An Indian teacher in Thailand
Bobo Meitei faces the perils and pitfalls of finding a teaching job
Bobo gets to grips with sliding pay scales and agents bemused by his pseudo-American appearance. Well worth a read!
Let's unite
Postbox letter from JP Rob
Life is easy here and that's why people want to stay. Most teachers here are here to enhance their career and stamp on the teachers below them.
Let's expose dodgy teachers
Postbox letter from Chris Pennington
While it is admirable for a website like ajarn to champion the rights of foreign teachers in Thailand, I also feel there is a hand in hand obligation to acknowledge and understand the high proportion of ‘dodgy’ native English speaking EFL teachers out there at the moment.
The negative interview mindset
Is it sometimes too easy to get a teaching job in Thailand?
A growing number of foreign teachers (particularly male) think that it's so easy to get an English teaching job in Thailand that all you have to do on interview day is turn up. Ajarn.com looks at a common mindset behind interviewing for TEFL jobs
Preparing for school (part two)
How to start your semester with a bang
Teacher introduction. Introduce yourself to your new students. Tell them who you are, what you do, and what you expect. Things to include are where you are from, your qualifications, your likes and dislikes, hobbies, and maybe a small, personal anecdote.
Preparing for school (part one)
Welcome to April! - school is definitely finished
For all teachers, the school break can be used for self-improvement. Self-improvement is easy and can be done from the comfort of your own home.
Advice you can truly use
Don't listen to those barstool experts!
Having been warned-- or advised-- that appearance is very important here in Thailand, (just as important as Japan, Korea, or Taiwan I suppose), I set out on job interviews. Most of the advice for teachers on the Thailand websites struck me as either superficial or downright absurd.
Act professionally please
Why don't teachers act like teachers for a change?
Start looking at things from an employer’s point of view. Start thinking like a teacher, teaching isn’t a 9 - 5 job, it’s a profession taken up by people who want to educate young minds.
Before you teach
What every teacher should do and know before opening day
The first thing every teacher should do before starting a new job is to inspect; inspect beyond the usual school tour that is part of most interviews. Ask to be taken to the classrooms you will use. Look at where you will teach. What do you have? Are there whiteboards or chalkboards? Do you have any type of technology to aid you in teaching? Is there air conditioning?
Divine right
Can anyone realistically teach English?
Some people believe that every native English speaker is born with the ability to teach English. Unfortunately a high proportion of people with that belief appear to want to be teachers.
