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[Scott]

I'll give you my take on this, but that is all it is, but it is based on being involved in the administrative end of teaching.

When you start, you will get a waiver that is good for 2 years.  Most teachers will take the Thai Culture course during that time.  There have been reports of immigration officers asking for compliance on this before renewing the Work Permit.  In theory, you should be able to teach for the 2 years that the waiver is in effect.

When the school applies for the 2nd 2 year waiver, they will present the Thai Culture Course to the Teacher's Council and the 2nd waiver should be forthcoming.  During that time, you will either need to start to 'upgrade' your education credits to meet the requirements of an education degree, or sign up for the exams sponsored by the TC.  You do not need to pass the exams, but you do need to show you have paid for them and are signed up.

The 3rd waiver would be a continuation of the same type of rules as the 2nd waiver.  However, if by the time that waiver has expired, you are expected to have either completed your education or passed the tests, I think.  There is no provision for a 4th waiver.

We are now entering the time when a significant number of teachers are on their 3rd waiver.  There are teachers who have, by hook-or-by-crook, managed to bypass the TC and the TL altogether.  There are some where the 1st & 2nd waivers were granted on nothing more than the Culture Course.

Turn over of teachers in Thailand is rather high, so it will be a while before we know what has happened to some who are further behind the 8 ball than others.

[aidenai]

Scott, on 2012-01-28 12:44:26, said:

The 3rd waiver would be a continuation of the same type of rules as the 2nd waiver.  However, if by the time that waiver has expired, you are expected to have either completed your education or passed the tests, I think.  There is no provision for a 4th waiver.

I haven't heard about this (yet) from the side of The Teachers' Council of Thailand.

2012 is the year that the 3rd provisional teaching permits will be issued.

The 4th provisional teaching permit is due to 2014.

[Scott]

I hope you are correct.  I know a few years back, I had staff who went to the MOE to discuss the regulations and the impact on our school.  At that time, they were told there would only be 3 waivers.

At that time, however, they seemed pretty unsure of anything.

[sirchai]

glaswegian, on 2012-01-09 13:18:29, said:

i think they should put more stress on their teachers rather than forcing us to sit for a teacher licence, all the english teachers working at my school have got their master degrees in english but none of them cant understand me or speak it as good as it should be

kind regards

william

The majority of Thai English teachers do not have a good command in English; most of the time foreigners write their thesis for their master’s.
But they are Thais and they could lose face. You can’t. .......

Edited by sirchai, 2012-02-01 21:55:46.

[sirchai]

Scott, on 2012-01-28 19:37:05, said:

I hope you are correct.  I know a few years back, I had staff who went to the MOE to discuss the regulations and the impact on our school.  At that time, they were told there would only be 3 waivers.

At that time, however, they seemed pretty unsure of anything.

Hi Scott,

I'm on my fourth waiver letter now, just received it from TCT last August and also a colleague received his fourth at the same time. I'm holding a BA, but not in education. But it could also be that our director's connection to the TCT made it happen...........

Edited by sirchai, 2012-02-01 22:05:28.

[Scott]

Thanks for the information.  My information was only informal and occurred in a meeting a very long time ago.  At that time, they planned to only give 3 waivers.  I have never seen that in writing.  

It took them almost the entire time of the first waiver to get the Thai Culture course up and running and available to a large number of teachers.  .

[puchooay]

Looks like it is how they feel on the day.

Informally they agreed to only give 3 waivers. Some people are now saying they were refused their third one.

Now we have evidence that someone has a fourth waiver.

Its a little off putting. I am currently studying. When I have finished I should be OK. I am half way through my second waiver so have 15 months left. Not sure if I will make the time. If I knew that I was going to get a 3rd waiver then I could relax and maybe get better grades.

[aidenai]

sirchai, on 2012-02-01 22:02:32, said:

Scott, on 2012-01-28 19:37:05, said:

I hope you are correct.  I know a few years back, I had staff who went to the MOE to discuss the regulations and the impact on our school.  At that time, they were told there would only be 3 waivers.

At that time, however, they seemed pretty unsure of anything.

Hi Scott,

I'm on my fourth waiver letter now, just received it from TCT last August and also a colleague received his fourth at the same time. I'm holding a BA, but not in education. But it could also be that our director's connection to the TCT made it happen...........

Thanks for this information.

I guess you've changed schools several times within the last four years.

[Ijustwannateach]

Strongly recommend that OP and others curious read the pinned thread about the TCT and its impact on legal working conditions for foreign teachers in Thailand.  I hesitate to refer to their 'regulations' or 'requirements' because that would imply that such things exist in some kind of transparent or predictable fashion that schools or teachers understand.  Even during administration of the blasted 'Culture course', which is nothing but a money spinner for the well-connected, the persons who were purporting to represent 'experts' on TCT policies had little concrete to say about these requirements.  Essentially, they didn't know either.

