At least nobody died

Sometimes just be thankful that's as good as it gets

I'm now in my third year as an English teacher at a secondary school in Thailand. I guess you could say I'm a veteran now, though this is a job which 'veteran' doesn't mean much

Byeland to Thailand

Postbox letter from Brenda

I've been working at a government college for the last 5 months. While my school has kept good on the salary and pay me on time every month, the paperwork wasn't delivered on time as promised and I have had to do costly visa runs.

Work with the tools you have

Postbox letter from Khru Mark

On the topic of Thai classroom assistants and are they useful to a foreign teacher? I have six teachers with me. (One for each level that I teach.) They are all different and they all need to be treated differently.

Par for the course

Inevitable Thai government school issues

Anyone who has ever worked in a school of any kind in Thailand can tell you that you're bound to run into a fair share of issues: getting work permits and visas, pay discrepancies, untruthful job descriptions, and the lot. That said, and correct me if I'm wrong, it seems that Thai government schools are the worst of the lot.

Notebook concerns

How to get your students to use their notebooks effectively

Friends of mind say that they give importance to student notebooks by grading them, giving stickers to those who have a complete set of notes , stamping them with positive comments - and giving points as part of their grade to those students who have complete, neat, and beautiful notebooks.

Helping all students learn

An approach to teaching special needs students

Because I am teaching primarily in an English program where students' parents are paying for them to be there, I do not encounter many special education students. That said, I do have two students in one of my mathayom 2 (grade 8) classes who definitely have learning disabilities.

Things have changed for qualified teachers in Bangkok

Postbox letter from Depressed

It is a shame that Bangkok has become stagnant in so many ways. Wages are falling, cost are rising and call-backs or even acknowledgements are very slow in coming.

The labor law in Thailand is NOT gray

Postbox letter from Jonathan

There is no gray area here. Always go with a Thai. Always speak to a supervisor if anyone tries to fob you off with the 'this doesn't apply to you' crap. Nearly all schools will settle at the initial arbitration meeting.