Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)

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Where to find Skype teachers…

Teaching Thai via Skype is a growing industry. And learning languages via Skype is ideal because the students don’t need to be in the same exact location as their teachers. They can reside in the same city (like I do), or live on different continents.

Being in different countries means dealing with time zones and currencies. To figure out what a Skype teacher charges as well as what time they teach, below are two resources I use:

The World Clock: Time Zones
Currency Exchange Rates: Calculator

Thai Skype teachers advertise on forums, teacher/student sites, etc. And that’s helpful. The downside is that some have either stopped teaching via Skype, or they don’t answer emails.

The Thai Skype teachers listed below do both. And from what I understand, they do it rather well.

If your Skype teacher is featured below, please drop by to say ‘hi’. And if you teach Thai via Skype, or know of a reputable teacher who does, please let me know via my contact form.

Thai teachers using Skype…

Thai Teacher: Adjima Thaitrong (Mod)
YouTube Channel: LearnThaiwithMod
Website: Learn Thai With Mod
Location: Thailand
Times:  8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Friday (Bangkok Time +7 GMT ICT Time Zone)
Pricing: 400 Baht per hour. 30 hrs: 12,000 Baht, 60 hrs: 23,000 Baht, 90 hrs: 33,000 Baht
Payment method: Paypal or cash payment
Teaching materials:  Benjawan Poomsan Becker books Paiboon Publishing and tailor-made materials

Also teaches on location: Go to Thai Teachers

Feature on WLT: Learn Thai With Mod

I deliver one-to-one training which I believe is the most successful formula when learning a language as complex as Thai. My goal is to try and incorporate the latest technology and materials into my courses, whether it is supportive online services or Skype training for overseas people and business people with busy schedules or travel commitments.

Thai Teacher: Bon ratta
Website: Learn Thai the Bon’s Way
Location: Norway
Times: Sat and Sun from 9am – 5pm
Pricing: NOK per hour: 1-3 hours 310, 4 hours 260, 8 hours 210
Payment method: Paypal
Teaching materials: Not based on any particular book.

Feature on WLT: Learn Thai with Bon: First YouTube, now Blogger and Skype

I haven’t used any books since I started teaching via Skype. I pick a theme to talk about and we expand from there. Role-play has been my favorite way to teach lately. I find it quick and effective.

Thai Teacher: Kanokkarn “Goy” Yoshihira
Location: Thailand
Website: Thailand Translator
Times: 24/7
Pricing: US$38 per hour
Payment: Paypal, Western Union, Money Transfer
Teaching materials: Normal Thai English Teaching Books and online material.

We strongly believe in a personal approach for each student. Some just need to communicate with the Thai girlfriends and some need to learn the Thai way / culture to do business in Thailand. We believe in giving each and every student a personal teaching plan that suits them. I seen many schools in Bangkok teach students things they will probably never use and it is a waste of the students time.

Thai Teacher: Katt Walker
YouTube: KKETP’s Channel
Website: Khon Kaen Education & Travel Programs
Location: Thailand
Times: Everyday between 9am & 9pm, Thai time
Pricing: 280 baht/hr
Payment method: Paypal or cash
Teaching material: Paiboon materials & numerous other texts. The course content is flexible and specifically tailored to the student’s needs.

My name is Katt and I teach Thai language in person and on video Skype. I also specialize in teaching the Isaan dialect which is spoken in Northeast, Thailand! All potential students are welcome to do a FREE 30 minute class prior to committing to a paid course. My English is quite good and I can provide references upon request.

Also teaches on location: Go to Thai Teachers

Thai Teacher: Ladawan Mamak
Location: Thailand
Website: Thai With Joy
Times: 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday to Friday, Bangkok Time
Pricing: US$10 per hour
Payment: Paypal
Teaching materials: Thai Lesson book (provided in PDF), white board (for reading and writing students), flashcards.

If a student is starting from scratch, we start with the basics, such as greetings, easy words, and pronunciation. Once they are comfortable, we can start putting together basic sentences and learning sentence patterns. For students that are eager to learn reading and writing I will start to add in writing lessons soon after. Otherwise, we would continue with everyday conversation and language patterns. After each lesson I will always give a homework assignment to be completed before the next lesson. And most importantly, be prepared to laugh and have fun!

