Dave's Journey
Dave sends us an update on life in deepest Isaan. It's a tale of school competitions, loud shirts, good and bad education seminars and missing family and friends back home....at least in some ways. But the general message is clear - Dave never regrets his decision to come and teach in Thailand.

Julia's Journey
For those of you who avidly follow our Julia's Journey feature, you'll be surprised to hear that Julia has returned to the UK after two years teaching in Thailand. No, she hasn't given up on Thailand completely but with one or two medical problems to deal with and the opportunity to spend some quality time with friends and family, she's in no great hurry to come back. Thanks for the update Julia! There are also some interesting comments from James Philips regarding the true cost of moving back home.
Read Dave's Journey for a male perspective

The Tony Dabbs Column
This month Tony gives us a reality check on health insurance in Thailand. "One of the things that the insurance companies watch for during the first two years is whether the condition currently being treated existed at the time of application and wasn’t mentioned on the application" Read article / View writers index for more of Tony's health insurance articles.

"I've stopped attaching photos to resumes"
In our latest postbox entry, Spectre is getting more and more frustrated with the difficulty of finding a teaching job in Thailand with dark skin. "Thai people always favor whites and will do anything to look, act and think as white as possible"

Quashing the rumors
There have been a few rumors circulating lately that the requirements to get a teaching licence have changed. Well, Steve Crawford, ajarn.com's man in the know, has been talking to a few people down at the ministry of education. Read the article / View the writers index

You're moving to where?
Leigh-Anne Hunter has found out that people fall into three distinct groups when you let them know of your ridiculous plans to move to Thailand. How do you know you'll like it if you've never been? Isn't that where the tsunami was? I guess these people mean well. Read article.

Mark Reynolds in the ajarn hot seat
I enjoyed doing this interview with Mark because it's a brave man who experiences almost every possible negative aspect of teaching in Thailand and is then willing to share his thoughts. From the language center that overloaded him with work because he was the guy who never said no to Thai bosses who would come into the classroom unannounced and ridicule him in front of students - it's all here. Now back in the UK taking care of an elderly mother, Mark's planning a second assault on Thailand's teaching business but one thing's for sure - he'll come back a much wiser man. Read interview / view hot seat index.

The 'Ask us a Question' section
Teaching English in Thailand? Is there part-time work available? What's the best way to get started? Where can I work once I have the work permit book? Which visa is the best one to get? Should I fix up a job before I arrive? Is it possible to approach schools directly? What should female teachers wear in the classroom? Do couples make good teaching colleagues? And lots, lots more.

If not Thailand then where?
What happens when you turn your back on Thailand for pastures new? Perhaps the hogwans of Korea or the private language schools of Japan? Do you lie awake at night dreaming of street-food and foot massages or do you honestly wonder how you stuck the place for so long?

Ajarn World
Sitting at Bangkok airport waiting for a flight to Europe, the Bangkok Mouth ponders which aspects of air travel annoy him the most and decides it's almost everything.

If you're looking to rent an apartment or house in Thailand, then check out our guides in the teacher info section

Don't forget that if you need personal answers to work permit problems, red tape issues and visa questions, you can always ask the ajarn.com visa guru.

Teacher's crib
Take a look at what teacher Steve Salyer has done to his studio apartment in Sukhumwit 71. Let Steve be your inspiration. Now isn't it about time you paid more attention to your living environment and stopped your mother worrying so much?

Those crazy interviewees
In this fun article, Phil takes a look at some of those rather eccentric individuals who you're bound to meet if your job involves hiring teachers. Meet the interviewees who arrive with bags of supermarket shopping, the lady who was disappointed the salary on offer didn't match what she'd earn in New York and those interviewees who rather unwisely choose to bring a 'partner' along. 
Articles Index

Ajarn tax
Tax expert Chang has submitted this terrific article to dispel the myths and the scare stories and the mumbo-jumbo that surround teacher taxation in Thailand. If you've a case to stake a claim - then Chang's on your case

Steve's in Canada!
Regular ajarn writer, Steve Schertzer, is currently back in Montreal. He's hoping to be back on board with a December column. View the writers index for a complete list of Steve's articles.

Scott Hipsher joins ajarn.com
"While digging through hundreds of articles, both academic and otherwise, while doing background research for a book on expatriates in Asia, I found most writers and researchers made four key assumptions about expatriates" Read article.

TurningPoint has arrived
It's the latest in educational software. It works as basically an extension to PowerPoint so it's easy to grasp. It would be ideal for that large class of Thai students because it keeps up interest levels. Too good to be true? Tom Tuohy investigates. Read the article / View the writers index

Leading private language school to close its doors
Now don't shoot the messenger but I have it on very good authority - and authorities don't get better than the regional manager - that one of Thailand's more 'prominent' language school chains is to close its doors at the end of the year. Sign of the times? Thai people not studying English anymore? Perhaps the company just wants to concentrate on other Asian regions but Thailand obviously isn't doing it for them.

Oh, one more thing - you're fired
When you are told by the school management that you have done a great job and that the majority of kids love you, being told that you're also being fired is difficult to swallow. It's even worse when you're 61 and handicapped. Ralph Sasser finds out what it's like to discover your face doesn't fit.

Are TEFL qualifications necessary?
Thailand language institute director, John Wilson, says that having a TEFL qualification does not guarantee a good teacher. But it does mean that the job applicant knows something about up-to-date methods to increase spoken proficiency and, hopefully, will use that knowledge in the classroom. Read article / View the writers index

Region guide to Chiang Mai updated!
Brett, a teacher in Chiang Mai, has very kindly added some comments to the region guide to CM. It's still 300 baht an hour for part-time work up there folks (just like it was six years ago) But in those days teachers generally made more than the hill-tribe people. Now? Hmmmmm.....possibly maybe. Thanks a million Brett. If anyone else would like to update a region guide, you're more than welcome.
CM region guide / region guide index 

Bangkok on 30K a month?
Teachers are often told that 30,000 baht a month is more than enough to live on in Bangkok. For many schools and employers, 30K seems to be the magic number. Let's put things to the test. Ajarn forum member Hollow has volunteered to document every single baht and satang he spends for a whole month. After you've read that. you may want to look at ajarn's cost of living survey to get even more facts and figures.

Glenn Van Der Heyden in the ajarn hot seat
Full-time teacher and part-time coach of Thailand's national ice hockey team. What's that? you never knew Thailand had a national ice hockey team? Well that makes two of us. Read interview. Have a look at the ajarn hot seat index and decide if you could be ajarn's next hot seat candidate.