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...
Matt
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I didn't leave Thailand but I left teaching. I left my job in a Thai school in 2013 and moved to Phuket.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked as a teacher in a government school for 2 years. Now I work as a journalist.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
A few: Had enough of Bangkok - a city I love but that is quite exhausting , especially since my baby daughter was born. I was also tired of my job and my girlfriend got a decent job offer in Phuket. I still love living in Thailand and I'd like to stay here for the rest of my days - just not in teaching or at least not in a Thai public school.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
My job is way more interesting - I deal with educated adults with whom I can talk about things other than food. I don't earn more but I don't hate my life on Monday mornings - there is some reason to what I do - the reason I lacked after two years of teaching. There is some space for growth. I can call what I do a career which I couldn't say about teaching.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I get much, much fewer holidays in my current job. This is the best part of teaching in Thailand - number of days off, canceled classes, short working hours. Now I often work 6 days a week, evenings etc. Still - would't want to go back to school.
Getting a visa was also easier at school - at least in my case because I know many others who were not so lucky.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
If you're here to enjoy the beauty of Thailand and get to know it better - go for a job in a government school - it's a complete chill out, no expectations, no stress - just show up at work and enjoy the time with kids. All the paper work, all the exams - all this is fake, useless and made to make your life miserable - don't let it.
If you're a serious teacher try to get a job in Thailand while still abroad - in an international school, through a recruitment agency. Get educated, get a teaching degree. A professional teacher working for an international school in Thailand can have the best of lives!
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I don't plan on leaving the country. But I don't have plans to go back to teaching either. The only way I see myself back at school is when I open one.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Teaching is a great way to get your foot in the door, learn a bit about the country and move up from there. Just go with the flow, don't try to change the system, don't try...well, teach Thais how things should be done and you'll be fine. Relax and enjoy the beauty of this country - there's so much more to it than just teaching!
Callum
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved to Vietnam in October after securing a job from Thailand.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I was there for exactly one year. I came to Thailand with the objective of working for just 12 months,
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
Even though I could happily have stayed in Thailand for longer, I'm on a personal journey to try and teach English in ten different countries. I've taught in Korea and Japan, Thailand was my third country and now Vietnam is my fourth.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I was fortunate to secure a fairly well-paying job with one of Vietnam's top international language schools so I'm earning 50% more than I was in Thailand for doing fewer contact hours. One of the main advantages is that the school itself is very well-organised and well-managed. There are no secrets or horrible last-minute surprises (and teachers in Thailand know all about those)
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I'm still settling into life in Hanoi and while there are many things I like about the place - it certainly isn't Thailand. What can I say about Thailand? I mean, it's so laid-back and easy to get along with from day-to-day. You can live well or 'well enough' on an average TEFL salary and apart from the visa stuff, it's a very 'sabaay, sabaay' lifestyle. But what makes Thailand special is the people. I think the Thais are fantastic.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Don't miss Thailand whatever you do. I had a fantastic year there and I'm sure I'll end up back there someday. Be careful though - I could see how teachers got sucked into the Thai lifestyle and remained there for years and years when perhaps they should have cut and run well before. As I said, I've sampled Korea, Japan, Thailand and now Vietnam. If I could choose just one country to teach in, it would be Thailand.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Actually, I'll be over in the New Year for a short holiday. I've still got plans to teach in China and Mongolia and then do a stint in Eastern Europe, but Thailand hasn't seen the last of me. I'll be back for a longer stay within the next ten years I hope,
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
I took about one month to decide on which teaching job I wanted to take in Thailand. That doesn't mean I found it difficult to find a job - far from it! I was 29 years old when I arrived, I had a degree and a TEFL certificate and two years of good experience. I am also about as 'farang-looking' as it's possible to get (blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin, big nose) I knew very early on that I ticked every box in terms of what schools were looking for in a teacher so I interviewed at about ten different places and played them all off against each other. I literally sold myself to the highest bidder - and with at least six schools desperate to hire me, I was able to secure a far better salary than they originally offered. I just guess that my timing was right.
James
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved to Russian Siberia in January this year.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
20 Years
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
No savings.....
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Am able to save money and students are motivated to learn. Also I have job satisfaction and am appreciated as a teacher.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
The food...Can't think of any thing else really.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Yes it is a good place to get experience.....but if you're a serious teacher that's another story! Don't come here if your main objective is saving money.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Yes....providing I come with money to spend....
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Teaching in Thailand cannot be taken seriously....there are so many backpackers around who want to teach English. Wages are not enough for savings and every day there seems to be added laws to make life harder for us.
