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tropic of cancer

Spot on. As a 'TEFLer', I'm dismayed by the abuse on this thread, but hardly surprised.

Teaching a language in that language is a specific and somewhat discrete method of teaching. A four week intensive TEFL course provides you with a basic outline method and appraises you of the common mistakes which people make. Proper teaching qualifications naturally make you more rounded and aware as an educator, but are not necessarily germane within the parameters of this method - especially as regards the teaching of adults.

Most native speakers don't have a strong grounding in grammar so the actual content of the lessons will often be learned just prior to teaching it. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it's not generally that difficult - the important thing being how you structure a lesson to best relate it. That can only come with practice. Merely relying on a course textbook won't develop you that quickly but using your creative powers and the extensive resources available on the internet will.

Since around 2 billion people across the world are estimated to be learning English, to expect them all to carry a stack of 'proper' teaching qualifications is fanciful, not to say ignorant. Most Thai schools can't afford to attract the minority of super-qualified people but are quite happy to take what's offered, for a variety of reasons.

The first and most important is the modelling that a native speaker gives. Asian learners have many specific problems but perhaps the key one is pronunciation - they are simply not understood whan they try to speak English (and this of course makes them retreat 'back into their shell'). Thai English teachers, by and large, can't speak English, so will conduct the entire lesson in Thai - other than reading the words from the textbook exercises in such a heavily-accented manner that their 'modelling' bears only a glancing resemblance to English. Speaking and listening tasks are rarely if ever attempted. Thus, a Thai upper matayom student will frequently be able to recognise the past perfect continuous tense but be unable to understand or answer 'What did you do last night?'

Everything must be placed within the unique context of Thai education (and Thai culture in general). In the Government system (outside of a few elite schools), staff are badly-paid and unmotivated. Promotion to a higher-level is almost universally viewed as a chance for self-enrichment (in the form of backhanders from contractors, junkets etc). Farang staff are generally resented their 'enormous' 30k salaries - this 'sour'(ness), as someone described it herein, being an upsetting background to ones working day. The disrespect is efficiently transmitted to the students who see your lesson as an opportunity to misbehave (farang, unlike Thais, are forbidden from using corporal punishment) and insult you (if you don't speak Thai - or even if you do). Parents have little or no expectations from education and the schools are happy to match those expectations.
Far too much time is spent on quasi-military or religious mass activities. In addition a typically-Thai 'let's all be happy and nice' grading system (continuing all the way through HE too) means that no child can ever fail.

Things improve incrementally the more fees one pays essentially, but the sort of dynamic pedadogically-driven environment one might wish for ones own children is only really found is the International School sector (and the best ones at that).

The guy who said the split of committed to lazy was 3:1, I'd say got it right. Most tefl teachers care about their charges but some (generally those at the beginning or the end of their working lives) just care about an easy life. Many start out with the best of intentions but slowly grow jaded. My own attitude is that I work damn hard when I'm there but don't care (if possible) to take my work home with me - preferring to spend time with my daughter - my wife is the high-powered one. I get 37k.

Teaching English to people in their own country is like forking sand into a barrel. 98% of what you teach will be forgotten 10 minutes after the students have left the classroom and if you care too much about seeing achievable results you'll have a nervous breakdown.

Hope that clears one or two things up; though I dare say those who just 'hate teachers' will continue to wallow in thier bile.

Agent_Smith

That's pretty damn funny . Sounds like an old joke, but the first time I've heard it.

Camel Toe

Blackatter

Mr Pot

try again, and it wasn't....please don't watch well written comedies; you might not get the irony and idiosyncrosies

Sir Burr

Bloody TEFLers again!

If they ain't swinging their hand-bags at each other in the teaching threads, they're swinging them at us poor non-TEFLers.
Barstards, the lot o' them!

kingwilly

have you red hair then, gerbil?

mrsquirrel

The PGCE in the UK is quite an interesting thing to read up on.

If I were to return to the UK and do a PGCE in Science I would be required to undergo a one month refresher course in my basic sciences - Chemistry and physics for me - my biology is good.

After this I would then spend 9 months training and teaching.

I would learn different pedagogical approaches (not much mind)

123 days would be spent in the classroom teaching/supervised teaching.

Not much if you think about it. Yes you have to have a degree, but otherwise it's less than 9 months and you are ready to teach the world.

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klongmaster

Don't who you're referring to here, but our DD has made it clear in many threads that 'hard work' is not at the top of his agenda...foking greaser CT...

Camel Toe

Did you mean, Don't know who you're referring to here? Greaser, I like that!

So, klong, our man DD is so well hung it hurts, right?

kwai73

I'm a TEFLer AND ginger. If I were in Pattaya right now I might have to consider taking a tumble off my balcony!

kwai73

Now where did I put that noose?

dirtydog

^^life can deal some real shite hands can't it, does your home country send you a disability allowance for your problem?

kwai73

Nah, fraid not.

I'm looking into that euthanasia deal. Maybe in Switzerland?

Or p'raps I just won't stand up for the anthem next time I go to the cinema in Thailand. See what happens!

Bexar County Stud

My only beef is with those teachers who take themselves too seriously (a very common trait) and those who, on the end of the spectrum, don't give a shit (also common).

kwai73

Can you elaborate on this? What do they do or say that gets your goat?

blackgang

Sure, but the bad outweigh the good/
80% of the pedophiles here are Teachers or the young as well as abusers of the same younbg.

kingwilly

80% of statistics mentioned on a web forum are complete fabrications.

Plan B

^ Recent studies show that that is only 30% true.

kwai73

400% of cunts exaggerate!

Doggsy

Are the majority of them pedophiles and bad or is that just what the media pick up on more nowadays. One of the questions on the citizenship test in England that the missus has just done was asking if it was true or false that sexual abuse of children is on the rise. the answer was false, it is not but it seems like it is due to the portrayal of it more in the media