Despite the numerous reforms that Thailand's educational system has undergone, test scores show that a majority of the population still lacks the ability to use English with the skill required to compete in the international community. While many reasons have been proposed for Thailand's poor ranking, only a small number have looked beyond classroom concerns to the culture in which the problems emerge. This article presents an examination of the ways in which culture affects language learning, as well as focusing upon an aspect of culture that is particular to Thailand, namely the Thai hierarchy. The author traces the origins and history of this division of social class, together with the intertwining concept of "face" to determine how they negatively affect the implementation of educational reform in the realm of English language teaching and learning.