Native English Speakers only

[yllorco]

I have the TEFL certificate already, but from a different training institute.  I don't know if T@T Academy honors it, or will give job to those Filipinos which TEFL certificate from other training centers.

[ajarn_ph]

I have the TEFL certificate already, but from a different training institute.  I don't know if T@T Academy honors it, or will give job to those Filipinos which TEFL certificate from other training centers.

A TEFL certificate is always a plus or additional proof to schools and agencies that recognizes its value. The years of experience is an excelling proof. T@T does not hire full-time basis but the hourly rate is satisfactory. Every businessperson who cares about education and maintain a good reputation must not ignore the experienced, qualified, or professional and licensed teachers.<ajarn_ph> 

[ajarn_ph]

i would say, do not expect much and try an another door of opportunity. if they are two or more offers you get, you will be able to choose or be confused. an agency or academy that has been mentioned previously does not hire non-native english speakers or pinoy teachers. we may be bilingual or multi-lingual individual but it has its own rule or priority. i encourage you pinoy teachers to improve more - much on accent and this can be a battle of debate and not how good we are at teaching because native speakers are market demands. BUT there is always a way.

question, feedback or comment?

[iSDa(GO PORTAL)]

helo 

i improve my accent by watching CNN t.v. news everyday for an hour.

i get the news, i hear good accent and i catch phrases.

learning my way.

i hit three stones with one bird.

  

fish yo!

[ajarn_ph]

good for you lapu-lapu!!! a challenge is in applying a teaching job to schools who want native english speakers. good luck <ajarn_ph>

[Darfur]

Colored Education
by Bobo Meitei

I came here as a fresh graduate on the lookout for different things that I had heard of. So being a young man with little money in my pocket I decided to take up teaching as I had been engaged with teaching economics to secondary students for one year. A language school employed me but their inability to obtain a work permit and the required visa compelled me to quit the position to attend TEFL course in Bangkok, which I still think was worth attending considering the introduced approaches in teaching English as second language. By the time the course was over all my friends were already placed by various school but I was left without a school where I could complete the internship period, the placement officer at the training would not try because I am Asian and the schools I had approached would not consider me because I was too Asian to be on their campuses as an English teacher.

 Understanding my problem the English-educated Malay trainer somehow pulled out the name of a school in Bangkok and told me to try. So in few days time I found myself in front of the school being welcomed by a diminutive lady with who I had to communicate by smiling at each other. She examined me from my gelled up hair to my Tawyin-cushioned feet as if she was in a store looking for a doll for her grand daughter, finally over with the intense examination she released a smile and told me to sit down facing the wall where pictures of animals with name incorrectly written below. As her understanding of the language, through which we were going to communicate, was limited I just put on a nice smile and asked her few questions by relying on gestures, her comprehension appeared rather shakable and she called out for the young secretary, who was already nervous at the fact that she had to do something related to translation, excusing herself she ran out of the office room to find a teacher who could communicate in vain. Her return was met by the cold lashings from the diminutive lady. The diminutive lady rose up to ask if I could start teaching from the following day, but I would have to teach kindergarten. There I was caught in a dilemma; I badly needed a job but I had never taught young learners before. I diverted my eye contact to imagine how it would be like to be with young learners, then I returned my gaze at the eyes which had been eagerly waiting for “ yes’ , I nodded my perplexed head in agreement.

Next day I was in the classroom looking for someone who would explain the whole things in vain. After two hours a lady in her late forties with freckled face which ran down till her chin showed up, smiling at me she introduced herself and left me before I could even ask her what I had been expecting. Half an hour later there 12 kids in the class, curiously staring at me, they sat down in horse-shoe shaped on the floor and turned around their head to look at me as if asking “ come over here and teach us!” The lady in her forties rose and said “teacher you go and teach.”

The bizarre ended after I met few British teachers who explained what I had been looking for and the following days turned rather smooth. Few days after I had joined the teaching staff I ran into a tall teacher from Holland. At the parents-school meeting the parents looked at the tall handsome high-school dropped out teacher from Holland in admiration, when he mentioned the word “Amsterdam” they fixed their eyes to him for a while then “ wow! Beautiful” snuck out from their mouth. Then my turned came, the expression became observant and critical, when I finished my explanation I asked them if they had any question, to which they wagged their head.

