This thread is for those who are licensed.  How did you do it?

This thread is for those getting their licenses.  How are you going about it?

My saga:

KSP=KhuruSapha
TCT=Teacher Council of Thailand
(Which should I use?)
TKT=Teacher Knowledge Test (formerly by TCT, not the one by the British Council)

I returned to Bangkok from Korea in 2009.  In 2011, I learned by accident that I was on a "waiver" (WTF is that, I thought) and that to get a 2nd waiver I needed to show that I was "making progress" on my license.

I had missed the deadline to apply for the TCT TKT #7 by hours.  Doing the culture certificate immediately was my other option.  I did.

I finally sat for TCT 8.  Stamp was there, and passed his last test.
I passed three of four tests with high scores on two of the three that I had passed.  Four people passed all four tests that weekend. I was not one of them.  I had to take Section 2 two more times.

My passing scores on the four tests were 122-81-81-94 (out of 150).  I applied for the license in 2012 and received it in 2013.

For those unfamiliar with those tests, here is the youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC_4w6K-U8I

I hope to hear from others.

I did the tests in 2012. I was one of only 2 who managed to pass all 4 in one weekend at that test session. I received my license on Feb 27 of 2013 and it expires next Feb.

I don't remember my scores. It was a while back and not relevant after passing the tests.

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It appears that we were both there. If we were in the same room, I was the person they moved up front where there was a table I could sit at. I was too big for the desk meant for me.

I remember my scores mostly because of the frustration of Section 2. I scored 71, then 72, then 81.
75 is passing. I remember the 81 just because it was strange that I had the same score on two tests.

One person scored 98 (out of 150) and thought he had scored 98%. I'm surprised that some of the candidates could even find Thonburi College.

My passing (no not dead yet) the tests was a labor of love. The scores are now irrelevant (but to hell with modesty I scored the top country score for one of them). The stories behind them are anything but.  

All of this is fast becoming ancient history but for the sake of reminiscing why the hell not. I, at the time, worked with some co-workers who viewed the tests as a waste of time. I on the other hand grasped the opportunity to learn, to develop. I did not see it as the chance to be a better teacher than those not holding the card, but rather as the chance to improve myself. I learned a lot.

As an aside some of the naysayers are now choosing to complete expensive post graduate qualifications to secure their cards.

The card has not provided me with anything beyond what I expected it to. No riches, no positions of authority and certainly no additional recognition. It has removed a hurdle. I don't have to go cap in hand to the TCT to ask to stay with my family in the country which I have made a home. It has provided certain discounts, certain short cuts, certain smiles.

Those not having the card will not be turfed out of the country tomorrow and those having it will receive no special preference over the known ideals for Thai employers, what it does give is a certain and very personal piece of mind.

I passed the last TCT test having 2 weeks before being dumped out of a 10 year position and one week before being blessed with the birth of my second daughter. Passing the tests was a very much f%$k you to the powers that thought their were.

Guess the tests were a goal I wanted to achieve and did.

The foreign teachers at my school. including myself. had been sitting on our collective bums safe in our perceived [mis]belief that the tests and the whole idea of them would all go away when the TCT came to their sentences. Eventually word came down from the director that if we didn't take the tests and make an effort to get our licences, we wouldn't get our contracts renewed.

In a panic we all registered for TCT 12 not sure of the exact round but certainly the penultimate one. Some of us registered for all 4 some for just one. I registered for tests 1 and 2. Now, we were all desperately scratching around trying to find any information on the tests' content. I eventually found the old .asia site and registered but there wasn't really enough time to make a difference. Test 1 was fairly simple for me, just being English language and tech stuff and I somehow fluked my way through test 2 drawing on organisational management stuff I studied years ago.

For the (13th) final round of TCT tests, I had the benefit of the info provided by the pioneers and put together a study plan. I studied about Education Psychology / Child Psychology and various other stuff and got through - just in time as it turned out.

ttompatz wrote:I did the tests in 2012. I was one of only 2 who managed to pass all 4 in one weekend at that test session. I received my license on Feb 27 of 2013 and it expires next Feb.

I don't remember my scores. It was a while back and not relevant after passing the tests.

.

Congratulations !

I am taking the St Robert's DipTEd course. I hope to get my licence that way.

