A ticket to happiness

How saving bus tickets can save your day

3rd January 2012

In the past I never paid any importance to my environment. Whenever I rode buses, I would crumple up bus tickets. I would play with them like a ball, fold them into a paper plane and let them fly. Sometimes I would fold the ticket into a neat triangle and insert it into the back of someone’s seat. But I guess I’m not the only one who does this right?

No work, all play!

vacation time as an English teacher

16th August 2011

There are many perks to teaching English abroad and my absolute favorite is the amount of paid vacation alloted to foreign teachers.

My Chiang Mai

People, places and events and all things Northern Thailand

11th December 2010

I guess for my first blog I should talk about my journey to become a teacher in Chiang Mai. It started way back in 1990 when I travelled from Australia back home to the UK.

Biking blunders

Man and machine in not so perfect harmony

5th July 2010

When a group of experienced motor-cycling friends suggest hiring powerful bikes to explore the beautiful Chiang Mai region and you know full well that you've never ridden a motorbike in your life, that crazy sense of adventure takes over.

Travel phrasebooks - blessing or curse?

Sometimes a phrase book can be the one thing you wish you had left at home.

9th June 2010

I’ve been doing some travelling in China lately so I dusted off my travel phrasebook to make sure I’d be able to practise some useful language and not feel too alien in this country with more than one billion locals.

Ni Hao

Travels in South-west China

2nd September 2009

visited Southwest China for the first time some five years ago and was surprised how advanced and modern China had become. As a traveller, my first impression of China was quite positive.

The Golden Land

A regional sight-seeing trip to Myanmar

2nd August 2009

Myanmar doesn’t welcome a great many visitors these days, so the country isn’t geared towards tourism like its Thai neighbour. Although people won’t exactly stare at you, you’ll generally have little interaction with locals, apart from hotel and restaurant staff.

The Joys of Air Travel

Things I hate about flying

12th May 2009

Do those responsible for devising the prices of food at airports actually ever go out in the real world and see what normal people pay for everyday things? Because listen - were you to leave the relative safety and comfort of the airport complex, you would see that no one in the real world pays five dollars for a tuna sandwich wrapped in cellophane.

Five days in Hong Kong and Macau

It's a tale of casinos, seasickness and egg tarts

14th January 2009

Hong Kong has its amazing Chinese Food and Macau has its glittery casinos. As a two-center holiday break, you couldn't wish for a better combination.

Vietnam: failed, Cambodia: passed

Travels in two SE Asian countries

1st November 2008

This column will mainly focus on Vietnam. Would I ever want to work in Vietnam? Absolutely not. There is no way whatsoever anyone could convince me to work in Vietnam. Although the country has a lot of beautiful sights, many interesting tourist destinations and is relatively cheap to live and travel in, not once did I feel the urge to inquire about job opportunities or settle down there.

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Ajarn Guests

Fear of change?

In Thailand the government has set 2012 as English Speaking Year with a goal of encouraging students to converse in English every Monday. Such policies are useful but the major leap of enacting legislation to make English an official language for Thailand is also needed

Software for student tests

The integration of internet and computers with education and English learning is something students find normal, and classrooms without some access to educational software may seem quaint. Some students may even feel they can get more ‘professional' teaching from the numerous online ELT sites if a school is behind in IT.

Whatever happened to the shopping mall teacher?

They are the shopping mall English teachers - gliding like pale, undernourished phantoms amid the hordes of weekend Thai shoppers. The main reason I empathize with the shopping mall teacher is because I was once one myself. I know how desperate and soul-destroying it can be.

About Ajarn.com

Ajarn.com was started as a small hobby website in 1999 by Ian McNamara. It was a simple way for one Bangkok teacher to share his Thailand experiences and pass on advice. The website developed a loyal and enthusiastic following. In 2004, Ian handed over the reins to Phil Williams and 'Bangkok Phil' has run the ajarn website ever since.

Ajarn.com has grown enormously and is now the most popular TEFL site in Thailand - possibly even South East Asia. Although best-known for its vibrant jobs page, Ajarn has a wealth of articles, blogs, features and help and advice. But one principle has always remained at Ajarn's core - to tell things like they are and to do it with a sense of humor. Thailand can be Heaven or Hell for an English teacher. It's always been Ajarn.com's duty to present both sides of the equation. Thanks for stopping by.