My job offer.

The other day I went to the Mae Tao clinic, and I was introduced to a man working in the office. He told me that he teaches Burmese to the kids at the Thai high school and that they were looking for native English speakers to teach English. He asked if I would be interested as it offered a work permit and a salary and I said maybe but I already had a commitment to the Burmese migrant school.
The guy said he'd call the vice-principle and let her speak to me. She asked where I was from etc and didn't sound pleased when I said I'd just left high school (as if this was my idea and I was begging to teach at the Thai school). She took my number and called back about 5 mins later to tell me to meet her "right now" at the school. I unwillingly went to meet her and she opened with "so, you want to teach at our school?", my reply - "ummm, maybe?".

The thing you have to realise about people like this is that they will not force you to do anything, but they guilt trip you like hell. She told me that the classes are 50 mins long and there are 18 classes per week. Grade 7-12. This would mean I'd have to give up teaching at Hle Bee school and when she asked me to, I told her I wouldn't do that. She then asked why, and I told her that I about my Mother's link with the school and about her new link with CDC school. Then she got very excited at this prospect and said "mabye next she'll link with us".
Then she brought down the head of the English department and said that the woman would generously work my 18 class schedule around my hours at Hle Bee if I cut them down to 6 hours per week.
I was unwilling to do this and she went on a tangent about how the Thai government are extremely kind to let the Burmese into their country even though it's not what's best for their own people. She said the Burmese schools were very lucky that the Thai officials let them exist (not that they aren't getting bribed insane amounts of money to do this).

I told her I would speak to my Mother about the whole thing and call her the next day. But she didn't let go of the guilt rope that easily, pleading and calling me her "daughter".

All of this happened within about 1.30mins - can you believe it?!


The next morning, I got a very lovely wake up call from this woman, which I didn't answer because I do not like to be woken up with harrassing calls in the morning. Especially because I told her I would call her when I had made my decision. She called me maybe 14 times that day, which only made me more annoyed. I eventually answered and I told her I could not take the job at her school, I had many reasons but she didn't ask for any. She only asked if I would help her the next day as she had a parents meeting in the morning to discuss what the children would be learning this year. It would apparently last for 30 minutes so I told her I would go along, think I would only have to sit there. She told me to meet her in her office at 9am.

When I went the next day - 9am sharp - I went to her office and she wasn't there. About 5 minutes later she rushed in and said she had been looking everywhere for me and I reminded her she told me to meet her in the office. She said okay and pulled me by the arm to the auditorium where all the parents from grade 7 - 9 were waiting. She introduced me to an old Canadian man who was creepy as hell. As I sat down he slid his arm around the back of the sofa where I was sitting and said something about me being blonde and having blue eyes, I said "no I actually have green eyes". Seriously, ew.
I felt saved when Canadian Dave turned up, he had also been roped into this.

We sat for a while listening to a guy speak Thai and the woman told me I would be interviewed and I was very confused. What could I say? I have no link to this school. These parents came to hear about what their kids would be learning this year and I'm not even teaching them! I couldn't exactly say that I was working in a migrant school because the majority of them would seriously dislike that.
"Why am I here?" was the question running through my mind the entire time I was waiting.
So I got up and had to introduce myself, the woman told me to say that I was filling in for someone who was teaching later, but hadn't arrived in Mae Sot yet.
I escaped as soon as I could after that, went to Canadian Dave's for breakfast and unwinding.

Phew! There you go Mum.

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