Summer school is for the birds

Does it beat cocktails on the beach? Hell, no.

If you do end up wanting to go all-in with teaching, it's probably more important to not burn yourself out, and I'm certainly feeling the strain as most of my colleagues are sending me pictures from the beaches they're drinking on.


The 360 degree approach

A new way to teach TOEFL and IELTS

I only tutor TOEFL and IELTS privately and no longer teach the subjects at private language centres. I will not adhere to rules and regulations that mean students have to repeatedly sit tests. It’s a rip-off.


Ignorance or arrogance?

Students and their lack of proper test preparation

Teachers who have taught TOEFL or IELTS courses can attest that for non-native speakers, doing well on these tests translates into a lot of hard work. Apart from becoming proficient in English, students will also need to fine-tune their test-taking skills and build up their endurance and concentration, as these tests usually take about four hours to complete.


The academic debate

Does a degree make a good teacher?

Now what if a teacher has a degree, but no teaching certificate? Would that be okay? Probably. What about having just a teaching certificate and no degree? Maybe. What about no qualifications at all but a lot of experience? Possibly. And finally, what about schools hiring people with no qualifications whatsoever and no experience, would that go well? There’s the odd chance that it might, but I doubt it.


How to improve your English

Tips for students

Communication is all about using a language to transfer a message and to make yourself understood. If the students can’t say it, if they can’t get their message across, if nobody understands them or doesn’t even bother listening to them anymore, their knowledge of English is virtually useless and all the hours of studying it have been a complete waste of time.


TOEFL woes

How Thai English speakers measure up

The Minister of Education apparently thinks it’s possible the revamp a whole educational approach in just a month. It made me wonder if he’s got any idea at all what he’s talking about. Everyone with more than a pea-brain should know that change – especially a change of this magnitude – is always a slow process


The madness to the methods

The often crazy world of teaching in Korea

Despite being sequestered on the furthest border of the Kumi frontier, nearly fifteen miles away from the closest foreign teacher, I am still surrounded by hagwon mania. These private schools are everywhere. Due to all this severe competition, schools habitually search for new angles to draw in students. At times the teaching methods advocated are only passing fads and cheap gimmicks.


First impressions

Korea's EFL roots

If you scratch the surface of many English teachers in Thailand, underneath all that fine polish of discount dress shirts and shiny veneer of silk ties, you can often glimpse a trace of Korea. English teachers have either sacrificed their prized cherry of lecturing in a dusty classroom floor of a Korean hogwan, or they are fleeing to the country from Thailand to refill depleted bank accounts with a 2.1 million Won monthly salary.


Showing 8 tagged items out of 8 total Page 1 of 1



Featured Jobs

NES Kindergarten Teacher

฿60,000+ / month

Rayong


Full-time Literacy / EFL Teachers

฿50,000+ / month

Bangkok


Fun Native English Teachers for June Start

฿42,000+ / month

Thailand


English Teachers for June Start

฿35,000+ / month

Suphan Buri


English Teachers for June Start

฿35,000+ / month

Thailand


Kindergarten and Primary Homeroom Teachers

฿37,000+ / month

Lampang


Featured Teachers

  • Josel


    Filipino, 32 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Syed


    Pakistani, 29 years old. Currently living in Thailand

  • Mylanie


    Filipino, 26 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Daphne


    Filipino, 29 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Marifer


    Filipino, 23 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Rosemarie


    Filipino, 24 years old. Currently living in Philippines

The Hot Spot


Renting an apartment?

Renting an apartment?

Before you go pounding the streets, check out our guide and know what to look out for.


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.


Can you hear me OK?

Can you hear me OK?

In today's modern world, the on-line interview is becoming more and more popular. How do you prepare for it?


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?


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.


The dreaded demo

The dreaded demo

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