Questionaire
A friend of mine sent me this questionaire for one of her classes. I thought it had some interesting questions so I decided to repost it here. Enjoy!
1. What is your best/worst work/organizational experience?
The best work experience is that i work very few hours a week (14) but get paid more than enough. i have so much free time which is great. however, this is a privelege only granted to foreigners. thai teachers have to be at school from 8-4. also, i love my students. they are university level students and they are much more studious than american college students. they never show up hungover in their pajamas. they are always on-task and interested in class.
the worst experience was realizing that thai culture does not value organization and forethought. there is no planning for the future (possibly since this is a Buddhist culture and buddhism stresses living in the now). we never know what's going to happen at school tomorrow. sometimes classes are cancelled or changed with very little notice. it also took me awhile to realize that thai people never say "no." they say, "okay,we will do it" but they never actually follow through. to them, it's impolite to say "no" and better to just avoid confrontation. it took me awhile to figure out what tasks i actually had to do and which ones i could let slip.
2. Would a subordinate ever question their supervisor or an executive in the organization? generally no. thais have so much respect for their superiors. they might complain but they would never openly confront a superior. this is a very heirarchical culture based on age, income, sex, etc.
3. Are you free to walk into your boss’ office?
yes, but foreigners have different rules than thais. generally though, i feel like the workplaces are very open.
4. What role does religion play in work production?
well there are about 1 million buddhist holidays which we get off. also there are often buddhist ceremonies at school events. sometimes the monks come in to bless the school, the teachers and the students. also, the whole buddhist mentality plays a part in everything....not worrying about the future, not being particular about time, easily forgiving transgressions.
5. Do you get a lunch break? How long is it?
1 hour is standard
6. What are the table eating manners/etiquette? Very few cultures allow fast food/eating on the run; many require sitting down to break bread…..
thais eat with a big spoon and a fork. you should use the fork to push your food onto the spoon. always eat directly from the spoon not the fork. most people eat communal-style and share a few dishes. where i live in the north people like to eat sticky rice and they roll it into little balls and dip it in the various curries and chili sauces. there are a few fast food places (KFC, pizza hut)but thais eat at fast food stalls along the side of the road. these usually sell noodle soup or quick-fried dishes.
7. What types of rituals/ceremonies do you have in the home? Workplace? Community?
home: every house has something called a spirit house. it looks like a bird house decorated with little statues. thais are very superstitious so they want to appease the spirits. every morning they will offer little bits of food, water, incense and flowers to the spirits in their spirit houses. when you get a new house, you need to invite the monks to come and bless it. they will also wrap a piece of white thread around the outer perimeter of the house as a form of protection.
workplace: at schools there is a ceremony called "wai kru" at the beginning of every school year. this is a ceremony in which the students thank the teacher for giving them knowledge by offering them flowers. it is also a time to bless the students and teachers in anticipation of a productive school year.
8. Talk to me about how your work relates to your life. Is it very important or of little importance? Does the person identify him/herself with the organization (as is true in the U.S.).
my job means the world to me. i think teaching is very valuable and i love to see my students' english improving every day. i know it will help them so much to get jobs in the future. for me, it's very important to do meaningful work and to do something that makes you happy. i learn so much from my students and i wouldn't want to work in any other job.
9. Are there any liquor laws?
not really. you can carry open alcohol in the streets. obviously, you can't drink and drive and the drinking age is 18. but for the most part, liquor laws are a lot more lax here than at home. one crazy thing is that you can buy your own bottle of liquor and take it into any bar or club. then you just pay for mixers at the club. some places have a "bottle-opening" fee. also, people put ice in their beer here since it's so hot.
10. What was the greatest/most problematic culture clash between your country of origin and the U.S.?
the thing that bothers me the most about thai culture is that everything is based on appearance only though the real essence of the thing is never actually questioned. for example, if i wear nice clothes and makeup and show up to teach everyday, the thais will say,"oh you are a good teacher." but nobody ever actually comes into my classroom to evaluate my teaching style. everything is on such a superficial level which can be frustrating. appearance is valued over quality.
11. Were you prepared to go into a different culture or did you go into the culture cold?
i was definitely ready to get the hell out of the states. i'd been to thailand when i was living in china. i knew it was somewhere that i wanted to come back to. i read about thai culture before i came here but i didn't know too much.
12. How much vacation time do you get?
tons. there seem to be holidays all the time. between the first semester and the second we get about 3 weeks. then we have time off for christmas and new years. we get 3 weeks off before the summer semester and a couple weeks off during that semester. then there's another month off before first semester. plus all the random holidays.
13. As an outsider, what is the single most important thing I need to know about your organization. What do I need to know?
not sure about this one. the most important thing about Yonok University? i hope that it would be quality education.
14. How do you perceive America?
a little bit jarring at the moment. i hope things go well in the next election. definitely not as "sabai" as thailand.
15. What is the most important thing I should NOT do cause conflict in your culture?
you should never get angry and shout. thais really dislike people who have a "hot heart." and you will not get anywhere in thai society if you're perceived as being short-tempered. also you should NEVER insult the king or the royal family. i think it merits beheading.
16. Describe the hierarchical structure at your organization and which gender is more dominant. Masculine? Feminine?
thailand definitely has a patriarchal system yet women have traditionally been land owners and the ones in charge of money in the family. i think that prostitution has been a big setback as far as women's rights in thailand yet more and more women seem to be in positions of power than in the past. generally though, age and income are just as important, if not more, than gender.