I knew that from day one that my attire should be formal and I followed it; neck-tie, pressed shirts and trousers. Being a person who grew up in a cold place I had to roll up the shirt-sleeves sometime in the afternoon due to the profuse perspiration in Bangkok. One day a lady from the office approached me to ask why I had rolled up the shirt sleeves, slightly vexed by her oblivion I said “you would not understand mam.” As she was going to walk away the tall Dutch teacher grabbed her by the wrist and sent down a smile and she instantly became the subject of his smile, his exposed chest , the rolled up sleeves. All that mattered to her was the acceptance by that tall flying Dutch man.

Few months after all the teachers in the school had to pose with children for pictures, the Caucasian stood prominently, Thai teachers knelt right next to the Asians wearing the same shirt as the school had the rule to hire only Native English speakers. The following weeks pictures of the Caucasian teachers were hung on the front walls of the school, their names were even displayed but that their qualification and achievements were nowhere to be seen.

In the middle of the semester the diminutive manager who recruited the new teachers and systematically arranged our wages according to the colours of the skins was told to hang up her boots, a new religious one arrived and she was welcomed in the most pompous fashion, the pomposity of the ceremony overwhelmed her that we could barely see her existence in the crammed room where the subservient Thai employees displayed the best demeanour.

I found her rather sneaky, sneaking up on people and leaving without even greeting people around her, but she was the person in charge of the school where 600 young minds had been receiving formal education. In the middle of the second semester all the teachers were informed that our teaching would be observed, nobody objected but English teachers in general suggested that someone who could speak and understand English should supervise the observation part. Hearing what we had suggested the new religious manager notified all the teachers for an urgent meeting, there in the staff room we found her sitting hair spiked up, eye glasses hanging on the tip of her nose, wearing pink skirt and blue jacket over a white a green shirt, discerning our steps she raised her head and stared at us over the glasses then released a smile which allowed her canine teeth to sneak out as if she was cunning vixen. A person who smiled at all of us a moment ago now diverted her attention and it was fixed on the a young Thai teacher, who spoke the best English among the Thai teachers, gibbering while wagging her head as if she was threatening her, to it the young Thai teacher lowered her head until it touched her knees and when she woke with her entreating welled up eyes relaying the meaning through her quivering mouth only said “yes, yes”. The Thai teacher on the verge of crying gathered herself and announced that the manager had the utmost desire to observe our teaching regardless of her English level.

She came to my classroom and sat in the back of the classroom. I was little worried that my kids would not response well even though I had been slogging. Much to my relief it turned out to be a disciplined lesson with kids having a good laugh during the activity time. The manager stood up holding the evaluation sheet and wandered out without even looking at me and not even saying “hi” to the kids. Slightly disturbed by the whole thing I rushed out and stopped her, she turned around and looked at me like a cornered creature. Having explained why I stopped her I looked at her eyes and waited for her response. I wanted to know what she felt and I expected some feedback from her, but my curiosity was met by her postponement which didn’t come for 7 months.

Sitting in front of the tiny mart with my colleague drinking a bottle of green tea during the lunch-break I saw my British mate approach us. He sat down next to me and delivered his positive outcome from the one-to-one interview with the manager. The smile on his face disappeared leaving me wonder what he was going to do now. “ The manager says you are fired mate.” he released the gloomy appearance. Both my colleagues insisted that I go and find out in person. So I rose and scurried to the office where the manager was yelling at the young Thai staffs.

Understanding my intention she ventured in to her office, but she didn’t utter a word but behind the friendly mask she wore there were many things she wanted to say, which had not been allowed by quite cultural backstabbing. “Parents call everyday say we no like Asians, we like farang teacher, committee say you teach no good” she released the verbal lump inside her. I demanded which parents had called the office and if the school had any written complaints. Holding out the matter instead of facing it is another naïve mantra that I had experienced, so she expected me to buy what she had cooked up to seek personal vendetta. Having found out that I was not going to leave the premises without given a valid justification she, at some points, stopped coming to school for few days, however my aggressive mind didn’t give up easily instead I hung in to wait and organized the teachers- committee meeting. Only when she was summoned by the chairman of the committee she showed and we met in one room after days. She backed down but behind that submissive manner I could see the cold expression which would prolong to nurture up the egoistical beast inside her. The beast which allowed personal vendetta overcomes professionalism.

In a month time I was offered a job by a language centre in Bangkok which required me to teach in a government school with a good 67 years American mate. Teaching 26 hours a week and handling classes of 50-55 exhausted and drained the creativity that we could have employed for a remarkable outcome. However, the curiosity in the eyes of those innocent kids kept our spirit up and we surrendered to the innocent curiosity while ignoring that fact that the school administration never even dealt with us, as, to them, as if we were bunch of aliens from a language centre.

