Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved back to Australia (Perth) on 8th August, 2014.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I had two tours of duty in Thailand: one from 2003 - 2006 and the other from 2011 up to when I left. In between I lived and worked in the Middle East.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

The changes to the visa regulations ultimately did me in. The work that I enjoyed the most - language schools and corporate training - could not provide me with a work permit and I could no longer stay by renewing my tourist visa. The only alternative for me was to find full-time work in a Thai government school, the idea of which filled me with the greatest repugnance. There is no provision for companies who employ English instructors on an hourly basis to be able to supply work permits, in my experience.

Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?

Easy - NO VISAS! I'm not actually working yet but the sense of relief of never having to worry about the dates stamped in my passport, travelling to a neighbouring country, paying fees, taking photographs, filling in forms, signing photocopies, being made to feel totally unwanted, etc is difficult to put into words.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

Right now I'm enjoying the novelty of 'being back' and not being in Thailand hasn't really sunk in yet. I know I will miss many things as the novelty wears off, no doubt the food (but not the MSG), the smiling people everywhere, female university students (let's be honest), the constant warm weather and the beautiful, healthy and active soi dogs.

Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?

For a new teacher in Australia who has just graduated from their course, I would recommend a year in Thailand to ease into teaching and to experience life in another country, for sure. Just don't think about making a career out of it or achieving anything meaningful during that time. Young, good looking, eager, energetic teachers are in demand in Thailand, whereas older, dedicated, experienced, reliable and capable teachers are slowly being phased out, from my observations.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

I must go back at some stage and get all my stuff! I definitely won't ever work in Thailand again and right now there are many other countries I'd visit for a holiday before Thailand. I was fortunate to travel extensively throughout Thailand (usually for visas!), so I've seen a great deal of the country. Having said that, there are some places I would love to go back to one day.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

I found working at Thai Government schools particularly dispiriting, disappointing and demoralising. I know that most foreign teachers enjoy their time working at them, but for me I could not get my head around the Thai culture of education based on rote learning, copying, memorising and regurgitating for tests.

Class sizes of sometimes 50 students, equipment and desks in classrooms that belong in museums, the fact that every student passes each subject no matter how much or how little they work, working with Thai English teachers who could barely speak the language (my language!) they were supposed to teach, Thai teaching staff being ordered to wear a military uniform on Mondays for no logical reason, the way the students were treated by having their names and numbers displayed on their uniforms, being forced to sit on the ground in the hot sun every morning and listen to someone lecture them for 20 minutes every single morning of every school day... the list just goes on.

I found the students overall to be extremely pleasant to teach (those who were interested) but their ability to think critically and logically has never been developed and all they seem able to do is follow instructions (orders) and produce answers to keep their Thai teachers happy. The idea of actually learning something, of going home at the end of a school day and saying, "I learnt something new today", doesn't seem to be a part of Thai education.

Also, the amount of extra-curricula activities that occur during a semester at the expense of learning is ridiculous. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides takes place during school hours, an endless procession of ceremonies (Wai Kru or Teacher Day, Mothers Day, Loy Kratong, Valentine's Day, etc), plus camps and 'Sports Day', which lasted for three days at my recent school. If I was cynical (and I am), I'd say that the authorities deliberately look for activities for the children to do that interfere with classes and learning.

I never felt that I achieved anything teaching at the Thai government schools I worked at. Some teachers have no problem with this, but I must have a purpose and see the results of my actions to have any sense of satisfaction in what I do. I never experienced this at those schools and not one person at any of the schools seemed to take the slightest bit of interest whether I made any difference or not. All they were worried about was whether I attended my classes, that I took attendance and that I gave the students the appropriate grade at the end of the semester when I was required to do so. It made me question the whole point of employing foreign English teachers in the first place. I've been informed many times that the real reason for employing foreign teachers is purely for show, which explains the current trend of employing younger, more attractive and, ultimately, inexperienced teachers.

As for the recent changes to the visa regulations, I believe it will mean more schools will have to begin processing work permits for teachers and, in my experience, that spells disaster. Administration staff at Thai schools will need to familiarise themselves quickly with this ridiculous, time-consuming and expensive process and there will be countless mistakes made. It just highlights, for me, yet another reactive, knee-jerk decision made by the education authorities without any real thought of the consequences, which is typically Thai.

So I guess you could say that I won't miss teaching in Thai government schools at all!