Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved back to my home in the industrial north of England at the beginning of the year (2013)

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I worked at two different secondary schools for a total period of about three years.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

I came here as a gap year student originally and only intended to stay for one or two years at the most. I loved the school I was working at and they persuaded me to stay on for another year. It was never my intention to work for a third year in Thailand but I did it mainly to help the school out.

I suppose my main reason for returning though is simply that I didn't see a long-term future as a teacher in Thailand. I didn't want to become one of those burnt-out expats who have been here donkey's years and forgotten the reasons why. I worked with far too many of those folks. Perhaps I felt the 'real world' calling me back.

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

I seriously can't think of any other than perhaps being closer to my family. I returned to England thinking it would be easy to find work but I was unemployed for several months before I landed a fairly mundane job at a marketing company. I'm sad to say that I have now slipped back into that rather dull and grey existence that so many people have in this country. Go to work, come home, watch TV - repeat the next day and the day after that.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

There probably isn't enough room on this page to write everything down. I felt alive when I lived in Thailand. It's something of an old cliche but every day was an adventure. I miss the weekends travelling to some island. I miss feeling peckish at ten o clock at night and walking to the end of the soi to have some 'khao man gai'. It's definitely the little things that you miss most. When I'm sitting watching TV at night and my mind wanders back to Thailand, even the things that annoyed me now seem so trivial.

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

I think Thailand would be very difficult to beat for someone looking to teach English for a year or two. OK, the salaries aren't that great but it has so many other things going for it.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

I will certainly come back for a holiday. If I had enough spare cash around me, I would probably come back at least once a year. I won't be returning there to work though. I have no desire to be an English teacher again - in any country!

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

If you are thinking of a teaching career in Thailand, then go with a very open mind and a go-with-the-flow attitude. If you're the kind of person who likes everything to run smoothly and be either black or white, you will hate every minute of your time in Thailand - and I saw many new arrivals get completely overwhelmed by the lack of organisation, not only in schools but in almost every facet of Thai life. The country is 'organised chaos' and I happen to think the Thais like it that way. You're certainly not going to change it.