Thailand Ajarn's wanting to Teach English in Cambodia

Over the past few years Teaching English in Thailand has become increasingly more difficult for foreign Teachers.

The main reasons for this being is that the Thai authorities have slowly wised up to the fact that a lot of foreign Teachers they were employing in their schools weren't quite as qualified as they should be. To be a Teacher in Thailand requires a degree in any field, those with education degrees are given preference.

The days of the unqualified backpacking Teachers are all but over. These days you have to do things like take the Thai culture course and go on teaching courses in order to qualify for a teachers license. Along with the ever changing visa rules & regulations has made Thailand a tricky place to teach these days.

So what do you do if you don't meet the above criteria? There is a place that will welcome you with open arms. Are you a drunk? Have you got an drugs problem, mental illness perhaps, or just a complete loser? Don't worry Cambodia awaits you. As one article called it, the last chance saloon for English teachers.

Teaching English in Cambodia... more

Living & Teaching English in Thailand for the over 40s

Will moving to Thailand and Teaching English be the answer to my prayers?

How many of us just want to up sticks and make a new life in Thailand? Especially with the current economic climate that exists now in the west. Having been to Thailand on holiday and enjoying a short vacation here many guys think that this might just be the right move to make.

Age does make a huge difference if you want to live in Thailand

If you are 40 and over is it a good idea to just pack up your life in the west and move over to Thailand? Well the answer to this all depends upon your financial situation. If you can afford to move to Thailand and can sustain yourself while you're here then yes definitely! I've met guys in their 40s who've retired early with a small lump sum and a modest pension that are quite happily living in Thailand. A lot of their time they'll supplement their modest pensions with a part time teaching job. This allows them to get out and meet other people whilst earning a bit of extra beer money.

I'm 40 or over and am bored with the U.K I want to Teach English in Thailand

Firstly ask yourself, am I having a mid life crisis? No, Okay you intend to leave your home and come over to Thailand to live out the rest of your days living and Teaching English in Thailand, sounds like a great plan or not?

Do you have a degree? If the answer is no then you'll have trouble securing a work permit for Teaching here. 


Do you have a retirement plan? Answer, no by any chance? This is a bad idea, Thailand will not provide you with a pension and when you get too old to work, you'll be booted out!


Are you in good robust health? Even if you are, who knows what the future may hold for you health wise. If your health starts to fail you'll then have to pay for all your medical care.


Health insurance is the only word I need to know it'll take care of everything!  

That's what the companies that sell these plans would like you to think. In reality what happens if you're incapacitated for any length of time? Lets say you get the big C? Guess what you can't work which means you can't keep up with the insurance payments which in turn means your cover will expire!


My company provides my health insurance cover I'm alright jack!  

A lot of companies will provide health insurance. However, take a look how much you're insured for. With some companies it might only be enough to cover a trip to casualty and a few aspirins!

Next time how to live and work in Thailand permanently...

What am I doing Teaching ESL in Thailand?

Why am I an Ajarn Teaching English in Thailand?

This is a common question that many English Teachers ask themselves after a few years of Teaching here in Thailand.

For the new Teacher / Ajarn here in the land of smiles everything always looks rosy. Yes, you remember those days well. The transition from Thailand tourist to Thailand Teacher. You've made it, and now you're a fully fledged Thailand expat living & Teaching in the bustling Thai capital of Bangkok.

But wait! What's gone wrong! A few years ago you used to like going to work, doing all that overtime, nothing was too much trouble for you. Now all you want to do is get your monthly salary and get back to your condo. Friday night can't come fast enough.

Yes, the above happens quite frequently to a lot of Thailand Ajarns. Those rose tints go dull and reality creeps in. You're no longer on holiday! It's a job, yes a Teaching Job and you've an obligation to the school and all those smiling Thai students. It's just the same old 9-5 grind that you tried to escape back home in the west. The only difference is that the weather is hotter, prices are cheaper and nobody speaks your lingo!

What is it that really hacks foreign Teachers off here in Thailand? Well we could make a very long list but for the purposes of this short post we'll just stick to the more common points...

Cultural misunderstandings

Language barrier

Lower pay compared to western salaries

Racism or perceived racism

Thai laws & regulations that discriminate against Foreigners in Thailand

Inept bumbling Thai management and co workers

Two tier pricing

Thai people trying to charge Foreigners extra

Thai Visa rules & Regulations

Those are just a few common points that cause distress to Foreign expats / Teachers in Thailand. The thing that should be taken into account is this. Most Teachers here in the land of smiles knew in advance that they'd be up against hurdles like the above. 

So why did they come and Live in Thailand in the first place? Beats the hell out of me. Maybe they were just in a state of denial with themselves or maybe they thought that they'd change Thailand and the Thai people? Who knows?

Having become disillusioned with Thailand, it's people, and the whole Thailand ESL Teaching scene. What happens next? Where do they go? Home maybe? No, they head over to Thailand internet forums like T***D*** There they take great delight in ranting and raving to each other about how unfair their lives are and how Thailand & it's people are conspiring against them! 

Birds of a feather roost together or like attracts like. The purpose of this article is to point out potential pitfalls that new English Teacher might face here in Thailand. Life & things are what you make them. Why make something bad when you can make it good?

Enjoy Teaching English in Thailand.

Thai teacher canes students in Nakhon Ratchasima(St Mary's college)

Thai teacher hits students in Nakhon  Ratchasima(Korat) Thailand!

Here's a scene that will make all of you politically correct types jump up and chant it's barbaric, it's a human rights breach blah blah blah!

Caning in Thailand, allowed or not allowed?

So just what is the law concerning corporal punishment in Thai schools these days? Well caning was outlawed in Thai schools about 7 years ago or so.

So why are Thai students still receiving a good old thrashing?

Although corporal punishment was outlawed in Thai schools, it still goes on as the video clearly shows us. Its really down to the individual schools view on how to discipline students. Some schools still prefer the hard ass approach others like the more softly softly pc approach.

So which schools have the least discipline problems then? Well I don't think you need to be a brain surgeon to work that one out!

What's your opinion?

Spare the rod spoil the child? Or the softly softly approach and pray things don't go wild?

Best British English accent for ESL teachers in Thailand

So you've got a job teaching English as a foreign language in Thailand. And for the purposes of this short article, you hail from the U.K. You want to do your best and teach as effectively as possible, unfortunately you have a broad scouse or cockney accent! Yikes, will all those kids end up talking like those brookside or eastender dummies? I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy!

So what can you do about your accent?

Well in my view strong accents are a no go when teaching English. Oh yes, some people might think that it's clever to say things like...

Twe – i instead of twenty or di - unt instead of didn't or finkin instead of thinking. In other words I really don't consider it fair on the unknowing students to expose them to strong accents and bad regional grammar traits.


What can I do about my accent and grammar?

Firstly you can practice consciously cleaning it up, after a while you'll get better. As for the accent. Well most cockneys, scousers,Scots or Essex folk that I've met in Thailand are not broad. A lot of them have been teaching English in Thailand for a number of years. They've actually worked on ridding themselves of that strong accent and in most cases succeded. It can be done. The motivating factor for this is employment. Most Thai teachers and employers are now getting wise to strong regional accents and can usually spot teachers that speak with them.

What's the best accent to speak with?

You don't have to speak with a plum in your mouth! I really don't think that there is a best British English accent. All you need to do is speak clearly and use the correct grammar. Nothing too hard about that now is there?