Back in September 2019, we did a hot seat interview with Mark Newman. The interview got a lot of interest because stories of long-term expat teachers deciding to jack it all in and start a new chapter back in their homeland always get a lot of interest. Well, seven months have passed since Mark returned to the UK. It's time for a follow up.

He's one of Thailand's best known and most respected cartoonists. His artwork is edgy and challenging and always right on the money. And now he's released a hardback collection of his cartoons that every fan will want to treasure.

Dave 'Pep' Anderson was a coal miner, a butcher and a welder's mate (among many other things) before becoming a teacher and then a deputy head teacher at a school in the UK. However, his burning passion has long been poetry for children. In 2020, Pep will be bringing his unique poetry workshops to Thailand, where kids are surely in for a lot of fun. 

We keep hearing stories of long-term expats/teachers who are leaving Thailand. In a number of cases, it's the TM 30 requirement that has been the final straw. But I was still shocked when Ajarn blogger, ex-colleague and great friend, Mark Newman, messaged me a few weeks ago to say he was heading back to England. Surely not. Surely not Marko! I had to get the full story.

We wanted to chat to an actual job-hunter in Thailand to find out how things really are on the front-line during the busy recruitment season. How many jobs have you applied for? Is applying by e-mail the way to go? Are you usually required to do a demo? So many questions to ask. Perhaps teacher Frank can supply us with some answers.

Corrie T has been a teacher at an Islamic school in Pattani Province since October 2018. Let's find out what's it like to work there compared to a regular Thai school.

Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok is recognized as one of the top international schools in Thailand. They have recently opened a new campus on Rama 9, the City Campus, to accompany their well-established Riverside Campus on Charoen Krung Road. Ajarn is honored to chat with the recently-appointed Riverside Principal, Mr Chris Seal.

Aaron Flack works at a multinational company in Bangkok in a position I've always referred to as an 'in-house company teacher'. Let's pull up a chair (after we've screwed the legs on of course) and hear about what the job entails working for that well-known Swedish company with the yellow and blue logo.

Erich R. Sysak has lived in Thailand for almost two decades. He's got many years of English teaching experience under his belt but he's also written several Thai-themed novels and developed a permaculture farm in Isaan. Now this guy really does sound like an interesting fellow.

Stephen Saad is an expat and Thai language learning enthusiast. He's also written a wonderful book called "100 Thai Words That Make You Sound Thai". Ajarn met Steve for coffee and talked about all things Thai language.