More Raids on Schools? - Jan '07

[LDMA]

They didn't cease to exist....they just changed their names mostly.

[munkijism]

We'll just agree to disagree. My school is not international and they check all of this for their foreign hires. I just can't believe we're alone.

your not, mine is the same. two guys sacked last month coz paperwork false. they had been here three months before the school found out mind you

[DunceCap]

we're not seeking political asylum here.

How many English do I hear complaining about the state of the UK or Americans complaining about Bush's America? Can't have your cake and eat it too!

[Arnold!]

so who's going to teach the kids?

Thais and Filipinos.

[Cyrille]

most degrees in the lsat few years can be verified online. its people who graduated years ago that haev difficulties. This is particuarly pertinent in the Uk where many of the old polys ceased to exist in the late 80s making it impossible to track your degree.

On line that may well be true. For my current job in the UAE my employer gave me forms which I had to send off to the place where I studied in the UK - previously a poly, now a university.

These forms required that the uni verify my name, details and date of graduation. I think it took about two months all told to get this sorted.

You can see why this might be problematic if the contract is for a short period of time. Why take two months to check something if the teacher may only be working somewhere for 12 months......or considerably less.

Another problem is that in those days there were no transcripts, either.

I think one thing that could easily be done to make hiring more reliable is to involve more experienced farang teachers in the recruitment wherever possible. Many thais are hopeless at sussing dodgy farangs out. People most of us could spot a mile off - and do after they've been hired.

Here in the UAE they seem to be more prepared to delegate - to say 'Right, you'll be able to do this better than me. That's what I'm paying you for. Go off and do it'. That's not an approach many thais in relatively powerful positions like to take.

[torbek]

I doubt other schools do it this way, but at mine, they get the latest foreign do-gooder to google the school in question. If the do-gooder deems it legit, the school sends the application on to the MoE.

That's pretty much all I've seen.

Hold the degree up to the light. Check the paper for watermarks. Check the website.

It's legit!

[mustafarodupthere]

I'm not sure the Thai police are that intelligent. Sure they shake down the KSR people, but then use that information to catch farang who obtained wps with fakes degrees (this is the responsibility of ministries of immigration, education and/or labour)? Not so sure.

Doesn't seem that hard. THey get the list of farangs they know purchased fake degrees. Hand the names over to the labour dept. and they can track them down to the school listed on the WP. Maybe takes the better part of a year to do that, all they have to do when, it's ready, is go and pick them up.
The only thing Imm. can do is cancel your VISA.

[inactiveposter]

I would take anything coming from the TEFL Watch website with a pinch of salt. The owner/moderator/poster stirs up controversy in a vain attempt to make his "income stream" viable.

[jonny danger]

I would take anything coming from the TEFL Watch website with a pinch of salt. The owner/moderator/poster stirs up controversy in a vain attempt to make his "income stream" viable.

Proof?

[Jasper]

My mate is a teacher at one of those schools that got raided. I couldn't believe it when he told me that his school told all the foreign teachers to hide on the roof of the school to avoid being arrrested. Four of them weren't so lucky. Amazing Thailand

What a joke. Got legal, get into a good school or get the hell out of LOS.

[dino67]

Well I posted the 'first' story on Thai Visa about my friend being told to leave because of 'unverifiable' documents. I then received a personal message from a moderator 'Ijustwannateach' and was told they suspected I was posting under multiple nics and I had posted a 'restricted' topic for my first post in the teaching forum. I'm still waiting for a reply from the moderator regarding my follow up P.M. I have tried to post again on Thai visa and it seems my post hasn't appeared.

My friend was able to talk with a few people before he left the country, some quite high up in the immigration and police department. He was told to just change his name and return to Thailand and he should be ok.

MOE is checking degrees ! they have people doing that exact job now- emailing universities etc. My friend was told that the uni in question emailed MOE back stating that his degree did not appear to be one issued by that uni.

MOE is working more closely with immigration including passing results of their degree checking to them. The raids on Friday only found approximately half of the people on immigrations list that they wanted to 'speak' with. There will quite possibly be more 'raids' as they attempt to find the rest. MOE are checking previous TL recipients and new applicants. MOE is only a little way through the process and have turned up approximately 100 people of 'interest'.

My sources include people in both departments. Up to you if you choose to believe the information. If it benefits someone in the teaching community in some way - great !

[kenkannif]

^ Doesn't seem to be the case mate from what I can gather...random checks at best.

Also I don't think an e-mail would suffice???

If the school signed off on the degree being legit (since the 'new' rules came in a year or so ago) the principal can face a jail term.

We got raided a couple of years ago...money was paid....business as usual.


Although things should get easier in the next few months for those not holding a degree.

[soijetcornergirl]

The only thing Imm. can do is cancel your VISA.

Wrong.

Check Chapter 8, Penalty:

http://www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/...ration_Act.pdf

http://www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php

[kenkannif]

Can't comment on the KSR ting, but the MoE used to (and maybe still does) send a list of 'dodgy' online degree places to some schools.

[spliff]

How about "dodgy" in country TEFL courses? Do they circulate blacklists for them?