Thailand is just doing what Korea did

These complaints about the Ministry of Education's changes to teacher requirements remind me of my early teaching years in Korea, when Korea started cleaning things in their ESL education environment, weeding out those who just didn't make the cut that Korea had established for itself. Lots of moaning and high horse I-know-betterism from the underqualified who Korea just didn't want teaching in their country any longer.

Korea held firm and now they've reached the higher level they set for themselves.

I lived and taught in Korea when it was under military rule (Chun Doo Hwan, Noh Tae Woo (nominally "the first democratically elected president"). Saw the nation develop to a regular, predictable democratically elected government. No matter who was in charge though, Korea just kept on rolling.

And for sincere expat teachers, nothing but regulation here and a rule there changed. The sincere ones accepted that it was what Korea wanted and adapted accordingly. The losers got weeded out.

After three decades teaching at universities in Korea, I now teach in Thailand at elementary school level in a kind of retirement. I've been here four years and find the country a wonderful place to live and teach. Yes, there are a lot of paper work hoops to go through, but it is what Thailand wants and I adapt accordingly.

The raising of standards doesn't impact me as I'm fully qualified. I support Thailand's goals to improve the quality of the foreign teacher pool. And I would even if I weren't "fully qualified" and had to get additional education to be so.

There will be bumps in the road, but Thailand has set itself on that road and doesn't intend to stay put in the status quo. At each bump, it'll shake off those teachers whose tenuous qualifications didn't give them a firm grip on a career in teaching in Thailand anyway.

Thailand's effort in this regard did not start with the present government. It has been in the making for years, across three governments at least and it reflects an overall trend in ESL education in Asia.

Ben


Read more letters

Send your letter to Ajarn.com



Featured Jobs

K1 Homeroom Teacher

฿58,000+ / month

Chiang Mai


Full-time NES Teachers

฿47,500+ / month

Bangkok


Fun Native English Teachers for June Start

฿42,000+ / month

Thailand


English Teachers for June Start

฿35,000+ / month

Suphan Buri


English Teachers for June Start

฿35,000+ / month

Thailand


English Teacher for Public School

฿50,000+ / month

Pathum Thani


Featured Teachers

  • Matthew


    American, 55 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Zoren


    Filipino, 23 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Jay-ar


    Filipino, 34 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Angelito


    Filipino, 25 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Bo


    Irish, 33 years old. Currently living in Ireland

  • Ekaterina


    Russian, 22 years old. Currently living in Russian Federation

The Hot Spot


Will I find work in Thailand?

Will I find work in Thailand?

It's one of the most common questions we get e-mailed to us. So find out exactly where you stand.


The dreaded demo

The dreaded demo

Many schools ask for demo lessons before they hire. What should you the teacher be aware of?


Need Thailand insurance?

Need Thailand insurance?

Have a question about health or travel insurance in Thailand? Ricky Batten from Pacific Prime is Ajarn's resident expert.


Contributions welcome

Contributions welcome

If you like visiting ajarn.com and reading the content, why not get involved yourself and keep us up to date?


Teacher mistakes

Teacher mistakes

What are the most common mistakes that teachers make when they are about to embark on a teaching career in Thailand? We've got them all covered.


Can you hear me OK?

Can you hear me OK?

In today's modern world, the on-line interview is becoming more and more popular. How do you prepare for it?


Renting an apartment?

Renting an apartment?

Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.