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Thomas Pyecorft (British) B.A. English Batch 5/1 |
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| When I first came to Thailand I didn’t plan to stay here long term, but a few circumstances changed and I found myself living here permanently. Now, as an unqualified foreigner I was in a bit of a predicament in terms of being able to live over here comfortably, without a job or steady income. After weighing up the options it became apparent that there went many options; I could either become an extra and get paid 1, 500 Baht to sit around a movie/advertisement set all day, become a model/actor for between 10, 000 to 30, 000 Baht per casting, or teach English. |
The first option sounded like a great idea because I had loads of experience. The second option was not my cup of tea because when I’m forced to fake a smile it comes across as a snarl, and the third option seemed unfeasible due to the fact that I knew nothing about teaching English. Desperate, I took the third option and in hindsight it has turned out to be one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made, but I’ll get to that later.
After looking though the classified section of the Bangkok Post I found an ad saying that they needed native English speakers urgently. So, I turned up and got the job, pretty much on the spot. Nothing was mentioned about the legality of what I was about to do, no mention of official visas or work permits, and at the time I was clueless to the laws ‘strict’ requirements. There was also no mention of what I would be teaching and how I should teach it, so when I asked what was required of me I was told that I started on Monday. I realized that there was a communication problem so reiterated the question, this time emphasizing the ‘what’. This time I got the answer, not the one I was looking for, but nonetheless the answer. ‘Just teach. You’re a native speaker so just go and teach how to speak English.’ This is easy said than done, but somehow I managed and realized that teaching can be an enjoyable profession. I spent the next year and a half honing my skills, obtaining TESL qualifications, and reading up on the English language. During this time I also did an English language and literature combined AS level online, with the idea of gaining the entry qualifications required to study tertiary education in England. It was at this time that I stumbled across the IIS online and was delighted to discover that I could study for a Bachelor Degree with my secondary school qualifications (the English G.C.S.E.s are equivalent to the Thai high school qualifications). I applied for IIS, went back to England to sit my AS level exams, and upon return started my first semester in June.
I’ll not bore you with the details, but needless to say, I was extremely disappointed with my first semester. The quality of some of the classes was way below what I had been studying at secondary school, a certain professor was immorally making students write recipes, cook food, and take pictures of the process so that the ‘work’ could be uploaded to his ‘non-profit’ website, and there were countless other trivial issues.
Then came the second semester, a turn of events, some good courses, some great professors, and a change in my mind state. It took me a while, but I realized that I was approaching things from the wrong angle. I still remember, and constantly remind myself, of one professor’s sage advice. A veteran to Thailand and its educational system, he advised the non-Thais reformulate their questions. Instead of asking ‘why?’ it is better to ask ‘how?’ for example ‘Why are there no coursebooks?’ does not get you very far, whereas ‘How can I get my coursebook?’ would.
Now, I’m approaching my fourth semester (fifth is you include the summer semi-semester) and on a whole I am happy with life at the IIS. I’d be lying if I told you that everything is perfect here, but then again nothing in life is perfect and you have to take the rough with the smooth. When I get a terrible professor, I can still learn what not to do (as an ESL teacher and hopefully someday a lecturer). When a get a terrible course, I don’t spend all my time moaning about it (only some of my time now!) but instead either make the most of the time in the classroom by reading up on the subject whilst the professor reads aloud from the book, or taking in my own book and preparing myself for the next step in my education.
In regard to my peers, the IIS is a true cultural melting pot and I am privileged to know some fantastic people from all over the globe. Extra-curricular activities are a bit thin on the ground, but things are slowly changing externally and students are taking the initiative that is sometimes lacking from the administration.
The location of the IIS is not for me as there are too many young students living around that area, but there are plenty of places to live that aren’t too far away and are away from the overcrowded streets that surround the campus. As far as nightlife goes, there are more than a few bars and restaurants that cater for a student’s budget, and due to the outgoingness and friendliness of my peers I am sure to never be drinking or dining alone.
In terms of finance, unless you’ve got a scholarship, or a nest egg, a sugar daddy, or a wealthy distant relative who’s got one foot in the grave, you will have to get a job, probably teaching. This however is illegal unless you have a degree and a work permit, so it’s a catch twenty-two which is quite ironic seeing that each year the government crackdown on the foreigners working in Thailand and catch this exact amount.
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