AVOID THE SCHOOL WITH A TAGLINE "BE THE BEST THAT YOU CAN BE"
Working at a certain bilingual school in Bangkok whose initials are “BBS” and whose tagline is “Be the Best That You Can Be” was honestly one of the most disappointing work experiences I’ve had as a teacher.
During the interview, the school promises many things, support, fair workload, professional environment, opportunities, and benefits. They make the workplace sound healthy and organized, to the point that you genuinely believe them and accept the offer. But once you’re already working there, reality becomes completely different.
Some of the promises made during hiring were apparently not even approved properly by the management and were only communicated by the “acting HR.” In the end, teachers are the ones who suffer because expectations set during recruitment are not honored.
One of the saddest parts is how poorly teachers are protected. Teachers are treated like disposables and can be replaced anytime. Whenever there is a problem in your class, even situations that are not entirely your fault, the first response is usually blaming your “classroom management.”
You constantly hear statements like:
“You have a very big problem in classroom management.”
Or:
“I remember 2 years ago, they removed a teacher because of poor classroom management.”
Instead of helping teachers properly, they ask certain subject heads to observe classes and evaluate teachers. Unfortunately, some of these people are not even educators by profession and seem to hold positions mainly because of favoritism and connections. Their observations often focus only on negatives rather than constructive support or balanced feedback.
Another frustrating experience is being told:
“I saw the CCTV and it’s your fault.”
Yet the actual footage is never shown to teachers so they can explain or defend themselves fairly.
The workload is also exhausting. Teachers are expected to handle up to 25 teaching loads per week (50 minutes each class). If not given full teaching loads, they are assigned extra responsibilities without additional pay, including multiple class covers within the same week. Paid after-school classes also appear unfairly distributed only to people within certain circles instead of being shared fairly among teachers.
This did not happen to just one teacher. It has already happened to many teachers, both current and former staff members. Sadly, the pattern just keeps repeating.
I honestly hope one day the management realizes that the real problem is not always the hardworking teachers. Sometimes the bigger problem comes from the people promoted into leadership positions who act like they know everything, refuse accountability, and take credit for the work of others.
Another thing many teachers notice is that once you leave the school, whether through resignation or removal, you are often no longer allowed to return properly to say goodbye to your co-teachers and students. On top of that, negative stories are sometimes created or spread about why teachers left, making it appear as though the school did nothing wrong and that everything was entirely the teacher’s fault.
There is simply too much work for such little salary, especially for non-native teachers who are often expected to stay silent and tolerate unfair treatment.
To teachers planning to work in Bangkok, please research carefully before accepting offers. In my personal experience, BBS, “Be the Best That You Can Be” felt more like “be the most exploitable that you can be,” especially if you are a non-native teacher.