I am a non-native English speaker from Europe but I've been teaching here in Thailand for five years now and never had a problem with documents and being employed as a legal teacher. But now my school have told me that according to The Ministry of Education website (which I cannot check because the info in question is only available in Thai apparently) - I need to satisfy all of the following requirements.

Firstly I need to show the school a TOEIC score of 600 or a TOEFL score of 550 or an IELTS score of 5.5. I also need to show them a 'self-improvement certificate' from the last academic year (something I have never heard of) and finally, my school have told me that I need to obtain a criminal clearance report from my country of origin. They won't accept a CCR that's been obtained from a police station in Bangkok.

Suddenly, life here has just got ridiculous. I have a degree in architecture. I've done the Thai culture course and obtained the certificate. I have a non-B visa. And I'm registered with the Teachers Council of Thailand and have had a valid work permit for the past five years. Why is teaching here now so problematic?

Ajarn says: Yes, it's a lot of hoops to jump through but have you thought that there is just a slight chance that the school doesn't want to employ you anymore. And rather than tell you to your face, they are just putting these obstacles in the way in an effort to force you to quit. It may not be because they are unhappy with your performance. Perhaps they simply can't afford to employ you anymore or they are looking for a cheaper option and this is their way of saving face. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.

Fozzie

I finally decided that I wanted to get my Thai teacher's license after teaching here for quite a few years. To this end I enrolled in the next "culture course " in Bangkok, paid 5,000 baht and steeled my resolve to get it over with. But not to be. I received an e-mail from the course provider informing me that the course had been postponed indefinitely due to a meeting of the Teachers's Council which was looking at changes to the whole program. I will be informed if and when there is to be a course and what the new requirements will be (No mention of a refund of my 5,000 baht however). Ah well, at least The Ministry of Education gave me another two-year waiver on the basis of my having good intentions as to progressing down the ever lengthening path to registration.

Robert

I retired from my job in the States last year and decided to spend my retirement here in Thailand, teaching Thai people to speak better English among other things. I knew beforehand it would be an uphill battle. I have spent 4 years of my life here, plus another 11 working at a Thai church near my home in the San Diego area, so I was well aware of the difficulties Thai people have with our language. In fact, most of the few Thai people I know who speak it fluently have a very heavy Thai accent.

This is in large measure because the two languages, Thai and English, come from two entirely different language families. A glance at the Wikipedia map of language families tells the story. English is a member of the Indo-European language family. Thai is a member of the Tai-Kadai family. I further like to point out to those interested that there are 100 million speakers of Tai-Kadai family, with probably 70 million of those speaking Thai. That may seem like a lot, but considering that there are now 7 billion people in the world, it means that only 1% of the world’s population speaks Thai. I therefore try to impress on my students (or whoever wants to listen) that they are fine as long as they stay here. But if they ever entertain any thoughts of traveling abroad, they need to expand their horizons and become at least semi-proficient in English.

Because the two languages are from different families, the sounds they make are different, the vocabulary is very different, the grammar is different and the way we say things are different. In my life I have studied three other Indo-European languages and Thai, and by far the hardest for me to learn is Thai. But I am convinced that English must be even harder for Thai people to learn than Thai is for me.

I have come to the conclusion that there are only four possible ways for Thai people to become proficient at English (if you can think of any others, please enlighten):
1. They have the privilege of studying abroad in an English-speaking nation.
2. They have close, regular contact with English-speaking foreigners for an extended period of time.
3. They have a very high aptitude for learning languages.
4. Through sheer determination and willpower, they decide they are going to learn English, no matter what blood, sweat and tears it requires of them.

Since those in category 3 are a rare breed indeed, and in Thailand those in category 4 may be even rarer, we are left with 1 and 2. Category 1 is largely reserved with those that have sufficient financial resources. That leaves only category 2 as the only one we can really remedy in the short term.

