I would love to ask you to continue to follow your heart. You are obviously one of the few who really really gives their all to the class and has it recognised by the School. What a combination.
good luck with whichever choice you make though I fear that judging from the committment you put in and your love for the the job/school, if you follow the cash you will end up in the mincer with all the back stabbing and politics of EPs that is pretty much endemic to Thailand's education system
The error returned was:
Your posting permissions have been removed
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Thanks Peel.
One hundred kilometres round trip per day would probably more than I"d want to travel in rain or sun.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
―
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Corrected just for you, I hope you feel more comfortable now.Originally Posted by Chang
I agree entirely. the word is "serfs"
Surf's up!
I wasn't sure if it was correct when I wrote it but I was in the office and I don't like to look at my dic. while at my desk.
Those that want to read whatever they can want all freedoms, but have to understand they can have freedom, but it must be within the law.
Here you go - a dictionary online so that you don't have to look at that nasty book in the office.
Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Migrated
Difficult choice. I love the school and am fully backed by the principal. Kids pay a 1000 baht to learn English that pays for my colleague and I. I like the integrity of the school and the way the principal makes a family ethos in the school. Last week a new student, a girl in M3 was basically expelled for non attendence. 2 other disruptive lazy boys, one of who has a very influencial father have also been asked to leave.
The principal has said if I stay she will help me set up an after schools club which will help put money in my pocket. Parents will not pay more for English. Infact our fees have dropped 30% already as so many parents cannot pay (We had severe flooding up her last year) I know the grass may not be greener but I'm 36, 12 years experience, can speak Thai and not sure if I shouldn't be trying to make the most of the experiecne whilst I'm young.
Anyway cheers for the support.
Re: Who is Thailand kidding?
was he?,,,,,,,,the bas tard
,,,,ah,,,,the filthy lucre raises its ugly head
Last edited by 8ball; 21st November 2009 at 10:22.
I-never-dun-a-ting-rong-in-me-life-m8
peelie, I hope you'll forgive me for nitpicking your post a little. You seem to be experiencing the blues a bit. I think this offer from your principal is quite extraordinary. I doubt you'll find such an offer from a Bangkok principal who understands you may be considering leaving her school. Despite the shortage of good teachers in Bangkok, a white face is still just a white face here. I wonder if push comes to shove if your principal will increase your salary rather than have you leave AND assist you in acquiring land.
He won't be happy unless he/she shows what a spelling authority he/she is. Fuck em! I know you speak Thai and English...did you ask him, "Do you understand?"
I'm going to speech competition tomorrow where details about the competition have also been withheld from me. Your student is only competing against him/herself. Just tell the kid you're proud of his/her achievement. You don't have a lock to win on any inter-school competition. And you DON'T have to accept any more storytelling coaching assignments if the results will send you into a tailspin.
peelie, the salaries stink all over now. If you love where your work, please step back a moment and see these small negatives for what they are. Put your principal to work for you. Tell her you need more salary - tell her how much - and ask her to help you (and your family) find an affordable piece of land nearer the school. If you are ready to move on and she knows it, she may try to help you...or let you go, and then you can move forward in your job search.
***I've deleted the crude language. Please keep things clean in here.***
Last edited by natalie8; 24th November 2009 at 12:29.
That is terrible. He's probably one of those smurfs.
I have to say the Principal has never in 4 years gone back on her word. The money simply isn't there for a pay increase. I now have a Phillipino colleague to ease my work burden and our combined salaries just cover what the parents pay. we also have the benefit of unlimited photocopier access and Aircon in every class. Maybe after Xmas I'll trial an after school club for a month and see if she helps me. If it workds I'll stay, if she doesn't support it, I'll move on. Up in Isaan the support and word of someone influencial makes a huge difference.
I've been thinking a bit more about this.
I think I might have really confronted the SOB. Even to the point of causing him to loose face.
You might have asked him what his overall philosophy was concerning the teaching of English and watched him squirm.
We all know how it is with Asians and confrontation.
But goddam these folks are going to have to clue into the fact that we aren't Asian and don't do business the way they do.
Arrogant little prick.
Mind you I'm not here for the indefinite term.
Good luck whichever way you decide to go Peel.
[quote=russellsimpson;1293946]I've been thinking a bit more about this.
