Friday, 23rd July 2021 — Teaching opportunities in Thailand (and sometimes other countries in Asia)

With the Covid situation in Thailand getting significantly worse (especially in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces), it's understandable that many schools will be cautious about taking on new foreign teachers when everything is so up in the air. There are plenty of vacancies around but nothing like the numbers we would see in a normal July. View all the current teaching positions on the Ajarn jobs page. 

Friday, 23rd July 2021 — The pitfalls of sharing your classroom with co-teachers / teaching assistants

Teacher trainer, Stephen Louw on the topic of sharing the classroom with a co-teacher. "I've come to believe that putting two teachers in the same classroom needs careful planning, and even then, the clash of egos is a minefield. It only takes one wrong step. With the cultural dimension added in, especially for a newcomer, things can become noxious frighteningly quickly"

Tuesday, 20th July 2021 — What about Suphanburi for teachers?

I've heard Suphanburi described as one of the dullest provinces in Thailand, but I really like Suphanburi town itself. It's clean, well-organised and only a couple of hours from Bangkok by minivan. I wouldn't blame any English teacher for making Suphanburi their home. There is plenty going for it.

We're chatting to expats who live and work in Thailand about the pandemic situation here. What effect has it had on their mental health and financial situation, etc?

Sunday, 18th July 2021 — "Local food and hotel rooms are the real bargains in Thailand"

Our next cost of living survey comes from David, who works at a mid-range international school in Bangkok and earns a salary of 100K. At the moment, he's working from home so although food and electricity costs go up, he saves money in other areas.

Wednesday, 14th July 2021 — Dealing with students that have special needs

Mark Beales, author of 'Teaching English' takes a look at SEN (Special Education Needs), "Many schools have problems dealing with students who have behavioural problems. If you get the chance to talk to the teacher you’re replacing, ask them if there is anyone to look out for with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the class. Otherwise, you could be in for a shock, as I was during my first few days with a new class.

Ajarn Postbox - a letter from a kindergarten teacher in Phuket describing the hopeless situation that she's facing.

Sunday, 11th July 2021 — I'm not into stressful trips back home

A number of people have said that if I'm not happy with the Thailand's handling of the pandemic, I could fly home to see the family for a few weeks, maybe even months. Well, it's not as easy as that. And memories of past trips still haunt me.

Saturday, 10th July 2021 — "Working in Bangkok became stale and sapped my energy"

Our latest great escape survey is from Kenneth, who taught in Thailand for two years before moving to China in 2019. "I wanted to stay in Asia and I wanted to continue teaching but I just felt like I needed a change of scenery" he says. How did the move turn out for him?