[Peretool]

I can see that in teaching anything, mastery of the subject matter is a must.

In teaching English, the native English speakers might have a great advantage in that they have spoken the language since birth! This does not mean though that they automatically know it enough to be able to teach it.

On the other hand, there are also other nationals who, because of their education, training or experience, have acquired a level of English proficiency which approximates, or could even surpass, that of native English speakers.

Thus both groups are qualified in that particular aspect.

But the other big requirement is the ability to teach English as a second language. There are certain instructional methods and techniques which the teachers in this field need to master to be effective. And similarly, these can be acquired by a combination of education, training and experience.

So, for me, the teaching of English as a foreign (or second) language can be taught effectively by both native or non-native English speakers as long as they are qualified.

[TudareWQT]

Many countries, Thailand included, are seeking NATIVE English speaking teachers, for their schools, private & public, giving them all kinds of privileges and bonuses which are not given to Thai born teachers, ( I know this for a fact, because my wife works in an Bkk. school where there are teachers of different nationalities) fringe benefits such as free deluxe apartments, and other stipends, plus monthly salary which is as great or greater than that of their Thai counter part. [this is unfair to Thai teachers and school staff, but they are told by school administrators that school needs these farang teachers more than others, so they have to offer them more. ] But that was subject for another post, what I meant to find out here is; WHO are native English speakers?...are they Brittons?..Americans?...Australians?...S. Africans?...aperson born in each of these places has a little different way of talking English-though correct English is written alike in all parts of the world-even here in U.S, in different parts of the country you could hear English spoken, but you would have trouble understanding some words, these PIDGIN English speakers ARE native speakers. Then there is different implied meaning of some words in different countries, like Aussie would say; Good on you mate!...what? American would say Good FOR you buddy..etc....so will the REAL, genuine NATIVE English speaker please stand up! ..P.S. there is a gentleman teaching English in my wife`s school-and he is a Malaysian-I guess he is a NATIVE English speaker

[Caursedus]

Well I know how to teach, but there not willing to hire me in Thailand, because i don't have a degree, so instead the school children in Thailand learn broken English from a Thai teacher who cannot pronounce there words well enough for most people out side thailand to understand them.

[T1ivuQGS]

Well, all of the native English-Speakers might have their Dialect, Slang etc. but I am sure if they want they can all speak, read and write School-English, so I think it doesn't matter if they are from England, U.S.A., Australia etc.

What is more important is that they know how to teach.

[Knillagrarp]

By definition: native English speakers are English ! Then why don't Englishmen speak English??? I can't understand a word of it LOL

[elalmhicabalp]

Then why don't Englishmen speak English??? I can't understand a word of it LOL

Geeez, I thought tinseltown had the cream of the crop (Hugh Grant et. al.)

[elalmhicabalp]

By definition: native English speakers are English !

Having said that, as Bettie mentioned, there are some who have such heavy accents that they are almost impossible to understand!

[DownloadMan]

Well I guess Paul might be in, Now he would need to actually come to Thailand, I think he has been here once about 6 years ago,and the main thing would be for him to start telling the truth.
But why would a 30 year old Aussie multi-millionaire want to work for 25,000 baht a month.

I don't know that the school folks would think of a teacher with armed body guards strutting around in front of a class of kids with a potato stuck down the front of his pants..Or maybe the potato thing is just in his speedos..

[Drysnyaty]

FIP, the minimum wages do not apply to teachers. the standard farang salary in Chiang Mai is at least 25000 baht, at least 40000 in Bangkok I hear.

a native speaker is a person who has a passport issued by the American, British, Irish, Canadian or Australian authorities. most schools now exclude South Africans, there must be a policy on that. if you don't have a passport from these countries, you need to have a bachelor's or master's in teaching English and achieve a certain minimum score (which I don't remember) on the TOEFL exam (or 6.5 minimum on IELTS). some schools like to employ qualified Filipinas because their English is great, they are hard-working, and a little cheaper than westerners. native speakers can cut the route short by taking a 4-week course in teaching and having a bachelor's degree in - anything.

I have a colleague who speaks really ugly cockney. even some of the other Brits find it difficult to understand him.

