The most desirable future job for Thai Children

Jan. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Every year, Thailand’s National Children’s Day takes place on the second Saturday of January (January 14th this year). People from the government, institutions and private companies give priority to this day to bless children and stretch out their hands to make this day memorable for all Thai children. One thing normally seen on National Children’s Day is the many official government offices that will be opened for the children to tour and their field trips will have many activities for them to join.
   
This year, the Royal Thai Army (RTA) opened its three main offices, welcoming children with educational activities to cultivate them to love with conscious minds the nation, religion and the King, which are the three main institutions that are the foundations of Thai society.

The most highlighted part of the activities was when the RTA organized a show of tanks in different models, airboats, and many more of the army’s vehicles. In addition, the show had weapons like machine guns and cannons.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) also joined the activities with many models of airplanes and weapons that are used by the air force at Amphoe Sattahip, a district located in Chonburi. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) also joined the activities by allowing children to take a tour inside the battleship HTMS Chakri Naruebet at the Gulf of Thailand. This battleship is the smallest aircraft carrier in the world, which makes it very interesting to the Thai Children.

In the past, if you asked a Thai boy, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ninety percent of them would tell you that they wanted to be a soldier or a police officer. The reason most Thai boys want to wear the Khaki colored uniform is because:

- In the past, becoming a government officer was seen as a secure, honorable job. In Thailand, if you work as a government officer you can be assured that you will not be fired unless you are involved in a serious crime. Working for the government means you will not be laid-off. Once you accept a job as a government officer, it is a job that you can keep it for the rest of your life. Finally, living expenses in Thailand are not as high as in the past because government officers are well known of very low salary comparing with working for private companies.

- People have been given a different perception by the media. There are many forms of advertisements in the movies, television series, and even cartoons. These media bombarded children with the different perception that government officers, especially soldiers and police officers, are “heroes.” Furthermore, these officers are very “cool” characters in the movies that can defeat all types of criminals and rascals. These characters can save people and protect them from harm. Therefore, it is very easy for the children to have the mindset that they want become soldiers and police officers when they grow up.

- In the past, children’s families cultivated these ideas to become soldiers. The coolest job in Thai society used be a soldier because people would called a soldier a “Man of Honor.” Being a soldier means you can sacrifice yourself for the sake of your nation. This includes being a gentleman, generous, discipline, determinate, valiant, and obedient to the orders of commanders. Soldiers are taught to love their sponsors. They are noble when they put their uniform on. These things were taught to Thai children in the past, especially the boys.

The reasons above might not be enough in today’s world that has changed over time. People’s attitudes and social values are different. Most Thai parents no longer want their children to become government officers like soldiers because these jobs can be burdensome. Soldiers have to face danger when they are on duty. The risks are higher than working in the private sector. The main reason parents no longer want their children to become soldiers is because of rising living expenses. They think that working as a soldier does not provide enough money to care for a family and live a healthy lifestyle.

Adecco Thailand, the leader in Human Resource Solutions has researched and published a poll that tells more about this topic. The representative sample of this poll is children between 7 and 14 years old from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and America. The poll asked six simple questions about the jobs they most desired when they grow up. The poll revealed that in Thailand, the number one job is doctor followed by teacher, lawyer and chef. Unlike the past, there is no soldier in children’s top five jobs. However, the poll also tells us the “coolest job” in the eyes of Thai children is a soldier, because soldiers were in the area to help with the flooding disaster that happened in October and November of last year. This tells us that children still see soldiers as their “heroes.” Thus, we hope that soldiers will one day return to the top five lists of Thai children’s most desirable jobs.

For more information please visit: http://www.weloverta.org

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