#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Teaching In Thailand >  >  Any advice on TEFL teaching appreciated

## fredwiggy

Going to TEFL school in January. Have been sent modules and paperwork to read and answer before November 21st. I'll have it all read and questions answered in time before sending it back by deadline,but being out of school 45 years and no teaching experience, it's like starting over,re-learning things I use on an everyday basis,but you take for granted. I've been told a little what to expect by the owner,and conversation English is mostly what they want you to teach, and not knowing much Thai seems to be ok,as they want you to talk in only English to the students,which is okay by me.  My questions are,are there any tips I might take,and or videos of an actual Thai classroom with an English speaker,so I can get a better idea on how things are handled? I did well in English class,but I'll be on the other side,and even though I'm looking forward to helping others learn our language,so they can have a better chance of jobs in their futures, it's scary not knowing what to expect. I know how my English classes were conducted, and we already knew how to speak the language,so understanding what was said was easy and second nature. But teaching to children with only a little instruction beforehand? Anything that can help will be appreciated. Teaching English seems to be one way of keeping busy and making a living here before retirement,so it's on my agenda.

----------


## taxexile

> I should have it all read and questions answered in time before sending it back by deadline,


sounds like you would make a useless teacher anyway.

might as well give up now and open a beer bar.

----------


## AntRobertson

Give him the benefit of your TEFL knowledge and experience, taxi.

_
*Snigger*_

----------


## Mandaloopy

Do you plan on teaching kids or adults? So, I can only really give advice on teaching young kids, as that's where all my experience is.  Download yourself a good set of lessons plans, I'd recommend PYP or Cambridge International Curriculum, they'll pretty much strong arm you into reflective practice- why are you teaching this learning objective, and why are you teaching it in this way? Time-consuming, but valuable imo.  Don't just show flashcards and play a game for the sake of a game. Incorporate your LO into natural play. This youtube channel is great for ideas:



A good lesson observer will want to see good classroom management, a lesson that flows and clearly defined learning objectives. 


As for adults, not my area at all

----------


## fredwiggy

> Do you plan on teaching kids or adults? So, I can only really give advice on teaching young kids, as that's where all my experience is.  Download yourself a good set of lessons plans, I'd recommend PYP or Cambridge International Curriculum, they'll pretty much strong arm you into reflective practice- why are you teaching this learning objective, and why are you teaching it in this way? Time-consuming, but valuable imo.  Don't just show flashcards and play a game for the sake of a game. Incorporate your LO into natural play. This youtube channel is great for ideas:
> 
> 
> 
> A good lesson observer will want to see good classroom management, a lesson that flows and clearly defined learning objectives. 
> 
> 
> As for adults, not my area at all


 Teaching kids. Thanks for the advice. I'll look into those plans. The school I'm going to has lesson plans also in school and in the modules.

----------


## can123

Lesson plans should only be used after you know who the students are and have assessed their language needs. Learn to think on your feet and adapt. After a couple of meetings with the students you should have a fair idea of what they need and then you can plan accordingly. It is not enough to pick up a Cambridge type book , start at page one and work your way through it. If you do, you will bore yourself, and your students, to death. You should be able to stand in front of a class and engage the students without the need of text books. Keeping them interested in what they are doing is half the battle.

I once taught a lesson in a state school and the kids were unruly until I mentioned David Beckham and Man Utd. All of a sudden they wanted to know more and it was easy from then on.

----------


## fredwiggy

> Lesson plans should only be used after you know who the students are and have assessed their language needs. Learn to think on your feet and adapt. After a couple of meetings with the students you should have a fair idea of what they need and then you can plan accordingly. It is not enough to pick up a Cambridge type book , start at page one and work your way through it. If you do, you will bore yourself, and your students, to death. You should be able to stand in front of a class and engage the students without the need of text books. Keeping them interested in what they are doing is half the battle.
> 
> I once taught a lesson in a state school and the kids were unruly until I mentioned David Beckham and Man Utd. All of a sudden they wanted to know more and it was easy from then on.


   Thanks guys! That's the thing I'll have to work on,standing up there and keeping them interested,speaking a language they might only understand a little

----------


## uncle junior

tefl in LOS=crap job, crap wages, crap conditions...unless you're doing it on your own terms

----------


## can123

I have just received a red from Mandaloopy because I had a different view on teaching English to children. Who would you prefer to teach a Thai child English ? Somebody who could teach by thinking for himself or somebody who simply followed another person's plan. He has highlighted a fundamental problem. The poorer teachers will seek additional qualifications to bolster their self esteem. They will try to "baffle with science" by using jargon and insisting that lesson planning is all important. 

The truth is that either a teacher can teach or he/she cannot. Empathy with students and plain common sense are qualities which develop over time with experience. Now, do you really believe that a man who send reds rather than argue his case on the forum is able to teach ? Theory is all well and good but teaching is more than that.

----------


## Neverna

^   :rofl: 

Can123 doesn't know how to write a lesson plan.