Thai Teacher: Mia Rongsiaw
Location: Thailand
Website: Learn2speakthai.net
Times: 10:00-20:00 local time
Pricing: US$20 per hour
Payment: Paypal
Teaching materials: Tailor-made PDF lessons, white board, recommended books & CDs, songs, etc.

I’ve taught Thai all levels to foreigners for over 4 years. I’m currently teaching Thai in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Mostly private lessons at all levels.

In order to learn Thai, you need a tutor who speak fluent English and Thai. I will help you to speak Thai in a fun and easy way and prepare you for your next trip to Thailand.

I will adapt the lesson to your particular needs and do it at your own pace. You will achieve your goals quickly with all the support, feedback and motivation you need.

Not only you will learn to speak language but you will also learn the ways of Thai culture and tradition. In no time at all you will be speaking Thai and maybe even thinking like a Thai.

I’m offering a special free 30 minute consultation where we can get familiar with each other and plan the right curriculum for you to reach your goal.

Thai Teacher: Narisa Naropakorn
Website: Narisa Naropakorn
Location: Thailand
Times: 10 am – 10 pm Thai time
Pricing: 5,000 THB per 10 hours, 10,000 per 21 hours
Payment: Paypal, bank transfer
Teaching materials: Your choice

Feature on WLT: Interview with Thai Skype Teacher Khun Narisa Naropakorn

My natural teaching style is freeform, but I will use other materials if a request is made. I generally go with an approach called ‘student centered’. This is where I focus on my learners’ lifestyle and needs, what they interact with on a day to day basis, what their special interests are, as well as their personalities. So what this means is that each class is created on the spot, tailored to the individual student. It makes the lessons fun and lively because the students are learning phrases and vocabulary of interest to them.

I believe people learn differently according to how they perceive information. So I teach each of my students in the learning style suited to them. To discover their learning style, I have each student fill out a questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences on how people perceive the world and make decisions.

Conversation: I supplement my teaching with educational sheets from three course books I wrote called ‘Survival Thai’ and ‘Comfortable Thai’. The books were written when I headed a Thai language section in 1995. I use materials from the books to teach beginning students who can say nothing in Thai except ‘sawaddii’ (hello), to the point where they can discuss fluently in Thai to express ideas and needs. I believe the success of these books is from the method of introducing learners step-by-step to both Thai culture and language.

Thai for Tourist: This is a 2 hour short course focusing on situations, e.g. greeting, shopping, and using a taxi.

Reading and writing: For all levels I create exercises that give tips to strengthen their reading skills.

For zero beginners, to save time and costs I first recommend that they start learning the theory from available online resources. I then create exercises to strengthen their reading skills based on their lives (stories about themselves, friends and families). I also add real life reading materials (menus, street signs, etc).

Reading and writing intermediate: I create exercises that give tips to strengthen their reading skills based on their life, eg. stories of themselves or their families. I also add the real life reading material (menus, street signs).

Reading and writing advanced: I select real Internet news and articles which suits the learners interest and lifestyle to read together in the class or assign as homework.

Thai Teacher: Nontharos Kiatwisanchai (Nan)
Website: Thai Language Book
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Times: 9.00 – 17.00 (Finland time zone: UTC/GMT +2 hours)
Pricing: 20 euro / 1 hour, For beginners 12 hours/200 euro with material, Intermediate 15 hours / 250 euro with material, Advanced 15 hours / 300 euro with material.
Payment method: Paypal, Bank transfer. Nordics customers: if you have nordea you can transfer it freely without any cost. Visa, Master card, debit card visa
Teaching materials: Own materials: All in One Easy Learning – Thai for beginners, for intermediate and advanced, tailor-made materials

My teaching is based on the student’s demand. Some would like to learn Thai language quickly to just have the Thai conversation. Some would like to learn Thai language deeply and some would like to learn how to write and the root of language. Myself, as a language instructor, I design the learning programs based on the individual interest and their Thai knowledge. Before the lesson start, I offer free 1 hour lesson to people who are interest to take the class so that I can test and assess each individual Thai language knowledges, and their interest to learn Thai. From the teaching experiences I have had, I have decided to develop my own materials which have given me the confirmation that my students can learn Thai very effectively, and efficiently in a short time! Moreover, I also tell about Thai cultures, and Thai ways during the lessons as well. This would make the class more interesting because some of the Thai words are related to the way we behave in the culture and in the society. Anyhow, please visit my website to learn more about me! :) Have a good day everyone! Sawatdii kha.

