The Youtube battle is over
The Youtube battle has reached closure but with no winners
A user with a Thai sounding name from America posted a bad, offensive and crudely edited video that was highly insulting to Thailand's king. Thailand's MICT (Ministry for Information and Communication Technology) immediately blocked the site and demanded youtube remove the clip.
Belated April fool’s jokes
Humorous Thai news stories
You'll find it hard to believe but these stories - taken from Thai newspapers - are genuinely true. You just couldn't write the script!
Thai news
It's funnier than comedy
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!
The end (sort of)
Reflections on a last decade
It has been a long and interesting decade. When I applied for my first passport I was still living in a car. I imagined that an overseas teaching job might get me off the streets. I ended up teaching homeless and illiterate Americans instead as an VISTA volunteer. This is how I acquired the taste for classrooms.
Rote learning and Thai schooling
Improving student language skills
To improve Thai-language skills amongst youngsters, Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng plans to cut rote learning and introduce more reading and writing. Mr. Chaturon said Thai-language teaching needed to undergo a radical change since children were not good at their mother tongue.
Featured Teachers
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Christophe
Diploma (1)
British (male, 31 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.
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Gladys Mee
Certificate (1), BA (1)
Filippino (female, 21 years old, native Cebuano speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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K-f
BA (1), Certificate (1)
German (male, 52 years old, native German speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Kirk
Certificate (2)
American (male, 38 years old, native English speaker). Currently living in Thailand.
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Ma. Esther
Certificate (1)
Filippino (female, 24 years old, native Tagalog 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.
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
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.
Renting an apartment?
Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.
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.
Fancy teaching freelance?
How easy is it to cut out the middlemen and rake in the cash teach students at their own homes?
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.
The cost of living
How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.
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"
