In reply to the the past threads:

First off, let's clear the air. Brad Night is not only a dedicated, professional, and hard-working supervisor, who in my opinion has gone above and beyond his duty to make life (and yes is is LIFE, as you work and live here) more comfortable for all foreign teachers (including Filipinos, Canadians, Brits, and people form States), but he is is one of the rare bosses that you get that is not just overqualified, but unappreciated. He will fight administrative decisions when there is a reason, and, contrarily, put you in your place when you need to be put in your place. Showing up to work late, or calling in sick when you live 15 seconds away from the office and feel fine, and have a course-load no larger than 5 hours a day, is unacceptable. Yes, the job is demanding. Yes, working in an MOE school can be the an eye-opener to the hypocrisy and contradictions of the Thai educational standards, but in no way should this be pinned on those who attempt to make the conditions better and encourage positive change.

That being said. DO NOT APPLY FOR OR ACCEPT ANY POSITION HERE AT THE MATHAYOM LEVEL.

Honestly, in the past threads I have seen Miss Eileen's name thrown around as if she was Lucifer re-incarnated. I can assure you, although she may be a bit OCD in her attention to detail, she has one concern that is prioritized above any other, and that is the students. But, no worries, as she has left, and one more administrator who was fighting against those who coddle 18 year old students as if they were 5 years old, is gone. In place we have a wonderful assortment of Thai teachers, administrators, and, as much as it pains me to say it, directors, who are not only in favor of, but discourage any alternative to, the idea that a school should be run like a factory. Farangs are seen as a commodity here, like coal or corn, and can be resupplied by the constantly revolving door of OEG teachers. Miss Kwantip has the idea that this school will one day be an international school, but, judging by the cameras in the office, the constant administrative pop-ins, and discouraging looks and gossip from your peers, you will find it an inhospitable workplace. Thai administrators and teachers look at the farangs as if we are force feeding the kids apple pie and bangers, when we are really just teaching the kids to interact with foreign clients and future business partners in a professional and formal way.

Don't expect any recommendations from Miss Kwantip, as she will tell you to your face, that recommendations are reserved for those in it for the long run, regardless of whether your contract said 3 months or one year, and the long run is when STS crashes and explodes like an LPG cylinder falling off a motor-bike. This place is masochism at its finest, as you will gain absolutely no recommendations, no accredited professional experience, and hate every hour spent outside the classroom. Yes, Prathom is nice, as the kids are polite, kind and educated well, and the teachers are motivated and willing to work as peers, but, this place is on its downward spiral, and unless you were one of those who invested in Enron in 2001, or bought a house in 2009, I would highly advise taking on another position in BKK, or even working on the new BTS lines for 5,000 B a month, over working in this hell-on-earth. Please, please, please, take it from someone who has put everything they had into this job and gotten nothing out of it, this job is not for you. Berlitz, ITM, Abak, just look on eslcafe.org, and find somewhere that pays you 5,000 less and avoid the headache of living here and dealing with the bi-polar director, two-faced administrators, and spoiled students that comprise the STS "family".

Any one thinking about going to The Sunflower Trilingual School should get in touch with Severeign (Brad) I have known this guy many years. We worked for the same school years ago and spent a lot of time together. We both left our last schools about 5 years ago he moved to the Sunflower Trilingual School and I came to a language center in China. He has been at 1 school as I have for over 5 years, I know for a fact if the schools we are working for were not OK we both would have left. Instead of listening to some person with a grudge contact Severeign, I know he will tell you straight all you want to know about the school.
antony.forster@yahoo.co.uk

I have worked at Sunflower Trilingual School for many years now. It is like a second home to me. Khun Khwantip and Teacher Eileen (not Aileen) are dedicated to this school and only want the best for the students and teachers. Khun Khwantip is especially generous and kind. Yes, it may seem like a lot of work but that's what they pay you for and with good time management skills it's really not that difficult to get things done during the normal working hours. They don't pay you to be lazy and do the minimal amount of work possible. I have seen some teachers not last long pretty much because they want to get paid but not to do the work required of them. Teacher Pete is fair and is definetly NOT evil. The school is always looking for ways to make things better for both teachers and students and I would highly recommend working here. It is a friendly atmosphere with kind and hardworking teachers. As for the dorms (which are free) if u don't like them there are plenty of cheap places to rent in walkiing distance of the school. I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.

Having read a recent post against Sunflower Trilingual School, I felt obligated to field a word or two in defense of the school that has treated me, and several others, well for the past three years.

Its a shame that the person who posted the attack felt victimized to the point of such frustrated anger that he or she needed to call certain Sunflower supervisors evil. Im positive the angry poster was not confined to their desk; that he or she was free to leave at anytime, so it is somewhat confusing to me why someone that unhappy would choose to remain and be fired rather than quit.

STS is a relatively new school recently approved by the MOE as an officially accredited private English Program school. There is a lot of new work to be done and a great deal of previous work to be revised, and because it needs to be done in English, things like syllabi and curricula fall to the English teachers to do. Its not something I enjoy either, but there isnt anyone else to do it!

Lesson plans are indeed long and detailed, tedious to complete and time consuming and there is a process of approval ongoing while the administration attempts to create and complete extensive lesson plan packages to be kept and used in the future (something that long established schools already have in place). Teaching aids and props are currently minimal, so many teachers, and particularly primary teachers, spend additional time making their own.

Sunflower Trilingual School requires its teachers to work rather hard. It is not a school for backpackers or party-teachers or those lazy teachers looking for the maximum salary with the minimum of work. You cannot expect to arrive, teach your class and go home. It is a full time teaching position where everything is in the process of being created and standardized. There are still only a small number of teachers required to do a large amount of work. If you drag your ass, youll get cut from the team. Its that simple.

Teachers need to be flexible and adaptable. Teachers incapable of some occasional sacrifices of personal time and/or unwilling to shoulder a fair share of the English Departments workload simply will not last. Its a serious school requiring serious work from committed teachers.

You may never experience working harder as a teacher (certainly in Thailand) than at STS, but there are good people here who stay and work hard because of what it means for the kids. When all is said and done, some people just dont work out at some jobs. Some may last a day, some a semester, etc. Others have been with STS since the day it opened its doors. The Owner and the Assistant are professional, dedicated people. To me, and I know to many others, Khun Kwantip has always been very generous, kind and open to suggestion. That said, they both demand a lot where work is concerned.

Salaries here are competitive. Given the free on-campus accommodations (electricity, water, and internet are deducted), savings in travel time (it is 90 seconds from my room to my desk), and daily food allowance one could save more at STS than at a school in Bangkok where salaries are higher.

Some teachers work out, some dont. It may not be the school for every teacher, but it definitely is not a school that needs to be avoided. The right sort of teacher, with the right attitude, will find a good school with great kids, excellent colleagues and a strict but generous boss.

And the rooms, contrary to the angry-posters comment, while small and admittedly in need of refurbishment, are more than suitable for a dog! Come on! Who keeps a dog in an apartment?
They are not meant to be luxurious, they are free!

For what its worth.

Brad Night - Primary Teacher
Sunflower Trilingual School