Super English

Language School

The BEST school

for teachers and

students!!Super English Language School

Information

Contents1. Introduction2. Job Details3. Vision and Mission4. General Information5. Schedule6. Positives and Negatives7. Stuff to Bring

IntroductionGreetings from Super English Language School in Surat Thani, Thailand! We are happy that you

are interested in teaching at our school. The purpose of this document is to give you information about Super English and what working here entails. We hope you find this document helpful. If you still have questions, please feel free to ask Peter at superenglishsurat@yahoo.com. Thank you for taking the time to read and learn more about Super English Language School.

You can see more of the school, students, staff and teachers at the following web addresses: Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/superenglish/Videos: www.dropshots.com/superenglish

Job Details- 250 baht per hour

- 300 baht per hour for overtime work (in excess of 25 teaching hours per week)- 18-25 teaching hours per week (two consecutive days off – usually Saturday and Sunday)- no office hours- a minimum of paperwork- one year contract- one year visa paid for by the school- all labor visas paid for by the school- teacher’s license paid for by the school- free accommodation in a shared, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 3 story furnished house (utilities

not included)- 25,000 baht end-of-contract completion bonus- monthly internet bonus- monthly school sponsored Thai cultural experience, such as a Thai dancing lesson, Thai

boxing lesson, Thai cooking lesson, and more- full training- comprehensive orientation about Surat Thani and the surrounding areas

Vision

Super English students are able to communicate

at the highest proficiency levelin English.

Mission

Super English provides

the mostfun

educationalstimulatingproductive

English language education.

General Information

Who are our students?Our students are mostly children between the ages of 4-15 years old, with the majority of that

group falling between 6 and 11 years old. Thai students in general are very enthusiastic, fun-loving and caring. Super English (SE) students are probably more fun-loving and enthusiastic than most. They are interested in the material and eager to learn. Most SE teachers come to Thailand and strike a bond with their students within the first few weeks. The students want impress and be friendly with their teacher.

The English ability level of the students is mixed. Our biggest group is beginner, but we do have a good number of starter and intermediate students as well. Nearly all of the children who study at Super English are among the top of their class in English at their regular schools.

The biggest challenge of teaching Thai kids is discipline. The children can get a bit rowdy at times and want to run around and have fun. This is partly a product of their regular Thai schooling, where that kind of behavior is strictly prohibited in the classroom.

The disciplining that needs to be done is very light and no one should think that these kids have behavioral problems. That is not the case. At most, they need to be repeatedly told to be quiet or not speak Thai in the class. After all, they are just kids. They just want to party. All disciplining of Thai students can be accomplished very easily and in a fun way for both you and the students. We go over the various methods you can use during our training.

Occasionally, we also have some high school, college and adult students. These are fewer in number but provide a good change of pace from teaching kids all day. The adult classes are usually small and their abilities range from no knowledge of English to advanced. Currently, due to the high demand Super English is exclusively kid classes. We get offers nearly every week for adult classes but they would require a teacher with the aptitude and willingness to do it.

Why do we exist?1. Super English exists to provide high quality English education at a price that nearly everyone

can afford. Super English is consistently one of the least expensive language schools in Surat Thani yet offers more to its students than any other school and pays its teachers the same, if not more, than other schools, while requiring a lot less work.

2. We strive to be innovative in our approach to teaching and learning. Further, we aim to provide our students with the resources and tools they need to be best prepared for the future.

3. We are committed to the goal of ensuring that the children learn English and are prepared for a future in which excellence in both spoken and written English is of absolute necessity.

Who are our customers?We have two sets of customers: the students and their parents. Both have separate demands and

wishes for how things should be done (and those wishes are usually in opposition to one another).Pleasing both parties can sometimes be a frustrating task but we manage it fairly well. This is

another area that will be covered in training.

What are our goals?1. To get the children to be happy and feel comfortable when speaking English.2. To raise the students’ English verbal communication ability.3. To improve the overall written and grammatical ability of the students.

