The Teaching Profession

• ASEAN – (ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN NATION) 10 Member States of the ASEAN Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines Indonesia, Thailand, Lao PDR, Singapore Malaysia, Vietnam
• The Levels of Schooling as a Teaching Melieu

  • Primary Level
  • Secondary Level
  • Tertiary Level
• Primary Level


  • Pre-primary (Play-school, Pre-K, Kindergarten)
  • Primary Level (Grade 1-Grade 6)
• Variations in the Number of Years in Basic Education Level Across the ASEAN Members

  • Version 1: 5 yrs Primary/Elem, 4 yrs Lower Secondary, 3 yrs Upper Secondary, Total 12 yrs (Lao PDR)
  • Version 2: 5 yrs Primary/Elem, 4 yrs Upper Secondary, 2 yrs (pre-university for Singapore), Total 11 yrs (Myanmar)
  • Version 3: 6 yrs Primary/Elem, 3 yrs Lower Secondary, 2 yrs Upper Secondary, Total 11 yrs (Malaysia)
  • Version 4: 6 yrs Primary/Elem, 3 yrs Lower Secondary, 3 yrs Upper Secondary, Total 12 yrs (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam)
  • Version 5: 6 yrs Primary/Elem, 4 yrs Lower Secondary, 2 yrs Upper Secondary (pre-university for Singapore), Total 12 yrs (Singapore, Philippines)
• All primary education levels are compulsory, while in some countries the secondary level is voluntary except the Philippines. In Singapore, the last two year levels are pre-university level.
• Tertiary Level


  • College level which beyond the basic education in all the countries in the ASEAN
  • Ladder of educational system where the student earns a bachelor's degree in teacher education, which is a requirement to take a licensure examination to become professional teacher
  • In the Philippines, TESDA provides diploma and training certificates for lifelong learning
  • The agency also assists in the implementation of the senior high school technical-vocational tracks
  • The pre-service teacher gets appropriate qualification degree in the tertiary level in order to teach in either the elementary or secondary level of the education system in either the public or private school in a particular country
  • Most countries have specific recruitment policies and guidelines
• Academic Preparation of Teacher Professionals in Basic Education

  • Admission to pre-service teacher education varies from the graduates of Grade 9 or Grade 12 Places of Lao PDR, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia
  • Pre-school, pre-primary of kindergarten future teachers can have 9 years of basic education (Grade 9) and get advanced training for 3 years to become teachers (9 yrs basic education + 3 years teacher preparation) or 10 years basic education plus 3 years of teacher preparation
  • For teachers of lower secondary level, future teachers should have 12 years of basic education and 2 years of teacher preparation to earn a Diploma in Teaching
  • For upper secondary level, requirement is 12 years of basic education plus 4 to 5 years of teacher preparation to earn a Bachelor's degree
  • Non-education degree graduates, they can take the post graduate Diploma in Education/Teaching, an equivalent to 12 years of basic education plus 4 to 5 years of Baccalaureate Degree plus one year of Graduate Diploma
  • All teacher education provides a teaching practicum, student teaching or field experiences course
• Components of Teacher Preparation

  • Qualified, professionally trained, motivated and well supported teachers are the key to quality education
• General Knowledge and Understanding

  • Embedded in the general education or liberal arts education subjects in college as preparatory to the core content subjects in the professional education
  • Cluster of subjects in liberal education provides the development of the person-hood of the future teacher (What to Know about Oneself and World)
• Pedagogy


  • Provides variety of teaching delivery approaches beyond the traditional methods of teaching
  • More innovative methods including student-centered approaches, cooperative learning, project-based learning and many more based on international values to enhance, peace education, sustainable development, respect for diversity, inclusive education, and global citizenship
  • Pedagogical theories and principles are also included (How to Teach)
• Teaching Practicum/Experiential Learning


  • Knowledge, theories, principles and pedagogies learned are validated in real life situation as teachers
  • All ASEAN countries, teaching practicum and experiential learning are required as a component of training or for certification to teach (Immersion to real world of teaching/ Practicum/Teaching Internship)
• Specialized Knowledge/ Major Courses


  • For those who will teach the content or discipline in the upper elementary or secondary levels, major content courses are learned
  • For the early years (pre-school to Grade 3, a more comprehensive knowledge of child growth and development is given emphasis (What to teach in specific discipline or subject area)
• Common degree titles


  • Bachelor of Education (BEd)
  • Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd)
  • Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd)
  • Diploma in Education either Pre-baccalaureate/Post Graduate (PGDip)
• Common standards and competencies developed as a guide for all teachers

  • Skills in the 21st century
  • Professionalism and accountability
  • Pedagogical competence
  • Teacher's characteristics/qualities
  • Knowledge competence
• Teacher's Major Responsibilities


  • Actual teaching
  • Management of learning
  • Administrative work
• Actual Teaching


  • Refers to time of engagement of the teacher with the learners
  • Happens within the official teaching hours
  • Actual teaching hours vary from country and from school to school
  • Actual teaching refers to contact time or time on task
• Management of Learning