It’s such a pity that the quality of teaching is compromised for the sake of appearance as if what one wears and colour of a person is what we are eyeing for. Are we too naïve to figure out what we our society needs?

Small people spend a large part of their life talking about people, while great people talk about great minds, and people who talk about great minds are not necessarily encased in one preferred skin, what is beneath the surface of what appears so ugly, so dark, so brownish ,so white is more important that how flashy the appearance is. Those who see more than the tip of an iceberg and those who can see what is beneath the surface are the people who outwit the conventional wisdom. The anachronistic belief of racial superiority seems to hang in as a stubborn beast in a society which I love. Certainly the racism prevails in most countries but it is the degree of it.

this is for you lengrad. a proof that there is racial discrimination in (******).
-edited by Madam H on the grounds that last part of the message could be seen as "defamatory".

[ajarn_ph]

Hello, I have read this article "Colored Education", an issue written by Bobo Meitei and an Indian national originally posted at ajarn.com and I have a comment. A person who is newly come to the land of smiles may not show his/her smiles. Why? If a person keeps on complaining and s/he is not happy because s/he is a misfit to such place. Some people sometimes say something untrue without thinking and they become pessimistic about their bad experience instead of accepting it as a lesson.

[jayRed]

hello guys!!! hope na di kayo magagalit sa sasabihin ko. sa totoo lng! minsan kasalanan rin natin mga pinoy kung bakit ina ayawan tayo sa maraming dahilan.
 1. siraan
2. nag aaway sa campus (both pinoy)
3. may mga pinoy na masakit man aminin, they really cannot SAPIK english well (Provincial Accent and Grammar). kaya lahat tayo damay na generalized na kc.



pasensiya na po!!! bato bato sa langit ang tamaan wag magalit.

[Darfur]

it's true khit nung panahon pa ni kopong-kopong

[Master J]

Mainit pa rin pala ang topic na ito hanggang ngayon. Sana mayroong mga suggestions on how to deal with this positively.

[ajarn_ph]

All native English speakers can become English teachers to teach English language. All Pinoy who can speak English can teach English language like the native English speakers. Not all can get a teaching job. All teaching jobs are uncertain. So, think ahead and take care.

[Madam H]

All native English speakers can become English teachers to teach English language. All Pinoy who can speak English can teach English language like the native English speakers. Not all can get a teaching job. All teaching jobs are uncertain. So, think ahead and take care.

Ajarn, 'just want to make a comment about your post. I think I get your drift, however, to make generalizations by using the word "ALL" could open up too many doors to criticsm, I think. Here's my thinking...

I do believe it is easier for one to become a teacher of one's own language. However, I do not believe ALL native English speakers can be GOOD teachers of English. This is especially true if the native English speaker we refer to is one who has not had the proper education to teach a language, or he/she does not have enough experience in teaching.

An even more dangerous one follows, Ajarn, when you say, "All Pinoy who can speak English can teach English language like the native English speakers".

I think when a Pinoy comes to Thailand for the first time, and learns that not everyone they meet can communicate in English, it is easy to make the assumption that teaching English in Thailand will be one piece of cake! But as you spend more time here, as you meet more Thais who've been educated abroad and hear them speak with a near native English accent, you start thinking twice. Then, as time passes, and you meet some native English speakers who are experienced language teachers and are qualified professionals, then you start thinking, "Ahhh, er... maybe I made the wrong conclusion... or maybe i didn't know any better when I first got here and now that I'm wiser, I think differently." (And then you smile sheepishly.)

I believe so much in the capacity of the Filipino to adapt, to acquire a near-native English proficiency in speech, and to develop the confidence to speak and defend the multitude of reasons why we have our own place in the teaching profession in Thailand. In Siam Pinoy alone, we have had so many opportunities to meet and discuss with but a few of these brilliant and driven Filipino teachers, who in their own small way, are doing the Filipino race proud in their respective working environments.

However, let us not turn a blind eye to the myriad of opportunities to learn both from the deserving locals and farangs alike. Each of us here in Thailand has a place. And instead of pointing fingers, reprimanding each other, or overwhelming ourselves with other people's defeatist attitude, why don't we attend Krashen's workshop this 20th in Concordian. There, we could perhaps all argue ourselves to death on why a Filipino teacher could be just as good as (or even better at times) than the next Joe.

