Small talk with big results

The art of teaching English forwards

"Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine thank you, and you?" "I'm fine thank you." Now, where have we all seen and heard this longwinded, nigh on nonsensical way of communicating before?

Talkin' bout my situation

Everyone's situation is a little different

A section of the ajarn website for those teachers looking to embark on a teaching career in Thailand and have so many questions and no real answers.

An unwanted duty

Is this Thai tradition pain or pleasure?

In many schools in Thailand, Thai teachers, as well as foreign teachers, take turns in standing at the school gate to greet parents and students. Two or more teachers are assigned, depending on the size of the school, to do this each day.

English speaking day

Some different ways to get your students speaking English

I heard from a number of Filipino instructors in Thai universities that they had something called ‘English Speaking Day'. They said that students had not as yet made any significant progress but the instructors were optimistic that the ESD idea would work if implemented for a longer period of time and Thai students would surely improve.

Making the transition

Reasons why people teach English and the possible career paths

Foreign ESL teachers in Thailand or other parts in Asia are a diverse lot and have many different motivations for teaching abroad.

Ask Joyce Armitage

When only a wise old head will do.

I am here to answer all those nagging ‘teacher etiquette’ questions that sometimes even your best friends and colleagues can’t or won’t answer. Please don’t be afraid to ask. With years of experience behind me, I’m hopeful that I can always come up with a solution that keeps a smile on everybody’s face and keeps the work-place harmonious. Best regards, Joyce Armitage

Things I won't do for work

They say that everybody has a price

Although most of my TEFL experience has not been in Thailand, there is still a long list of things I won’t accept in a teaching job. Talk numbers and cross my palm with silver because these are the things I simply won’t do for work.

Who's insulting who?

Postbox letter from Lucie

We are all free to choose what jobs we apply for, and those of us lucky / well-organised enough to have a teaching degree or plenty of experience can choose to apply only for the better-paid jobs, confident that we'll get offered at least one of them.

Win-win teachers

How to become a more valued employee

Whether in the staffroom, lunchroom, shop floor, barracks, or around the water cooler next to the cubicles, the main topic of conversation has always been how incompetent the bosses and management were.