School administrators have been told to run background checks on foreigners applying for work as teachers to weed out convicted paedophiles, an Education Ministry official said Monday.

Assistant Minister Thirakiat Charoensethasilp said the directive was sent to every educational institution in the country after the British embassy recently received a report that a British national with a record of child sexual abuse in the UK had applied for a job as a foreign-language teacher in Thailand.

Additionally, in the case of British applicants, schools were advised to check the UK's Association of Chief Police Officers' (Acro) Criminal Records Office website to determine if they have any sort of criminal record and require they present an Acro police certificate.

That is a way of screening foreigners to prevent students from becoming crime victims, Mr Thirakiart told Daily News Online.

"Those with records of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom often look for a job as a teacher or a volunteer in other countries. Many of them choose to look for a teaching job or other jobs concerning children," he added.

Thee Pawangkanont, chief Office of the Basic Education Commission's child-assistance centre, said Obec had sent a letter containing the instructions to directors of the offices of primary and secondary education in all its educational zones.