Thai Teacher: Supapan Lane (Jiab = little chicken)
Website: Thai Style
Location: United Kingdom
Times: BTS 9.00 hrs – 21.00 hrs
Pricing: Per hour: £65 for 5 lessons, £175 for 15 lessons, £300 for 31 lessons.
Payment: Paypal
Teaching materials: I have produced my own teaching material, both written and audio.

I have three courses: Beginner course, Intermediate and Advanced. For a beginner to learn the basics of Thai language, I have a 30 hour course. Using English transliterations, this course has been designed to emphasize pronunciation of the different tones and to help you understand the basic grammar. There is a large amount of vocabulary in the course. After completing the basic Thai course you should be able to get by ordering food and drinks, directions, money, time, short conversations and more. My Intermediate course is a 60 hour course incorporating speaking, reading and writing. With a basic understanding of the language you can start to learn the Thai alphabet. When you can read Thai, you can pronounce and learn new vocabulary when reading. This is the most exciting part of the course, when you are able to pronounce what you read you start to learn really quickly! After you are able to speak, read and write some Thai, you can continue to our advanced course, start learning advance levels of Thai grammar, business conversation, business correspondence, official Thai language use in radio, TV, newspapers and official vocabulary.

From my experience, I found that students in the UK want a structured course with an aim, and continuous support. Good teaching materials are not the only way to keep someone learning. It is important that you can continue to practice after each lesson, which is why my students receive both written material and audio learning files free of charge. For example, the 30 hour beginner course has 3 booklets (10 lessons in each) which can be downloaded and also a hard copy posted to my students. The audio learning files can be downloaded or emailed after every lesson.

I’ve taught Thai via Skype for two years. My students find it very convenient for them in their busy life style. Especially, in the UK, there aren’t many Thai teachers around. They can’t find a teacher in their area easily. Learning Thai via Skype is just like learning face to face in a private lesson. The only difference is that you do not need to travel to learn Thai so the cost is lower. You can fit your Thai lessons around a busy lifestyle, you can learn Thai before going to work, on a lunch break, after work, or before bed time.

My teaching methods work best in private lessons and are adaptable to any type of class or students needs. Repetition is the key of my teaching method. With my material, I start teaching from basic Thai and build up vocabulary slowly during every lesson. I always repeat what you have learned from the last lesson to see if you have misunderstood anything or are pronouncing the words wrong. Most of my students are beginners. My teaching methods for beginners emphasize correct pronunciation. The repetition helps them to remember how to pronounce Thai correctly. This method reinforces proper pronunciation of the Thai alphabet and words.

During a one hour lesson, I usually use the time as follows:

• 2-5 minutes: Meet and greet
• 15-20 minutes: Revision for the last lesson (except free trial lesson, I will use this time to introduce you to the course).
• 5-10 minutes: Vocabulary (part 1).
• 5-10 minutes: Conversations or Questions & Answers.
• 5-10 minutes: Vocabulary (part 2).
• 5-10 minutes: Conversations or Questions & Answers.

End of the lesson: If there is still some time left, the teacher can have free conversation with the student(s) but related to Thai language, Thai culture or Thai subjects.

After each lesson my students receive audio materials to listen and practice at home. Most of my students say it really helps with the learning. Along with the audio files, I send screen recordings of the lessons to my students. This allows them to watch the entire lesson again and again.

I offer every new student a free trial lesson to get started; a meet and greet to introduce them to my teaching methods. This allows them to ‘try before you buy’.