With this in mind, I want to address the recent article in the Bangkok Post concerning a 10,000 Baht per month subsidy that the Thai government will pay out per head for foreign NES teachers at the Thai schools. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/284237/schools-get-foreigner-subsidy While this is definitely a positive development, there are three scenarios as I see it that it can play out:

1. It will result in an increase in teacher salaries, designed to retain quality teachers here, vice having them go elsewhere abroad. While Thailand is a wonderful place to visit/live, the cold, hard fact is that nobody is going to get rich over here teaching English. My oldest son has been teaching English in Japan for five years now and he probably pulls in three times the salary I get here. In checking TEFL salaries in other countries I have found that Korea and Taiwan are not far behind Japan. Thailand is way behind, maybe in the caboose of the TEFL train or at least close to it here in the Far East. Nevertheless, an increase in teacher salaries is the least likely way I see the subsidy being used.

There are also things in this country that make it less attractive to TEFL teachers. Most notably is the tremendous amount of red tape that you have to go through to stay in the country. Between the visas, work permits, teaching licenses, Thai cultural lessons, etc. it’s enough to put the best of us off. If Thailand really wants to retain good, quality teachers, relaxing those restrictions would go a long way. I understand the reasoning for checking teachers’ credentials to make sure they are qualified, but once this is done, why is it still so difficult, costly and time-consuming?

Finally, increasing the salaries of foreign teachers is sure to correspondingly increase resentment between the Thai and foreign staff of schools. While I don’t see this at the university I work at, from what I understand it can be a real problem at other schools, particularly when the foreign teachers don’t take the time to learn Thai and thus there is the communication barrier as well.

2. A second method that the subsidy could be paid out is an increase in the number of foreign staff per school. This is really the one that makes the most sense, and the one by which the kids at the schools will win the most. More foreign teachers means more teacher –student contact and thus smaller class size. It also means less of a workload for teachers. Also, the more foreign warm bodies that occupy a school during learning hours means that much more money from the subsidy they collect.

3. The final way the subsidy money may be spent is the school merely pockets the money and uses it for other purposes, such as on administrative salaries. Nothing really gets passed on to the kids or foreign teachers. Regrettably, knowing Thailand as I do, this seems to be the most likely scenario.

How the actual money is spent is probably will not be all in one of the ways, but a combination of all three. I would think that out of each 10,000 Baht subsidy paid out, it might average out this way:

2000 – Increased Teacher Salaries
3000 – Increase in Foreign Staff
5000 – Other School Expenses/Payouts

Much as I would like to see it split evenly, 5000-5000 for the first two, it probably won’t. That’s how I see it coming down. Again, if you see it differently or can think of other ways the subsidy will be spent, I would be interested in hearing.

Cliff

For years, I have literally trusted this site when it comes to"teaching jobs". When I arrived in Thailand in 2005, this was the very first thing my friends recommended to me in order to find a teaching job. It wasn't easy at all because the competition between Filipinos and Caucasians is tough. I still believe it up to now. Fortunately, I was hired by a private school after a month of searching but not through Ajarn though. It was nice and cool during my early years. Most of us stayed. Some (farangs) have quit and moved to other schools or gone home. I have learned to speak a bit of basic Thai language, learned to deal with their customs and traditions, etc.

I recently decided to find a school in Bangkok for a change of scenery but most available teaching jobs start at a salary of fifteen thousand. I cannot accept that. I am a certified teacher with valid qualifications in teaching English but I am teaching science at Mattayom level. I am now receiving a healthy salary. But if in case I would be hired by another school, I would appreciate a twenty thousand baht starting salary.

So what is this all about trusting Ajarn?

I received a message from a Mrs. Mary Lee, who emailed me four days ago. She was hiring me as a nanny in the UK with the promise of a brilliant salary. We exchanged emails but I asked her questions like "how did she knew my email and where did she find me? Her reply was that she found me in Ajarn. After five days of emailing each other confirming me that she wanted to hire me, I provided her my name and mobile number. It was a horror to receive the promised contract who then changed her name to "Janet". I did not reply or did not even bother to confront her. I simply called her a bastard.