What are some of the unique features of SE?Super English strives to be the most innovative school in Surat Thani and a center for progress in

the field of English education. We are very proud of being a home of creativity and vision. We are the first and only language school in Surat Thani to offer the following (we’re not sure if anybody anywhere does these things but somebody might):

1. School-designed 5 part curriculum2. Kids Club with guest speakers

3. Monthly Contests4. Teacher Fan Clubs5. Summer Listening Programs6. Children’s Library7. Summer Study Kits8. English at Home Program9. Super English University

These unique programs will be covered in training. More programs are frequently added. Super English doesn’t sit still. We are always moving forward and we love trying new things.

Super English is also unique in that we promote the concept of “Fun First – Book Second”. We believe that the book is not the most important part of the learning process and should not be the focal point of the class. Instead, allowing the students to feel happy and confident when speaking English is more vital to their learning. We believe that the most important elements for learning in the classroom are the students, the teacher and the relationship that exists between the two. We give our teachers nearly complete autonomy in their classrooms.

What is the most difficult thing about teaching at SE?Discipline has already been mentioned as a significant challenge to working at Super English.The changes that occur are also a challenge. These changes could be new students being added to

your class, select students not showing up for a week, students that need additional help, students coming in to try out your class for a few days, etc. These changes can affect the class dynamic and to cope with it requires a person who is easy-going, relaxed and wants to have fun.

What have teachers said about working with SE?

The most positive thing about working with SE:

“The creative freedom we are given and being able to see your kids progress from week to week, and sometimes even day to day.”

Victoria Biggs, current head teacher

“The students. They have a vibrancy and energy that is both invigorating and addictive.”

Randy Rivers, current teacher

“Freedom to develop into whatever sort of teacher I am inclined to be. Freedom of curriculum. Relaxed work environment.”

Craig Blackburn, former teacher

“Hands down the atmosphere and the children. Given the opportunity to work in such a positive atmosphere with kids that make me smile is all I could have asked for.”

Jamie Erman, former teacher

“Independence and control, good work environment, flexibility, easy motivation.”Carter Smith, former teacher

“Teaching children who were very motivated and keen to learn.”Romulo Daulo, former teacher

The most negative thing about working with SE:

“Paying for your own television, etc. If you want those Western luxuries the cost can add up.” Randy Rivers

(no answer)Craig Blackburn

“Finishing at 18:30.”Victoria Biggs

“Additions to existing classes by either new students or current students being moved up or down.”

Jamie Erman

(Same answer as Jamie)Carter Smith

“Leaving and making the students sad.”Romulo Daulo

SchedulePlease see schedule further down

Class sizesClass sizes at SE are limited to 15 students per class. In special circumstances, we might extend it

to 16; however it would have to be with good reason. The average class size at SE is 8 to 11 students. Classes outside of Super English are usually around 55 students per class, which is the standard Thai class size.

Surat Thani FeaturesSurat Thani is the hub of the South, meaning that this is where all major commercial goods are

shipped through as they travel either North or South. Surat is also the place where all travelers must pass through on their way to other destinations. Surat Thani is the jumping off point if one wishes to go to any of the three nearby islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phang-ngan, Koh Tao) or if one wishes to travel to the west coast (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Phang-nga, Koh Phi-Phi, etc.). There is also a train station near Surat Thani (it’s called the Surat Thani train station but it’s actually in Phun Phin which is 12 kilometers away from Surat) as well as an airport (again called the Surat Thani Airport but actually in Phun Phin). In terms of access to traveling around Thailand, Surat Thani is considered the best.

Surat Thani has two large hospitals and a countless number of private clinics. There are pharmacies, restaurants, large schools, temples, pubs, internet shops, cell phone shops, bookstores (a few with English titles), video rental shops, clothing stores, sport clubs, convenience stores, etc. There are KFCs, Dairy Queens and 7-11s.

