hello to Bangkok and a private university.
Geoff Richards
Small talk with big results
The art of teaching English forwards
"Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine thank you, and you?" "I'm fine thank you." Now, where have we all seen and heard this longwinded, nigh on nonsensical way of communicating before?
Steve Crawford
The system is in one big mess
Things that seemed like a good idea at the time
It's about time there was an update on the much-criticized teacher licencing laws. Please try not to laugh too loud.
Abel Cadias
Good morning campers
Themes and ideas for your English camp
Facilitating English camps has always been challenging and fun for me but ten years ago I had absolutely no idea how a camp worked or what it was tring to achieve.
Ajarn Finance
Time to invest outside the box?
Some interesting ideas for your investment capital
Although generally positive, 2010 has seen considerable volatility in world financial markets that caused investment jitters on occasion and the forecast for 2011includes more of the same.
Tim Cornwall
Thinking sustainability
Making students aware of the world around them
The core aim of the Compass Education program is to help students examine and come to understand key questions and concepts centred around who we are; where we are in place and time; how we express ourselves; how the world works; how we organize ourselves; and finally how we can go about sharing the planet.
Matt Smith
The perfect storm
One needs to check the weather before one heads out on an adventure
There was one final story I wanted to relate here, because it was my greatest adventure in Thailand. Or was at least my most memorable experience, at any rate, because it was the closest I have ever come to kicking the bucket.
Ben Finklestein
Sukhumwit nights
Where to find the best Bangkok streetfood
Sukhumvit Soi 38 is easily accessible via Thong Lor BTS. Most stalls are open Tuesday-Sunday 6PM-2AM.
Ken May
Lost Stories
Experiences with one of Thailand’s most progressive educators
He single-handedly broke every stereotype of the Ministry of Education. He was outgoing, inquisitive, articulate, globally aware, and willing to debate ideas about education. I resolved to formally interview this man one day and tell his story.
William Blake
The taking of responsibility 1-2-3
An alternative look at Thai culture
Much has been written about the Thai culture, some of it well researched and gleaned from many years of experience. This article is unashamedly neither.
Jason Alavi
And it's goodnight from me
Feathers have most certainly been ruffled
Unfortunately this monthly column of mine has to come to a rather premature end.
Steve Tainton
The long weekend
All work and no play make Matt a real salaryman
My submission omissions of late have been due to my recent career change. As I no longer work in the teaching industry, I feel I can better serve this space with short sketches of my life in Japan than with longer submissions on broader topics. So here goes
Tazza's Thailand Tales
The Thai culture course
How to scam, exploit and demoralise foreign teachers
Day one of the course began with the typical smiles and greetings. The venue laid on a nice little breakfast pack for each of us and well wishers waited at the doors to greet us with: "Hello, thank you for coming!". (Like we had a f***ing choice!)
Greg Hill
Thai culture course experiences
How to scam, exploit and demoralise foreign teachers
Here's a complete breakdown of my time spent on the Thai cultural course. Actually I've decided that it was nothing but a teacher's council money spinner. It had little to do with improving a teacher's performance in the classroom and just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the foreign participants were given an impromtu dance class.
Matthew Noble
Those new year resolutions
Some resolutions related to teacher and others not.
The first one is to relax more and try to really enjoy teaching in this land of sanook. I knew about sanook before I came here to work- it was partly the great sense of fun in Thai culture that attracted me to it- I just didn’t know that for a Thai person it quite properly should infuse just about everything worth doing.
Taiwan Troll
Culture shock
Adjusting to a new life abroad
The transition to life in a new country means adjusting to a foreign culture. But what is culture? What is it that we are confronted with? Culture is a set of shared, accepted behavior patterns, values, assumptions and common experiences. It defines the social structure, the expectations and the norms of communication for a society.
Ajarn Dynamo
Making learners
How learners learn
Each learner and each learning experience is unique; yet educators can identify patterns in the learning process. Designing effective learning requirements requires a clear understanding of, and attention to, both commonalities and differences in the learners and the learning.
Brian Hill
Intelligence
Intelligence is not fixed at birth.
Over the last 25 years we have more than doubled our understanding of how the brain works. All the new research is good news for humans, but it severely dents many long held beliefs.
Seth Leighton
Transitions in Thailand
The grass isn't always greener on the other side
Bored with teaching? Sure there is a better way to make a baht in Thailand besides the TEFL game? Well, I just finished a six-month stint working in the marketing department of a large Thai furniture company.
Miss Education
The school song
Homage to a cheerful tune
Covering classes was not a stretch, it allowed me to walk over to the ‘teen’ division of the campus. Being the other farang female the ‘high school’ kids always were attentive when either of us had to fill in.
Teachers Tales
February 2003
A bulging toast-rack full of buttered TEFL slices
Featuring this month what makes a good teacher great, the greatest TEFL teacher story ever told and let's hear it for the dreaded visa run
Ian McNamara
Divine right
Can anyone realistically teach English?
Some people believe that every native English speaker is born with the ability to teach English. Unfortunately a high proportion of people with that belief appear to want to be teachers.
