For teachers who feel that they’ve been given a raw deal by an employer in Thailand, there is now a website on which to air their grievances and get things off their chest. teflwatch was launched in mid-January 2006 and is the brainchild of a gentleman who goes by the name of Rico. Ajarn.com tracked down the man at the helm and he outlined his visions for this new and much-needed website.

Martin Walsh is the man behind the very successful Dragonfly operation. He currently has two major projects going – one is placing volunteer teachers in remote village schools and the other is fund-raising for tsunami orphans. Worth a chat I think.

In what has become known as 'The Nonthaburi Project', the government has taken up the challenge of employing 250 teachers (or thereabouts) and placing them in Thai schools in the Nonthaburi area. A lot of confusion has arisen over certain aspects of the scheme but we are privileged to have Adam Marshall join us for an ajarn.com hot seat, and attempt to put the record straight.

Malaysia is a country that's so near to Thailand and yet doesn't seem to attract EFL teachers in any great number. Next up in the ajarn.com hot seat is John Killane. He knows what Malaysia is all about having worked there three times in fact. In addition, he's done stints in Morocco with the British Council and held rather an interesting position with a Thai multinational.

Now listen to this for a roller-coaster ride of an EFL career. He started off teaching private students in Thailand in the early 90s. Then he packed the teaching game in. Then he got back into it. Now he's earning the big bucks out in Abu Dhabi. Take it away Dave Carter.

The 31st of March 2006 will be something of a monumental occasion in the Bangkok TEFL business. Mr Michael, the near legendary Academic Director of Siam Computer and Language, has decided to finally call it a day and leave the responsibilities of running one of Bangkok’s biggest private language school chains to a slightly younger man. In the hands of a more energetic man? – I very much doubt it. We caught up with Mr Michael before he headed off to a life of gardening and fishing.

One of the largest groups of teachers currently plying their trade in Thailand are undoubtedly the Filipinos. The ajarn hot seat welcomes Vincente Morantes to champion the cause and hopefully provide some answers as to why Filipinos sometimes seem to get a raw deal from language schools and institutes here.

Rob Lee spent a total of two years teaching in Bangkok. In his early thirties, Rob felt that although Thailand often seemed like paradise on earth, the failure to secure any kind of long-term security constantly nagged at him. He's now teaching in Spain but hopes to return someday to the Land of Smiles.

Hot-seat candidates often send me a bit of background about themselves so I can get an angle on the questions. When Garry Hargreaves got in touch, his first words were – “I warn you – I’ve done a lot”. And he wasn’t far wrong either. After reading a brief account of his life in Thailand, I had to go and have a lie down. Thankfully I’ve recovered enough to put the usual fifteen questions together.

Someone once told Danny Stewart that anyone who teaches EFL for more than 5 years must have some psychological problems. Well, he’s been here for eight years – all of them in deepest Ratchaburi. He’s taught at both a commercial school and a Rajabhat college.