----------


## hick

Any advice appreciated?

tefl where you can bank good coin

visit/build, etc. in Thailand...

----------


## hick

> ^  
> 
> Can123 doesn't know how to write a lesson plan.


Well, ya know...lots of jobs require it for one to keep their seat   :Wink:

----------


## nidhogg

Not meaning to have a swipe at OP, but I can't help but remark on the thread elsewhere that shows Thailand has one of the lowest standards of English in the world.  It did not even do well in comparison with other Southeast Asian countries.

Personally, I cannot but help feel that this thread points to part of the problem.  The other part of the problem is that Thailand is never, ever going to improve, when they think tossing 30K at a native language speaker with no teaching experience is a working solution.

Yes, I am sure we will now get ten posts about how Norman the taxi driver was great in the classroom,  while Bill with qualifications was a twat- BUT, by and large it surely has been shown by now in Thailand that the TEFLer as a performing monkey routine is NOT working.

----------


## hick

> ...videos of an actual Thai classroom with an English speaker,so I can get a better idea on how things are handled?


Youtube's search function works quite well.  Sincerely.

Good luck   

Thai rugrats are definitely a handful in the classroom


Not sure why you're focused on teaching kids(?),...Better you than me   :Smile:

----------


## Neverna

How old will the children be? 5, 10, 15? Primary school age or secondary school age?

----------


## can123

^^^
Nobody with any experience of teaching English in Thailand  could possibly disagree with that. The owners of Thai schools are only motivated by profit. The parents of Thai children are happy if the child comes home with a piece of paper and you would be amazed to see the number of certificates which were handed out in my old school on a daily basis. No child ever failed an examination in my school. Parents were happy because the school was effective as a child minder while they were at work. Thai teachers - absolutely pathetic. Everybody happy but me so I buggered off. Most frustrating job in the world.

One of my colleagues told me to chill out and accept things for what they were. He said, " how the fuck can you expect to teach English to a child who has been brought up to believe that he could be knocked down by a baht bus and come back as a butterfly and that everything is fine ? ".

He was right.

----------


## docmartin

Yep - teaching kiddies is hard work unless you can sanction them into obedience - which you can't these days.
Adults are much easier. They have underpinning knowledge, a reason to learn, and will follow the plan which, as ever, is -

Accept the challenge
Focus on the objective
Complete the task

----------


## hick

> The truth is that either a teacher can teach or he/she cannot.


Kinda the same with holding down a job...

----------


## fredwiggy

In appreciate the comments. I know I'm getting into an unpopular job,but it's to me a living of sorts until retirement,or until I can figure out something else here. I understand teaching adults might be a better way,seeing the lack of discipline of children, but to me it seemed less intimidating (or not?)

----------


## can123

^ Give it a go, Fred. I am a very black and white person and am always looking to get the best possible result and that is why I found teaching Thai kids frustrating. Before I resigned for the first time, I noticed that some kids were missing from my class. I went looking for them and found them outside the school gates eating fried chicken. Most of the kids were well behaved but no attempt was made by the Thai teachers, or head, to instil discipline. Some were allowed to run wild and this led to my bust-up. The head was sacked partly because of this but for other reasons as well which I cannot divulge. I went back to my old job but had to return to the UK when my mother fell ill and subsequently died. It wasn't a question of "holding down a job", my circumstances had changed dramatically.

Although westerners may think that the cost of Thai lessons is cheap at only a couple of hundred baht per lesson, it is expensive for most Thai adults. I admired the young Thai receptionists who tried their hardest to improve their language skills by parting with two hundred baht. Teaching adults was rewarding and I would consider doing it again. This time, partly in view of my age, I would like to give lessons to Thai nationals who teach English as I believe that this would bring about genuine improvement.

----------


## hick

You've mentioned retirement a few times

my advice 

go for adults

the tireless champions (like Mandy) are cut from a special rug  i.e. it's exhausting to teach kids right

----------


## fredwiggy

Actually,when you say adults, I think Good Morning Vietnam,where participation was fun and a learning experience also,so I guess leaving that door open would be a smart thing.Do schools find you adult teaching jobs(before I ask them myself) And I fully understand a school is just another business,looking for profit first.

----------


## hick

> Do schools find you adult teaching jobs(before I ask them myself)


I don't understand the question.  Do you mean agencies?  Or maybe tefl training courses with teacher placement...  Either way, it'd be best to specify - one, other or both.

----------


## can123

Yes, language schools will get money from anywhere they can and that is why I found myself teaching adults in private classes, in oil refineries and lots of other places too.

One thing you should be careful about is work permits as you need a work permit for every job you do. The loophole which is in use universally in Thailand is that all is well if an application for a permit is made. An application is sufficient and an actual permit is not. By this I mean that many teach legally in Thailand simply because application forms, which may never be processed, have been submitted.

By working under the conditions mentioned above, the Thai authorities have you by the balls. If it suits them, for any reason, they can make life uncomfortable.

