This is in response to "You give customers what they want - it’s a business" (Postbox 17th March 2011). Comparing the hiring process of Hooters to a school in Thailand is not only illogical but also utterly tasteless. Yes, some schools are businesses, but some are also government schools. They don't need to market or advertise to get more students. There's no profit even if they hire a Hooters waitress as a teacher. You are probably forgetting that education is a basic human right, not a business. That is why there should be no discrimination when it comes to hiring teachers. Yes, I agree that native English speakers should be more "preferred" by schools to teach English, but as long as he/she has the proper teaching credentials and experience, not some dude who used to manage a Hooters franchise. So if there's no luck finding a reputable NES teacher, why not hire a competitive NNES teacher?

Again, if you put "NES Only" and not "NES preferred" then you are limiting yourself to handful of NES applicants, plus a large chunk of unqualified NNES who are too ignorant to understand "NES Only." If you try changing it to "NES Preferred" then you will still get the same amount of NES applicants, same big chunk of ignorant NNES, but this time, with another handful of NNES but competitive enough to teach like a NES.

But will all those emails fill up your inbox? Yes they will. Would it consume your time to go through all of them? Yes it would, and you should. If your job is to choose the right candidate, then choose wisely by going through each and every resume. Why? Because it is the right thing to do.

What is wrong is making a comparison between Hooters and Thai schools. Hooters require big chested ladies because they effectively capture the male market while schools hire teachers, NES or not, as long as you're an effective teacher. Students or parents may demand skin color, but they don't know how to run a school. A school with competitive NNES teachers can be more profitable in the long run than a school with NES teachers that are incompetent.

It may be silly for a Thai school not to place "NES Only" in their job ads, but education is not a silly thing, and if they really want their kids to be educated like the rest of the world, they should start learning how to look beyond skin color.

Sar C. Astic

Dear “job ads are not racist” (Postbox 15th March 2011)
While I appreciate your letter, your example of being discriminated at Hooters for not being a sexy young female is not equitable with my discrimination here. That is the restaurant industry in America and this is education. There is a very big difference between the two. Things are the way they are, but it doesn’t make them OK. You cannot justify the discrimination here by saying it happens everywhere and it is not a big deal. While there is nothing that cannot be changed about the way hiring is done here, it is still wrong.

What I find even more disheartening is comments made like these in the letter from “job ads are not racist” - “If you don’t like it, then go to another company or country where things are just.” I have had people say that to me at job interviews. People who say this to immigrants are cold and callous. It is ironic this statement was said to my father when he was first adjusting to his life in America and now to me as I try and work in Thailand. It is an amazing world isn’t it?
But no matter what situations I encounter here, I still and will always love Thailand.

Multi racial American

Undoubtedly there is racial discrimination in hiring. There is also ageism in hiring, even in the U.S. As an 'over fifty' candidate for teaching positions before I came to Thailand I was a victim of ageism in the U.S. I applied for a position at an International "golden" fast food company in the town where I had lived for twenty years.

I was repeatedly ignored when trying to follow up and then finally rejected when I questioned the hiring managers preferences for younger workers in management. During the interview I was asked, "So, what has you degree done for you lately?" And given the unmistakable impression of his own belief in his (the hiring manager's) self-importance. The position I obtained here in Thailand was based on my experience and the fact that I had all the necessary documents needed on hand during the interview.

I have had a positive experience with my Thailand employer and thank them for respecting my age and experience. The sting of discrimination is disheartening, discouraging. and does not get you the best candidate for the job. Yet, it is the way that many continue to act. Each society must confront itself and change comes at a glacial pace.

Dan

In response the responses to my letter on 16th March (Job ads are not racist) I would like to say that my original letter was regarding whether or not it's okay to put 'native speakers only' need apply. Now, whether or not native speaker is used to mean we do not want black or Asian teachers is another story.

Yes, I know and every one else with experience here knows that schools do not generally want Asian or black teachers. This is because the students will feel like they've been lied to by the school when they were told that a NES would be teaching them. From a business stand point, you give your customers what they want. What the students want is a handsome white man or woman to teach them. No, I think that's unjust, but I also feel it's very unjust that Hooters won't hire me as a waiter. For those of you who don't know, Hooters is a large restaurant chain in America with attractive young females with large chests. Men like to eat there, and drink beer, and chat with the waitresses. I personally find it very sexist that they won't give me a job based solely on the fact that I'm not a young sexy female.

