The Thai Floods
When tomorrow never comes
With the Asian Tsunami of 2004, the lack of a decent education, the rampant corruption, the near civil war last year between the Red and Yellow Shirts, and now the floods, you have to feel for the average Thai who seems as a resilient and flexible as on old leather bag. No sooner has one disaster come and gone, but another floats along like an abandoned Styrofoam tray.
Tom Tuohy's Tag Cloud
Previous Articles
- 4th July 2011: Here’s looking at you kid
- 1st June 2011: From the Middle Way to the Middle East
- 1st April 2011: Thailand’s new marriage laws
- 4th March 2011: Mr. and Mrs.
- 31st January 2011: How well do you know your Thai spouse?
- 2nd January 2011: A longing to belong?
- 7th December 2010: The students are revolting
- 29th October 2010: Professional development
- 3rd September 2010: Taking responsibility - Mai mee rapitchorp!
- 30th July 2010: Skirting around the problem
- 6th July 2010: Two heads are better than one (sometimes)
- 1st June 2010: Breaking news or broken news?
- 2nd May 2010: Native vs non-native speaking teachers
- 28th March 2010: Self improvement in Thailand
- 3rd March 2010: Government initiated projects in Thailand
- 1st February 2010: The Thai TESOL conference 2010
- 11th January 2010: The domino effect
- 1st December 2009: The maturing of the Thai EFL industry
- 2nd November 2009: Reaching a TurningPoint
- 1st October 2009: Teaching unions
- 1st September 2009: The dreaded teaching observation lesson
- 1st August 2009: EFL Teaching in Thailand (and elsewhere) part two
- 1st July 2009: EFL teaching in Thailand
- 1st June 2009: To queue or not to queue?
- 1st May 2009: Teaching discursive or creative writing
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.
Friends of Ajarn
E-mailing for jobs
E-mailing potential employers in Thailand can be a very frustrating experience. Teacher Chris is on hand to give you some top tips.
Renting an apartment?
Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.
Fun Quiz
Find out how employable you are in Thailand as an English teacher. Is it a case of 'welcome aboard' or "Mom, I need you to send some money again"
The Region Guides
Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.
The cost of living
How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.
Hi, I’m Tony Dabbs
I was a licensed life and health agent in the USA for many years and now I'm ajarn.com's health insurance expert.
Fancy teaching freelance?
How easy is it to cut out the middlemen and rake in the cash teach students at their own homes?