Thai Teacher: Tachaya
email: lingua.quinze@gmail.com
Location: USA
Times: 6AM-Midnight PST
Pricing: $17 per hour
Payment: Paypal
Teaching materials: Thai for Beginners, Progressive Thai, etc.

Are you interested in getting to understand more about this amazing country of Thailand and its people? There is a perfect way to make your dream come true! Study the Thai language with me :)
Let me teach you how to speak Thai, naturally, just like how Thai people speak!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Tachaya. I was born and raised up in Bangkok, Thailand. I speak Thai as my first language, and I am an experienced full-time Thai teacher with high English and Japanese proficiency. I have been teaching Thai for about 4 years to English-speaking students of all ages and nationalities as well as Japanese-speaking students. I give lessons in both English and Japanese.

I provide one-on-one private classes via Skype at the rate of US$17 per hour or live classes in Los Angeles, California for US$20 per hour (Payments received through Paypal). I am available every day, Monday through Sunday. And as I teach Thai full-time, I believe my schedule is very flexible and that I can find time for you, no matter where you live. And since I do not require exact time for classes, for those who are busy with their everyday lives and cannot set the same time of every week for the lessons, there is nothing to worry about. You can let me know week by week when you want to have classes.

I have strong passion for learning languages myself. I graduated from the department of languages and literature (Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University) and continued my studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in Japan. I am excited to help my students learn Thai too. To make it easier for my students to learn and pick up the language, I allow my students to record my voice as I teach so that they can practice later by themselves outside of classroom. And as language learning is the matter of repetition and practice, this also helps my students remember vocabulary, sentence structure and so on as well as get the pronunciation right. Moreover, I encourage my students to ask me the questions they might have while studying by themselves, either in classes or outside of class time, via Email, to help them learn even faster.

If you are interested in taking lessons with me or if you have any question, feel free to send me an email to lingua.quinze@gmail.com giving background information about who you are, what your goal of study is and how much Thai you already know. Thank you very much! I am looking forwards to hearing from you! :)

Also teaches on location: Go to Thai Teachers

Thai Teacher: Tip (Sarintip)
Email: magicthai@gmail.com
Phone: 087-8101880
Website: Magic Thai
Location: Bangkok (all locations)
Times: 6am – 11pm
Pricing: 450 baht per hour
Teaching materials: Tailored to each student

I have tons of my own teaching materials, developed by me, which will help to improve learning Thai. I have compiled my teaching material from children’s text books, exercise books, vocabulary lists, clippings from magazines, newspapers, flash cards, advertising signs, just anything which has popped up according to the needs of my students or much that I’ve seen and heard which would benefit my students–I use it all to create a comprehensive learning environment to make living in Thailand easier for my students. Actually, I have boxes of teaching material and books which I tell everybody at home “Do not give this to the recycling man by mistake!”

Also teaches on location: Go to Thai Teachers

Thai Teacher: Titcha Kedsri
Email: kedsri@gmail.com
Phone: 1(347)280-6205
Website: Practical Thai
Location: New York, US
Pricing: 35 USD per Skype session, and 45 USD for private lesson in New York, NY
Teaching materials: Benjawan Poomsam Becker’s Thai for Beginners and David
Smyth’s Thai: An Essential Grammar

Also teaches on location: Go to Thai Teachers

Thai Teacher: Thipsuda van Driel
Email: info@thaitutor-online.com
Website: Thai Tutor Online
Location: Netherlands
Pricing: US$15 / hour
Teaching materials: Thai lessons are provided in PDF
Skype: thaitutor-online

Thai schools using Skype…

Thai Language school: Study Thai Online
Location: Thailand
Times available: 02.00 GMT until 12.00 GMT
Lesson cost: US$10 – US$15 per 50 minute lesson
Payment: Paypal
Teaching materials: Virtual classroom with our own pre-prepared materials loaded in advance.

Patong Language School introduced online Thai lessons for students that couldn’t get to Thailand to study, or had previously studied at our school in Phuket and were heading home. We have since found quite a number of students enrolling from within Thailand that can’t find a language school or teacher near where they live. Some students on Phuket find it more convenient to study online than to attend classes at our school in Patong Beach. This may be for reasons of work schedule or not wanting to drive 30 minutes from Rawai to Patong.

