http://asiasociety.org/
This is a great site because it deals with all of the critical issues that are important to westerners who are considering teaching in Asia.  The site consists of video, blog entries, all kinds of neat educational stuff and virtually all of the historical, political, and social information you need to make informed decisions. 

If you go to the bottom of any page on the blog and if you are a western teacher reading this site, I highly recommend you click on education and careers. There are some neat internship opportunities as well as full time jobs. I think you will be stimulated by the video below which has to stimulate your desire to teach in Asia.

Another good site is the Council for International Education which has a good selection of jobs for both teachers and principals. The schools that advertise here are really first class. 

My hope is the readership of this site will offer their favouite site to this blog so we can all learn. Just press the comment button and I will publish your favourite site.

If you wish to make a difference then do try to get in touch with Robert and volunteer whenever it suits your schedule. I say so because I have taught at these schools and when you see kids eager to learn but the school can not afford a qualified English teacher due to lack of funding, it does touch you within. I personally hope to volunteer more often, finding a balance between my job and volunteering is what am working on."

Above from portion of Farzaan Merchant Blog
http://traintillyoudrop.jukaado.com/2014/01/jukaado-is-martial-art-but-jukaado-is.html#comment-form

If you are British trained or would like to work in a British school, the Times Educational Supplement is free and has many international jobs. Once you open the site,  press on the International tab and you can choose your country or specific job. By the way, even if you are not British trained, once you are retained by one of these schools, they will send you to courses  to get certification on Cambridge or IB or other programs they run. The trick is to get in but if you have a good resume it should not be a problem

If you are not a certified teacher but still want to get into this game and like the idea of Thailand and occasionally some other countries go to ajarn.com   Ajarn means teacher in Thai and they advertise basically for English teaching jobs. Sometimes you can talk your way into a job with a language school and then get training in additional language teaching or you can take a brief course before you apply. 

In a previous post I have already told you about TIEonline and joyjobs. Please refer to the earlier posts to see what I said about these sites. There is a slight charge for these sites but if you are serious about a job they are well worth it.

When I heard Michael had written this book I was very wary about
reading it since I know Michael from our shared experiences in
Myanmar. Writing about Myanmar for anyone who’s lived and worked there
is a bit of a double-edged sword. The reason is that the people who
live in Myanmar are subjected to scrutiny so using real names and
events can, at times, be risky for the Myanmar people. While "It all
started in Mandalay” may not be an amazing adventure story, it is
amazingly authentic. Michael found a solid balance in ways to relate
his experiences in Mandalay by not using real names of the characters
in the stories. However, I was able to recognize some of the
characters just the same.

His descriptions of events, the things that educators experience
working with people who depend upon them for so much more than a
common working relationship is the reward within the pages of this
title. The read true stories from a school Principal who genuinely
cares about the human condition, the lives and well being of the
teachers, students and parents of those students, while explaining the
idiosyncrasies involved related to local cultures and customs is
delightful and heart warming.

For any person who’s worked at international schools in the ASEAN
region horror stories of egomaniacal school owners and their western
Principals are very common. Many young and older teachers have such
stories to relate. But, anyone who’s worked under Michael’s academic
professionalism knows they had a leader who not only cared about them
and their well being but knew how to manage a school and make teaching
and learning fun for all on board.

I mentioned to Michael that he could have written five hundred pages!
But at 154 pages it’s a very enlightening read. Anyone with a sense of
adventure and curiosity about what working at an international school
in the rugged place called Mandalay, Burma was like before the current
reforms and changes will find “It all started in Mandalay” a
pleasurable insight into the life and times of a real professional
teacher.

I worked for this wonderful man named Argus Ang in Myanmar. He runs two international schools in Myanmar, one in Mandalay and one in Yangon and a number of language centres throughout south east Asia. If you are a certified teacher, apply for a job at one of the international schools and if not certified you can work in one of his language schools. To find out more go to the RVi website at http://www.rvcentre.com.sg/index.html and press under the academy button to read about the schools. I did some work in both and you will be amazed working with Myanmar kids. 

To apply for a job go to http://www.rvcentre.com.sg/career.html and tell them "Michael sent you"   I spoke with Argus and he is looking forward to hearing from you. He hires a number of teachers and English speaking teachers are always welcomed. 

I have been a principal in a number of countries in Asia and unless you were in my office with me,  you would think I was making up most of these stories but sadly they are all true. Some of them inspired some scenes in my novel It All Started in Mandalay which you may recognize when you read my book. 