Surat Thani has at least 5 large hotels and a large number of smaller ones. There are also 3 large malls/shopping centers (one of them, Sahathai, is just a few minutes walking from the school). Last, but not least, there is an island that sits in the middle of the Tapee River, which flows through Surat Thani. The island has running paths, football fields, basketball courts, etc.

Surat Thani also boasts a night market which is supposed to be one of the best.

Transportation in Surat ThaniTransportation takes one of the following forms:

1. Tuk-tuk: a tuk-tuk is a small, open-air, shared taxi. It’s actually a miniature truck. They drive all over the town at all hours, although getting one after midnight can be difficult. To go anywhere (except to various places such as the outskirts of town) costs a flat rate of 10 baht per person.

Sometimes, when the drivers see foreigners, they quickly hike the price up to 15 or 20 baht. Still, taking tuk-tuks is easy and convenient. This is how most people get around the town.

2. Motorcycle: there are motorcycle taxis (which cost 20-30 baht one way) or you can rent a motorcycle. Renting a motorcycle costs around 2000 baht per month.

3. Bicycle: some foreigners get bikes once they are settled. There are a few bike shops around and the price will vary depending on what kind of bike you wish to buy. Some SE teachers have done this with mixed results. Most bikes are imported from China and are of much lower quality than westerners are used to. As Craig says, “Some bikes explode.”

Transportation to Surat ThaniWe recommend for all new teachers to fly down to Surat. Thai Airways has a flight to Surat

twice per day. Also, Orient Thai Airlines, sometimes referred to as 1-2 Go, has a flight to Surat, usually once a day; however check their schedule to make sure they have a flight convenient for you. Air Asia also flies to Surat daily. Air Asia and 1-2 Go is much cheaper than Thai Airways. Just make sure there is a convenient travel time for you.

The Surat airport sits 30 minutes outside of the town. Let us know when you are coming and we will be there to pick you up.

If you choose to come via another method, just let us know your itinerary and we will be wherever you arrive to pick you up. Be forewarned, however, that should you choose to take the bus to Surat, you could end up in one of dozens of locations. In that situation, we cannot guarantee we will be there when you get off the bus. It might take us a little while to find you, but we’ll do it.

School LocationThe school is located in the very center of town, less than 30 seconds walking away from the night

market. We are less than two minutes walking away from a large department store, many restaurants, a spa, etc. We are four minutes walking from the night ferries that travel to Koh Samui, Koh Phang-ngan, and Koh Tao. We are directly opposite a Buddhist temple. The school sits right next to the Tapee River, giving each classroom an impressive view, especially at sunset. During the rainy season, we have to forego the view and cover the windows with large tarps. It prevents the classrooms from taking on water. Still, our location is by far the best in town.

CampsWe have several camps throughout the course of one year. Most of the camps occur over the

summer holiday from March-May. There is also one month holiday in October during which we sometimes have one or two fun camps.

VisasWe will mail you documents so that you can get a three month non-immigrant B work visa before

you leave for Thailand.  Since you will be getting the non-immigrant B visa before you leave, that cost ($50 U.S.) is your responsibility. After you arrive in Thailand, we will process a one year work visa, a teacher’s license, as well as the necessary labor permits for you. We pay for all the government costs associated with the one year visa, teacher’s license, and labor permits. Non-government costs are the teacher’s responsibility. These are a health check (approximately $2 U.S.) and visa photos (approximately $13 U.S.)

Please take note of the following: each Thai consulate is seemingly different. Whichever consulate you go to for processing of the three month visa, it will more than likely operate under its own set of rules. The whole undertaking is a bit unpredictable.

For example, the New York consulate is usually fine and hassle-free. The Washington, D.C. office is strict but willing to cooperate. The Taiwan consulate has never heard of us and refuses to recognize any official documents that we send them. They also refuse to call the Education Ministry’s main office in Bangkok where we are registered. They also require that you have a Thai teacher’s license before they will grant you the non-immigrant visa (this is impossible to do). Some Thai consulates in Canada don’t have any Thai people working there so the official documents which we send (the school’s registration papers, etc. – all in Thai since we are in Thailand) are useless.

