WHY NOT STAY HERE FOREVER & EVER?

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Become a qualified teacher TEFL/TESOL. Teacher training programs can be run at the same time as weekend motorbike loops, it will take me just six weeks to train you to become a great teacher - if you are really good I'll even find you a job at the end of the course. Also while you are training to be a teacher here in Thailand we can go on weekend motorbike tours of the country!

If you want to know more about the courses run here then please contact me on [email [email protected]][email protected][/email]

An e-mail list of happy biking teachers here in Thailand can be provided if you wish to contact others that have done the TEFL course.
 

mja34

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Apr 24, 2003
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jake keep a eye on your mail box, searching for you part. so tell me more about your tefl course etc,only need a very small excuse to pack this city rubbish in and head over.

marcus ackerman
 

mja34

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Apr 24, 2003
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jake,one of us has a dodgy e,mail acount,keep sending you details for bike, but here goes again, phone s&d spares they have a cdi unit there number in the uk is 01691778500. they whant £45 for it plus p&p.ok good luck and if you still whant old motorbike mags drop me your adress. m .

marcus ackerman
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Hi Marcus,
Thanks for all your time and help tracking down the CDI for me.
Are you still on your way over in Sep, also did you look at the TEFL WEB site I sent you? I shall contact a mate who will then get hold of the CDi if all is ok.
Later
Jake

To The Thai & Ital Tarmac Company in Hang Dong - Splash it all over and lay it on think and heavy, chaps!
 

mja34

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Apr 24, 2003
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hi jake, still havent recieved details on the tefl site to look at, comeing over in october, around the 20th,spending a few days in bangers before comeing up,hows the weather, london hot/sticky,do you still whant motorbike mags,need a adress to send them to. tarmac cracking up outside,but bike just serviced so makeing the most of the long daylight. catch ya soon m.

marcus ackerman
 

Rammis

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Apr 11, 2003
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Hello Jake,
I had a question for you. With out having a college degree how hard would it be for me to find a teaching job with your TEFL/TESOL certificate? I plan to move to Thailand soon and was hoping to teach English there. I am interested in your course but I have also been looking into Text-n-Talk down in Pattaya. Can you tell me how your course compares to theirs?
Thanks for any information.

Ray

LoS bound
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Hi Folks,
The difference between the Pataya course and here are the trainers and trainees. Pataya tends to attract a different type of person than the north does. To find out more about how I run the course here you could contact either PeaceBlondie/Jason/Smilee from this site. I've taught in various places around the world for the past 20yrs, 5 of which have been in training. The course is run over a four day a week here so there is plenty of time for getting out and about on the bikes. But to be honest with you I do take my job extremly seriously therefore I tend to push trainee's hard as to get the best out of them. Chiang Mai is a small place this makes competion for work fierce therefore I've got to work hard and fast turning you into a highly skilled teacher. The more you put into the course the more you get out of it, so to speak - meaning homework can eat away at your weekends. Many think that a six week course is enough to turn most into highly skilled teachers, it isn't - it's just the begining of your development. I simply provide you with the best tools in which to start your new career.
As for the Degree, it's not needed to find a job and teach but to get your work permit it's a must. However the number of teachers here without work permits is truly amazing, I'm not sure on percentages but I'd guess at about %50, maybe more without degrees.
Those without Degree's pick up one of the many dodgy copies that are available in Banglangpoo from between 2000-7000bht. This however is now a VERY RISKY path to take and would advise against it.

Stickman doesn't have anything good to say about my boss (TnT) because we don't give him the large sums of money for advertising as the other course providers do. Maybe in time this will change but as for now I don't think his reflection of TnT is too reliable.
Check out www.teflteachthai.com or better still pop in and observe me training for a class or two, then you can decide for yourself.

If you have any more questions please contact me at [email [email protected]][email protected][/email],
* the ZX10 is back on the road so I'm out of here for the weekend so I may not get to answer your e-mails until Monday.

If anybody is flying in from the western world, please - any chance of you throwing a couple of bike mags into your bag for me, big please ?-? )

