TAG : Thai Poverty

The woman of the world

Jane Doe and our true responsibilities as teachers

In Blogs: Steve Schertzer - 1st June 2009

I am looking for a school where I can make a positive difference in the lives of my students. That's what I've been trying to do for years. That's what every dedicated and committed teacher strives to do.

Tags: thai culture thai attitudes thai poverty prostitution thailand sex industry thai women

Safe as houses

Why the global economic crisis probably won’t hit Isaan

In Blogs: Geoff Richards - 1st April 2009

Isaan is the least touristed area of the country so a drop in overall visitor figures to Thailand won’t really make an impact on the local economy.

Tags: thai culture thai society thai lifestyle isaan economic problems thai poverty financial crisis

All about Isaan folk

What keeps them smiling exactly

In Blogs: Geoff Richards - 26th February 2009

What are Isaan folk like to work with? There are always going to be exceptions and I have worked with one scallywag outfit myself. But, on the whole, people here don’t go in for back stabbing or office politics. In my office we speak a mixture of English, Thai and Chinese and we always have a good laugh.

Tags: thai culture thai society thai characteristics isaan thai provincial towns thai poverty rural thailand thai-chinese isaan people

Goodbye 2007, Welcome 2008

So what happened exactly? And what will happen next?

In Blogs: Phil Roeland - 1st January 2008

Many Thais had the impression that, economically, 2007 was a bad year. Although Thailand lagged behind most other ASEAN countries in terms of growth, the country’s economy still grew by about 4 per cent. I suspect the people’s unfavourable impression was especially fuelled by rising oil prices and the realisation that the government wouldn’t keep bailing out its gas-guzzling citizens and industries any longer.

Tags: travelling in thailand thai poverty political issues songkran nova language school global economy nova situation koh chang

Why don’t we ever learn?

ESL teachers, bar girls and the sex industry

In Blogs: Steve Schertzer - 1st June 2005

I hoped that I would never feel the need to write about bar girls or the sex industry, but these two stories stood out for the simple reason that both of them involved ESL teachers living and teaching in Bangkok.

Tags: thai society teaching in bangkok teacher scandals thai poverty professionalism prostitution patpong newspaper articles bargirls sex offenders

No fries with that!

Teachers as mentors and heroes (part two)

In Blogs: Steve Schertzer - 1st April 2005

As we ESL teachers and TESOL providers--- especially those teaching in financially impoverished countries--- strive to help others to financially improve their "lot in life", are we not, at the same time, helping to turn them into the same capitalist and consumerist pigs that have now permeated Japan, South Korea, and other developed countries?

Tags: teaching in thailand thai culture living in bangkok culture thai poverty xenophobia climate imperialism thai salaries thailand minimum wage