Two tier pricing for TEFL course.

**LoveBucket** · 11th July 2007 11:00

Originally Posted by peelieorion

You can't really call other people snobs if your adults are paying for private tutition and you yourself are teaching Thailand hierarchy.

..so you're not one of those people who consider that i'm a

Originally Posted by wintermute

bottom of the barrel farang

i'm happy to hear that, thanks.

**MisterStretch** · 11th July 2007 11:02

"Teaching English is not just about teaching English; it's about teaching thinking." Well, that let's out a lot of the people here, then doesn't it?

And Kingwilly...I'm not an idiot because I take offense. The implication of the poster was that the course being mentioned was a 'cowboy course'. As I was the lead trainer for that course I took offense.

I agree that there are several cowboy outfits in Thailand. Some of them are sponsors of this website. I was only responding to what I considered a personal insult. As it is between me and that poster...go stuff yourself.

**kenkannif** · 11th July 2007 11:43

Originally Posted by Asper

To return to an earlier point, my understanding of the two-tier pricing system for parks is that residents of Thailand pay taxes which are used to maintain the parks, while tourists don't, hence the higher price charged tourists.

We, being residents and taxpayers should in theory be entitled to the lower price. In theory, if we can show proof of being residents and taxpayers, such as a WP or tax receipt, we can pay the lower price. In practice, it's at the whim of whoever is collecting the money that day.

By law mate they can't charge us more if we're paying tax etc. National parks that is!
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I don't think there's a massive change to Filipinos or Indians teaching here....it can be a nightmare for them to obtain Visas as well once here. Certainly a major nightmare here for Indians...and they (Asian teachers but not Thais

) often should/will need to take a TOEFL test and pass with a certain score.

Also you do generally pay less for them, but without the 'white face' you can't charge as much (and don't be stupid enough to think you can just parade a Westerner every now and again....the kids will tell their parents they were taught by an Asian) so pretty much all the money saved on salary will be lost on what is paid for the course/school/whatever!!!

**peelieorion** · 11th July 2007 17:01

Teacher Training comapanies here are in an impossible position. The Thai english curriculum is virtually impossible for anyone who doesn't go to an international school and have a private tutor to understand yet everyone here knows its nonense and what Thais need is the basics re taught till they are known. Where do you pitch your course. you can teach grammar skills but they are wholly irrelevant to 905 of Thais abilitiy or you can teach thinking skills to Thais in which they have the same abilities as 5 year olds.

Where training is nonense here is that the key problems of Thailand are never addressed. Kids can't read, they can't speak, they can't think and they can't write. courses need to be designed to teach reading and speaking at Pratom level, Creative writing, speaking and thinking skills at Matayom level. It is impossible to teach English here unless the foundations are taught starting with phonics.

**russellsimpson** · 11th July 2007 17:26

Yes P.

We keeping getting back to the same themes.

It starts at Pratom, they have no fucking idea what their doing there. They think phonics is something that comes in a box and is covered in chocolate.

They simply don't seem to understand that there are effective measured and effective means to teach English. I frankly don't understand why they don't understand.

It can be infuriating.

So yes, then the kiddies hit Matayon without the basics, and they ain't going to get the basics here, at least in the public system.

On to Rajabat and university, etc. So many years wasted.

I presume the EFL teachers at this level are normally handed a book like Headways or another such title and told, "Here, you teach students from here" .

I don't know. It's a mess. If I were Thai and had money I can guarantee you that my children would be out of here and in a western school starting right about grade one.