Since I was a principal in Bangkok for a number of years I learned a number of words in Thai, but words only, not tones. There are six tones in Thai and if you go up instead of down or sideways the word has a totally different meaning. When I became a principal in Singapore, a Thai family wanted their son to gain entrance to my school. We had every intention of accepting him but I wanted him to know that he was going to have to work hard because he had very little English. I looked at him sternly and told him if we let him into the school he was going to have to "thangann" "thangann" "thangann" which I thought meant he was going to have to work and work and then work some more! I was so proud of myself to be able to speak Thai to him. When I saw his mother turning red and his aunt stifling a huge laugh I knew I said something wrong. I apparently was telling him if he was accepted into the school he would have to have sex, have sex, have sex. Hey, he couldn't wait to start.

Talking about sex, one time in Thailand, one of my teachers went to one of the red light districts and took home what he thought was a beautiful woman. When he later found out she was not a woman, he threw her out a window in his apartment which was a few floors up. As the principal of the school, I was called to the police station in the middle of the night to bail him out. Not sure if any principal in Canada ever had to do that!

Another time a woman was berating me in Thai about how we were treating her daughter. I politely disagreed with what she was saying and told her so. She told me at the end that I simply did not understand her. I responded I understood her perfectly but just disagreed. Most times I had a translator and in Vietnam I remember telling the parents I was going to do away with the 90 minute lunch hour nap which was a tradition in Vietnam since the French period of colonization. The parents did not respond at all, and when I asked the translator later why there was no reaction, he told me he could not repeat what I had said. You mean you did not have the words for sleeping or nap, and he responded no, he just could not bring himself to say it. He told e he did not have the nerve to say such a thing!!!

All of these pictures taken in Myanmar, Vietnam. Thailand and Cambodia remind me of so many stories I did not include int he book. I would love to share some with you and will in the next blog!

I got this letter to-day from Robert and I would like to share it with you because it gives you details about how you can volunteer in Thailand. I have lived and worked in Thailand for at least three years and I know it is a great country. If you write me I can give you lots of reasons to work or volunteer in Thailand . Here is Robert's letter verbatim. If you have questions or want to volunteer please talk to Robert directly since I  do not know him


 Dear Mr. Charles,

I see you put together first class trips where teachers stay in higher end hotels.

As you have been to Thailand you understand the respect elders are given here and the
need for English teaching in the less fortunate areas of Thailand.

Please consider visiting us on your next trip to view our facility. 


Would like to offer you the ability to contact us directly in the event any teacher, student or group
would be interested to spend time in Thailand.

We have been recognized by our Provincial Education Department
 http://www.secondary5.obec.go.th/sec5/show_news.php?article_id=85

We are looking for people who truly want to share the gift of their time and talent. 

As a Community based operation (CBO) we save volunteers agency commissions, program 
administration and other service fees allowing more Volunteers’ to live the experience.

Volunteer programs need people with the desire of sharing their ideas knowledge and personal 
experiences with others while discovering the world we all share.

http://volunteeralliance.org/users/thailand-teach

Volunteer programs and accommodation affordability explained:

- Direct communication to the people interested in volunteering
- No agency commission, administration or service fees
- Word of mouth advertising and referrals
- Searching out quality low cost services and free programs
- Operating a 100% volunteer based, family run venture
- Assistance from teachers, students and local families 
- International airfare, Visa, travel insurance is not included
- Travel and tours not listed paid by the volunteers
- Visiting volunteers assistance in daily upkeep activities (optional)
- Fundraising and donations contribute to advertised promotions 


Fees include air-conditioned room with raised bed, internet access, TV, bi-weekly room cleaning, 
private/shared kitchen & washrooms, volunteer placement, two daily meals, transportation 
to volunteer site, security deposits, processing and registration. 

Hoping you will let us know if there are any charges from your side for people who are interested 
in volunteerism overseas. 

Running promotions in the hope people with limited resources also have the opportunity
to volunteer.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280819069334&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

We look to be as reasonable as possible in support of volunteers in Thailand while providing high quality
western style accommodations. 



All the best, Robert and Pooh Newton Thailand Teach / Volunteer Inn 68 M. 10 T. Phochonkai A. Bang Rachan J. Singburi Thailand 16130 Tel# 66 084 996 8617 - Thailand Tel# 416 410 2345 - CANADA robert@volunteerinn.net facebook.com/pages/Thailand-Teach/289975994428274 volunteeralliance.org/users/thailand-teach