[yllorco]

Good points Madam H.

Beware Ajan ph!

[Nong V]

hello guys!!! hope na di kayo magagalit sa sasabihin ko. sa totoo lng! minsan kasalanan rin natin mga pinoy kung bakit ina ayawan tayo sa maraming dahilan.
 1. siraan
2. nag aaway sa campus (both pinoy)
3. may mga pinoy na masakit man aminin, they really cannot SAPIK english well (Provincial Accent and Grammar). kaya lahat tayo damay na generalized na kc.



pasensiya na po!!! bato bato sa langit ang tamaan wag magalit.

I think it's unfair to generalize that all Filipinos from the provinces have a thick accent.  I have heard a lot of Filipinos speak with an accent or with a Filipino way of speaking English, and they came from big cities like Manila or Cebu. 

My department head would ask to look for Filipino teachers without an accent.  And I would ask her what she meant about an "accent".  She would say "tagalog".  It sounds silly, or ignorant for that matter.  But the painful truth, is that Thais will always have a misconception that many of us Filipino has an accent, irregardless whether you come from the city or the provinces. 

So, how to do we deal with that?  Self improvement.  Accent reduction.  learn to listen to yourself when you talk.  It's rather difficult but it is possible. 

Nong V

[Madam H]

Just wanted to add to this discussion here... perhaps what others mean when they say "accent" is actually "pronunciation"?

Kasi, we cannot really do away with accent, because where you come from in any part of the world, whether it's New York, Alabama, London, Kota Kinabalu or Manila, you will always speak with whatever accent your place of origin has/known for. Native speakers of English speak with all different accents - Australian, Canadian, New Zealander's, Irish, etc. And not all of them will be easily understood by the locals here.

But what makes the most difference is, I think, pronunciation. According to Stephen Krashen, who is a leading expert on English learning, "Second language speakers of English will never have Native English speaker fluency". No matter how great we are at speaking, as second language speakers of English, we will always have our Fillipino accent (kahit ano pa ang gawin nating pag-imitate sa mga 'Kano, or Brits, for that matter).

In the professional international community of educators, different accents are well accepted,  even expected. Kaya lang, it will take time to change paradigms where teachers of English are concerned, kasi siyempre, if you claim to be a teacher of English, as BP said in one of the threads here in SP, you have to be "super good".

And so I definitely agree with Nong V. It is of utmost priority for us teachers of English, who are Filipinos, to put all our efforts into becoming very fluent, very articulate and very confident speakers of the language we claim to be good teachers of.

As to the term "provincial accent and grammar", I no longer take offense to such a statement. I've met many Pinoys who come from Manila who have a hard time making a distinction between "p" and "f" when pronouncing words. And I've also met many people from the provinces (where I come from) who interchange the short "e" and the long "e" in their speech. I'm sure we are still familiar with the very famous ad on tv a long time ago that goes like this, "It's the leberty condense melk!" 

To me, pareho-pareho lang tayong mga Pilipino na kailangang punain muna ang ating ************ling mga weaknesses before making generalizations about what is a good accent and a bad accent, and what is good pronunciation and bad pronunciation. Sa ating mga Pilipino, pag magaling magsalita ng Ingles ang isang tao, he/she is branded as "nagmamagaling", "malaki ang ulo", "trying hard", etc. Pag mali-mali naman ang Ingles, kinukutya din! Yay! Alin ba talaga ang gusto nating mga Pinoy - magaling mag Ingles o hindi magaling mag Ingles? Dapat nga, we should be encouraging each other everytime we see efforts from someone to get better.

That's another thing to learn from the Westerners. They do encourage each other. They find ways to praise each other. And best of all, they also know how to ACCEPT praise. They don't say, "A, wala yun. Hindi nga maganda ang pagakakasabi ko, e."

Watch out for our blogs here in SP. It is our hope that through the articles we Filipino educators write in those blogs, everyone will have mroe ideas on how we could all uplift the Filipino teacher's image in Thailand!

[iSDa(GO PORTAL)]

but which accent is the best accent to influence the student's accent if you are the english teacher with an accent?

the american accent or the united kingdom accent or the australian accent? 

i think in the american there are many accents.


nagtatanong lang po.

salamat.

peace yo!