From all reports regarding the tests, they are essentially a copy-and-paste job from various random not-terribly-up-to-date education course texts and manuals, assembled largely by non-native-speaking shills working for agencies.  These are sprinkled liberally with copies of sometimes culturally untranslatable questions translated directly from Thai educational tests.  They are not really coherent or passable, and are not intended to be such.  I believe the original intention was probably to herd people into diploma mills so they would be required to shell out even more money for erstwhile 'qualifications' to be allowed to continue teaching.  These institutions have largely not materialised, or when they have seemed to appear they did not eventually pan out.  It has happened a couple of times that claims made by such courses to be qualifying for the TCT were not, in fact, true (Ramkhamhaeng University's version of this course, for instance).

However, there is a silver lining.  Since the requirements still stand (though who knows when/if ever they will be fully enforced and not waived for further fees...), it has motivated the cautious to obtain more genuine qualifications abroad, which is what I continue to recommend that anyone interested in long term education do anyway.

[aidenai]

Ijustwannateach, on 2012-02-02 13:27:26, said:

I believe the original intention was probably to herd people into diploma mills so they would be required to shell out even more money for erstwhile 'qualifications' to be allowed to continue teaching.  

That's what I think is currently the case hence the start of a new by the TCT accredited Graduate Diploma in Teaching Profession Course. On the other hand, In England you need a PGCE or GTP to apply for a QTS. No other way to qualify. Having said that, I'm glad that the TCT gives the opportunity to do the tests. I don't see myself going to university every Saturday and Sunday for eight to twelve months.

Edited by aidenai, 2012-02-02 16:14:58.

[aidenai]

Ijustwannateach, on 2012-02-02 13:27:26, said:

However, there is a silver lining.  Since the requirements still stand (though who knows when/if ever they will be fully enforced and not waived for further fees...), it has motivated the cautious to obtain more genuine qualifications abroad, which is what I continue to recommend that anyone interested in long term education do anyway.

Concur.

[gosompoi]

aidenai, on 2012-02-02 16:14:00, said:

Ijustwannateach, on 2012-02-02 13:27:26, said:

I believe the original intention was probably to herd people into diploma mills so they would be required to shell out even more money for erstwhile 'qualifications' to be allowed to continue teaching.  

That's what I think is currently the case hence the start of a new by the TCT accredited Graduate Diploma in Teaching Profession Course. On the other hand, In England you need a PGCE or GTP to apply for a QTS. No other way to qualify. Having said that, I'm glad that the TCT gives the opportunity to do the tests. I don't see myself going to university every Saturday and Sunday for eight to twelve months.

I wouldn't mind going to University every weekend for 8 to 12 months but as I understand there isn't that option. There was one University with a course but it has been canceled. Being in Issan it would be difficult but not impossible task.

[aidenai]

thailandteaching.asia/teacher-licensing/3639-new-graduate-diploma-teaching-profession.html

[sirchai]

aidenai, on 2012-02-02 10:52:59, said:

sirchai, on 2012-02-01 22:02:32, said:

Scott, on 2012-01-28 19:37:05, said:

I hope you are correct.  I know a few years back, I had staff who went to the MOE to discuss the regulations and the impact on our school.  At that time, they were told there would only be 3 waivers.

At that time, however, they seemed pretty unsure of anything.

Hi Scott,

I'm on my fourth waiver letter now, just received it from TCT last August and also a colleague received his fourth at the same time. I'm holding a BA, but not in education. But it could also be that our director's connection to the TCT made it happen...........

Thanks for this information.

I guess you've changed schools several times within the last four years.

Nope, I'm at my third school now in seven years. I drove to the TCT in Bangkok to sort it out. The girl there promised me to send it to me within three weeks, but it never happened. ( As usual!)

I went to my director after two and a half months and he called his friend working there.Must have been a real good friend, because it took only four weekdays to receive the document by post.

Land of Smiles, Land of Whys........

Edited by sirchai, 2012-02-02 18:47:30.

[aidenai]

sirchai, on 2012-02-02 18:41:23, said:

Nope, I'm at my third school now in seven years. I drove to the TCT in Bangkok to sort it out. The girl there promised me to send it to me within three weeks, but it never happened. ( As usual!)

I went to my director after two and a half months and he called his friend working there.Must have been a real good friend, because it took only four weekdays to receive the document by post.

Land of Smiles, Land of Whys........

Allow me to rephrase myself. AFAIK, the first TCT provisional teaching permits were issued at the end of 2007 beginning 2008. Normally a provisional teaching permit is valid for two years. That didn't add up in your case. That's why I guessed that you changed schools several times since 2007/ 2008.