Native vs non-native speaking teachers

Who would you employ?

2nd May 2010

If you were a language school owner, who would you rather employ – a non native speaker with experience and good qualifications at 30,000 baht, or a native speaker with little or no experience and no formal qualifications at 40,000 baht?

Live in the East: Work in the West

opportunities in on-line education

24th April 2010

What if one could have it both ways? Work in the West, live in the East. Get paid developed economy wages while spending on developing economy prices. Is this possible?

The new possibility of getting a teacher licence upcountry

Sent in by John Penney

11th March 2010

Recently I inquired whether Ramkamhaeng would be willing to offer their weekend progam in Khon Kaen if there were sufficient numbers. Their response was yes, they will do it if we can find 14 people willing to commit.

Why the difficulty?

Sent in by billy

11th January 2010

Why is it suddenly so difficult to become a teacher in Thailand?

Is it doom or gloom?

Is Thailand's TEFL market going to hell in a handbasket?

14th December 2009

Job vacancies seem to be down on this time last year and we're hearing stories of some government schools slashing budgets and not being able to take on foreign teachers next term. In addition the corporate job market seems to have hit rock bottom. What do you teachers think?

Scam warning

Here's a well-used teacher scam that's doing the rounds.

2nd December 2009

Be careful. The world is full of teacher scams like this one. If you hear of any more then please let us know about them.

If you’re white, you’re alright

Sent in by Spectre

24th October 2009

I stopped attaching my picture to my applications and instantly started receiving more responses.

My tango with Tony the Tarantula

Dodging the TEFL scammers

2nd September 2009

There will always be people like Tony, or worse, in this industry. Just as there will always be hordes of backpacking sex-tourists posing as English teachers. This industry, like any other, is obsessed with money and power.

Those crazy interviewees

A tongue-in-cheek look at some rather eccentric teachers

20th August 2009

I’ve always been wary of religious types. Let me be the last man to begrudge anyone the right to have a faith but there’s a time and a place. Sunday morning in church springs instantly to mind. But if I ever saw the name ‘Jesus’ written on a lesson plan I would subconsciously file the teacher under ‘one to keep an eye on’.

African Americans in Thailand

Sent in by Rae

13th August 2009

I just want to say that prejudice is everywhere and some whites who traveled before me had definitely tried to pollute the waters and some, I know for certain, actively campaigned against hiring African American teachers.

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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.

Ajarn Competitions

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.