 

[TARSIER]

My dear fellows, I heard that as of now, accent is not the only mere reason why some employers disqualify Filipino teachers from their institutions. When it comes to accent and ability to teach, I met a number of Filipinos in Thailand who are really excellent in the field - may it be speaking, writing and others. I don't think these local employers are unaware of the presence of these great pinoys. They are aware how hardworking and dedicated to his job Juan dela Cruz is and they even want Juan dela Cruz with them.

However, plenty of Filipinos working in Thailand right now are just destroying the image of our country. HOW? A certain school refuses to consider Filipino applicants in their school because of their horrific experience with some Filipino teachers which even happened not just once but twice or thrice. Here, I mean experiences which are really bad and I do hope we could do something for this.

If ever we find a better opportunity than the one that we already have, let's make sure that we leave the school graciously. When hired properly by a school, leave properly as well. At first, the administration would react negatively for sure. However, let's do our best to help the school before leaving and not just leave with unpaid debts and undone tasks. If possible, offer them help to find for replacement immediately.

If the new offer is only 1,000-2,000 baht higher than what we already earn, think for a couple of times. New school means new adjustment. Let's make sure that what they will offer would compensate us for all those adjustments to be done.

My main point there is do not just leave a school without having reconciliation. Let's do our part to fight against this what we call "discrimination" (if there is) and not just complain of being discriminated. Let's do our share in protecting our name as FILIPINO. After all, it's not a task which should be done by only single person or organization (like siampinoy, philippine embassy, AFT, UFT, PLG, ACT, FBFT or whatsoever pinoy org here in Thailand) but it's something that every Filipino should deal with. Let's do something to raise ourselves among the races.

[Madam H]

Amen to that, Tarsier!

When I left my first job here in Thailand, I had been there for five years.

I left with just one day notice. However, because I explained the opportunity to my Thai coordinator, she understood why I had to do that. I found them a person to replace me asap. And because I was able to exit within decent terms, I can always go back to my old school, and be treated the same way by my former Thai coordinator.

In fact, I did go back to my old school and did a workshop there for the teachers, for free, of course.

We have to think about ramificatiosn fo our actions, not just for ourselves but for other people, too - especially other Pinoys in the future.

[Madam H]

but which accent is the best accent to influence the student's accent if you are the english teacher with an accent?

the american accent or the united kingdom accent or the australian accent? 

i think in the american there are many accents.


nagtatanong lang po.

salamat.

peace yo!

 

As a teacher, it will depend on theprogram your institution has adopted - is it Candian, American, Brit, Australian, Singaporean, etc. If it's a Brit school, naturally, they would prefer to have someone with a British accent. Dito magaling ang Pinoy, kasi madali nating iadopt ang wika ng iba.Kaya lang, when you do adopt the Birt accent, medyo ready ka lang na pag=usapan ng mga kapwa mo Pilipino. Kasi, for a Pinoy to speak with a Brit accent, when you ar enot even living in England sounds so unnatural to another Pinoy ear. It's OK if you are conversing with a Brit, kasi mas madali ka nga namang maintindihan kung pareho kayo ng accent.

As for natural conversation lang, nothing to do with teaching whichever curriculum, mas natural  at mas madali sa ating mga Pinoy ang mag adopt ng American accent, dahil that's what we have been exposed to most sa Pilipinas. How? The best way, in my book, is still of course, to find a bloody American at kausapin siya ng kausapin. Pasensiya na lang siya...gusto mong matuto ng Ingles, e! LOL

Or, watch loads of American movies, and listen well to how they string words together. Listen to the way they converse and learn the phrases they usually use. And while you are at it, find a good book on idioms and learn their meaning. 'Might come in handy later.

Another way is to join the Toastmasters. It's a group of people, mostly business oriented, who get together for the purpose of learning how to speak well in public. Or better yet, organize a makeshift Toastmasters group in your working place or apartment building. Ask interested Pinoys. If you need help, we can help you. But first, find a group of interested people. Huwag na pong pilitin ang mga ayaw... 

[yllorco]

There must be a debate going on between Stephen Krashen's position and those of others on L2 acquisition:

According to Stephen Krashen, who is a leading expert on English learning, "Second language speakers of English will never have Native English speaker fluency".

Others

"Despite persistent efforts, most learners of a second language will never become fully native-like in it, although with practice considerable fluency can be achieved."

It seems either "most" or "all" L2s.  This seemingly slight difference becomes clearer when one has to account the statistical outliers of both L1 and L2 in a language continuum, where both may overlap depending on the skills of the individual in speed, stages, correction, depth of knowledge and success.