This is the story of the ghost of an ex-English teacher who hunts the Principal of a Thai school.
Definitely, it was a strong curse! For the first time in the last year, the Principal had to bite her tongue, make the sign of the cross three times and promise never to touch the foreign teachers ‘desks!
One day, all the teachers from the foreign department couldn’t believe what they saw with their own eyes. All the teachers desks were messed up and moved to different positions from where they used to be, according to a pre-established unknown rule from above.

Foreign teachers had to bite their tongue and to protest silently, in the way they considered the most decent and the most appropriate to the respective situation.For example, teacher P came to school for the next four months, dressed with his snow coat, ski mask, winter collar and gloves, since the aircon blew like a -30 degrees celsius Siberian blizzard, straight onto his back! But that didn’t bother Thai staff at all. They were happy and they were giggling about the foreign teachers’ situation. Doesn’t matter some of them had to pay several visits to the doctors, even take some days off, for catching strong colds or rheumatic pains caused by the aircon that continued to blow impassible, straight onto their backs for several months. That’s why the school pays so much money to insure the foreigners, so they can enjoy their aristocratic privileges!

Teacher P continued to endure this harsh treatment several months and when the right opportunity came up, he handed in his resignation in the most honest and decent way. But this time teacher P had his V from vendetta. Earlier this morning, as teacher K. showed up at the office, he couldn’t find his desk!? Again!? Why? Obviously, it had been moved by somebody without his permission. Since only the Thai coordinators were around, he presumed they might have something to do with the Unidentified Freaking Operation, shortly called U.F.O.

Don’t get me wrong, but teacher K. believes in all sort of ethereal things like aliens and other extraterrestrial beings, and, if the coordinators couldn’t admit that they were involved somehow in his desk levitation, then for sure the Devil itself put his tail between his legs. Finally, the coordinators admitted they were the authors of the strange phenomenon but with one amendment: they received orders straight from the school’s Principal. With the pressure building up like a locomotive whistle, teacher K. heads down to Principal’s office, ready to explode, threatening the school with his imminent and unconditional resignation.

Unexpectedly, the Principal found her words in a perfect English, explaining she has never given any controversial order to move his desk around the office. More than that, she assured him of taking all the necessary measures for reestablishing the normal course of his desk (life)! Shortly after, she ordered to the coordinators to move the desks back, so there will be no mystery about who ordered to move the desks around the office! Obviously, there was no extraterrestrial involvement. Just a matter of authentic high level Thai management or as they say: Mai pen rai, Sucker!

Any resemblance to actual characters or situations is purely coincidental.

Steve Bold

I’ve been teaching at a small, boutique English teaching facility in Colombo for 9 weeks, directly off the back of the Ajarn website. My employer is a good guy, really decent and has looked after me well so far. All our communication is sensible and what’s more he sourced me from the Ajarn site as I mentioned.

My “brief” is conversational English. I teach 12-14 year olds or 14-16 year olds or adults for 3 hours a day on most days, sometimes I have a morning class as well. It’s seriously not “high pressure”.

The salary is small but the package includes (very good) accommodation and meals, and because the cost of living in Sri Lanka is so low, it’s livable. The cost of food for example is simply laughable, and I mean that in a very good way. Also transport in my case is provided most days.

Where I am is a long way out of the centre of Colombo, from anywhere remotely “downtown” and that is an impediment. I’m virtually in a “village”, five kilometers from an outer suburb. And so life is quiet - very quiet indeed.

I imagine it’s similar for many English teachers who land in a Thai province, an up-country town or village. The charm wears off pretty fast, replaced by inertia and boredom. This is a very big problem for creative people who’ve grown up in large urban atmospheres like me. However there is a benefit to everything and you just have to figure out how you can make something of the life here while hanging on to the things in life that you may want to do later on.

The students here are very sweet, very co-operative but if anything, a little too ‘inward’. It takes a bit of work to get them ‘moving’ sometimes, but that’s far preferable to aggressive, highly extrovert types, so you can’t have everything!

I would recommend Sri Lanka as a possible destination for English teachers. Oh, the other thing was the working visa was taken care of with no problems, unlike that ongoing Thai lunacy of how difficult it is for many teachers to secure a visa, the visa run silliness and all that jazz.

Sam McNally

Hi all. This is just a ‘be aware and take care’ story. The week before last I was offered a job with a teacher agency and invited to start immediately. But as I was already working for another school so the best I could do was give the agency a week’s notice and I eventually left my old school last Friday - car loaded with essentials for my new apartment and a relative installed to take care of it.

Five minutes before setting off for my first day at the new job, I got a telephone call from the agency saying that the position, for whatever reason, was no longer on offer. So now here I am - stuck in the village with no job, no income and feeling very distressed. And it is, of course Christmas week!

My better half is in a state of deep depression and it is all my responsibility and, indeed my fault. I should have got a contract from the agency before handing in my notice at my previous school……..but I didn’t. If anything similar happens to you, quell the enthusiasm and think first. I certainly wish I had. Any jobs out there?!!

Dennis Faulkner

Hi fellow ajarn followers. I moved to Thailand in October 2007. I had “tested the water”, so to speak, by spending 2x3-month vacations here.  I remember my first six months in Thailand very well and indeed will never forget them.

The first six months is spent re-adjusting. Thai culture, lifestyle, climate, food and working environment are alien to most. Some days I found myself getting annoyed and frustrated at the smallest issues. I spoke about this to a friend. I was quickly reminded of life back home - the pressures, weather, cost of living, attitude, food and climate.

It has been said that the first year in Thailand is make or break for most. I agree. When you come to Thailand, ask yourself the question why am I doing this? You must have genuine reasons.

So many people come to Thailand with the wrong attitude. Thais are never going to change for you; it is you who must make the adjustments. Coming here playing the big ‘I AM’ is going to cause you nothing but misery. Coming here bringing an ‘I am going to modernize the Thais’ attitude will also cause you nothing but pain. There are many more observations but I think these are the main two attitudes that cause so much frustration amongst fellow teachers.

You need an open mind and allow yourself to accept Thailand 100%, faults and all. Then you can achieve a level of happiness that you yearn for, that you felt on those previous visits. Letting go of your western values is the key to success here. 

Having spent nearly three years in Thailand, I decided to try my luck in China. The boom in the TEFL industry is most apparent there. You are head-hunted. The selection of jobs, pay, conditions, contracts, free flights and housing is incredible and it is you who is in demand. This is not arrogance but an absolute fact. 

I have now worked in China for 18 months. It has been a rewarding experience. I left Thailand not because I was unhappy but to widen my experience and knowledge. The experience in Thailand helped me adjust very quickly to life in China.

However, I have missed Thailand with a passion. This does not take anything away from my experience in China. Both experiences have enhanced and endeared me to life in this part of Asia.

Is the grass greener on the other side? If you have the desire to change, adapt, accept and learn then you can achieve a level of happiness I never had in my home country.

Christian Brookes

In response to Hippolyte (Foreigners have to take care of themselves’ Postbox 29th November) No one is asking for a hand out or a free ride, but just fair play.  I bet you that during the floods the Thai teaching staff still got paid. Yes, that’s right, double standards!  For the record any Thai citizen can pay into the social security fund, and not just the civil servants. I have Thai friends who are farmers and factory workers and they pay into it. Hippolyte, you really need to do your research first. One more point - you wrote about the exploitation of Burmese workers. Well who are exploiting them, the foreigners or the Thais? Yes, you got it, the Thais are. Have you ever had a conversation with one of the Burmese workers? No, of course you haven’t. Guess what? I have and they feel a damn sight safer here and they have money to buy food and to support their families.

Keith