I am not saying everything is black or white and sure maybe Hippo is a good bloke. But then again I am sure there are some people who think Gary Glitter is a 'good bloke'. I really think that will be the next thing, people using fake police checks from their home country.
Thais want their teachers to have real degrees, guess what? back in the West so do we.
Actually goo_stewart, I personally wouldn't, as I am sure alot of people wouldn't (because I would worry too much about getting caught out, plus its unethical)... but then, alot of people do.
Im sure he knew the consequences and the risks he was taking.
Like my friend in England who started dealing, got caught and got sent down. Im his mate, but no sympathy cuz he knew the risks.
If you take the risk, deal with the consequences!
Not worthy of jail, but you should stick by the rules...
Still thanks for posting and sharing as it stands as a good warning for people who bend the rules or let people manipulate them into breaking rules.
My TEFL Journey VIA blogstyle:
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You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
-- Dr. Seuss
Who are you to compare hippo to Gary Glitter? You really have your perceptions of offenses distorted.Originally Posted by trevor godwin2
You have a sordid and twisted sense of reality. Why the hell are you comparing Hippo and Garyy Glitter. You are sick, very sick.
Some Thais don't, thats why they encourage some western teachers to get fake degrees. The schools actually do more than collude and encourage in some cases. They TELL.
Get your head out of your arse and start seeing the world in its proper state. Stop judging things in black and white. Shades of grey exist.
You are a total cunt. I bet you are a real goody goody who has never done a thing wrong in your life. Wanker.
Sorry for the language but these holier than thou idiots really wind me up.
Last edited by Uncle Harry; 18th June 2009 at 19:51. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
If I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over you.
I can see why , if the school was saying it was OK to use a fake degree, why someone would think it was safe and go ahead and do it... in my younger more naive and less paranoid days I probably would have done the same, but im always a tad skeptical now.
I guess it just stands as a good warning to not trust what employees say 100%...
When to make the shift from 'technically illegal' to 'illegal'? Technically illegal in Thailand might still aptly describe volunteer work or teaching the odd privates on the side. Signing off on a document that you know is false and giving it to immigration is illegal. I don't think Mr Hippo disputes this.
Absolutely not. Set aside the right and wrong of fake degrees. 1 chance in a 1000 or 1 in 2000 of facing the same consequences as Mr Hippo so that I can stay in Thailand? A bitter pill for him; two days in IDC, suspended sentence, possible deportation, and possibly international travel restrictions like the Aussie woman. I find it surprising that a fair number of people are still cavalier about fake degrees.
There is no dispute that I done the wrong thing and am now suffering the consequences of my actions. Nothing in this world is black and white; there are many shades of grey. You have to remember that the offence took place 6 years ago when things were very different. Pieces of paper that looked like official degrees were accepted on face value and were assumed to have been verified by schools.
If anyone thinks that my reply to getting a fake was ‘Of course, I’ll go to Khao San Road tonight and get one’ is mistaken. After much soul-searching, it was handed in about 6 weeks later and not by me but that is a different story. I asked at the school if I could use any of my nursing qualification as a degree equivalent and was told in no uncertain terms ‘No’.
Let’s change tack slightly; what was your first reaction to being told that bribing a police officer is OK? Shock & horror? What would your reaction be if, when offering tea money, the police office decided to arrest you and charge you with attempted bribery? An unlikely scenario but it could happen.
It’s not only farangs who have fake degrees; one school director has a PhD from Nebraska. She lived on campus and was only 20 minutes away from the ocean, the palm trees and white, sandy beaches!
Faster than a speeding virus ,more powerful than VD ,able to leap into the balconies of Ivory Tower's
Justice in the Ajarn waytrevor godwin2 Got red
As Hippo pointed out - we are talking about many years ago when it was normal to do these things. Of course you wouldn't do it now, we know the consequences (those Canadians who spent 3 months in jail et al), but 6 years ago no one batted an eyelid, it was even encouraged or recommended by school directors. It doesn't make it right, but you must put this case in the correct context. Hippo has been a stand up fellow, he has contributed a great deal to the teaching environment in Thailand with this thread, now we know the dangers and I would suggest that there will be less fake degrees knocking around.
Just put his actions in context. I, like many here, have great sympathy for Hippo and think he has done well by speaking up about his ordeal.
I got my teacher's license and work permit in 2001 and back then they didn't even require a degree. I ceased work and returned home last year and my paperwork was just renewed every year. One of the reasons I decided to return was that I could see that the red tape was getting thicker and I believe that it will only get more exacting in the future, so I came home to go back to university and get a degree. I never needed to face the choice of getting a false document but I did see many others that were forced to compromise their principles in order to stay on in Thailand and I also saw how the schools would encourage but not condone the practice. I consider the new regulations to be a positive step forward by Thailand in a wider sense but I think the Thai authorities are also culpable for the laxness of past regulations and need to accommodate those teachers that were previously granted license by grandfathering the new rules, not prosecuting indiscriminately.
We could all sit outside on banana lounges discussing the best way to rebuild a 4WD transmission and agree, through shared stories of conquests supporting our assertions, that there is no basis to the proposition that those least assured of their persuasions are the first to condemn others for theirs.
Don't gut yourself, Hippo. We all know you as an upstanding, conservative, solid bloke. It was very unfortunate, and long ago. I'm surprised that they managed to trace you.
What I'm curious about...why would they choose to go after someone who's out of the game? Why not one of the thousands of other fraudulent teachers?
"Goddamn it Lord, bless oh ye this bacon..."
George Liquor American
I've also thought about that, but I think it was someone who ratted on him.
^low hanging fruit is my guess, Hippo came in for a visa extension and he was on a list. Not too sure why we haven't seen any other examples of busts, maybe we will in time.
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