English

  • Thailand News

    Lost in translation: Thailand struggles to climb global English proficiency ladder

    Thailand, famed for its vibrant culture and stunning landscapes, is grappling with a linguistic challenge, its national English proficiency, which has caught the attention of educators and language enthusiasts worldwide. Despite recent strides in enhancing English proficiency through virtual classrooms in Bangkok, Thailand finds itself in the shadows of its ASEAN neighbours, ranking a modest eighth in the region and…

  • World News

    English antique collector makes unexpected fortune from friend’s furniture

    An English antique collector discovered a treasure trove after purchasing a deceased friend’s furniture for 7,000 pounds (309,000 baht). Initially, the antique collector, Alex Archbold, only wished to acquire the piano used by the late Bette Joan Rac, better known as Madame Rac, for her music lessons. However, upon entering the house, he stumbled upon a jackpot: a house filled…

  • Thailand News

    Thai education embraces UK programmes to boost English language proficiency

    Thailand has officially embraced programmes initiated by the United Kingdom, designed to boost English language proficiency among Thai students and teachers. The Education Minister of Thailand, Police General Permpoon Chidchob, held a conversation with the UK Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, to discuss this educational collaboration. The British ambassador, Mark Gooding, was also present at the discussion…

  • World News

    Homeless man in China teaches English to students on pavement, exchanges knowledge for money

    A homeless man in China’s Hebei province has captured netizens’ attention for teaching English lessons to groups of students on a pavement rather than begging for money. With a fascinating background, his lessons cost between 24-122 baht per hour or an equal value in fruits and vegetables. Website CTWANT reported on this homeless man in Hebei province who has garnered…

  • Crime News

    Ladyboy steals English tourist’s gold necklace in Phuket

    Police managed to reunite an English tourist with his gold necklace after it was snatched by a ladyboy in the Patong area of Phuket, southern Thailand, in the early hours of this morning. At 4.30am, officers at Patong Police Station were informed that a tourist’s gold necklace was stolen in front of the Central Department Store in Patong. Police rushed…

  • Tourism News

    English tourist seriously injured after fall from hotel balcony in Thailand

    A 23 year old English tourist is seriously injured after falling three floors from a hotel balcony on Koh Phi Phi island in southern Thailand two weeks ago. Kieran Martin, a personal trainer from Castleford in England, sustained an open-book pelvic fracture which caused internal bleeding when the accident happened ten days into his three-week dream holiday to Thailand with…

  • Education

    Is English taught in Universities in Thailand? Let’s find out!

    Are you an expat in Thailand and looking for a quality education for yourself or your children? Or, perhaps, you’re considering a move to the Land of Smiles and wondering if the universities here can provide you with a world-class education: “Do universities in Thailand teach English?” or “Can the universities here provide a world-class education?” We have all the…

  • Thailand News‘Buy insurance’ urges English tourist who crashed moped through window in Thailand | Thaiger

    ‘Buy insurance’ urges English tourist who crashed moped through window in Thailand

    A young Englishwoman urges tourists to take out travel insurance after crashing a moped through a glass window in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand. Emma Lewis, a 24 year old student from Basingstoke in Hampshire, was en route to go snorkelling on the island paradise when she lost control and crashed into a house window. The glass shattered around her…

  • Bangkok News

    Volunteer teaching English to underprivileged children in Bangkok

    Bangkok Community Help Foundation runs a weekly volunteer-led class that aims to teach English and improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Klong Toei area of the city. Children learn new English vocabulary, play games, dance Zumba, and do arts and crafts projects in a fun environment. At the end of each class, students are provided with a hot…

  • Thailand News

    US cruise ships seeking English-speaking Thais for over 1,000 jobs

    US cruise ships are on the hunt for Thai employees who can speak English, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said yesterday. Suchart said CTI Group Worldwide Services Inc has 1,500 job vacancies for Thais who are at least 21 years old. The jobs, which include 37 positions, will pay between 19,618 to 87,176 baht per month, plus tips. Positions are open…

  • Thailand News

    Is poor English proficiency holding Thailand back?