If you really want to get to the core of the issue, it's a religious one. But for those who live in the world today, you just have to accept the fact that businesses hire the people that their customers want them to hire. If you don't like it, then go to another company or country where things are just. For example, in America, no company would dare to ask for a photo with your resume. That would be begging for a lawsuit. So it would be just as silly for Hooters to put in their job advert that all are welcome to apply, as it would be for a Thai school to say the same thing.

Joe Hoeson

Dear job ads are not racist (Postbox 15th March 2011) I do not agree with your letter. I will elaborate. You stated that hiring a native speaker of English has nothing to do with race. It has EVERYTHING to do with race here. I am an American who is half Caucasian and half Asian. I am also a native English speaker with a Bachelor’s Degree and TESOL certificate. I have been called in for several interviews to only be accused of lying about being a native speaker and about being a real American. My partial Asian feature seals my fate the minute I walk through the door. It doesn’t matter that I have all of my original documents such as my American birth certificate, US passport, and American college degree. The only thing they see is that I don’t appear to be their textbook definition of being a native speaker of English - which is someone 100% white. On the other hand, these schools can technically hire whoever they want. If they want white faces, there is nothing that can be done about it. But you can’t say that race has nothing to do with being a native English speaker here.

Multi racial American

In response to Joe Hoeson's 'job ads are not racist' (Postbox 15th March 2011)
NES. What exactly does that mean? Yes yes, I know what the acronym stands for but to whom do you apply it? Knowing your mindset, and that of Thais in general, whites are native speakers and Asians are non natives. Is that not by it's very definition "racism"? Skin color should not be the final determining factor whether a Filipino should or should not be hired. Take my wife for example. Sonia has a master degree in education and she has five years of English (English composition) teaching experience as an adjunct lecturer at a prestigious New York university. Would you hire someone with those qualifications? What if it turns out that Sonia is a dark skinned Filipino?

The bottom line is that Thailand does not adhere to non-discriminatory hiring practices: height, age, attractiveness, overall appearance, and especially skin tone are typically and explicitly considered for any job that requires working with the public (and this applies just as much to the Thais as it does to foreigners, maybe more so). This should be clear to anyone who has been asked to send a photo of themselves along with their résumé, a practice that is entirely illegal in just about all of our respective Western countries. The photo is obviously being required in order to determine if the prospective teacher “looks the part.” But let us not kid ourselves and say that this is not racism and hide behind the label of "NES".

Anonymous

Having been a school owner before, I see nothing racist in saying that I only want native speakers to apply. First of all, this has nothing to do with being black, yellow or white. Native speaker does not mean handsome white man or woman. It simply means some one whose first language is English, and if it's English conversation that you're learning, then there's nothing strange about wanting to learn it from a native speaker.

Secondly, and anyone who has ever posted a job ad on ajarn would know this, even though you may state you are only looking for a native speaker, you will get at least 300 resumes from Filipinos. Also, the fact that they are Filipino will be hidden. So you will actually have to read through the entire resume to finally find out that they are Filipino, and that you have wasted your time reading their resume. It's very frustrating.

Let's say for instance I wanted to open a Tagalog school. I would put out an advertisement for Native Speakers of Tagalog, and not those who are from America and learned it at school and speak it really well. This is not being racist, it's not being prejudice, I just want some one whose first language is Tagalog. And if every time I advertised I received thousands of resumes from Americans who hid the fact that they were American inside a very small part of their resumes, I would want to make sure that the Americans understood that I do not want them to send me resumes.

Joe Hoeson

Two years ago, I saw an ad here on Ajarn.com from a school that was looking for a native English speaker (NES). I was interested in applying for the job but I did not email my resume to them. Instead I applied in person, and got the job, although on a "non-native English speaker" wage. I am still working in the same school, but now I wish to find a new school that can hire and pay me based on my skills rather than my race.

