Low wages

Sent in by Marcus

8th May 2011

A three to six month training course is not closely equivalant to the years of sacrifice and study it takes to receive a degree in education. Although it may be enough to find work in a developing country, it is not recognised, and I believe one would be far pressed to find employment, in a native English speaking country.

Enough of those crappy job ads

Sent in by Max

6th May 2011

Please stop accepting these ads to help force these schools and thieving agencies to pay a liveable wage

A very bad day indeed

Today was one of the most unpleasant in my four years plus of teaching

1st December 2007

My problem was discipline. You see, I've been teaching for over four years and until today I had only received two complaints.

An extremely unpleasant teaching day

Today was one of the most unpleasant in my four years plus of teaching.

1st December 2007

How does a foreign teacher discipline unruly teenagers and stop them spoiling the class? What are some of the golden rules you should always keep in mind to make sure you stay on the right side of the school owner....and the law?

Nova no more

The collapse of a colossal language school

1st November 2007

Trouble has been brewing for a while. It's hard to designate any one point in time as being the beginning of the end. For that matter the first day of Nova operations could have been the beginning of the end much in the same way that a person is born only to follow a path leading inexorably toward death

You are the solution

what foreign teachers don't want to hear

1st August 2007

Many foreign teachers forget that they're not in Kansas anymore, and demand that their hosts adapt to them rather than trying to find a middle-ground where a reasonable compromise can be reached. If many foreign teachers are the problem, (and they are), then they are also the solution.

TEFL’s number one enemy

Losers to the right of me, morons to my left

1st July 2007

There are many successful teachers here in Korea and elsewhere. I have been lucky enough to work with many great teachers. But they are a rare breed, indeed. Successful teachers don't allow the system to beat them down. They rise up to answer the call again and again.

Thai news

It's funnier than comedy

1st November 2006

Latest news before this article goes online: the government will agree to compromise and raise the age for buying alcohol to 20, instead of the planned 25. Cheers!

Caring or kinky?

Corporal punishment in public schools

1st June 2006

According to studies and surveys, neither the majority of teachers, parents, nor students are against corporal punishment in school. In fact, an overwhelming majority are for it and see very little, if anything wrong with it, as long as it is meted out "fairly."

Teachers and learners as one

towards a new theology of TEFL

1st January 2006

What if God was in our classrooms observing our teaching? Would that change the way we teach? Should it? I've been thinking about this lately. Even a non-believer like me. I would like to think that we would teach better if God were watching us. Would we come to class more prepared? Would we be more compassionate, more caring?

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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.