TEFL Phuket News

Many people are intimidated by the idea of Teaching English in Thailand without any knowledge of Thai.

Their question: I can’t speak Thai, can I still teach?

YES you can teach as knowledge of Thai is not necessary to teach English in Thailand.

In fact, speaking Thai in your classes can be a hindrance to your students’ progress.

TEFL is Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This means the language spoken locally, outside of the classroom, is not English. This is different than EFL or ESL and sometimes TESOL which are generally taught in an English-speaking country. The difference is that your class time may be the only time that your students are easily and safely (without risk of embarrassment) able to practice their English. To speak Thai with them, or to rely on their mother tongue for instruction, would mean they lose valuable English practice time and opportunity.

We view the classroom as a safe place in which errors in English are welcomed as opportunities to learn. Your role as teacher is pronunciation coach and usage advisor. As a native speaker, you have a natural “ear” for what sounds correct. English is highly irregular in some situations, and a native’s knowledge is irreplaceable for students learning to speak well.

Thai may sometimes be used to clarify a point or as an aid in definitions, but the absolute majority (99%) of your classroom time should be speaking English with your students. It is possible to use an online dictionary or translation service to give a general idea of meaning, as well. Plus Google image search can help with pictures of things, emotions or activities. There are also online videos from YouTube and other sites, which can be beneficial, but these should be pre-screened.

In our training, we emphasize maximizing student talk time (STT) rather than teacher talk time (TTT). You can speak English, your students cannot. So we engage our students, teach them a bit of new English, then set up a safe “free practice” opportunity. Thus, they learn with confidence and in an enjoyable manner, so they learn better and more quickly.

Thus, near-native proficiency in English is the only language skill necessary to be successful Teaching English in Asia.

For more information on registering for the course, click here.

Thanks for your interest and see you in Phuket soon!

Sawatdee! (The Thai equivalent of ALOHA.)

In response to many inquiries among our recent emails, we have updated our FAQ page to include information helpful to students interested in teaching English in Thailand.

Topics include:

Choosing a course

the TEFL acronym jungle and some definitions

TEFL distance learning

university credit

degree requirements

job prospects and placement

visas and more…

Please give it a look, and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have: info@TEFLPhuket.com.

Thanks and we look forward to helping you begin your teaching adventure.

The tourist season is slowing down, but the weather is still fantastic in Phuket, Thailand…. enrollment is now open for our TEFL/TESOL Certification Course beginning March 10, 2008, as well as all future courses in 2008. Here is our complete course schedule. Enroll now to make sure you get a spot!