My question to Ajarn is this - how can outsiders like this scam artist email me if its true she found me here? Are emails of your featured teachers safe? Or was she only using this name knowing there are lots of Asian looking for a teaching job? It is so frustrating that some people can have time to fool others like spreading emails to every single individual just to make money perhaps, or may I call it a new style of scamming. She mentioned I should pay 30% of my expenses. If you feel that my message to you would not alert people of this kind of scamming then ignore this. But I suggest that you take precautions in keeping us all safe as job seekers and be at least guarded on being scammed using Ajarn as their information board of knowing people.

Thank you for your time and may this also help Ajarn.

Philip / ajarn.com replies
Dear Anna, I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience using the ajarn.com resume database. I know exactly when you were contacted by the mysterious Mary Lee. In fact, you were not alone. Mary Lee contacted exactly 100 people who were displaying their resumes on ajarn.com and the scammer was able to look at resumes and teacher contact details by using a stolen credit card. Unfortunately the mysterious Mary Lee logged into the ajarn.com system at about 11.30pm on the night in question and looked at resumes throughout the night. There is absolutely nothing we can do in this situation because not to put a finer point on things - the ajarn.com webmasters are in bed. When I logged on to the ajarn.com system at about 6.00am the following morning, the damage had already done and I could see that the scammer had been looking at resumes and seemed to be targeting both Filipino and African teachers.

Unfortunately stolen credit cards, which are then used to buy online services, represent the dark side of the internet. We have on average about six instances a year when someone tries to use a stolen credit card on ajarn.com and it is always for the purposes you describe in your letter - the offer of a lucrative but bogus job abroad. Nannying in the UK is a prime example of a job title that the scammers use. Usually, the scammers try these tricks during Thailand business hours (Malaysia seems to be a hotbed of stolen credit card fraud for some strange reason) and because either myself or my ajarn.com partner is tracking things on the site, we can close the person's account and inform the bank immediately. But not at 11.30pm we can't. I'm sorry.

In ajarn.com's defence, we do already have at least one article on the website describing this particular teacher scam in detail. In fact, google anything associated with 'nannying in the UK scam' and good information is never far away. And it's often Filipinos that are targeted. Actually, I'm quite surprised that you even contemplated such a job offer, moreover, that you entered into a period of communication with what was clearly a scammer. Remember the old adage - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Thank you for bringing the matter to our attention.

Anna

For once in my life I can use "I know what you mean" literally. I am a male South African (coloured) and I teach in a smaller province in Thailand. I have been teaching for about 7 months and apart from frustrations here and there, I can say that I genuinely enjoy it. My hair is fairly long and naturally wavy so I had it chemically straightened in Bangkok and since then everyone seems to think I’m Thai. Thais tend to think that everyone in South Africa has black skin.

I came to Thailand with my girlfriend and within two weeks we both had a job in the same school - quite fortunate, I know. Neither of us have degrees, but we have TESOL certs and various tertiary qualifications. The process of getting the job was a little strange or different to what I'm used to. We both applied for the same job posts that we found online and many of these applications required a picture. My girlfriend got quick replies and I hardly got any or was told that I would be 'kept in mind' for future positions.

I started wondering why there was such an instant desire for her over me when there isn't much difference when it comes to our CVs. We are both 20, we both have tertiary qualifications, TESOL certificates, the same teaching practice ( when I say the same , I mean identical in terms of students and amount of hours ) and our passports and visas are identical with dates. I was new to Thailand and didn't know much about the culture, but I suddenly realized that my girlfriend was preferred over me because she is Caucasian.