Thomas
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved from Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand to Norway in August.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked for about 13 years in Thailand - the last 12 years at the same school.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
There are several reasons for leaving, but mainly because I wanted to move forward in my life. Thailand is great if you are single but dreadful if you want to start a family.
Another reason for leaving was that my boss for the last 12 years retired last October and the new boss was in my mind not capable of doing the job she was set to do. She has potential, but not the strength to see it through. In the end it was an easy call...
Work was not fun, I wanted to move forward with my girlfriend, Thailand is changing - it is not what it used to be.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
There are pros and cons. I work longer hours now, but being in Norway, the salary is so much higher. I can go anywhere and people will understand and help you in a way that is far better than Thailand.
I also have the chance to develop myself both work-wise and life-wise. There are also more opportunities to travel to other countries and see things that you will not get to see while working in Thailand.
The ability to live a 'modern life' is far greater here. You can always find new stuff - things that when working as a teacher in Thailand you will never be able to afford or imagine doing.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Haha, it is cold here. I miss some of the warm weather - but I do love the colours here in Norway. Life is also more relaxing there and some days I do miss that.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
I have the last few years said to every new teacher I have met - Thailand is good for one year. Live and enjoy life, but be prepared to lose yourself. Thailand does not care for you. It is not your home and it is certainly not for everyone.
To find work in Norway is easy, but be prepared to work A LOT. Here they expect you to put in the hours, no 'sabai sabai' here.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Depending on how things go. As I said, Thailand is great if you don't have a family. I will stop by on holiday for sure, but first, the world is big and I have seen a lot of Thailand already.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
I enjoyed my time there, I loved the life I had but I got lost. I did not manage to leave in time. Luckily I found a special girl that gave me the power to want something more. The rosy Thailand that the tourists and first-year people see disappears when you have lived there for a while.
Steve Forrester
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I went from Thailand to Vietnam, and I should add I'm glad I did.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I spent about 5 miserable years working at supposedly the best uni in Thailand, but nothing could be further from the truth. 8 teachers left in one semester. The uni thinks they can rely on their name to hire English teachers, but they can't. As a result, they have advertised for teachers for over one year without filling vacancies. The international affairs dept. doesn't know how to recruit teachers. I walked off a few other jobs and I have walked out of interviews because of the unprofessionalism displayed by potential Thai employers. (Talking on the their cell phones during the interview, etc.)
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
My main reason for leaving was the overall disappointment with the culture. This culture is about superficiality, nothing more. Even though the culture has some beautiful aspects to it, it's an overall disappointment. I've seen foreigners treated very badly without any recourse. Vietnam is much more stable, the people are much friendlier than Thais and the students try harder. If Thailand doesn't clean up it's image, Vietnam will pass them by. Also, I was tired of students coming to me crying, feeling that they were stupid because their grades were manipulated by the Thai staff to fit the mold and image of the university. Foreign teachers are kept out of the grading process for that reason. I once sat in a meeting where a Thai teacher tried to justify that in a six-section class why section 1 should have the highest scores and section 6 should have the lowest scores. The reason was because section 1 is number one
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
The advantages are many. The overall atmosphere is better. The pay is better and they actually care about the input from foreign teachers and they have gone as far to say they want to be criticized so that they can make improvements. This is not a superficial society.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
The only thing I miss about Thailand is that the facilities are a little bit better. I didn't thrive on the nightlife, so that never mattered to me. I would never teach in Thailand again. I would never work for a Thai in a teaching capacity. Everything goes in one ear and out the other. They have a major inferiority complex which interferes with their professional judgement.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
As a starting point, Thailand is a good place for teacher training and for a first time job. However, it's not the best place to teach. If your heart is truly set on teaching, Thailand is not the place to be. You will like it at first, then you see the way things really are after a while, then you get frustrated, then you find another job and see that it is the same there, then you know it's time to get out.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
In April 2007, for the last time, only as a tourist. I do have some close Thai and foreign friends. My foreign friends are lucky that they are retired and don't have to work. Even they say if they had to work in Thailand, they would leave.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
I would recommend that if you teach in Thailand that you keep to yourself in the workplace. Thais will look for ammunition to use against you. Foreigners will do the same in the hopes that they can get ahead by collaborating with the Thais. It's a shame to see foreigners reduce themselves to acting like Thais, but they need job security I guess because they can't do anything else in their lives. I've heard so much juvenile, immature gossip by Thai women in their 40's and 50's who supposedly have PhDs. They believe that they will get promoted or get a title, but in the end, the Thais don't care about them either. The Thai government says that Thai government schools have to employ so many foreigners. Believe me when I say that if it the Thai staff could have their way, they wouldn't have any foreigners working at their schools. This should give some idea of what they really think of foreign teachers.
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