The materials we use online are the same books we use in our classes at the school. This can either be books using phonetics to learn conversational Thai, or our reading and writing Thai series. All books are provided in pdf format so the student can print them or keep them on-screen (we recommend using the materials in the virtual classroom to avoid looking up and down all the time at a book). The webcam was set up to allow the student to see the teacher and blackboard in the classroom, trying to make the online experience as similar to the in-class experience as possible. This didn’t work too well, as many students’ cameras weren’t good enough to clearly read the blackboard, and both the teacher and student were constantly trying to find their place in the book in front of them, then returning to the screen. This led us to investigate other options, and we ultimately settled on the browser-based virtual classroom we use now. This is way beyond being a shared whiteboard; it is a truly interactive experience with both teacher and student being able to simultaneously manipulate pages and text on-screen. The classroom allows recording of the screen and sound, and lets us upload sound clips and videos for the students. Its limits presently seem to be our imaginations!

The teachers are the same experienced Thai teachers that work in Patong Language School day-in and day-out. They have received additional training to use the new technology and are all competent computer users. Being geographically separated can make learning online a very ‘dry’ experience, so our teachers are trained to keep the classes light and fun. We feel it is very important that learning Thai be enjoyable and not a chore. The teachers occupy small, comfortable glass offices to conduct the classes, as we have found this provides greater sound and video quality.

We knew at the outset that our system must be robust and reliable. To this end we use two internet connections from different providers running though a load balancing device. This means we don’t experience connection outages – unless someone disconnects Phuket from the rest of the world! We have four PC’s running Skype and the browsers needed to provide the classes, and they all share student data from a central server. So even if we lose a PC, the teacher can connect from another one right away with no loss of information or continuity. We’ve yet to encounter a student that can’t use Skype and a browser, so we’ll stick with this simple technology and stay away from proprietary software.

As with all the services offered by Patong Language School, we strive to make Study Thai Online a professional-standard service. Having a book in front of you and meeting a teacher on Skype is a very basic way to learn Thai – we aim to offer more than that and continually improve the online experience.

WLT: Guest Post: Study Thai Online via Skype

Thai Language school: Thai Language Hut
Location: Thailand
Time: 7am – 9pm 7 Days a week (Bangkok Time +7 GMT ICT Time Zone)
Pricing: 15 hours 8,000 baht Rates
Payment method: Bank transfer or Paypal
Teaching materials: Paiboon Publishing

We interchange our classroom training with on-line training for busy students that are either travelling or intend to move to Thailand. This means you can start on-line and complete the training in a classroom or visa-versa or just mix and match as needed. We are very flexible. We have students using a combination of these techniques to fit their personal schedules.

We focus on creating an effective, simple problem free learning environment so we can focus on the training and not get too distracted by the technology or connection problems. We use only technology from Skype which is familiar to most people ie manageable and not too scary! + minamises connection issues ie not connecting to a third party for whiteboard or other supplementary technologies.

In this vein we offer the following:

• 1 to 1 training only by Skype
• Show a part of our screen using Skype
• Use a combination of slides, flash cards, drawings on paper and exercises to support the standard exercises and learning in our course text book (Benjawan Poomsan Becker, Paiboon Publishing) – the student will have this book in front of them too!
• We give away any slides or exercises developed for the student as pdfs at the end of the training.
• We do not use separate white board systems, in our experience this diminishes the experience and does not enhance it (potential connection problems + new system to use).

How to learn Thai via Skype, the series…

This post is part five of an eight part series.

• How to learn Thai via Skype
• Interview: Skype Thai Teacher Khun Narisa Naropakorn
• Guest Post: Study Thai Online via Skype
• My Skype Thai Language Learning Experience
• Learn Thai via Skype: Locating Teachers and Schools
• Todd Bryant and Mixxer, the Language Exchange Community
• Baby Steps to Fluency on Skype Language Exchange Partners
• Online Language Exchange Partners

Enjoy…