Are you a teacher who once taught in Thailand but decided to seek out pastures new? Has the grass been greener on the other side? Maybe you swapped Thailand for the financial lure of Japan or Korea? Read about those who have left Thailand, and their reasons for moving...
Rosalyn
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved to China in April 2023.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked there for two years at a primary school in Chiang Mai Province.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
I moved to earn more money and to escape the pollution, which seems to be becoming more and more of a problem. I also thought Chiang Mai was getting too expensive for a teacher on a 30K salary. When you are budgeting for 700 baht a day after paying rent and bills, you have to watch the pennies.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
The school I work at is run very professionally and the company cares about keeping its teaching staff. I'm often asked if I'm doing OK and if I have any problems that need talking over. I don't think the school in Thailand once said that to me in two years. As long as students didn't complain, I was deemed to be doing an OK job. Oh, and I also earn almost three times what I did in Thailand so there's ample opportunity to put money away for a rainy day.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I miss getting on my motorcycle and riding off into the surrounding countryside but where I am in China is every bit as scenic. I also miss the Chiang Mai coffee shop scene I guess.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
By all means come and work in Thailand because you'll have a great experience, but don't stay more than a couple of years as a low-paid English teacher. It's just too much of a month-to-month struggle. If you are thinking of staying for the long-term, then get better qualified!
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I'd certainly come back for a holiday but it's very low on my list of priorities when it comes to teaching. I can't see teacher salaries improving any time soon, especially in towns and cities outside Bangkok.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Go to Thailand for a year or two and have a wonderful time. Choose your foreign friends wisely because there are an awful lot of trapped expats with plenty to moan about, believe me. Just don't contemplate a long-term teaching career in Thailand unless you can get in at a top international school.
Chris
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Hong Kong in 2007.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I did two stints. The first one was 1993-1995 teaching ESL at language schools in Bangkok and Lopburi. The second one was from 1999-2007 at a Sarasas school in Bangkok.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
My mum passed away in 2006 and I guess it got me thinking. I was approaching 40 and didn't have a lot to show for it. I loved the life in Thailand but I wasn't really saving much. Also, life was just a bit too comfortable and there didn't seem like a lot of challenges anymore in Thailand. I just seemed to be existing. When an opportunity in Hong Kong came up, I jumped at the chance.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Apart from the financial benefits, the students here in HK have a better standard of English overall than the students in Thailand. HK is generally a safe place. It's also in a good location to travel to other Asian countries for a vacation (Thailand included). I also like the change of seasons. Summer is very hot and humid, but the other seasons are very comfortable. Finally, when dealing with bureaucracy (government departments, banks etc), it is just easier to get things done.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I miss my friends who still work there (but we regularly communicate on Skype).
I miss the 2-month long summer break I used to get in Thailand (I get 5-6 weeks here).
Finally, I miss the rainy season. Sure, it rains here. However, I miss sitting on my balcony in Bangkok with a few beers, watching a thunderstorm build up throughout the afternoon. And then, as things get very black and windy....BOOM..
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Sure, Thailand is a good place to get some experience. However, if you are looking at teaching there for the long term, get qualified and try to get the better paying jobs. As I mentioned before, I wasn't really saving much and life was just a bit too comfortable. Some people may like that, but for me, I had to go somewhere else.
As for HK, the money is very, very good. I've been able to buy and invest in a lot of things I could only have dreamed of while working in Thailand. If you want to work here, make sure your qualifications are in order, be prepared to work hard, and you'll do well.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Sure, but just as a tourist. Once I'm ready to retire, I hope to live in Laos with my wife. I'm sure there will be various trips over the border when the opportunity comes up.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Nothing springs to mind.