To The Thai & Ital Tarmac Company in Hang Dong - Splash it all over and lay it on think and heavy, chaps!
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Hi Dave,
Hope all is well, long time no see.
As for the ZX1 I've tried several times to get the thing airbourne but it seems to be too heavy. This weekend will be the first real ride out after turning round half way up to Pai last weekend on the beast. Ian's new'ish ZX11 seems a lot lighter therefore a lot better for the mountain roads. We will see but I think it could be up for sale shortly if I aren't making Pai under the hour.
Missing the KLX250 big time and hope to have the CDI from Japan by the end of the mth. So touch wood the test ride will go ok this weekend if not does anybody want to swap a 250+++ two stroke road bike or the CR250 crosser for a big cruiser zx1000 with plates???.
Also for those in the hunt :- leather jackets repaired also cut off's, waistcoats, belts etc made in the Annussan Food Market not too far from the New Irish pub - where the guinness is at a heavy 280bht a pint but saying that I once flew to Dublin and back over Loy Kratong once for several pints of the old black stuff (£697.58 inc. flights, taxi (down to the Stawberry Beds pub),
27.5 pints, plus a full paddy breki before the return flight 48hrs later! The return to Dublin airport was a classic - Paddy's (an Irish mates nickname!) despatch bike a lightless, hornless CR500 motocrosser!!!
Later,
jake
 
Oct 10, 2003
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It is required by law that foreign teachers of English have a 4-year degree from a college or university in order to get a teaching license for Thailand. You must also have a Work Permit and a Non-Immigrant visa.

Chiang Mai is still a cowboy town when it comes to English teaching. The pay averages 200-250 baht per *teaching* hour(there's always going to be plenty of non-paid work in your job, too), the same as its been for almost 20 years. Even the university only pays 250...Frankly, the only way for a teacher to survive with any degree of comfort is to work their asses off. You'll need at least 20,000 a month to just survive here, in my experience. That's at least 20 hours of teaching per week, every week, just to survive at the bare minimum...Some life, na'?

Working without a WP and proper visa is NOT a smart move anymore. Life is changing here, and Immigration is much more serious than in years past. People are getting arrested--and put in jail! for even the most minor of visa and WP issues. Also, illegal teachers will still have the expense (your own expense) of visa runs, which means you also lose any money you would have made teaching, since illegal teachers are always paid hourly, not by monthly salary.

Lastly, if you are serious about learning to be a teacher, take the Cambridge Course in CELTA.. It is recognized in Thailand, and around the world as being among the best of these types of courses. They are offered in Thailand by ECC. Much better, in my opinion, than a questionable certificate from from a company like text'n talk, which hardly any school will recognize. They may have a good course, but a Cambridge CELTA certificate will be more valuable to you,overall, especially if you ever decide to teach in another country.
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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larrylek,
You have made some valid points, however even with the RSA CELTA or even DELTA you are expected to give a demo lesson. This demo lesson is what usually lands you the job. I have known people without even the RSA CELTA get a job over those with the DELTA.
If it's big money you are after then teaching is not the job for you, it doesn't matter where any more as even those lucrative Saudi jobs have long since vanished! Who needs loads of cash when you have some of the best biking roads in the world at your door step - as long as the tanks full.....
happy travels
jake

To The Thai & Ital Tarmac Company in Hang Dong - Splash it all over and lay it on think and heavy, chaps!
 
Oct 10, 2003
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quote:

Originally posted by jake

larrylek,
You have made some valid points, however even with the RSA CELTA or even DELTA you are expected to give a demo lesson. This demo lesson is what usually lands you the job. I have known people without even the RSA CELTA get a job over those with the DELTA.
If it's big money you are after then teaching is not the job for you, it doesn't matter where any more as even those lucrative Saudi jobs have long since vanished! Who needs loads of cash when you have some of the best biking roads in the world at your door step - as long as the tanks full.....
happy travels
jake

To The Thai & Ital Tarmac Company in Hang Dong - Splash it all over and lay it on think and heavy, chaps!








Yep, Balance. Ya gotta have balance. Less money and harder work in chiang main for some,but some of the best roads and places to visit in the world

You are certainly right about the demo. I understand t&t is quite good, and has better training than CELTA in the areas of teaching kids. CELTA is more designed for adults. But giving a good demo should counter any certificate questions, as you say. But, I think it rare that the typical school will go through that process, in my experience...As a former DoS and college English dept Director (all in Thailand), I used to hire many teachers, but never a demo behorehand. It just wasn't practical, under the circumstances. That system takes much more organization and extra manpower to setup and maintain. Chula is one of the very few places with such a system, and it works quite well when screening teachers. I've been through the hiring process there, and was offered a job, some years ago.

