Living on the new wage mentality
Postbox letter from Bob
30K is less than 1,000 dollars a month. It is not possible to live on it anywhere in Thailand and this includes Isaan now; unless like most workers I meet: you already have retirement money from another country, do one heck of a lot of tutoring and extra work on the side, or you are very lucky.
The problems with 30K a month
Postbox letter from Bigtown
I have come to realise that with the current pay and contract formats being offered, you would in effect be earning less than a full-time corporate Thai employee of a similar educational background, but without any perks.
Building rapport in the classroom
How to get students to find out who you really are?
Let's face it. There's a stereotype that comes with being a male English teacher in Thailand. That is, we're all sex-tourists.
Thailand’s weirdest of the weirds
Some of the quirkier aspects of Thai culture
I want to be as respectful as possible when I discuss Thailand's quirks. I don't think I could have picked a better country to live in without having ever visited or knowing much about the culture.
What about smalltown Isaan?
Postbox letter from James
I don't understand all this fuss about older teachers not being able to find work here. What about Isaan?
Thailand is just doing what Korea did
Postbox letter from Ben
These complaints about the Ministry of Education's changes to teacher requirements remind me of my early teaching years in Korea, when Korea started cleaning things in their ESL education environment
Young teachers vs old teachers?
Which age group do Thai employers really prefer?
It’s the argument that refuses to go away. Which teacher group do Thai schools really prefer to hire and for what reasons? In this light-hearted ajarn article, older teachers and their young counterparts square up to each other over 11 rounds. Seconds out!
Teacher talking time
What happens if the teacher does a lot of talking in the classroom?
As an English teacher, when I teach, I see to it that my students do more of the talking in class rather than I doing it because I am already good in the language.
Whatever happened to the shopping mall teacher?
Teaching for 300 baht an hour as the rest of the world enjoys itself
They are the shopping mall English teachers - gliding like pale, undernourished phantoms amid the hordes of weekend Thai shoppers. The main reason I empathize with the shopping mall teacher is because I was once one myself. I know how desperate and soul-destroying it can be.
Advice for nervous newbies
Postbox letter from Mark
The best way to overcome your anxiety in the classroom is to know your stuff. But even knowing your stuff won't fix everything if you are nervous in front of a crowd.