Jakarta Casual
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Left in 1999 to Bangladesh and after a brief stint back in 2001 moved on to Indonesia, Kuwait and finally England in 2017 after short stops in Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Egypt. Since I've been back, still managed short gigs in India and Kyrgyzstan
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
About 7 years
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
I used to commute across Sydney Harbour Bridge and I used to say to myself once I got bored with the view I'd pack my toothpaste and move on. Similar with Thailand. Once the nightlife got boring and the skytrain pylons looked real, it was time to look elsewhere
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I work from home when I want and how much I want. No inane meetings or daft dress sense code. A fish and chip shop a 2-minute walk away, a park and a river to stretch my legs nearby. The weather may be shitty at times but when the sun is shining and the sky is blue, there is nowhere better
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Not much really. I loved my weekend breaks in Kanchanaburi and street food but that's about it.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Thailand is great for younger folks. I used to look at the older people in bars or staff rooms and pray to myself I wouldn't end up like them!
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Once Air Asia took off I would often fly round the region travelling or watching football. Now I'm in England, I've got 30 plus years of catching up to do in Europe so trips to Slovakia, Hungary, Germany etc sate my wanderlust
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Working abroad is brilliant and I had a blast mostly despite a few crappy jobs and some proper woeful accommodation but the me of 2023 would tell the me of 1987 to either get a proper teaching degree or do some football coaching badges. I left England in 1987 with a few quid in traveller's cheques, a one way ticket to Australia and a vague idea of 12 months overseas but found myself drifting around countries and jobs and too often a hand to mouth existence
Paul
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to the UK in 2019.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked on and off in Bangkok a total of 10 years. Most of this time was spent in a language school.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
The money mainly, and the increasing regulations when renewing my work permit. Also, the prices for many things increased and I felt Thailand wasn't good value for money anymore.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I actually moved again. I'm in another country and the advantage is a higher salary and free accommodation and utilities.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
The fun nights out, the cheap cost of food, and the ability to easily travel both within Thailand and in the region.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Go to Thailand. Stay a few years, get the experience, and the qualifications and then move. Thailand is great; however, it is going to be harder to live there when you are older and have no savings.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I would like to go back to visit friends, and also travel to the regions I haven't explored yet. However, I don't think I'd like to work there again.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
If you've just graduated or you're only going for the 'gap-year' experience,
don't go there without a plan, and some money to set you up for the first few months.
Maria
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to England in February of last year (2022)
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked there for three years. I did one year at a university in Bangkok and then moved down south for a quieter life (and less money) at a private school in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
Both of my parents were getting on in years and not coping too well with life. Because I'm an only child, I felt duty bound to return home and take care of them, or simply to be there if they needed me.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Fortunately, I'm a fully qualified teacher so I've been doing some supply teaching at various secondary schools in the Bolton area (my hometown) and doing some freelance editing work. There's plenty of 'bits and pieces' work in the UK if you put your mind to finding something but it's very often 'feast or famine' and impossible to budget from one month to the next plus of course you don't get the benefits that you'd receive from a full-time position. I can't commit to a full-time job at present though because of the parent situation.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
The simplicity of life, especially the two years I lived down south. I often float off into daydreaming mode and I'm back in Nakhon Si Thammarat. It's a warm, sunny day and I'm riding my trusty motorcycle to the beach wearing t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. I can sit on the beach, under an umberella with a good book, and it feels like I haven't got a care in the world!
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
It's horses for courses. I saw many foreign teachers come and go during my years in Thailand and some loved it and many just couldn't cope. I think in many cases, new arrivals have expectations that are too high and they get stressed when things don't go smoothly (as they rarely do in Thailand). You have to go with the flow and not get fazed by the bumps in the road.
England is England and while it has its faults, I still think it's a great country to live in. I hate the cold Winters though!
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I'd go back in a heartbeat but unfortunately it's a case of letting nature take its course and having to wait until I have no family ties. I'm mindful though that I'm now in my mid-forties and it won't be that many years before I could be deemed as 'too old' to work in Thailand. You have to be realistic about things.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Perhaps I just got lucky but Thailand was very good to me. I made some great friends (both farang and Thai) that I still keep in contact with. In fact several of them have visited me on trips to England. I worked at fabulous schools with great admin staff and teaching assistants, etc. I never had many problems at all while I was there. I know some teachers aren't so lucky but I noticed those teachers that struggle are very often in bad situations of their own making.
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