The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

Chairman Mao

^^^ I've worked in the efl industry here for a few years and I wouldn't let half the people I've worked with have any type of influence on my kids, if I had any Janda, never mind educate them.

Saying that, knowing what it takes to teach, the quality of the teachers back home is nearly just as bad.

Teachers need to be interested in their work, always want to improve, always aim to inspire, always aim to captivate their students. Most of the teachers I had back home were droll, boring, unmotivational and uninterested in the students and actually teaching them.

But at least they weren't piss poor attempts at human beings like many of the teflers I've worked with here.

Mr Pot

Teaching is a real rewarding lesson for Lecturer and student and if I had the opportunity to train I would certainly enjoy such a position but working on a TEFL certificate is not a standard of much worth in my eyes.



I agree D.B but I've been here and worry about some people motives

Mr Pot

Thank you, if I wanted to teach and didn't feel like the words in C.M first sentence I would go home everyday feeling I wasn't meant to teach

Marmite the Dog

But why would you send your kid to a school that employed TEFLers rather than 'real' teachers? You can't think much of your kids' education, if that was the case?

Mr Pot

I wouldn't but it's certainly not cheap here to get your child a great education in thailand even in the highest circles. don't Hi-So Thais try to get their children educated abroad?

God forbid; but you have to consider the options and of course affordability.

To be honest I'm having a free dig at TEFL'rs anyway

Camel Toe

^^^ I never had a job in my life that lasted longer than 13 months until I taught. Been teaching 25 years. I like kids so it's still working for me.

But I see your point. It's not for everyone. Not a good gig for most men as your boss' and workmates are almost all women, jaded, sour, demanding women, a lot of the time. Don't know why I like it, always fancied myself a tuff guy.

Doggsy

so the abuse they get on here is stereotypical abuse. A bit like telling people in England you have a thai wife and they automatically assume you bought her off the internet.

I cant be arsed to look back at who said it but I too see this site as a type of blue collar site. It is real. none of that shit like you get on Thai V or ajarn where everybody pussyfoots around trying not to make each other cry.

Is the abuse of TEFLers on here the same as, they are all scum, oh except my mate dave he is a good un, oh and barry as well. But the rest are scum. oh and Kevin is good too?

Mr Pot

Yes, you said it

Camel Toe

This site is not only moderately to heavily anti-teacher, it's anti a lot of things. That's way I see it as blue collar. Like working at the Chevy assembly line in Detroit or on the docks in Liverpool. Not the friendliest place in the World, but I like it. Reminds me of growing up in urban L.A., everyone in your face over the stupidest of reasons.

Mr Pot

Never.

dirtydog

I really don't believe there is anybody on this site who has made anti comments about a professional teacher or professional teachers in general, or are you trying to sneak in TEFLers into that catergory?

Camel Toe

If a guy comes here with his first OP and says, Hello everybody I'm a first grade teacher from California. I'm here in Thailand looking for a better life style, bla bla. What reception would he get? Seems that would depend a lot on his nik and avatar.

What's wrong with getting to know a new member, assuming the best not the worst? He/she will expose himself soon enough.

DD, I don't have a TESL certificate, I have a California State Teacher's Licence. A TESL certificate teacher who calls himself a teacher is a cock if the paper is all he has going for him. A person who has a natural ability and good patience without any credential and no formal training can teach, seen it many times. The Internet will render all you want to know about teaching.

Camel Toe

I hate a lot of teachers. And the more qualified they are the more two-shoes and prissy they are. Fuckin people raving on in public about things that would only make their mums proud, "Well I just got the CELTIC 671B2C CHISEL with honours and I expect to be making 150,000 at a top international school next semester.

I'd rather have my kids with a real live human with less qualifications any day. But putting teachers down without the slightest notion of what a bloke is made of is chav redneckism.

Marmite the Dog

Some people like to think they're better than they really are, hence attacking something they know fuck all about. Just normal behaviour from normal insecure people.

Mr Pot

There's a difference between commom sense or better worded, life skills; being schooled to death usally results from parents who don't have time and depend on their money to wrap their children in the sometimes extreme desire to be successful in every aspect of academically high results, to the point of higher social status. in many countries vocational education is highly frowned upon wheras in reality it's such skills which are lacking agmonst the generations growing up in the world now.

I for one am amazed at my fathers skills, engineer by trade, architect and builder of our family home; restored one velocette, three triumphs and also a 4.2 Jag E-Type at the same time building an extension and running a screen printing business plus being his own accountant. I choose to be here but I know for one that I will never be able to emulate his skills which may be the reason I am here but I got educated and spoke to like which I could imagine to be a lot different to how my fathers generation was.

Myself and the generation I belong to and I know the current generation and ones to follow will grow up in a education in which we are moddlecuddled and life skills come with age because we have to fok up and learn from it or else..............unless your spoiled of course

Mr Pot

Never heard of that, shouldn't that only require that you teach in California or did you pick it up on Khoa San?

Agent_Smith

I respect just about anyone that can tolerate that line of work, regardless of their lack of qualifications. I taught for 9 months and was clawing my eyes out to get away from it. I had friends there who absolutely loved what they were doing and I also knew colleagues who were just getting by in the LOS. I would say the ratio of sincere instructors to sad fuckers was about 3:1. Maybe in Pattaya it's higher, which may be why DD is so prejudiced.

__________________
In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people.

~Michael Lind

Agent_Smith

What does that have to do with teaching a bunch of disinterested, lazy teenagers "be" verbs, gerunds, definite and indefinite articles etc.? You really can't fathom the difference between life saving skills and language skills?

dirtydog

^I think what it is with a lot of TEFLers is that they cannot fathom more than 4 weeks training, and it takes a hell of a lot longer than that to become a good teacher.

Agent_Smith

Certainly, but more on the job rather than schooling. I think teaching is more personality/attitude driven rather than skill driven. Sure, you need some basic communication and English language technical knowledge, but the true "good" teachers have a passion and attitude that no amount of university training can instill.

Native English speakers, by default, have the knowledge largely and a 4 week course may be all they need to to tie up the loose ends of teaching, like lesson planning, organizing your ideas, materials, grammar refresher and so forth. It's a starting point for new teachers. It depends on the course as well.

As I see it teaching English is 80% attitude and 20% credentials.