Is a foreign teacher allowed to hit children?

last updated 16th July 2009

This is a question we’ve had come up a few times on the ajarn discussion forum. Having never worked in the Thai school system, I can’t offer a personal observation but it seems from reading other teachers points of view that it’s a case of one rule for Thai teachers and one rule for the farangs - that is to say the Thai chalkies can smack the hell out of their own kind but foreign teachers must leave well alone unless they fancy getting hauled up in front of some teacher/parent committee.

View all Jobs »
TEFL and TESOL Training Courses
View all Resumes »
Schools that need Teachers

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.