Regardless of what happens, don’t panic. Email or call Peter, tell him the situation and he’ll see what he can do. He’s never failed at fixing it.

Super English Schedule

Super English hours run daily as follows:

Monday - Friday

First Class: 16:20 - 17:20Second Class: 17:25 - 18:25Third Class: 18:30 - 19:30

Super English opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. That means you will never teach any later than 7:30 p.m.

Again, anything over 25 teaching hours is paid as overtime. We don’t schedule you for overtime without talking with you first.

Super English currently offers weekend classes. These meet Saturday and Sunday for two hours per day.

Negatives and Positives to working at Super English

Super English (SE) teachers sometimes work a split-shift day Depending on the schedule, you might teach 2-3 hours (or less) in the morning or afternoon. SE classes do not begin until 4:20 p.m., for which we ask you to be in the school no later than

15:45, so there is a good chance you will have several hours of free time in the afternoon. Free time is YOUR time. You can spend it however you choose. You DO NOT need to come

to SE. This is a good time, though, to plan for your SE classes. It’s very easy to become frustrated in Thailand

It’s easy to lose your enthusiasm with the kids because disciplining is a large part of teaching anywhere in Thailand.

All discipline is verbal. But telling the students, “quiet please”, every few minutes can become very tiresome.o There are other ways of controlling the students but you must be the kind of person

who is patient enough to handle kids. The kids are fun-loving, talkative, and some have difficulty sitting still. They’re kids, not psychopaths. We don’t encounter behavioral problems.o Having said this, new and old teachers are still surprised by the unpredictable

state of the student population. SE is, or should be, a challenging place to work

SE is truly concerned with seeing the students advance in terms of their English ability and making a positive difference in their lives. We encourage you to be as creative as possible.

Finding what is fun and educational for students and implementing it is the challenge. It’s not always easy, but it can be the most significant and rewarding thing you do in Thailand.

No salary during training

We do a short training without pay, usually 3-4 days but longer if you choose it. You get paid full salary whenever you teach, even if it’s your second day in town and you’re just trying a class to gain experience. With our system, you start earning real money sooner. Most schools do a two week or one month “training period” during which time the teacher

gets paid half of their regular salary. This is regardless of whether you are being trained by someone or teaching alone.

At Super English, you get full salary as soon as you start teaching. Cultural negatives

Thailand offers a culture that requires a large amount of flexibility and patience. It cannot be put into words. Simply be prepared to have your patience tested again and again, as well as your ability to be flexible.

SE is not necessarily a relaxed place to work (we think it is but for some it might not be) SE is the place for creative people who are sincerely concerned with improving the students’

English. We work hard during the week. SE is the place for people who are interested in breaking down commonly accepted ways of

thinking about teaching and finding something new, innovative, rewarding and fun for the students.

SE pushes and strives to find those new ways of learning. Over 120 jubilant kids come through the doors every day. 100+ kids does not equal calm,

peaceful and relaxed but it does equal fun. You need to really like kids to teach in Thailand, especially at Super English. We are

extremely child-centered. Surat Thani is not a place for every one

Surat Thani is real Thailand. It does not have a huge expat population, although there are probably well over 50 foreigners living in Surat Thani now who get together sometimes.

Surat Thani is a quiet, peaceful town. In order to live here, you need to be able to feel comfortable with a good amount of down time. There are lots of bars, restaurants and other night life spots, but the people who do well here are those who can spend some evenings at home with a book or a movie.

Surat Thani is what you make of it. If you go out, Thai people will try to talk with you. They are very friendly. There is a very active nightlife scene for both westerners and Thais. You will be invited to join. Whether or not you want to is completely up to you.

We work over Xmas Xmas isn’t celebrated the same way in Thailand as in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. There

isn’t any scheduled holiday, such as Dec. 24 or 25. Thai people work so the school must stay open. The school puts up decorations and, depending on teacher initiative, might have some kind of Xmas party. Regarding New Year’s, we are closed on Jan. 1. as it is a Thai holiday.

