If you are a student in the UK who's planning to teach in Thailand in 2014 through the British Council's Thailand English Teaching Project, read this advice by Charlotte Ogilvie, a student at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London who taught on the scheme this year.
Brutal honesty
'You are fat' ... 'You have hands like a man' ... 'You look like a joker: not rich or attractive' ...
When living in Thailand, you will quickly learn that people are not afraid to say what they think of you, but also of everyone around them. Nicknames often reflect physical appearances or personal attributes. For example, a rather overweight ten-year-old at my school was called Sumo and a well-padded older teacher was referred to as Lek, ironically, as it means small. This is why I was surprised when I was given my Thai nickname, Chaba, which means sweet-smelling, brightly coloured flower (hibiscus). You may be as lucky as me, but equally, you may end up being referred to as 'steamroller' or 'ghost'. Chok dee (good luck).
National and monarchical pride
It would be fair to say that my accommodation was sparsely furnished. The main room only had a fridge (we were lucky), and the decoration was limited to these three items:
Large, glossy print of the king
Large Thai flag
Small Thai flag
The royal family is everywhere. Pictures of the king and queen, ranging from their childhood to old age, adorn every street corner, sub-district, home and mobile phone background. Respect this and never question or challenge their authority or importance.
Extreme weather and other teachers' 'over'-protectiveness
All of the participants of the British Council's Thailand English Teaching Project are adults. Many of us moved out of home years ago, have spent time overseas and generally know how to look after ourselves. This can make the move to Thailand a little frustrating, especially if you are staying with a host family.
Admittedly, I did not opt for the best way of testing the boundaries of the other teachers at my school. In fact, I didn’t have to try; I just managed to overstep the mark by far. One day after school (which finished at 3pm) the sun was shining and I had no plans except bedtime. My noble steed – a bicycle leant to me by another member of staff – awaited me when I returned home and we took off together on a mission to reach the next town. This town is 15km away from my sub-district and, for the whole journey to Sak Lek, I had no regrets. That said, monsoon season in Thailand should not be underestimated. Emerging from a 7/Eleven corner shop after a refreshing and well deserved drink, I found myself soaked within seconds. The sky had turned and the clouds were pelting down sharp beads of water in my direction. The next day at school, my mentor had been given reports from various other teachers (and even students) who had driven past and been extremely worried. The director was even called to speak to me. 'I worry about you, Teacher Chaba'. This mistake cost me the freedom of whizzing off too far into the distance.
So, if you want more freedom, just try to be reasonable. The Thai teachers at your school will feel responsible for you and you must respect that.
Language and communication
By stepping into a new country with a foreign tongue, one automatically exposes oneself to public humiliation, or at least to making mistakes.
People told me that Thailand was the land of smiles, but failed to mention that it is also the land of laughter. If you are a falang (foreigner) daring to try your hand at the rather tricky, tonal language, you may bear witness to something similar to this little incident:
'Koon s-way mai?' I quiz the young male computing teacher, over a low table buckling slightly with the weight of multitudes of Thai delicacies. It is lunchtime at Anubanwangsaipoon and I am sitting in the kitchen surrounded by laughing teachers, feeling ... well ... miffed. On this occasion, I had intended to ask (playfully, I might add) whether the above teacher considered himself to be a bit of a catch. Instead, apparently, I implied that he was either female or a lady boy by using the feminine version of the word beautiful. It would have been equally easy to insult someone by accidentally using this phrase: 'Koon suay mak'. 'Suay' sounds astoundingly similar to 's-way', and would result in calling someone chronically unlucky, as opposed to beautiful.
When confronted by a room full of 30-60 wide-eyed Thai children, without a translator, you will quickly discover that wild gesticulations and dictionaries can only get you so far.
So, my advice to you all: learn rudimentary Thai. It will make a world of difference in terms of communication, but also in showing your students that you too can be vulnerable and make mistakes in a new language.
Daily school schedule
0600: Loud Thai music – often the same songs on repeat – is blasted through loud speakers reaching every ear in the close vicinity of the school. I originally found this somewhat unnecessary and irritating, but after about a week, I got used to it and was able to sleep through it.
0800: At most schools, all the students and teachers assemble around the flagpole at this time to sing the national anthem and raise the Thai flag up high.
0830: Classes begin. There are one-hour-long classes consecutively until lunch.
1130: Lunchtime. It may sound early but by this time, I was always ravenous. (This also lasts one hour)
1230: Afternoon classes begin and continue much in the same vein as in the morning except the students tend to be one of the following:
Rowdier
Sleepier
Renewed in their self-confidence
1530: Classes finish for the day. Many teachers continue to do activities with the pupils after school hours; some of them accept extra money for this. This option may be available to you if you are interested. Just ask.
1530-2300: Occupy yourself. You may be living alone and have to occupy yourself during the long afternoons and evenings. If this is the case, you may adapt your bedtime, and sleeping at 2100 hours may become normal.
Some English teaching assistants and teachers live with Thai teachers, but more often, they are put in a house with other foreigners. I was sharing my accommodation with two Philippine ladies in their mid-twenties.
Others have very active social lives and are invited round for dinner or taken out almost every night.
In my two months, in the evenings I went to another teacher’s house for dinner twice, and in the space of one afternoon to a market, a funeral and then a restaurant in a town that was 60km away.
Students
At lunchtime, after school and between classes, Thai students tend to be incredibly friendly, bold and affectionate ('I love you', followed by tens of children hugging you from all directions). However, when you interact in the classroom the dynamic changes dramatically: when they are confronted with a direct question in English, they tend to freeze.
Just remember there is a way of combatting this, and that, when the students get used to you, they will gradually become less self-conscious and more willing to participate in group activities. But, until then, be prepared for them to go out of their way (hiding behind tables/friends/putting their little scout hats over their faces) to hide from what they may consider to be the evil glare of the teacher, when, in reality, you might simply be throwing a pen or a ball to students, asking them to say their name to the rest of their peers.
I feel that it is extremely important as an English teaching assistant to encourage and enable the students to listen to and actually speak English themselves. Try teaching them the words ‘thirsty’ or ‘thirtieth’ and get them each to say it individually. The spit will fly, but much fun will be had.
Playing games is also a fantastic way to get your students to engage with English and, when you place them in competition with their peers for stickers or sweets, you would be amazed to hear what they come out with.
After much discussion weeks before, a fellow teaching assistant and I managed to organise the dreaded and revered (by the teachers) English Camp, an activity day at school where students get the chance to interact with the English language in a different way outside of the classroom. It was really encouraging that my group of students, who ranged from the age of 9-12, was the most responsive and expressed the greatest understanding out of the whole school. They happily joined in with the biggest game of duck, duck, goose I had ever seen, proceeded to shout out 'What's the time, Mr. Wolf?' (almost) unprompted and managed to follow what was being barked at them in a game of 'Simon Says'.
Find out how to apply to be a Language Assistant.
Find out more about our work with teachers in Thailand.
Read more on Charlotte's blog.