Ajarn Street

Ten of the best

Give us your top ten of any Thailand TEFL-related topic


Ten job ad expressions that always raise eyebrows
One of our teachers has had to suddenly return to the UK.
The teacher usually gets two days off a week.
Some weekend work might be required.
Send your resume and original documents.
We are looking for a teacher who has a teaching licence.
We require all our teaching staff to have a TOEFL.
The school is located just two hours from beaches and beautiful waterfalls.
The cost of living is lower than anywhere else in Thailand.
Although the salary is low, there are numerous opportunities to teach private students.
Come and work at one of the most famous schools in Thailand.

The ten most common questions / comments sent to ajarn.com
Am I too old to teach?
Will I find work without a degree?
Do I need a TEFL certificate?
What visa should I arrive on?
Do I need to show proof of an onward ticket?
Can I live on 30,000 baht a month?
I can't understand Thailand's visa system?
What's the best border point for a visa run?
My employer is refusing to give me severance pay.
Can you find me a job?

Ten Bangkok companies that do corporate training
Reuters
Bangkok Bank
Pfizer
Dow Chemicals
Tesco Lotus
Standard Chartered Bank
Esso
Amadeus
GlaxoSmithKline
Berli Jucker

Ten things that make teachers fume
Late pay.
Textbooks not arriving in time for the start of a course.
Students not doing homework.
Being told about a sports day or school event the day before it happens.
Broken photocopier.
Dry whiteboard markers.
An empty kettle in the teachers room.
Students cancelling classes at the last minute.
Being paraded in front of parents or visiting dignitaries.
Having to work on Christmas Day.

Ten places that sound like quite nice places to work in
Chiang Rai
Hua Hin
Krabi
Lampang
Nong Khai
Phitsanaloke
Sukhothai
Udon Thani
Kanchanaburi
Loei

Ten places that don't
Pattaya
Chonburi
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Yala
Narathiwat
Mukdahan
Roi-et
Petchabun
Samut Prakarn
Samut Songkram

Ten of the most common Thai student mistakes
I go to shopping.
I have ever been to Singapore.
Every Thai people like the beach.
I spend the time one and a half hours to get to work.
I went to Pattaya and lived in a nice hotel.
He gets to work at 8.00am (when they're talking about a female)
She gets to work at 8.00am (when it's a male)
I stayed at the house of my friend.
My father has a business about sell car-parts.
It have many cars on the roads in Bangkok.

Ten titles that people (and companies) use instead of the word 'teacher'
Consultant
Visiting consultant
Language facilitator
Communication expert
Language trainer
In-house trainer
Ajarn
Khroo
Language educator
English coach

Ten myths about teaching and living in Thailand
You'll be earning four times the salary of a local.
Teachers are held in high regard by everyone.
Thais must be among the easiest students to teach.
Teaching is the only job foreigners can get.
You can comfortably live on 25K a month.
You can order a wonderful plate of Thai food for the equivalent of a dollar.
The cost of living is significantly cheaper in Chiang Mai than it is in Bangkok.
You can find work as a full-time corporate trainer.
Foreigners aren't welcome here.
Schools will know all about the visa / work permit regulations.

10 Problems With My Provincial Government Matayom Classroom
Somebody painted the chalk board with gloss paint making it impossible to write on.
The fan squeaks incessantly.
The windows don't open properly...nor do they close properly.
There's a small puddle of piss oozing out of the front wall from the direction of the boys toilet.
There's a microphone/speaker system locked in a box...but nobody can find the key to it...
Which doesn't matter as the microphones have horrible loose connections which result in me giving up and going back to shouting.
Some clever clogs has pulled the projector screen down too far meaning that it won't spring up, and blocks most of the board and has to be rolled up and balanced on the top ridge of the board...inevitably falling down every 10 minutes.
A fluorescent bulb has started flickering, and won't be changed until the end of semester.
The AUA installed air conditioners don't work and won't be repaired as AUA have moved to pastures new.
The desks have just been painted to cover the graffitti, but already there is a large cartoon depiction of a sex act scrawled in liquid paper on one of them.

10 very common questions/answers to matayom students (government schools)
I want you to do this as homework, and bring in tomorrow!
Write this down with a pen! ‘Then borrow one!"
Please be quiet! QUIET NOW!
Where is your homework? "Tomorrow is today and yesterday today will not be tomorrow!"
Do you understand? No! Do you want 20 baht? Oh! You understand that?
No, answer in English! No! Lao is not English!
Yes! You are beautiful! And so is he!
Get off that telephone now! SHE IS ONLY OVER THERE!
Where's that music coming from? AND WHY ARE YOU ALL LINKED YOU TOGETHER WITH EARPIECES?
Where are the other students? What do you mean gone home? ‘bored'? Its only 10am?




Comments

No comments yet

Post your comment

Comments are moderated and will not appear instantly.

Featured Jobs

Early Years Teacher

฿60,000+ / month

Bangkok


Primary Science Teachers for MEP Program

฿33,000+ / month

Maha Sarakham


Part-time NES Summer Camp Teachers

฿450+ / hour

Bangkok


Summer Camp Teachers

฿700+ / hour

Chiang Mai


NES Primary English Teacher

฿45,000+ / month

Bangkok


Primary Science Teachers for MEP Program

฿33,000+ / month

Maha Sarakham


Featured Teachers

  • Fikile


    South African, 33 years old. Currently living in South Africa

  • Fritz


    Filipino, 27 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Joemar


    Filipino, 37 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Khavin


    Filipino, 30 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Daniel


    Czech, 33 years old. Currently living in Czechia

  • Farah


    Iranian, 48 years old. Currently living in Thailand

The Hot Spot


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.


Air your views

Air your views

Got something to say on the topic of teaching, working or living in Thailand? The Ajarn Postbox is the place. Send us your letters!


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?


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.


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.


The cost of living

The cost of living

How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.


The Region Guides

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.


The dreaded demo

The dreaded demo

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