Thailand Teaching now has a study group area for anyone who wants to share ideas, materials, tips, advice, experiences, or opinions with each other about the course. It's at the link below if anyone would like to join me.

http://www.thailandteaching.info/f20-st-robert-s-dipted-study-group

I tried the link and got a "does not exist" message.

gungchang wrote:I tried the link and got a "does not exist" message.

It "does" now.
I gave you access to it.

You're a handy fellow to have around!

In keeping with the title of the thread, here is how I got my license:
  1.  Came to Thailand with a BS in Geology about 15 years ago.  Took an online TEFL course and was given a Teaching License.
  2.  The TCT announced the 'new' requirements for a Teaching License.  I was about 6 months short of teaching time to be grandfathered into the system. .
   3.  The TCT gave me 4 or 5 waivers (I stayed at the same school for 10 years teaching Science and got a new passport about halfway through.  I also took the Thai Culture Course and one of the tests, but then they were cancelled)
   4.  With about a year and a half left on my last waiver I enrolled in St. Roberts (PCU, not IFUGAO) and earned a Dip Ed or whatever they call it.
   5.  Applied for a TL and received it in the mail today.

I am 60 now and was a bit worried that they might not issue it based on my age, but there was no problem.  I will be 64 when it expires and might just retire then, but I will prepare to renew it just in case I need to work for another year or two.

I got mine and it is good until I turn 65.
Now it is just the issue with the labor office and continuing my WP (which will expire when I am 61).

I am also taking the StRobert's teaching course starting from today. Only waiting for my username and password. Feeling excited and sad at the same time.. Is it possible for me to get access to the Study Group mentioned by Rastus so that I'm not all alone on this journey? Thank you.

I don't know if that study group is still active. As it only takes a few months to complete that course, I suspect that it is long gone, though if any members are still here perhaps they can correct me!

As you may have noticed, this forum is not very active and threads often go for months without a new post. However, that is not because the forum was not useful, but rather that it was quite successful and many of the members are now licensed teachers.

Having completed the St. Roberts course, I would give the following advice:
- When you visit them in person, try to find out when specific classes are offered, as they are not very good about publishing schedules. Typically, each class is taught 2 or 3 times, on Saturday and Sunday and sometimes a week or two later as well.
- Most classes consist of a brief lecture and then a group project. The best way to do well on the group project is to sit next to people who look like they know what they are doing and remember to bring you laptop to class.
- Give yourself at least one full day to do your homework for each class and remember to include at least 2 footnotes citing your references.
- Get your teacher's email address and submit your work to him (or her) and also through the Google Classroom or Edmodo link (I'm not sure what they using now).
- Don't worry if Edmodo or Google classroom shows missing assignments or missing or low grades, they usually post the same assignment multiple times and the online grades shown are not necessarily the same as the final grades.
- The coursework is not difficult but do take it seriously and do your best.
- Keep receipts of your payments. They are nice people, but not well organized and will probably not be able to keep track of who has paid and who has not.

The actually coursework will be completed in just a few months. You will receive your transcript and diploma several months later, about a year after you first signed up. Basically, you will get your diploma about a week after you have given up all hope of every receiving it!

Good luck!

ttompatz wrote:Now it is just the issue with the labor office and continuing my WP (which will expire when I am 61).

Hi TTP- Work permits are difficult to renew at age 61?

I can't answer for TTP, but I recently renewed my WP shortly before I turned 62. This was in Bangkok though, and things might be different at different Labor Offices.

Thank you very much Qwerty. Much appreciated

Sudyod wrote:I am also taking the StRobert's teaching course starting from today. Only waiting for my username and password. Feeling excited and sad at the same time..  Is it possible for me to get access to the Study Group mentioned by Rastus so that I'm not all alone on this journey? Thank you.

Hello Sudyod
The study group was only in existence for a very short time and as far as I know, there were no posts in it. It became available opened and I posted my earlier comment in this thread. The next time I tried to access it I got the message "The forum you selected does not exist". I've just tried it again and it still does not exist. TBH, you don't need a study group to help you pass the course. You just need to go to the classes and have internet access for your assignments.

Buoyant wrote:

ttompatz wrote:Now it is just the issue with the labor office and continuing my WP (which will expire when I am 61).

Hi TTP- Work permits are difficult to renew at age 61?  

Not any more. The age 60 restriction has been done away with (even in the civil service) for teachers. Too many retireing and not enough new (qualified) replacements.

Ok, thanks Ttompatz!