I don’t want to learn!
The biggest teaching hurdle: motivation
Motivation in the classroom, both from the teachers and the students, is essential for learning but it is a tricky balance to strike since the two are so interconnected; if the teacher loses motivation, so do the students and if the students lose motivation, so does the teacher.
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.
Handling a ‘sanook’ class
How to handle a classroom full of badly-behaved children
Success in handling naughty students calls for common sense, creativity and resourcefulness on the part of teachers. Furthermore, a lot of reasons that trigger students’ behavior have to be addressed too, for if they are not, problems will surface
Teaching tips
What to do and what not to do in the EFL classroom
Regular ajarn contributor Tim Cornwall is back with more tips and techniques for both experienced and inexperienced teachers alike from smiling to laying down class rules and from teacher movement to setting up activities.
Interviewing Foreigners
Being interviewed in the street by English students
Taking to the streets and talking to complete strangers is something no Thai student would do out of their own volition. It is clear that most – if not all of them – do it because their English teacher imposed it as a mandatory assignment.
A Thai student’s diary
What it feels like to be a Thai student studying English in school
A foreign teacher contacted ajarn wanting to share a diary that one of his English program students had written. Although the student is only a youngster, the diary is a very frank account of what it's like to study at a Thai school. Top work!
Heaven and Hell
Tips for teaching kids
Don’t think teaching kids is easy, it’s not. Tie everything down that’s yours. Keep it in your pocket, your bag, briefcase, socks, travel pouch, wherever. Learn to enjoy singing.
Negative expectations
And their role in language learning
My turn as an agony aunt for the masses. Compassion is just one of my many virtues.
Featured Teachers
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Martin
Certificate (1), BA (1)
Dutch (male, 33 years old, native Dutch speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Amanda
Certificate (3), BA (1)
American (female, 26 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Derren
Certificate (1)
British (male, 39 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Christophe
Diploma (1)
British (male, 31 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Cassandra
Diploma (1), Certificate (1)
British (female, 24 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Dandel Mar
Diploma (2), MA (1), BA (1)
Filippino (male, 31 years old, native Tagalog speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Stephen
BA (1), Certificate (1)
British (male, 57 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Alexander
Diploma (2), Certificate (1), BA (1)
Filippino (male, 29 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Anthony
Certificate (2), Diploma (1)
British (male, 40 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Pierre
Diploma (1)
South African (male, 36 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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.
Most recently answered question:
Are there any teaching agencies in Bangkok that I can just walk into?
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
Renting an apartment?
Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.
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.
The cost of living
How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.
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.
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.
Fancy teaching freelance?
How easy is it to cut out the middlemen and rake in the cash teach students at their own homes?
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"