SE is a real job Many people, at SE and other schools, arrive and are surprised to find that we have

serious jobs where we work hard. This is perhaps normal because most people do not primarily come to teach but instead to travel around Thailand. Also perhaps since Thailand has a reputation as a party country. Please note, however, that if you don’t want to be a real teacher (somebody who works hard to help their students learn and puts their students first), then SE is probably not the place for you. It is possible to do both; work hard and see Thailand. We strongly encourage you to do so, even going as far as facilitating/paying for it, incorporating travel suggestions into our orientation, and giving you more time to explore Thailand than anyone else, but you need to be prepared to work hard during the week. We expect you to do your best.

Many people do not see teaching in Thailand as a real job. They see it as a one year convenient way to travel. It is a convenient way to travel. It is also a very real, serious job. We are trying to teach children whose future very substantially depends on their ability to communicate in English. That is an important task and should not be taken lightly.

To put it another way, it is a long week if somebody is only here for the weekend. The people who do not come to teach are generally unhappy and soon leave.

There is no internet at SE although we do have a computer We give teachers 200 baht per month for internet usage at internet shops. One hour typically

costs 15-20 baht. There are many, many internet shops around the town. The internet shops offer ADSL speed connections and are air-conditioned places with nice

computers. Internet at the school would be dial-up and dial-up in Thailand is not something you

want to sit through. You’ve probably read through this entire document faster than it would take a Thai dial-up connection to simply load the Yahoo email page.

The internet shops are less than 10 minutes walking from the school and 3 minutes walking from the teachers’ houses.

Definite Positives

Higher salary We pay 250 baht per hour for up to 25 teaching hours. Anything over 25 hours per week is

paid as overtime (300 baht per hour). In a regular month week, a teacher will almost certainly make over 23,000 baht. It would only be below that figure if classes are cancelled or the teacher’s schedule is less demanding.

22,500 baht per month is the current starting salary at language schools in Surat Thani. A SE teacher working a 24-25 hour week will make 25,000++ per month.

o The usual teacher schedule is between 21 and 24 hours per week. Higher completion bonus

Upon completion of your one year contract, SE will pay you a 25,000 Baht bonus. This is higher than the amount offered by other schools in the area.

No paperwork We require very little in terms of paperwork. Other schools require attendance, evaluations,

daily typed lesson plans, monthly typed class profiles, monthly typed class procedures, monthly tests, typed and updated monthly semester syllabi, graded homework, etc., etc., etc.

We only require the following: daily attendance, evaluations for every 30 hour course (a paper which you can fill in with checkmarks and optional comments), and hand-written lesson plans only during your three month probation period.

The aim of this system is to allow the teacher the utmost time to be creative and come up with new, great ideas for the students. We feel that being loaded down with paperwork is not the aim of a Teacher (capitalized on purpose). We want you to have as much time as possible to prepare something great for your class. We want you to have the freedom to do your best. That is what SE is about and what the students require from you: always do your best.

Location SE’s location is outstanding. We are in the very center of town and located close to several

noteworthy places. The night-market is less than 20 seconds walking from the school. It’s full of food,

snacks, fruit and other surprises. The Pizza Company and Ristorante Milano (the only real western food restaurants) are 2

minutes walking. We are located right next to the river. When not in the rainy season, each classroom has

a fantastic view. We are less than 3 minutes walking away from Sahathai, a department and grocery store. We are near several convenience stores, fruit stands, pharmacies, restaurants, legitimate

massage spas, etc. We are 4 minutes walking away from the night-boats which sail to Koh Samui, Koh

Phang-ngan, and Koh Tao.

We are 4 minutes driving away from Thaksin Hospital, Surat Thani’s best medical facility.

Opportunity to explore your own potential and creativity SE encourages creativity and empowerment amongst its teachers. If you have an idea, let’s

discuss it. Nine times out of ten, we’ll try it. If it works, then we know that we have succeeded. If it doesn’t work, then we have still succeeded because we have found what doesn’t work and learned from the experience.