I think I might have really confronted the SOB. Even to the point of causing him to loose face.
You might have asked him what his overall philosophy was concerning the teaching of English and watched him squirm.
We all know how it is with Asians and confrontation.
But goddam these folks are going to have to clue into the fact that we aren't Asian and don't do business the way they do.
Arrogant little prick.
I always confront them Russ unless my Principal is there and she gives me the look as to not say anything. I told this guy that he could find me another class of P3 in Isaan who can write that well I would give him 1000 baht and eat my socks. I also invited him to observe any class he wished but he was too busy looking at attendence figures and the teacher signing in book to find ways of fining the school or obtaining a pink envelope.
Normally, I'd recommend you give yourself a pay raise by changing schools. But you have accomplished something rare in Thailand, which is that you have built 'sweat equity' with your school, your community and your school's principal. It's very rare for a Western teacher to have a positive working relationship with a principal. It may just be a matter of the grass looking greener on the other side of the fence, but if you are determined to change schools in this poor economy, please arrange a new school BEFORE you give notice at your current assignment.
BADDA BING!!
then you promptly did a
hang in there pee. youve sounded frustrated for some time now. nothing new.
if you want it to work, you can do it.
I understand the frustration that the OP is experiencing. As long as Thailand keeps an archaic system in which innovation and initiative are thwarted, keeps a system in which no one can challenge the status quo, keeps a system in which conformity trumps creativity, foreigners will forever remain frustrated trying to 'accomplish' anything here. Thailand doesn't want to change. Culturally it's static and only upheaval from within is going to change that.
But who really wants that? Except for the mind numbingly vapid daily interaction with an otherwise pleasant populace, Thailand is right fine place to hang.
Do not come to Thailand expecting to make money if you are a teacher. A salary twice the upcountry average will not afford the average family of, say four, to have a decent home, decent international education for your children, decent foreign food, decent retirement, and trip home once a year. Those that can push 60k baht a month to do all that is living like a Thai and still coming up short.
Last House
This is sooooo spot on. I am constantly having this with my wife whenever we have an issue where we are not getting what we want and point out why we should make the effort to have the situation changed and how it can be changed.
Even though it would benefit her, her default reply is mai dai to which I constantly reply 'dai, krap!' and keep underlining how and why we should push for it. A point in case occured a couple of weeks ago where I pointed out that I wasn't happy with the choice of tiles for the parking space in the house we are having built. I preferred the colour and pattern of a garage in another street. I thought we should go to the sales office and check out the options of change. She talked to the workmen/women on site and got the number of the foreman who replied 'mai dai'. According to her, that was that. I pointed out that we are paying for it and not the foreman therefore we should seek a higher opinion but she couldn't get past the foreman saying no as it was all set and cast in stone.
The upshot, we finally talked to the office and explained the situation today and they came up with the 'mai dai' as the pattern was pre-determined and if another set of tiles was used then they could not sign off on the house being completed. To which I got my wife to reply, if you had a letter to state that this is our preference to the standard pattern and we have supplied the tiles that are still a part of your overall programme (just not for this house) at our cost (you can keep the existing tiles) then there should be no problem.
It turns out that we can go ahead and they will allow us to take away the existing stack of tiles and we get the colours we want for our drive! Thank you very much - perseverance wins the day. Job done
Slightly off topic but...
I think the mai mee/mai dai is a prerequisite for being Thai. I don't know if it's sheer laziness or stupidity that drives them to say this.
Some of you may remember, recently I asked for bike recommendations and I settled on a Yamaha Nouvo.
I went to my local dealership on a Saturday and looked at a white model but did not 100% gaurantee I wanted that colour, only suggesting I liked it. I left my number and said I will be be back on Monday with wifey and the cash to choose a bike. On Sunday my wife calls them to reiterate what had been said , No plob plum!
I went on Monday with the white one ready, waiting and papers filled in for me to take away. When I dared to suggest I didn't like this one and prefered a blue and silver, I got first the mai dai's, after telling them it was MY cash and I didn't want the white one, I wanted the blue and silver with mag wheels, I got the mai mee's.
At this point, I was was seeing red mist because I knew they had it, it was on the f?cking forecourt, all bright and shiny and new.
Too lazy or too stupid? YOU decide!
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Bookmarks