I prefer to apply in person than through email because I am a Filipino. I’m a non-native speaker of English (NNES). Whenever I go to the jobs section of this website, I am saddened (and somewhat irked) by the fact that most of the ads posted are for native English speakers. That makes the job ads service here "somewhat" helpful for people "like" me. Just because I am not Caucasian doesn't mean I am not qualified. For me, that is racism in its purest form.

I landed the job not because I was lucky, but because I have the skills. And my English is even better than some native English speakers (I can spell words correctly without using MS Word's spell checker). I can speak in neutral or American accents even though I haven't set foot in the US. My employer doesn't complain about the way I work. He even seems happy with the results I produce (else he wouldn't say "excellent" all the time). So did the job I applied for two years ago really require an NES? No!

Okay well, some would say they need a NES because it helps the school get more students to enroll, because that is the demand of Thai parents. I think that's plain BS. Why not hire a Caucasian model instead of a teacher? I'm sure Thai parents won't really think that way after they see the results, right? I even heard there was an American (born and raised) who had a hard time looking for work as a teacher just because he looked too "Asian."

Yes, there may also be a lot of non-native English speakers who do not have the skills I have. I even agree that some of my Filipino compatriots pronounce "V's" with "B's," or the have the familiar Filipino accent and wrong grammar. But those traits do not generalize all Filipinos who are looking for work here in Thailand, nor people of other races who are also non-native English speakers.

So this letter is for employers who post their job ads here on Ajarn.com. I hope that you will consider "some" non-native English speakers. Changing "NES only" to "NES preferred" can make the ad more sensitive to NNES like me. That way I would be happy to email my resume first and make use of Ajarn.com.

You see, we the skilled NNES, won't send you our resumes if you are looking for "NES only" You will only get emails from the less skilled NNES who don't understand what "NES only" means. You might end up hiring someone less capable of the job and regret not hiring us. Well, in the first place we won't get the chance to be heard and hired because you put "NES Only."

And another thing, once you hire a skilled non-native English speaker, offer the wage as you posted it on Ajarn.com. Setting a lower wage for us during the interview is demeaning and very racist. And we really don't like surprises like that. We are also human beings and also foreigners in this country. We also get duped once in a while because we speak Thai "nit-noi." You will get your money's worth with a skilled NNES more than a good looking Caucasian NES. Some of us skilled NNES may accept your low racist wage for the meantime, but we will always be looking for greener pastures.

I will be closely monitoring job ads this month in Ajarn.com and will be looking for a new school that is willing to hire and pay me for what I can do, and not how I look like. Wish me luck.

If you find this letter too racist, sarcastic or both, I apologize.

Sar C. Astic

If you need help from the Thai Labor Department. you can ring 1506.
Labour Minister Somsak Thepsuthin on Wednesday launched 'Hotline 1506' for callers to ask about matters as varied as giving helpful answers to questions involving their working conditions to Ministry of Labour affairs. The toll-free hotline service operates seven days a week and 24 hours a day.

The labour minister said inquirers may dial 1506 to query regarding health care benefits, social security coverage, job openings and placement, immigrant workers and work permits, skills development training, and grievances or complaints about problems at their workplaces, among others. People may not only lodge petitions affecting their personal interests but they can also provide suggestions for the Labour Ministry to consider, Mr. Somsak said. With 120 telephone lines connected to Hotline 1506, Labour Ministry remains responsive to callers from 7am until 7pm weekdays and from 8.30am until 4.30pm on weekends and holidays.

Nicky

I have two simple questions. Firstly, why does there tend to be a cap of 55-60 for the hiring age, regardless of excellent qualifications and experience (including in my case, a current PhD candidate plus 13 relatively recent years in-country at the top universities - Chula, Thammasat, Silpakorn, Bangkok U and even Vajiravudh College? Secondly, why have salaries on offer remained in the same range, more or less for the last 15 years - mostly a laughable 30,000, and hardly ever exceeding a still paltry 60,000 except for the relative handful working at top international schools? I have my opinions about these questions. But, I would like to hear from others. I should also note that in my case, I am not an English teacher, but a subject teacher with specialties in such areas as technology, multimedia and animation, subject areas where I should think there's a dirth of qualified people in this country.

Beauregard