Anyway, after taking some time to think about what we were going to do, we received a phone call from a British employer stating that we are in luck. A school in a smaller province needed two English teachers and we fit the profile. He said that we basically had the job secured and just needed to come in for the paperwork. We went to the offices and all our paperwork was photocopied and we filled out a form with very minimal details required. My girlfriend was then asked into the Thai manager's office for an 'interview'. Things felt a little odd - I realized this was in fact an agency and the British guy was just a recruiter. Now his story changed a little, he said that the school will just need to interview us but he was sure that we have the job. My girlfriend was out of the manager's office in two minutes and that was it. I wasn't 'interviewed' and now we just had to go to the school on Monday morning for the interview.

At first the school didn’t want to hire us because we didn’t have degrees even though the agency pretty much ‘promised’ us the job. Seven months have passed and I haven’t had any major issues. I do however notice the photo thing Xandra mentions on a regular basis. I teach upper primary grades and my girlfriend the lower grades. When it comes to private tutoring, they always ask my girlfriend. We have the same accents and knowledge but they have literally stated before that they want a white female tutor. Sometimes my girlfriend tells the parents (of older students) that I’m better suited to tutor them as I teach the upper grades but then they become awkward.

Skin colour is a huge part of Thai culture and it’s not going to change anytime soon.

Mr B

I just read the letter from Xandra and agree 100%. I am a caucasian teacher and I am married to a black African. My husband does not teach but I have heard of many African teachers that have trouble getting jobs. Some school directors have a policy to just not hire blacks (although they won't state this publicly). My husband has had to do a few Cambodian visa runs since arriving. In short, because he is African he was charged close to $1000 each time and treated like garbage (he's certainly not the only one, this is standard). The visa and applicable fees should not have been any more than $120. I have seen first hand that many Thais generally dislike blacks although they are not agressive about it. I am only making the comment because this issue has caused us to burn through all of our savings and had we realized earlier we would not have moved to Thailand at all. Teachers be aware.

Ms. Martey

I am a female teacher from South Africa. I am a person of colour (or coloured) in my country. I do not have a degree in any field - only a diploma. When doing my TEFL course and doing research on the internet, people painted a picture of how easy it would be to find a teaching job in Thailand. This however does not appear to be the case.

I was fortunate to get my first job through a referral and I came to work in the province of Phichit in June 2011. Here I teach grade one and I enjoy it tremendously. This province has hardly any foreigners and there is simply nothing to do and no real attractions. But I like it all the same.

The only foreigners here seem to be Western men married to Thai women and Filipinos. When I arrived at the school there were only two foreign teachers - both male. Shortly afterwards, a female foreign teacher arrived but she left after two months along with one of the male teachers. Those two teachers were then replaced with two more female teachers. One of the female teacher’s boyfriends came to teach at the high school as well.

So in total we were now five foreign teachers, four white and me the only colored teacher. I started to notice odd behaviour from the school staff and so did the foreigners. The white teachers were always asked to be in photographs and were asked to introduce themselves to important people whenever the school had activities.

The Filipinos were also treated civilly. After speaking with some Thais I was put in the picture about skin color and the fact that it indicates your wealth or standing in society. A person working in the fields would be dark because of having to work outside all day. The person with a fairer complexion or white skin would have a better job such as working in an office. This I understand but as a foreigner I did not expect to be treated any differently from the white, blond-haired, blue-eyed teacher.

I have spoken to other colored teachers from South Africa and they have shared similar experiences. In short, we do not seem to be favored. This is a difficult situation to accept because we come from a country that had apartheid for many years. Many of us grew up during the time that changes happened and we were never victims. Now we arrive in a country where we seem to be shunned. The agencies often do not have a problem with us but the school wants white teachers. It’s as simple as that.

Secondly, as I have said, I do not have a degree and have difficulty finding a job without an agent. Agents have even suggested faking a degree - something that does not sit well with me. Many jobs on the internet also ask for degrees. I take the opportunity to apply but I am yet to receive a job offer from an application.

How is teaching during your gap year possible when you do not have a degree? How is it possible to get a teaching position in a province that you want to live in?

