ESL Lessons In Thailand
You could be thinking I'm shooting myself in the foot here because I actually promote one of Thailand's premier and most respected training academies here on my site. Its all part of my no "BS" approach to information. I'm not going to not tell you something I think you potential teachers should know because I could lose a few bookings! First of all communication at your place of work,,,forget it! there simply isn't any. And what little communication you do receive is usually at the last minute, I was once ordering my lunch at one of my usual places away from school when I receive a phone call, "we have meeting you come now". On returning to the said room, nobody is present for another 20 minutes and the meeting about ESL lessons is all carried out in Thai! I didn't have a great deal of input on this one. Twice I have turned up at school to sign in only to discover the school is closed! Public holidays anyone! And as for lessons they are cancelled and postponed at the drop of a hat, is the EFL teacher informed of this, Hmmm, you must be joking. The worst thing though is to be told you are to give some kind of test or an interview in an hour or so. No preparation, how old are the kids etc, the result is you quite often look an idiot because you have nothing planned.
The actual lessons, if you can call them that are at best highly entertaining both for the forty odd students, let me just repeat that forty odd students and me the teacher. The reason they can be so entertaining is that the kids just love to play games, everything from hangman to cops and robbers, even I spy! If you try to have a serious lesson its a little like pulling teeth, and the younger kids have the attention span of a goldfish, and will soon start drumming on the desk or simply go to sleep. And at worst for me anyway is to be giving a lesson and to be totally ignored by the kids who are all doing other work they consider more important, I say bye bye,
I know what you're thinking here, I'm the teacher and I should make the esl lessons more engaging and perhaps interesting. Well forget the books and the video's of lessons you have seen with 15 perfectly behaved little angels all hanging on teachers last words. Then going off and carrying out some learning activity usually involving paint, crayons and paper etc; I've tried it and these kids are more likely to drink the paint as they can't resist bright colours. Speaking of bright colours, candy is available at various locations within the school and throughout the day. When the kids get a break between the lessons or indeed just going from one room to the other, you've guessed it they load up on sugar. The result being a classroom of hyperactive 12 and 13 year old's, there is a phrase climbing the walls! I guarantee you I have witnessed it literally, and swinging from the electric ceiling lights. Just sit quietly children I'm going to tell you a story,,Oh really. If you are thinking of working at a government school here in the land of smiles be prepared for long morning assemblies. You see the Thai's do like to talk, usually through a PA system even in the classroom, yes most Thai teachers have their own portable PA system. I refused to use one when repeatedly asked to do so.. How she expected me to give a lesson which involves pronunciation with a microphone stuck to my mouth she only knew. Oh, yes morning assemblies, they often do go on a bit and on and on and on! Office Politics and ESL lessons I'm going to leave office politics and esl lessons for another page as this one's already becoming a bit lengthy.
These EFL teachers often criticise the Thai education system and yes there is a lot to criticise as its far from perfect,, as we see it. One thing I shall say is the kids are so happy and full of character, giving ESL lessons to these kids has been an extremely enjoyable two years. I have taught them, they have taught me and I genuinely thank them for the experience. Thanks for looking
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I am going to impart some valuable knowledge about ESL lessons here in Thailand, it is knowledge gained from two years experience of working on the "front line" in a large government school which I would say is fairly typical of all government schools here in the land of smiles. It is information that ESL 
You may not associate "gate duty" with ESL lessons, you maybe thinking what the hell is gate duty. Well its where the teachers stand at the school gate to welcome the pupils, in my case some two thousand of them. The operative word here is teachers... I have forgotten the number of times I have been stood there alone or rather I should say together with my colleague who also gives EFL lessons at the same school. There are at least six Thai teachers in the English department who should be on "gate duty" where are they? Having their breakfast of course, or they have returned home after signing in. I was actually told by one of them that they are inspecting the canteen for cleanliness...Really.
The above may to some of you sound a little negative, it isn't its an honest description of just a few of the things I've experienced at this school. I am not an academic or a career teacher, I took this job for the adventure of living here in Thailand. There are teachers that come here on a sort of crusade thinking they can help and change things, forget it!