Tilokrat, unfortunately yes" I think you would need to take the course.
How is your Thai dancing?

The institution of this course was widely publicised in order to try to make a farang teacher understand the culture and work ethics of Thai students and the country as a whole.
Unfortunately, the condesending people who teach it are about as far removed form farangs and they can be.
i recently met a person who stated that he was touting his agency around in order to try to get schools to hire his teachers, instad of the schools hiring individuals.
that was met with a polite refusal from two very well known schools in udon.
They rpefer to employ teachers or farangs who they have heard of or trust and it is a simple deal, one year if we like you you stay if not you go.
easier than agency who after all will fight for their teacher to stay even if the school doesn't like them.
The culture course is as far as I know sneered at by many schools as being quite uneccessary.
Until the govt enfoces it upon schools to enbsure it is done, it is not a proble.
When it is forced so amny farang teachers will go, it will be immediately cancelled as schools will not have enough native english speakers, . many teachers I know have lived her for over 6-10 years, their knowledge of Thai culture outweighs the info given on any course.

It seems such a waste of time energy and falang money!

I think the Thailand gov't should should define their specific goals for the education system,restructure their school administers to insure they have the abilities to plan and carry out those goals.New teachers should be trained to support those goals ,rotated into the system while the old teachers are retrained!

To focus on foreign teachers regarding Thai culture ,that mostly attempt to teach English to unmotivated students,is just another scapegoating attempt to justify the failed system.

A work sheet ,falangs,with proper manners ,dress etc. etc. should suffice to maintain a decorum facade that would cover the present system nicely!

Tilokarat wrote:Could someone answer the following questions about meeting the standards to teach in northern and northeastern Thailand?

Would I have to take this cultural examination and course based on the my qualifications:

1) I have a Ph.D

2) two of my undergraduate years were taken at Chiang Mai University in which, among other subjects, I studied Thai, northern Thai and Thai culture (I have the transcipts for these courses and the 3-month intensive Thai course I took at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S.A.)

3) I can read, write and speak Thai reasonably well

4) I lived in a rice-farming village between Doi Saket and Bo Sang, 12 kms. from Chiang Mai for over 3 years in which no-one spoke English but me

None of the above counts for anything. (especially the part about living in a rice farming village!!!!!)

Unless you have a Bachelors' degree in Education, and even then, you still have to do the culture course.

Please note: these requirements are only for teachers who work in government/Tesaban schools, and not private schools.

Tilokarat wrote:Could someone answer the following questions about meeting the standards to teach in northern and northeastern Thailand?

Would I have to take this cultural examination and course based on the my qualifications:

1) I have a Ph.D

2) two of my undergraduate years were taken at Chiang Mai University in which, among other subjects, I studied Thai, northern Thai and Thai culture (I have the transcipts for these courses and the 3-month intensive Thai course I took at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S.A.)

3) I can read, write and speak Thai reasonably well

4) I lived in a rice-farming village between Doi Saket and Bo Sang, 12 kms. from Chiang Mai for over 3 years in which no-one spoke English but me

None of the above counts for anything. (especially the part about living in a rice farming village!!!!!)

Unless you have a Bachelors' degree in Education

I did a brief volunteer stint once with a German guy who had hair down to the middle of his back,
questionable legal status, didn't own any clothes other than t-shirts and an accent you could cut
sheet metal with......but he had white skin and did a great clown act. The Thais loved him.

It opened my eyes a lot. For all the talk about specialized qualifications, at the end of the day
they really want "an entertainer" and there's nothing wrong with that but I honestly feel for
the genuine teachers out there when, despite their "dream list of qualifications" they expect the
instructor to be a clown, there for the amusement factor and unfortunately, if you play up that
"monkey on a leash" thing, it really only perpetuates this thinking. Not for me again thanks.