Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved back to Scotland in November 2016.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

Just shy of two and a half years.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

I wanted to get back into real teaching, having become tired of the lack of care and attention to students' education in Thailand. I learned the basics of teaching in the UK, and tried to apply what I knew in Thailand. With little support from my Thai colleagues and no coherent, realistic and progressive curriculum framework to work off, it was an uphill struggle teaching in Thai schools.

I'm working in pupil support in the meantime, and applied to universities to start my PGDE this upcoming August. I've been accepted to study at the University of Edinburgh to teach Secondary English, which I'm really looking forward to.

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

There is real career progression here, a progressive salary scale, pension plan, free healthcare, my family support network is close at hand, and I face challenges everyday with the freedom to teach how I want to, not how some jumped up little manager in an office wants me to teach.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

Waking up at the crack of dawn and heading to the local shop for breakfast in my short and t-shirt on my motorbike. The daily sunshine, cheap living costs, warm weather year-round and the opportunities to head north or south by plane at weekends for a beach or mountain break.

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

If you want to unwind and get some experience working with young people for your career, it's easy to get a job in Thailand. I would not recommend staying for longer than two years or so, because you end up stuck in your ways trying to justify living a hand-to-mouth existence as "living in the moment." It's all well and good in your early 20s, but when you get to 30, you start thinking about your future. A job in the UK as a teacher would certainly provide the stability you need to plan for the future, so if you want a real career, train and work in the UK.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

Yes, of course. My heart will always be in Thailand, that hasn't waned in the seven year I've been visiting on and off. I'm planning to purchase a holiday home there in the future.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

If you choose to work in Thailand, expect to feel frustrated with the pedagogy, staff professional relationships with you, and the constant multiple choice assessment that doesn't effectively assess knowledge and skills-building. Take it as a life lesson in how to be resourceful, flexible and innovative with the limited resources you have. Try not to become stuck in your way there, because it doesn't make sense to stay in the country for longer than necessary to the detriment of your career.