So You Want to be a Teacher in Thailand? A Look into One of the Most Difficult and Most Rewarding Professions

Teachers have always been highly respected members in the Thai community. This is mostly because of the image of the teacher, hard work, compassion and diligent sincerity that mold the future of the local community, either being that of a village or an entire country. It’s the work of teachers that determines the consciousness of the people. It has been said that everything one learns, one learns before the age of 5. Sadly it seems today that very little we consider productive is learned in those few but important short years. It seems that the responsibility that comes with proper child development has been completely left in the hands of the teacher, and this is not part of the required certification one must have to be recognized as a true educator. It is not the job of the teacher to replace the job of the parents.

Another issue is the no fail/socially passed generations being created every day, year after year. This point could be frighteningly illustrated by the fact that there is no term for one that drops out of high school. The concept of a high school dropout is not even within the realm of the Thai people’s minds. The best way to deal with this is to be prepared with knowledge regarding Thai culture and how they do things, especially in the classrooms.

Thailand does have in place supervisory guidelines for the monitoring and development of the teacher’s progress and advancement in continuing education programs. This is done by the organization known as the Teacher’s Council of Thailand. This group is made up of professional teachers, education and institutional administrators and was founded in 1999. It is this group that sets the professional standards and ethics enforced by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Educational Personnel Council Act of 2003. This was done to ensure quality education standards and to continue with the upgrading of the professional teacher’s standards that practice in the Kingdom of Thailand.

All English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers should for good reason be provided with some knowledge of Thai culture and the Thai language. These two factors that can make or break a teacher and determine whether or not they can provide benefits to the Thai community. A code of ethics is a serious and necessary element, especially in education. The code of ethics mentions not humiliating students, no excessive force and what foreigners understand as proper behavior. The objective of the MOE and Teacher’s Council of Thailand is to enable those that wish to live and work in Thailand, and through the necessary avenues meet the determined criteria for those to apply for a teacher’s license.

Requirement for these courses is actually quite simple. A 100% present attendance record, active participation in class, completed worksheets and tests, and a thorough presentation demonstrating acquired skills, confidence and competence.

In the past, only a TEFL certificate was needed to teach ESL in Thailand. As an educator, I do feel that the TEFL is a very valuable asset and should be a part of ones toolbox of teaching aids, especially if the TEFL course focuses on how to teach the Thai people. The TEFL used to be the only requirement for teaching, but has been abused. The TEFL schools socially pass many students much like the Thai schools socially pass their students. The real TEFL courses are very intensive and many that come here and are expecting a "lunch trip" of a course, find themselves quickly dropping out, and then the market for counterfeit degrees becomes a reality as the market demands them. The Thai culture courses do offer some relief, due to being strictly regulated, but in my opinion does little to directly improve teaching techniques. What is does do is offer guidelines, so one may adjust one’s behavior to create a comfortable interactive atmosphere, and not to offend.

The Thai culture course is a program spread out over 3 years in which one is required to obtain 9 additional education credits, or the equivalent to 44 credits towards an education degree. For those that have educational degrees, you may have the 44 credits applied to your resumes but that can only be done by a university. The importance of completing these courses is immense, as the MOE has taken the need for and thus demand for the TEFL certification right out of the picture. There are some schools that will continue to use the TEFL to entice the "document challenged" for the time being, but they should pay heed to the warnings that things are radically going to change. There is talk about some schools negotiating with one of the universities to continue using teachers that show competence and professionalism in the class room, but rest assured only schools like TLS & CTLS are even remotely able to conquer such a feat being that Tewi, the owner does have a PhD in Education Leadership.

Work permits will only be given to those persons that possess a 4 year education degree and have completed the 20 hour Thai Culture Course. One may possess a degree in any other field, as long as they also take a certified TEFL course and also take the Thai Culture course as well. Please be aware that these are the only two categories where one can obtain a work permit.

The Thai Culture and Professional Ethics course, which has been approved and recommended by the MOE is as follows.

4 hours involves Thai society, which includes social structure in everyday life as well as in the family unit, the Thai way of life which opens the eyes as to why some people do as they do, and a look into Thai politics including references regarding the monarch. This very important subject is essential for anyone living here in the Kingdom. One will also be asked to take a look at the environment as well as Thai wisdom.

Thai language and culture is another 6 hours. Language in itself speaks volumes, as to many of the how and why’s of Thai behavior. How things are said is very enlightening, and will open the eyes of those that have spent even a short period in Thailand, and will certainly cause a chorus of "aha’s" throughout the class from those that have spent longer periods here. It’s important to know what the Thai people believe spiritually and in regards to national pride, as well what the different characteristics of clothing say about a person and where they might be from. Food is a huge part of Thai culture. The Thai people are fun people, and it’s good to know how they like to socialize and party. The Thai culture is a very old one, and it would be best to know something about how one conducts oneself with the elderly or traditional Thai people and especially when dealing with situations regarding Buddhism.

Thai Manners is another 2 hours. The Thais expect Thai manners to be respected. This part of the course covers formal and informal greetings as well as how one stands, walks or sits depending on whose presence one may be in at that time. This includes when and how to rise in ones’ presence, the Wai, and how to behave in a respectable manner in front of Buddha images and the elderly, how to meet with respected persons, as well as how to receive and present things to others.

Thai Arts and Music are also covered. Thai music is rich and full of spirit, especially the folk music, and differs greatly from region to region. Thai dance is considered a sacred part of the Thai culture, and one might find when asking a Thai what is Thai culture, the answer is Thai dance. The most popular public sport is football, or soccer, but the locals play a game called takor. Takor is played two ways, one resembles volleyball without the use of hands, and the other is similar, no hands, but one has to move a ball through a hoop which is suspended very high, maybe 7 meters or so. The latter is a gentleman’s game where turns are taken and genuine courtesy is of the essence.

The Teacher Professional Code of Ethics is a look at the standards as set by the Teachers and Education Personnel Council Act B.E. 2546 (2003). One will find that ethics are ethics no matter where one goes for the most part.