Even Playing Field

Sent in by Keith

30th November 2011

I bet you that during the floods the Thai teaching staff still got paid. Yes, that’s right, double standards! For the record any Thai citizen can pay into the social security fund, and not just the civil servants.

The chalkies need a real change

Sent in by Mr Grumpy

15th November 2011

Nothing can prepare the foreign teacher for the employee-to-management-to-admin staff life. Dealing with these matters can drive the most experienced teachers up the wall and can turn a normally friendly teacher into a paranoid wreck!

Thai English teachers from Hell

Sent in by Keith Evans

2nd July 2011

I started teaching at the school in the Chaiyaphum Province about two months ago. Everything seemed to be OK at first. The students were polite and the Thai teaching staff were friendly.

Student failings and blame

Sent in by Phetpeter

27th January 2011

My stuggle is always the time I have to spend with each class and find my English only lessons are undermined by other imported teachers who will use more Thai in class then English when the previous year I taught them using English only

Why?

Standing up for the teaching profession, and the complicity of silence.

10th January 2011

“Someone wrote on your blog that you are 'dangerous'. I say you are a neurotic loose canon and a liability for a school, working with children”

Concerning plagiarism and copying

Sent in by Ralph Sasser

2nd August 2010

Plagiarism has been a problem here as long as I have been here and long before that. I hate to be the barer of bad news, but every teacher I know of has tried to stop it, including myself, with no success.

Bangkok Post Articles

Sent in by Asian Teacher

27th July 2010

Thailand's plunge in education from the Bangkok Post - A teacher's response

Unteaching what the Thai teachers have taught

Sent in by Ralph Sasser

17th July 2010

Let’s look at the reality. Thai teachers do teach grammar and vocabulary, although I don’t see how considering most can’t even speak a coherent sentence in English

Two heads are better than one (sometimes)

some reasons why the education sector in Thailand is so poor

6th July 2010

Some of you may have seen the well-written and interesting article by Sirikul Bunnag in The Bangkok Post recently. It was entitled - "School heads lack English, ICT skills - Poor survey showing surprises authorities"

What do Thai students think of us?

Straight from the horses's mouth

4th November 2008

I wondered if our Thai students really had a true picture of the salaries we earn, the hardships we face, and the hoops we have to jump through? I put ten questions to a range of Thai corporate staff - male, female, single, married with kids. What do they really know? And is there any respect left for the 'ajarn farang'?

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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.

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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.