Updates: Entrance Exam

Phew!! What a week! I have been up to my eyes in work all week (6 days). My company has been approached by a university to write an entrance exam for the international courses and Masters degrees offered. IELTS (academic paper testing the four language skills) is the qualification that they require to date. However, it is quite costly for the majority of Thai middle class students and they would like a test (cheaper) to replace it. After a bit of research and general networking with university contacts in and around BKK we reached a decision that we would invest in the development costs, patenting, administering and becoming an exam centre and then sell it to universities who would like an alternative to IELTS. Naturally, it won't be internationally recognised, but seeing as it is targeted at Thai students who wish to study locally this isn't an issue. The IELTS exam result only has a validity of two years anyway, so even those students don't lose out if they later wish to study or work abroad at a later date. I.E they can always sit the IELTS exam if after finishing their international degree in BKK they still wish to work/study abroad.
So, guess who has been selected to write it? Little old me plus another teacher (used to be an IELTS examiner). It is really exciting and challenging - completely different to writing corporate tests. Initially when news came out about this new project I was a little apprehensive. However, I couldn't resist so I stepped up to the challenge. Things like this always seem so daunting initially but then from experience I know that 'Rome wasn't build in a day' and we need to fight the little battles taking it one day at a time. In the end, with hard work and dedication things have always worked out for me. Everything and anything is possible :-) We have until Christmas to write it, trial it on current students just before and after they take the IELTS exam, check corresponding levels and band descriptors. Needless to say, once the exam has been written it will be closely scrutinized by each university's English departments and examining boards before opting to use our exam as an alternative.
The corporate work has also been picking up and I have had to put together loads of course outlines, student forms (ie. policies and procedures). Simultaneously, business material also needs developing.. so, yeah.. hands full! But having fun :-)

Not much else has happened this week - oh!- apart from finding my favourite Lilium flowers. Those lovely white oriental lilies with that intoxicating fragrance. Better still, from a little street cart, 5 stems cost only 2 euros. In the flower market in Porto, which was already much cheaper than anywhere else, I used to pay 16 euros for the same amount. Of course, that was four years ago. I am in heaven!!
I am going to Chatuchak market with my Thai friend tomorrow. My mission being to spend the last of this months money (pity it is the end of the month - I could do some serious damage!) on some house decorations. Yipee! Excited about that and expecting to get some mega discounts seeing as my friend will do all the bargaining instead of me.. the 'farang'. :-)