Anyway, under my limits, I have to rely on documents and my gut feeling as the 2 main hiring factors. If offered a candidate with no experience, that's not always a problem. I know, for sure, that if they have the CELTA it means I know what they've been taught, and how. The history and credibility of the course makes it easier for me to get a fuller sense of this person's skills. A person coming to me with T&T will get a more detailed exam from me, purely because I'm not as familiar with the exact training this teacher has received. Of course, many factors go into my mind....the certificate is a small factor, overall.
My experience has been that most hirings are done by Thais....Exceptions, of course, but a general rule, in my experience. As such, many will not be as familar with farangs as I might be....The Thais whom I've known, who hire teachers, rely more on rules than gut feelings, mostly because they are not western-raised, in some cases, perhaps. When schools in Thailand advertise for teachers, they often get hundreds of replies from around the world. They must have a screening system, and, if they are only familiar with CELTA, well, human nature says CELTA grads will get more consideration....T&T wouldnot be an issue for me, but I've been doing this in Thailand for almost 20 years, far longer than most any Thai doing hiring of farang teachers...You can bet they would be more strict in their selection process, being much less familiar with farangs....

Oh,...Though I didn't have teachers do demos, I was always in their classroom on the first day, making sure they got off to a good start. The Real World Demo...If the teacher survives, everyone is happy. Though I truly never tried to inflict added stress, I've alwys found that one's actions under stress are an excellent predictor of character and behaviour patterns.

I had a stroke a couple of years ago, which cacelled out anymore biking riding, and forced me to retire and slow down a bit....Though I'm not riding anymore, I still get my 'meditation' from driving my car around the north, though I trult miss the wind and being in the environment, instead of in the car, watching the environmment....

And, since the majority of my adult working life has been in Thailand, working through the ranks, and paying my dues like everyone else, I'll always be interested in teachers in Thailand. It's in my heart.
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Larrylek,
Most of the DoS's/school owners (AUA, London Hse, EF etc etc ....) here in CM contact me directly asking for teacher's that I have personaly trained. Please feel free to give TnT trainees a more detailed exam, I'm sure you would be supprised with the outcome. I have also been here in the educational system for 20yrs, mostly with the British Council. Sorry to hear about the stroke.
Kind Regards
 
Oct 10, 2003
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quote:

Originally posted by jake

Larrylek,
Most of the DoS's/school owners (AUA, London Hse, EF etc etc ....) here in CM contact me directly asking for teacher's that I have personaly trained. Please feel free to give TnT trainees a more detailed exam, I'm sure you would be supprised with the outcome. I have also been here in the educational system for 20yrs, mostly with the British Council. Sorry to hear about the stroke.
Kind Regards








Jake, as you well kknow, reputation here means everything. If people are contacting you for teachers whom you've trained yourself, then that clearly means that your reputation as a trainer is quite good in their eyes...I'm happy to hear that, and it does give me more confidence in your program, of course. I only wish I had someone like you to call when I was looking for new teachers..:)

Please don't think I'm trashing Tnt....As I've mentioned before, Tnt does have a reputation for having training courses better geared to the typical Thai student..CELTA being mostly geared to teaching adults....A *whole* lot easier than teaching kids! :) I only reccommended CELTA to the untrained teacher planning to teach outside of Thailand. I would recommend the TnT training to a teacher planning to teach in Thailand, primarily...After a year of teaching experience, then the kind of teaching cert becomes much less important, in my experience.

Anyway, I wish you and TnT the best. Chiang Mai has been such a cowboy place for so many years, and I hope the quality you bring to your training will someday carry-over to English teachers getting better treatment ($$) and more respect here.

Cheers,
Larry
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Dear Larry,
Not only here in Chiang Mai but the whole of Thailand has a poor reputation regarding it's EFL teachers. However, here in Chiang Mai I'm trying to do my best to improve this situation and offer schools highly motivated and skilled teachers. I’m very proud of the reputation Text & Talk graduates have gained here, both in the goverment and private language schools. This reputation has come about from hard work, not only on my part but also that of the trainees. Whatever a trainees background maybe – an elderly English Professor or a young truck driver from Germany, I shall do the best I possibly can to help/direct/push them into becoming proficient EFL teachers. Not all will pass, not all will stay, but those that do don't stay for the money. They stay because they care and like myself they wish to help those that wish to learn. Sadly for Chiang Mai everytime a train or a bus pulls in from BKK, so does yet another dozen or so cowboy teachers. If it's respect and a high salary you are after then you better be prepared to do some hard work, thats for sure.
Happy Xmas one and all
 
Oct 10, 2003
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Man, with a dozen or so off every bus and train, we must be up to our eyeballs in cowboy teachers by now :)

Happy Holidays!
 

jake

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Feb 23, 2003
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Many cowboys and cowgirls just keep on riding the trail without stopping here too long. Especially when they find out there's no gold in them there clongs or moats. If it's cowboy or cowgirl scalpes you are after then check out any of the hospitals this time of year - as the moonshine gets many up in them there hills and they bite the dust! Only a little raw hide is needed to make even the toughest of cowfolks pack their saddle bags and head for the hills of home.

Happy Xmas

Tonto and his horse named tefl-tesl-toes