[hiedeemom]

Many countries, Thailand included, are seeking NATIVE English speaking teachers, for their schools, private & public, giving them all kinds of privileges and bonuses which are not given to Thai born teachers, ( I know this for a fact, because my wife works in an Bkk. school where there are teachers of different nationalities) fringe benefits such as free deluxe apartments, and other stipends, plus monthly salary which is as great or greater than that of their Thai counter part. [this is unfair to Thai teachers and school staff, but they are told by school administrators that school needs these farang teachers more than others, so they have to offer them more. ] But that was subject for another post, what I meant to find out here is; WHO are native English speakers?...are they Brittons?..Americans?...Australians?...S. Africans?...aperson born in each of these places has a little different way of talking English-though correct English is written alike in all parts of the world-even here in U.S, in different parts of the country you could hear English spoken, but you would have trouble understanding some words, these PIDGIN English speakers ARE native speakers. Then there is different implied meaning of some words in different countries, like Aussie would say; Good on you mate!...what? American would say Good FOR you buddy..etc....so will the REAL, genuine NATIVE English speaker please stand up! ..P.S. there is a gentleman teaching English in my wife`s school-and he is a Malaysian-I guess he is a NATIVE English speaker

1. Thai born government teachers get a pension, sick leave , business leave, accommodation pay, rank bonus, re-location bonus etc....
In fact, how many Thai teachers have you seen taking a bus to school? Not too darned many....why? Well, since they are teachers they can free loans to but houses and cars etc..... No Farang teacher will ever get such things.

BTW: a native language speaker means a person who speaks that language as a mother language; regardless to whether he speaks like a Texan, Cockney, South African or Jamaican.

[valiumcheepval]

In England there are very heavy accents especially in the north,which make it hard for me an Englishman from the south east to understand what people are saying.
However my wife has the same problem in Thailand as there are regional variations in accents also.
The U.S has the same I would assume.

[elalmhicabalp]

Peterg I am from Norfolk!!lol.

And I am from Brum, some of the dialects there are as thick as mud

[elalmhicabalp]

In England there are very heavy accents especially in the north,which make it hard for me an Englishman from the south east to understand what people are saying.
However my wife has the same problem in Thailand as there are regional variations in accents also.
The U.S has the same I would assume.

Hey Mat, you should try the Black Country around Dudley or Blackheath. Then there is Devon or Dorset in the southwest or Norfolk in the east.

Unfortunately due to modern transport and communications, regional (or even district ) dialects are gradually fading away.

[VQdeochratis]

A little uncharitable there on Paul don't you think FIP?
I notice his English has come on with leaps and bounds just in the short time I've been posting here.
Apropos teachers in Thailand, I often hear them referred to in contemptuous manner and those teachers I've spoken to are almost unanimous that teaching there is a crap job.
How much truth is there in this?
I teach translating and interpreting over here and my only take on the question of teaching is that fluency doesn't necessarily give you the ability to teach.

[valiumcheepval]

Peterg I am from Norfolk!!lol.

[parurorges]

Then why don't Englishmen speak English??? I can't understand a word of it LOL

England and America, two countries seperated by a common language . . .

Just my $.02 but all the time I was in Spain last summer it was surprising how many people told me that of the english speaking countries american english was one of the easiest to understand. Not only was it the lack of accents if you can say that from places like california but according to them Americans tended to speak slower. Now don't get me wrong but there are parts of America where accents are so strong I can hardly understand them.

[DownloadMan]

Mostly true, but some difference in different areas, my wife would get no house loan or new car loan, I also hear of wages and bonus paid in citys that she doesn't get.
Well I know how to teach, but there not willing to hire me in Thailand, because i don't have a degree, There is a great difference in saying "G'day mate" and talking to people, than there is in teaching people to speak a language., therefore the earned degree.

Also after the corruption gets thru with the money and a good bit is wasted because some people know no more about administration of a government and its agency's than you do about teaching, there is no money to hire accredited teachers so they have to do with what they have.
A foreign teacher would most likely require a min wage earnings, An Americans min. is 65,000 a month, Aussies at least 45,000 and my wife with 20+ years gets 20,000.

[TudareWQT]

Thank for your comment Sir.-When you mentioned second job, ..thought came to my mind, the thought of employment/unemployment in Thailand, I read that Thailand now has about 66 + millions of people, are there jobs for all those people?...what is unemployment rate?. Bkk.`s official population is about 6 million +- at night time, in day time when all people from suburbs flock into the city for work it swells to 8 millions, and if you ever been there, you know that Bkk. is definitely very "crowded" city. So do all these people have jobs?, ...are they happy with their lives and jobs they have?..I watched for hours those motorcycle taxis on street corners, they would be just sitting around for hours, without getting even one fare, and when they do, it`s 20 -40 bahts, so how can they survive like that?...same with food cart sellers, there`s lines and lines of them on sidewalks, and I never saw a line of customers in front of any of these carts,. So how do they survive? it seems that they don`t have enough jobs for their own Thai populace, can a foreigner find a common, everyday job there?....[ p.s. once a saw a line formed in front of a food cart vendor, I said to him; "Wow!!..you`re lucky to have so many customers look at that line..."..he said to me "Nooooo,..they are not customers, they are responding to my '"Help Wanted"' ad!"... ,a little humor there, it never hurts ]

[Vikonbarius]

I must add to this that if a 'farang' wishes to employ a job in Thailand he/she should seek another job other then teaching. There are so many other things to do in Thailand, it just takes a little looking to do so and perhaps a degree or two.