Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved to Taiwan about a year ago.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I worked for one year in the south of Thailand.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

I'd had a great year in Thailand, but needed to move to a country where I could begin saving up some cash.

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

The biggest advantage is that I'm on twice as much money as I was on in Thailand. The other big advantage is that education is taken very seriously in Taiwan. I was simply stunned by the level of English my students possess. I have a lot more resources at my disposal, and I get to see my students make real progress. Classes are pretty easy to plan, as the students are proficient enough to chat with me.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

The holidays! Most jobs in Taiwan are with 'cram schools'. That means you get usually 9 days paid holiday a year. One week of those days usually HAS to be taken at Chinese New Year, when everyone else is off work too. This means everywhere is either closed up or rammed with people. Even when you do get a bank holiday, the Taiwanese government will sometimes stipulate that you have to 'work back' that day by coming into work on Saturday!

I miss the general craziness of Thailand. Taiwan is a lot more Westernised and has killer public services, but occasionally I just wish I could see an elephant nonchalantly walking down the street like I did in Thailand!

I also get very nostalgic thinking about the late-night rides home I used to take on the back of a motorclycle-taxi after a night of partying.

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

I'd definitely recommend Thailand to a first-time teacher. Go there, give it a try and see if the TEFL lifestyle is for you. You'll have an amazing year; the experience of living and teaching in Thailand is simply brilliant.

Then once you've got a bit of experience and you're in-country, you can look at finding a better-paid position. Or you could do like I did and look at moving to one of the Asian countries that offer higher salaries.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

My current plan is to go home maybe next year and complete a teaching qualification in the UK. After that, I'd say Thailand would be an option.

However, as a fully-qualified teacher I'd be looking to get one of those jobs you only ever hear rumours about. You know the ones: 'oh a friend of a friend is on 120k a month, free shuttle-bus to work, free lunch, free massages, the classrooms are paved with gold.....'

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

I run a blog focusing on teaching ideas for kindergarten-age students. It's updated weeky and is available at: http://michaelplews.wordpress.com/

I am the co-author of 'The Essential Guide to Teaching English and Living in Thailand'. It's available to buy on Amazon. If you're thinking about giving TEFL a go in Thailand, then give it a read!