Blogs on Teaching and Living in Thailand

English is not the first language in Thailand, so Thai students often need to learn it from scratch. Having a native English speaker as a teacher can help students learn proper pronunciation and intonation, as well as improve their overall communication skills.

As globalization continues to increase, proficiency in English has become increasingly important for many Thai students. Many businesses in Thailand require their employees to speak English, and students who are proficient in English have a better chance of getting good jobs.

Having native English-speaking teachers in Thai schools allows for cultural exchange between the students and the teacher. This can help Thai students better understand Western culture and improve their communication skills with English speakers.

Many Thai schools believe that having a native English-speaking teacher can improve the quality of education for their students. These teachers are often seen as more qualified and experienced in teaching English than Thai teachers who may not have the same level of fluency or experience.

Overall, the demand for native English-speaking teachers in Thai schools is driven by the desire to improve English language skills and provide a better education for Thai students, as well as the benefits of cultural exchange and globalization.

But there’s a problem. There are not enough native-speaking English teachers coming to Thailand to teach, this is one reason. The second reason is that many native-speaking teachers despite their vast experience teaching English as a foreign or second language in other countries do not hold a Bachelor of Arts degree to become eligible for a work permit issued by the Thai Ministry of Labor, thus they’re unable to legally work at a Thai school.

In language schools across the UK, US, and Spain, a native English-speaking teacher is not required to hold a Bachelor’s, English is considered their mother tongue. In Thailand, all teachers need a degree, including Thai teachers in order to be employable even if the degree is in an unrelated field, for example in basket weaving.

The reality is most Thai and southeastern universities with the exception of Malaysian and Singaporean universities are just an extension of high school, making it super easy for most Thais to obtain a degree. The same goes for Filipino universities. When googling the rankings of Thai and Phillipine universities you will understand what I mean.

Then we have the problem of pay and work conditions at most Thai schools, let’s face it, they aren’t that great, to put it mildly, and consequently many of the qualified native-speaking teachers opt to teach at schools in the Middle East or in China, and who would blame them!

Thai schools employing foreign teachers will often have a handful of native speakers on payroll but will employ a large contingent of Filipino teachers.  Filipinos are known for selling themselves short just to beat the competition they’re facing against other Filipino applicants. Thai school directors know this, and this is the reason they’re taken advantage of and are underpaid.

What I personally fail to understand is why is it that the handful of native-speaking teachers that teach in Thai schools accept to work for 35k or even 40k a month. With inflation hitting record highs and everything that comes on top even a 40k salary isn’t enough anymore unless you go totally native and live on mama noodles.

I was told told that being young, white, Canadian, holding an associate degree and a TESOL I will easily find a teaching job out in Thailand. But even though I am halfway through a TESOL course and possessing the previously mentioned attributes, I don't seem to be getting anywhere - with the exception of some part-time corporate gigs through language schools, most of the time no response after applying. I guess it's time for me to resign to my fate and understand that in Thailand..................no degree = no job!

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Blog by Bak See Daa

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Note that the author of the blog is expressing personal thoughts and musings, which do not necessarily reflect those of KruTeacher. Therefore, KruTeacher.com cannot be held responsible for any potential inaccuracies that may be present in the blog.