1. What is your best/worst work/organizational experience?
The best work experience is that i work very few hours a week (14) but get paid more than enough. i have so much free time which is great. however, this is a privelege only granted to foreigners. thai teachers have to be at school from 8-4. also, i love my students. they are university level students and they are much more studious than american college students. they never show up hungover in their pajamas. they are always on-task and interested in class.
the worst experience was realizing that thai culture does not value organization and forethought. there is no planning for the future (possibly since this is a Buddhist culture and buddhism stresses living in the now). we never know what's going to happen at school tomorrow. sometimes classes are cancelled or changed with very little notice. it also took me awhile to realize that thai people never say "no." they say, "okay,we will do it" but they never actually follow through. to them, it's impolite to say "no" and better to just avoid confrontation. it took me awhile to figure out what tasks i actually had to do and which ones i could let slip.
2. Would a subordinate ever question their supervisor or an executive in the organization? generally no. thais have so much respect for their superiors. they might complain but they would never openly confront a superior. this is a very heirarchical culture based on age, income, sex, etc.
3. Are you free to walk into your boss’ office?
yes, but foreigners have different rules than thais. generally though, i feel like the workplaces are very open.
4. What role does religion play in work production?
well there are about 1 million buddhist holidays which we get off. also there are often buddhist ceremonies at school events. sometimes the monks come in to bless the school, the teachers and the students. also, the whole buddhist mentality plays a part in everything....not worrying about the future, not being particular about time, easily forgiving transgressions.
5. Do you get a lunch break? How long is it?
1 hour is standard
6. What are the table eating manners/etiquette? Very few cultures allow fast food/eating on the run; many require sitting down to break bread…..
thais eat with a big spoon and a fork. you should use the fork to push your food onto the spoon. always eat directly from the spoon not the fork. most people eat communal-style and share a few dishes. where i live in the north people like to eat sticky rice and they roll it into little balls and dip it in the various curries and chili sauces. there are a few fast food places (KFC, pizza hut)but thais eat at fast food stalls along the side of the road. these usually sell noodle soup or quick-fried dishes.
7. What types of rituals/ceremonies do you have in the home? Workplace? Community?
home: every house has something called a spirit house. it looks like a bird house decorated with little statues. thais are very superstitious so they want to appease the spirits. every morning they will offer little bits of food, water, incense and flowers to the spirits in their spirit houses. when you get a new house, you need to invite the monks to come and bless it. they will also wrap a piece of white thread around the outer perimeter of the house as a form of protection.
workplace: at schools there is a ceremony called "wai kru" at the beginning of every school year. this is a ceremony in which the students thank the teacher for giving them knowledge by offering them flowers. it is also a time to bless the students and teachers in anticipation of a productive school year.
8. Talk to me about how your work relates to your life. Is it very important or of little importance? Does the person identify him/herself with the organization (as is true in the U.S.).
my job means the world to me. i think teaching is very valuable and i love to see my students' english improving every day. i know it will help them so much to get jobs in the future. for me, it's very important to do meaningful work and to do something that makes you happy. i learn so much from my students and i wouldn't want to work in any other job.
9. Are there any liquor laws?
not really. you can carry open alcohol in the streets. obviously, you can't drink and drive and the drinking age is 18. but for the most part, liquor laws are a lot more lax here than at home. one crazy thing is that you can buy your own bottle of liquor and take it into any bar or club. then you just pay for mixers at the club. some places have a "bottle-opening" fee. also, people put ice in their beer here since it's so hot.
10. What was the greatest/most problematic culture clash between your country of origin and the U.S.?
the thing that bothers me the most about thai culture is that everything is based on appearance only though the real essence of the thing is never actually questioned. for example, if i wear nice clothes and makeup and show up to teach everyday, the thais will say,"oh you are a good teacher." but nobody ever actually comes into my classroom to evaluate my teaching style. everything is on such a superficial level which can be frustrating. appearance is valued over quality.
11. Were you prepared to go into a different culture or did you go into the culture cold?
i was definitely ready to get the hell out of the states. i'd been to thailand when i was living in china. i knew it was somewhere that i wanted to come back to. i read about thai culture before i came here but i didn't know too much.
12. How much vacation time do you get?
tons. there seem to be holidays all the time. between the first semester and the second we get about 3 weeks. then we have time off for christmas and new years. we get 3 weeks off before the summer semester and a couple weeks off during that semester. then there's another month off before first semester. plus all the random holidays.
13. As an outsider, what is the single most important thing I need to know about your organization. What do I need to know?
not sure about this one. the most important thing about Yonok University? i hope that it would be quality education.
14. How do you perceive America?
a little bit jarring at the moment. i hope things go well in the next election. definitely not as "sabai" as thailand.
15. What is the most important thing I should NOT do cause conflict in your culture?
you should never get angry and shout. thais really dislike people who have a "hot heart." and you will not get anywhere in thai society if you're perceived as being short-tempered. also you should NEVER insult the king or the royal family. i think it merits beheading.
16. Describe the hierarchical structure at your organization and which gender is more dominant. Masculine? Feminine?
thailand definitely has a patriarchal system yet women have traditionally been land owners and the ones in charge of money in the family. i think that prostitution has been a big setback as far as women's rights in thailand yet more and more women seem to be in positions of power than in the past. generally though, age and income are just as important, if not more, than gender.
posted by Jen @ 1:51 AM
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