Xandra Martin

Most teachers who have spent time in Korea regard it as a “cash cow” and an excellent opportunity to pay off any existing student loans. It is also a “cash cow” for Koreans who continue to establish their brands globally. They prefer to keep teachers and even have a severance package as a safety net. Korean teachers get paid well and have healthy work hours resulting in normal work relations with foreigners. A degree is enough in Korea.

Korea’s success involves more than students who learn how to communicate in another language but who can also learn what might appeal to other cultures. The success of Samsung, LG and Kia are directly related to been able to communicate and as a result they have emerged as global brands. In terms of changing a cultural outlook—when Samsung makes commercials with Ozzy Osborne in order to sell phones (no pun intended) then obviously their way of thinking has changed in order to control more of the market share in media and communication. It is now Nokia who? And Blackberry is quickly on the demise.

When Japan started recruiting English teachers they became the first country to be able to establish brands globally and part of this emergence directly involved communication and cultural change. Being able to understand and predict what another culture wants and needs when you are capable of making good products is a successful formula. Japan has been making many better products than America for years.

Over the last decade, Japan has gotten cheap--removing good secure teaching jobs, replacing them with low paying part time positions. Then greed surfaced as full time jobs disappeared and teachers worked miserably through agencies, which eventually bankrupted, resulting in many teachers going to other countries—especially Korea. Japan now has a reputation of not being a country to work in as a teacher. Korea on the other hand has a great reputation and continues to gain more of the Asian global market export share.

China has large economic growth in demand for “outsourcing products” from western companies and expansion of global markets. Realizing the demand for English and communication as a necessity, well-paid teaching positions are also emerging in order to prepare a generation for change. The future looks promising. A degree is enough in China.

The same may be said for Vietnam. They are quickly developing and acquiring more share of a global market in manufacturing and it is just a matter of time when brands develop. They are also a country recruiting teachers and paying them fairly well.

Singapore has been speaking English since the colonial days but they have still failed to establish their brands globally. Only their airline is a well-known brand. This seems odd when it is a huge area for trade. It seems safe to say that just speaking English is not enough, one has to change certain things culturally as well—this is hard to define because how do you explain Samsung’s decision to get Ozzy to market their cell phones?

It seems safe to say that the country that keeps teachers and pays them well benefits in the long run. Those that don’t, lose them and carry the stigma of being an undesirable place to work. This has lasting affects on economic growth.

Dr. Morgan Rodder

This is a follow-up from a post I made late last year regarding a school in rural Nakhonsawan, where I informed the readers of my surprise at landing a job in a 'normal' school and how the school itself and the staff seemed nice and human. However, at the end of my post I did leave room to doubt my findings. And lo and behold they proved me right to doubt their good intentions. After several teachers asked me to stay at the school for several years and how they were so happy with what was being done there, I set my mind to do just that. They did inform me however that my salary would have to drop by 5,000bt.

After giving it lots of deep thought, I accepted the situation. Now it's that time when we have to renew our contract and after many staff meetings and lots of deliberation, I was handed a new contract in which not only did they want to cut my salary but they didn't want to pay me for school breaks. Meaning for three months of the year I would have to hibernate like a bear. To be honest I'm not shocked at the way the Thais treat other nationalities. I, like everyone else, hear and read this sort of thing most weeks. You know boys and girls out there in this land of smiles, there is an old saying. If someone tells you you look sick and to go see a doctor, don't take much notice. But if seven people tell you you look sick, go to the hospital.

Mr. Russell Park

I work at a private school in Bangkok that was severely damaged by the flood. I am happy to say that all teachers, both foreign and Thai, were paid their full salaries during the disaster. I make 45k per month which is a bit higher than average at my school. I work as a high school science teacher and even make a little more money coaching after school sports. Of course my school is not perfect. We have poor communication between the administration office and teachers at times, non-existent consequences for poor student behavior, and a policy that every student passes the class regardless of their actual grade (promotes laziness!) However, I love teaching the subject I teach and I have some really amazing students. All in all, I love my job and love living in Thailand.

Dizzy Dean