    The government of Thailand has been working hard to make it a world-class destination for not just tourists, but digital nomads and business and technology innovators. But do the people of Thailand speak English well enough to fully attract these business opportunities? Thailand is ranked second to last among the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations…

  • Thailand video news

    Pajama shirts, Oriental Hotel Thailand, Learning English | Thaiger bites | Ep.60

    Jay and Tim go through your video messages, comments and feedback from Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Thaiger Talk forum on the website.

  • Education

    The pros and cons of using a teaching agency in Thailand

    Teaching in Thailand can be quite a rewarding experience. From learning all about Thai culture to helping children learn, making your career as an educator here is a noble act. The road to securing a job in Thailand can be travelled in 2 major ways. Some expats use an agency in which to get hired at a school, while others…

  • Thailand News

    Frequently asked questions about teaching in Thailand

    Many travellers who wish to teach in Thailand definitely have questions about the whole process. From visas to degrees, to being a native English speaker, we have the most pertinent information for you below on working as an educator in Thailand. The most frequently asked questions are listed, along with answers to help guide you in your job search. 1.…

  • Thailand News

    A synopsis of Thailand’s educational system

    Many expats who decide to settle in Thailand are curious about the public schools’ status. As Thailand is a popular destination for many worldwide, those with kids may be looking to immerse their children in the culture. So, enrolling them into the country’s government-sponsored schools may be an option. However, further research into this reveals that the quality of education…

  • Koh Samui News

    Foreigners charged with DUI teach English to Koh Samui probation staff

    Foreigners on Koh Samui who have been caught driving while intoxicated are now teaching English to probation officers as part of their community service. Those with a drink driving charge are ordered by the court to complete 24 hours of community service. The foreigners have been teaching probation staff basic greetings and conversational English as well as grammar and legal…

  • Thailand News

    Canadian Embassy to help Thailand recruit English teachers

    Thailand officials want more native speaking English teachers and plan to recruit more than 10,000 English teachers for 300 schools to improve English proficiency among Thai students. To help draw in potential teachers, the Education Ministry is teaming up with the Canadian Embassy in Thailand. Teachers will be placed in schools once the pandemic has eased. Recruitment for the plan…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Army deny Twitter spin, “Don’t Reopen”, English proficiency low | Nov 27

    Last day of the week. Thought we’d go outside. Bad idea! Welcome to Friday’s Thailand News Today. Royal Thai Army denies claims about Twitter campaign to spread pro-government propaganda Following a shutdown of 926 Twitter accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, documents were leaked of what appears to be a contract between the Army and a private company supposedly…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand’s English level drops for the third year – English Proficiency Index

    English skills in Thailand have dropped for the third year in a row with an English language proficiency score considered to be “very low.” In the past year, Thailand’s ranking dropped from 74 out of 100 countries to 89, according to the 2020 English Proficiency Index by EF Education First. The index is based on test results from 2.2 million…

  • World News

    The world’s Top 10 languages, spoken by native speakers

    I battle to speak one language, English, and can barely order my lunch in Thai. And, whilst studying French for 7 years at school, I can only ask a French-speaker for the time or order coffee. Sacre Bleu! The world’s most common languages changes over time and a world interlinked on the internet and aviation, like never before, is making…

  • Thailand News

    Thai schools look to recruit 20,000 English and Chinese language teachers

    Thailand’s Education Minister has announced plans to recruit up to 10,000 native English-speaking teachers. Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan says the ministry wants improve Thai students’ English-language proficiency “as soon as the situation is safe to do so”. He also noted that the Ministry also wanted to source up to 10,000 Chinese teachers as well. He noted that there are already 7,000 foreign…

  • Thai Life

    Top 10 English-language news sources in Thailand (2020)

    This post is mainly for newbies, tourists and people-interested-in-Thailand news and views. Locals probably already have their favourite daily news sources, or trawl through many of these. All these Top 10s do it well, in their own way. Some do it better than others, whilst punching out daily news. We think they’re all stars because doing media in Thailand, in English,…

  • World News

    BTS release their first all-English track ‘Dynamite’, and it’s a disco bop!