  • Refers to activities that support the actual teaching
  • Can be beyond actual teaching time like remediation or enhancement, homework, or co-curricular activities
• Administrative Work


  • Refers to the teachers' job that includes writing test items, checking and recording of the test paper results, attending to parents, making reports and other related activities
• ASEAN teacher's salary ranges from as low as USD 120.50 to as high as USD 2,589.00 per month or even higher as in the case of Singapore which around $45, 755.00 per year according to the Global Teacher Status Index Report
• Salary


  • Based on qualification, teaching experiences and level or grade assigned
  • Teaching in the public schools will also have a different salary scale
  • In some countries, there are fringe benefits provided like hardship pay, maternity pay and other bonuses
• Team Teaching


  • In the primary level, teachers handle more than one specialized subject
  • Vertical team teaching-Elementary Science will be taught by one science teacher Grade 1 to Grade 6
  • Horizontal team teaching- science will be taught by one teacher in one level with different sections or groups
  • In secondary level, the teacher teaches the specific subject area or major area in the same level or in different grade level
• Teacher Licensing and Recruitment

  • Most teachers are licensed as professional or are certified to teach by the country's appropriate agencies
  • Those who are not certified or licensed become para-professionals or assistant teacher
  • Philippines- Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)
  • Singapore- National Institute for Education (NIE)
  • Thailand- Teacher Education Council (Khurusapha)
  • Indonesia-Akta IV teacher license is given by the teacher colleges for the authority to teach
  • Other countries –no licensing is provided, certification is issued instead this is done by the Ministry of Education or the teacher education colleges or universities
  • Teacher recruitment process and qualifications are guided by the Ministry of Education for the public schools and the individual private schools under the guidance and polices of each country ministry
• Benchmarking is learning the best from the best practices of the world's best educational systems
• Objective: Compare the ASEAN teachers and teaching profession with three other countries of the World

  • Japan
  • China
  • United States of America
• China


  • 200 million students attending public schools taught by over 9 million teachers in the elementary, junior, and senior high schools
  • Largest teaching force in the world
  • Education system is highly centralized
  • Subject matter and instructional contents are uniform for all
  • First six years of school make up the primary grades which are devoted to development of cognitive skills
  • Six year of high school
  • Class size ranges 40 to 60 students and cover all topics in order to pass national examinations
  • To attend university must pass one of the two versions of the National University Entrance Examination
• National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao


  A standardized college entrance exam held annually in Mainland China. It is required for entrance into all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level in the country. It is usually taken by students in their third and last year of senior high school.
• The exams last approximately nine hours over a period of two or three days, depending on the province in which it is held. All students must take exams on Chinese and Math. Candidates can choose one subject from English, French, Japanese, Russian, German or Spanish for the foreign language portion of the test, with most students selecting English. Students must also choose between either the liberal arts (文科倾向) or natural-science (理科倾向). Students who choose liberal arts receive further testing in History, Politics, and Geography (文科综合), while those who choose natural sciences are tested in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (理科综合).
• The quality and reputation of the school will depend on the number of students passing the examination
• There are two main categories of teachers based on the source and structure of their salary or pay in China

  • Gongban (state-paid) teachers who earn salary comparable with other state employees in state-owned enterprises
  • Minban (community-paid) teachers who are paid by local community depending on the community income. They are categorized into grades according to their years of service and their standard performance
• Five Grade System for Teachers in China

  • Super-grade teacher – highest level which occupy the upper level of 5% of the teaching force
  • Senior-grade teacher occupy 6% of the teaching force in 1990 where most of the primary level teachers belong
  • Third-grade teachers
  • Second-grade teachers include the majority
• Subjects students must choose from

  • Spanish
  • English
  • Liberal arts (文科倾向)
  • Natural sciences (理科倾向)
• Subjects tested for liberal arts students

  • History
  • Politics
  • Geography
• Subjects tested for natural science students

  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
• Stages of education in China

  • 6 years primary
  • 3 years junior middle school
  • 3 years senior middle school
  • 6 years university
• There are varieties of technical and vocational schools in China
• Categories of teachers in China

  • Gongban (state-paid) teachers
  • Minban (community-paid) teachers
• Gongban teachers


  State-paid teachers who earn salary comparable with other state employees in state-owned enterprises
• Minban teachers


  Community-paid teachers who are paid by local community depending on the community income, categorized into grades according to their years of service and their standard performance
• Grades of teachers in China

  • Super-grade (highest 5%)
  • Senior-grade (6% in 1990, mostly primary)
  • Third-grade
  • Second-grade (majority of secondary)
  • First-grade (some newly hired primary)
• Requirements for teacher licensing in China

  • Secondary teachers - standardized exams by central government
  • Elementary teachers - responsibility of each province
  • Primary - secondary normal school or secondary school graduate
  • Junior secondary - teaching diploma from junior teacher college
  • Senior secondary - normal university or teacher college degree