Thread: Teaching English to Thais

^No. And my post was in no way a shot at you. I am quite certain that you have seen far more bad "certified" teachers than I. My post was nothing more than a statement that certifications do not necessarily a teacher make. Nothing more.

^ The sad reality is while there is an element of truth in what you have written, far too many people assume that they are capable of teaching without either training or previous experience. Just because a farang wants to visit Thailand is not a good reason for him to think that he can set himself up as a language teacher and expect poor people, in the form of Thais, to pay for his holiday ( vacation ).

If one has an aptitude for teaching, one can, to an extent, cut down on the formal training. Nevertheless, training is helpful. I agree the point you make about the literacy standards of some teachers. Having the CELTA qualification is an aid in securing employment as employers will know that those who possess it will have the necessary knowledge of English grammar. It sets me apart from the fraudsters.

^I agree with your para 1. Unqualified simpletons should not be allowed to teach, no matter how lax the standards of the host country. Re your para 2, I give full credit to those certified teachers doing a difficult, poorly paid, and often thankless job. I am simply saying that there are those of us out there quite qualified to teach elementary English, even without formal qualifications. My first wife had an MA in Elementary Education, and taught at the American International Schools in India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. I saw all of her assignments while she was getting her K-12 teaching certificate, wrote about half of her papers, and found most of the requirements fairly simplistic. Good teachers do what is necessary to get certified to get a job and, if they find the calling, eventually turn into real teachers. Many others don't.