City contacts Although we have only been open a few years, we have been able to establish a good supply

of contacts. There are friends of SE throughout the city. If you need something, we will be able to help you or put you in touch with a person who can help you. Some of our customers include doctors, mobile phone shop owners, computer shop

owners, restaurant owners, judges, police, city officials, government officials, etc. Air-conditioning

We have air-conditioning in each classroom. That doesn’t prevent them from getting a bit hot sometimes, though. It is hot in Thailand.

Reading library We have small, but interesting, reading library available for you to borrow from. Due to

past teachers borrowing a book and then leaving the country with it, we ask that you put down a deposit of 500 baht before borrowing.

No surprises Peter hates surprises, especially when it comes to work. Of course, it is impossible to avoid

surprises in a work situation, particularly in Thailand. However, we hope to have provided any prospective teacher with as much information as possible before arriving. There will still be surprises, of course, but hopefully only good ones.

Flexible Curriculum SE has a five part curriculum. The curriculum is very easy to follow and gives you a

complete lesson for every week of the term. Moreover, daily lesson plans for certain sections of the curriculum have already been prepared so that you can simply look at the lesson plan and have a good idea about what and how to teach. In other words, a great deal of the lesson planning process has already been completed. This has been done to allow the teacher the maximum amount of time being creative and coming up with fun ways to teach the subject matter.

A list of stuff to bring: -Nice clothes for work, particularly for work outside Super English, i.e. at other schools.  Men wear long slacks, a collared shirt, dress shoes and socks.  It would be best described as business casual.  Open toe shoes are fine for women as long as they are semi-dressy.  We teach at a private school in the morning/afternoon so business casual should be your attire during that time.  In the early evening, we are at the language school where attire can be more casual.  No shorts (ever) as Thai parents associate shorts with manual laborers. More comfortable clothes are okay, though.  Usually, however, most people stay in their business casual attire. Nobody wears shoes inside the school.  Most importantly, always be neat, clean and presentable.  -We have a good amount of teaching materials at the school.  I would strongly suggest you purchase some foam balls.  We have four foam balls, each a different color and a little bit larger than a baseball, and those have been the most useful tools for teaching.  The kids love them.  Anything you think might be useful to help you teach is also good to bring.  We have textbooks, activity books, etc, but you are very welcome to bring more.  One guy brought over a hand puppet which was quite useful.  As we are a

growing school, it is one of our goals to continually expand our resource library.  We have a good start but anything you want to add would be greatly appreciated. -Bring books for leisure reading.  There is a lot of beach time and relaxation time.  We have a goodamount of books and you are welcome to borrow them.  However, we strongly suggest bringing some thick, paperback books for downtime/beach time reading. -Money.  You will receive your first paycheck at the end of the month.  So you definitely need enough to live on for one month.  You also have to factor in any purchases you might be making.  I would say bring at least $300 U.S. to exchange into Baht.  The more you bring, the less you’ll have to worry about running out. Whether you spend it all is up to how you like to live.  You can always put in the bank account which we will help you open. -Music.  CDs are impossible to come by here.  Bring tunes.   -You will be able to decorate your classroom (with some limitations) and any cool posters (English related) that you might spot would be good.  Anything to impress your students.  In my former classroom, I put up long strips of paper and the kids wrote all the different questions and answers they could think of.  Another teacher had pictures of herself and her students.  Creativity is the key in this one and you'll be given relatively free reign over your classroom decoration.   -Medicine.  They have medicine here, don't worry.  But they lack those strong, over the counter medicines that we western people like, such as Nyquil, Pepto-Bismol, Excedrin migraine, etc.   I very strongly suggest you bring at least the first two mentioned.   -An electricity converter.  Thailand runs on a different voltage system so if you are bringing any electrical appliances, such as portable DVD players, curling irons, palm pilots, laptops, etc., you should look into getting an electricity converter.  Thailand runs on a 220v. system while the U.S. runs on 110v.