    The world’s most popular music group, BTS, have released their most anticipated track since the septet launched back in 2013. Really… most anticipated? Well, the song’s retro-vibed bop has obliterated the record for the biggest YouTube premiere, looking almost certain to eclipse the 100 million view mark in 24 hours. BTS’s long struggle to the top of, firstly South Korea’s…

  • Education

    Criticism over bad English lesson in Thai online class

    Thai schools are pushing for online learning to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but a recent English lesson posted online is just proof that basic English levels remain poor in the country. The video of a Thai teacher with poor pronunciation spread across the internet, with some saying she should be a student rather than a teacher. The teacher…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today, Wednesday, March 11, 2020

    400 billion baht stimulus announced to boost Thai economy Yesterday’s Thai cabinet meeting gave the greenlight to a new stimulus package. The government expects the approved 400 billion baht to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Last week’s 2,000 baht cash stimulus proposal, which was largely roasted in Thai social media after being proposed by the economic ministers,…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today, March 3, 2020 – Daily TV News

    Thai Airways announces losses over 12 billion baht for 2019 Thai Airways International and its affiliates incurred a net loss of over 12 billion baht last year, that’s 448 million baht more than the year before. The airline has been accumulating losses year on year for over a decade. Speaking about the losses at the announcement yesterday, the vice president…

  • Thailand News

    3 solutions to Thailand’s English teacher shortage

    by Eric Haeg Thailand needs 10,000 English teachers. News of a teacher shortage is no surprise, but news that the Ministry of Education has recently urged embassies to find English teachers has raised eyebrows. The US Embassy confirmed it participated in the meeting, and it has also been reported that over 20 other embassies participated in the discussions. According to Thailand’s…

  • Chiang Mai News

    English?! Why should we have to learn that? Thai university students grumble over language requirement

    Students at Rajamangala University of Technology in Chiang Mai province are whinging about having to demonstrate basic English abilities in order to enrol in courses at the institution. The Daily News reports that the students, with the support of their parents, have made an official complaint about the requirement, which they say should not apply to Thai courses. Students are currently…

  • Thailand News

    More foreign English teachers needed to improve Thais’ English skills

    PHOTO: OnTESOL It’s reported that more teaching jobs will become available for foreign English teachers from next year, as efforts are made to boost English language skills in schools across Thailand. A Daily News report says students in their final year of high school need to improve their English language knowledge from “basic” to “independent user” level, which is considered…

  • News

    School funding challenge for bilingual curriculum

    The secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), Amnat Wichayanuwat, says plans to introduce a bilingual school curriculum at all grade levels have thrown up an obstacle for meeting funding requirements. The bilingual curriculum plans were announced by the Education Minister last week in an effort to improve English proficiency among the Thai population. It’s hoped to…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand drops to #74 out of 100 countries rated for English language skills

    PHOTO: Study International For the third year in a row, Thailand’s ranking on the English Proficiency Index has dropped and the country now ranks 74th out of a total of 100 countries. Thai PBS World reports that the index was prepared by Education First (EF), a Swiss organisation specialising in language training and educational travel. The company reports that in…

  • Thailand News

    Future teaching graduates don’t need good ‘English’ levels to pass

    The committee in charge of preparing a teacher qualifications framework has decided to lower the level of English needed for its graduates following pressure from its stakeholders. The committee’s chair Rathakorn Kidkan mentioned serious concerns that students may not be able to graduate if the English level was set too high. Using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for…

  • World News

    Six reasons Thailand’s English skills are the lowest in SE Asia

    by tastythailand.com An article, compiled by tastythailand.com, chronicles some of the key reasons Thailand’s education system battles with the teaching of English. An unnamed author poses the premise…. “In the last few years, as countries like Vietnam and Laos now have English skills surpassing Thailand’s, it’s become obvious Thailand’s education system is to blame. But why?” Thailand’s education is a…

  • Thailand video news

    Test driving Google Translate ทดสอบไดรฟ์ GOOGLE TRANSLATE