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Election season (however infrequent) is that special time that brings policy issues to the fore with self-proclaimed pundits and neighborhood know-it-alls letting everyone know what’s right and wrong. Amid the madness, it’s hard to get a grasp on what’s actually important (legal weed? legal ride-hailing apps? strength? unity?), but there is one issue that everyone reliably agrees on: education reform.
However vague the political party platitudes often are, they convey a broad constituent desire to see improvements in the way children are taught, because few resources are as cherished as the minds of our youth.
With ever-increasing global connectivity, it’s often English language education that comes to the fore in these debates. And right now Thailand isn’t looking so hot – it has dropped 11 spots in the latest EF English Proficiency Index, which assesses English as a foreign language (EFL) proficiency in non-native English-speaking countries. By comparison, Singapore (3), Vietnam (41) and Indonesia (51) all placed higher than Thailand this year – There’s nothing like a little neighborly competition to spur some action.
Thai Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin has further emphasized the issue, noting that serious improvement is needed and the inability to communicate in English is “the main obstacle to global competition.” Regardless of opinion, it’s a safe bet that when a minister makes bold statements such as that, action will follow.
And don’t forget about the parents, those (in)famously demanding creatures, who are becoming more acutely aware of the need for proper foreign language education and are increasingly unwilling to entrust custody over their children’s minds to anyone less than certified, fluent English-speaking EFL teachers. A common misperception of the past was that native-English speakers were automatically good teachers, which couldn’t be further from the truth – it’s mostly a matter of training.
One way this challenge is being met is by the efforts of reputable, globally recognized teacher training schools. One example is TEFL Campus in Phuket, Thailand, which offers one of Thailand’s only TEFL certification courses with university-level validation. For those aforementioned demanding parents, a graduate from one of these schools can go a long way to meet their demands; For those interested in teaching English in Thailand, the job opportunities and ongoing career development resources afforded to alumni can help assure a long and rewarding career as a teacher.
Another example is the growth of innovative online teaching platforms that require their teachers to be TEFL certified, such as Thailand-based Globish, which is reported to be ramping up services to increase its already 8,000-strong student body. According to reports, the company currently employs 80 “coaches” from various places around the world, including Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Europe (see, it’s the certificate that speaks, not the nationality!).
Regardless of how the current Thai election season plays out, it can be a safe bet that the urgency for education reform and improvement in English skills will see a surge in demand for qualified EFL teachers and this is a good thing for the youth and for educators to be certified to a global standard and respectfully, gainfully employed.
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