Thailand has at times been something of a hotspot for English language teachers abroad in recent times. Work was plentiful and pay was relatively high. However, the Ministry of Education in Thailand has recently announced plans to change things somewhat.
The changes
Evidently as some sort of effort to curb the influx of unqualified teachers, the new regulations are introducing two teaching qualifications that anyone wishing to teach in Thailand will need to possess. The qualifications are expensive, time-consuming and the reason for their existence is somewhat bewildering – especially when internationally recognized qualifications such as Trinity TESOL or CELTA are standard world wide.
The rules
The basic stipulations are as follows:
1. All teachers in Thailand must have a BA degree and a teaching license.
2. Those without a teaching license are required to take a 20-hour Thai culture course, a one year teaching training course, and the teacher must pass four exams.
More thorough details can be found here.
The why’s
If this improves the quality of teaching in Thailand then I suppose it will have fulfilled its purpose, but you can’t help but think that it’s a bit extreme. These new regulations will cause a lot of headaches and hassle for teachers who have been there for years but who don’t possess the necessary qualifications, and for any prospective teachers the stipulations might just kill off any enthusiasm they have. The full effect remains to be seen.
Are you teaching in Thailand? How will this affect you? Let us know here!
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