I should mention that there many farang teachers working in International schools who are well qualified as teaches and who comply with every legal requirement. I suggested to a friend seventeen years ago that because he was a qualified teacher of music he might apply to teach in my school. He is still in Bangkok, married with a family , teaching in a top class school and will never return to the UK. It's not all cowboys and backpackers. Lots of genuine guys there.

----------


## fredwiggy

I'm going to a Tefl school in Bangkok in January. They've told me they have a couple schools lined up already after I finish the school in late January,close to where I live .

----------


## bowie

Fred, good on you for your search, find and ask. Collect all the info you possibly can, listen to the experienced, learn from their "Opinions" and/or mistakes and heed their advice. But, all in all it will be what you make of it. Don't go in expecting to get new teacher of the year accolades. Teach and/or babysit your students as the situation pans out, but, most importantly, enjoy the experience. 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Good Luck.

----------


## hick

> I'm going to a Tefl school in Bangkok in January. They've told me they have a couple schools lined up already after I finish the school in late January,close to where I live .


I'd NEVER take their scraps.  Probably "wash" schools w/ oversized classes and inept admin. that can't keep a cracker teacher long enough to finish a single semester...

Do your legwork, get in the know, narrow down, take a beach break and start applying (in person w/ demo lessons/lesson plans at the ready) soon after your course.

----------


## hick

> Lots of genuine guys there.


Doing the "impossible" by teaching misguided reincarnationists, eh?

----------


## can123

> Doing the "impossible" by teaching misguided reincarnationists, eh?


You are quite the idiot, aren't you ? Pray tell of your experiences teaching English in Thailand. If you do not have any, kindly shut your cake hole.

----------


## fredwiggy

Like most everything else, it never is the way you think it'll be. I really appreciate all the advice. Those that have been there (here) teaching know what to expect from seeing it firsthand. I hope I can fit in and do some good. I have heard it fits somewhere in between having students that are really interested in learning because they hear knowing English will ensure them better jobs, to babysitting un-interested kids who couldn't care less.Just like back in the US when I was in school in the 70's.

----------


## hick

^^

Sacred Heart - klong toey   1 year  97' 30,000

Mahidol Salaya   3 years   03'   80,000  

AUA Muang Thong  1 year  12'   45,000


Finished all my contracts too  Heh

how bout that can?

----------


## Mandaloopy

I'd aim for a decent bilingual school, with any luck the school will pony up some of the cost for continuing professional development. I'd avoid language schools like the plague

----------


## hick

> shut your cake hole.


I don't eat bread, oil, eggs, dairy or sugar   :Smile:

----------


## can123

Clearly schools to be avoided if they employed you. Why did you feel the need to provide your salaries ? You really are a very insecure little person. All you do is whinge. Nothing constructive at all from you. Another for the block list, it's getting bigger all the time.

----------


## baldrick

fark , youse cnuts are not very helpful

get an anonymised email address

get the kid parents email addresses

tell them how much they have to pay to get somchai chomong kee nok a pass grade

ask for crypto

----------


## hick

> Clearly schools to be avoided if they employed you. Why did you feel the need to provide your salaries ? You really are a very insecure little person. All you do is whinge. Nothing constructive at all from you. Another for the block list, it's getting bigger all the time.



 :smiley laughing: 

LD's predecessor  The "tefler" who cannot finish a contract.

Yeah, I'm a chief whinger   Ask anyone.

bye bye bozo

----------


## hick

> fark , youse cnuts are not very helpful
> 
> get an anonymised email address
> 
> get the kid parents email addresses
> 
> tell them how much they have to pay to get somchai chomong kee nok a pass grade
> 
> ask for crypto


 :bananaman:  :rofl:

----------


## hick

> Why did you feel the need to provide your salaries ?.


straight poop   Informs people   Dipshit

----------


## Mandaloopy

Have you thought about what curriculum you want to work with? I'm using Cambridge at the moment and it is very much centered around grades (meh), whereas PYP takes into consideration emotional and social development on a far grander scale- the planning for that can be a bit mental in terms of paperwork, just a heads up. I worked in a bilingual school in Thailand and stayed 8 years, so here is what a typical working week was like. 

16 forty min lessons, so plenty of prep time.
For the first 5 years we followed the US Common Core Curriculum, personally I really liked it and it did a good job at making interdisciplinary links.
I spent roughly around 12 hours each week planning at creating materials, which is pretty decent. The rest of the time was admin and meetings etc. Sometimes took work home, but only at the end of units.
Classes were capped at 18 which was very manageable, my Thai TAs were a decent bunch, didn't smack the kids about and were a pleasure to teach with.
PD was decent, particularly on integrating technology in the classroom.
You got a raise each year, I started on 38k and tapped out on 55k- plenty of scope to teach homework club and Saturday kindy classes if you wanted it.
All Thai holidays off, 3 weeks for summer and 2 weeks over Christmas

----------

