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...
Sam
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Korea, Thailand, Korea, USA
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
One year
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
Trying to advance my career
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I am progressing professionally, gaining real-world skills, actually working in my field, making a real income and saving for retirement.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Feeling alive for the first time in my life. Seeing the gritty side of life first-hand made me feel like a human. I woke up everyday feeling invigorated rather than like a robot. Back in the U.S., as I am sure is the same with other countries, we put ourselves in this safe cocoon where we remove all things unpleasant from sight. Corruption is still there, but it is less obvious.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
First, I would recommend China and not Thailand. Although China does not pay as much as other places, there are many, many opportunities in different areas of teaching and teaching leadership. Not to mention it is not too difficult to move out of teaching if you would like.
Second, if you are going overseas to get the experience, not because you really want to be an English teacher, give yourself a deadline. As you can see on here, it is all too easy to get sucked in and you end up in a Bermuda Triangle type life. You have no idea where the past years have gone and you really do not have much to show for it. When you do return back home, it is almost as if you have a black hole on your resume because those skills do not transfer well.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
It would be a dream come true, but only if I am to return on a corporate assignment with a western company.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
I had a wake up call recently that changed my life. I was stuck in my fun life in Korea before I realized that this was not what I wanted. Gaining international experience was important to me, but I also had dreams and ambitions. Yeah I was a university professor, but that was not my dream.
I can only compare it to being on an addictive substance. Leaving my life overseas was like going cold-turkey. I had the withdraw symptoms at home and I did try to get back in the game. It still hurts sometimes, but I am doing well. At first I had to take a lower paying job but I just found a job that pays $15,000 more a year than I ever made overseas. I'll be starting grad school this year too at a very good school.
Folks, this is your wake up call. For those of you who came overseas for the experience and not to really be a teacher, take a look at your life. Are you really where you want to be professionally? How long have you been "weathering out" the bad economy? Are you really gaining any skills that will make you competitive? Is your quality of life improving?
You had your time and it was fun, but it is time to wake up. It is time to live. For those who know who I am talking to - it is time to wake up.
Sean
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to Los Angeles, CA in June of 2011.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
For about 3 years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
To be honest, I was having a pretty good time as a single guy in Thailand. but like so many others, I fell in love with a sweet Thai girl who works in one of the 5-star hotels in Bangkok. Once I had a 'link" into the life of a Thai person, and the mistreatments and nasty behaviors she would have to deal with from her employers I needed to get her out of there. Her chance for a better life, fulfilling any of her dreams, and growing as a person were next to none. And I believed her growth would not only be slowed down, but she may regress from her current state. She deserved a chance to experience a better way of life, professionally and emotionally.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Every place has some good and bad. For me I am working at a job that pays five times as much as I would make in Thailand, and my wife is making three times as much. But of course things are more expensive here. But we do get to have more experiences, food, entertainment, and travel here. She also gets to grow her independence and self confidence.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I do miss my free time and my mini vacations around Asia. I miss the varity of expat friends from around the world. The random silly stuff we hear,see,smell, and taste.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
If you are young and you have zero experience and you have a decent amount of money saved in the bank, then yes. Plan a 2-3 year tour, but save your money because you'll need it for your next move to Vietnam, China, or Korea.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Oh yes, I love Thailand. I hate the people..( This is what my wife says too now that she is out) Thailand is an amazing 5 senses at 100% 24 hours a day. It is great at first because you are so jazzed up and love the feeling. It's like a major drug at first. But it will crash you out after a while. I will visit often, and maybe set up a retirement there, but will limit myself as regards the amount of interaction with the "nation" .
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Do not go to Thailand if you are broke, you'll never get out because you can't make enough to move anywhere else. Starting a business is so hard that it's not worth it. Teaching is a joke and don't expect any..ANY results. And if you get annoyed easily or get angry quickly - please don't move to Thailand.
Wanderer
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Moved back to my home country in 2009 for about a year and half to get certified and licensed as a teacher. Currently I'm in the Middle East working for a large international school.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
About 5 - 6 years, though I spent a year working in one of Thailand's neighbors during that time as well.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
It was more of a combination of reasons rather than just 1 main issue, but the thing that pushed me over the edge was the introduction of that bogus Thai Culture course and the laughable Thai teaching license that the government was pushing at the time. I flat out refused to do any of it, and I knew then it was time to leave. I was also fed up with working for Thai principals and bosses.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Where do I begin? I'm on an 'expat' contract here with all the benefits and freebies that go along with that like housing, professional development, worldwide insurance and paid summer flights every year. I have a qualified director and principal at my school who actually know what they are doing - something I never had in Thailand. The locals here are much more worldly, friendly, and easier to deal with than Thais. Believe it or not, in my neck of the Middle East imported booze is actually cheaper than in Thailand and the variety is much better as well.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Where do I begin? The weather, the incredible food, the smells of Bangkok, late afternoon rainy season thunder and warm tropical nights, the Andaman sea, durian, lychees, a few expat friends that I still keep in touch with, the travel opportunities you have from Bangkok, and the generally low cost of living.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
That depends on how we define 'new teacher'. Someone who was doing something completely outside of teaching and then decided to give TEFL a try? That person would not get a job where I am now, so Thailand all the way. If we are talking about a newly qualified & licensed teacher looking at international schools, the opportunities here are better. International school jobs at the 'real' international schools in Thailand are highly competitive and a new teacher would be unlikely to land one.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
For a visit - of course, at least once a year. To live and work - only if I manage to get an offer from one of the top international schools in Thailand. I will never work for a Thai-managed school or principal again - been there and done that. Retirement - maybe.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Thailand can be a wonderful and addictive place to live and play for a few years, but if you feel yourself stagnating you really need to assess your situation and get the hell out if necessary.
John
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to Ireland last year.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
A total of about five years I guess.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
My wife and I had a new baby so the main reasons for going back home were basically to make more money and to provide our child with a decent education.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I can make far more money here.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I miss the warm weather, the relative ease in making new friends and if I'm totally honest.....the massage parlours.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
By all means give it a go for a year or two and have a great time but go back home if you really want to achieve something in your life. If getting ahead in life is not for you, then you can always stay in Thailand.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I would like to come back to Thailand if I get the chance but it's not part of my immediate plans.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Teaching in Thailand for a long period can wear you down. It certainly helps if you have an easygoing attitude and can put up with the many hurdles that are sure to come your way.
Patrick
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Initially I moved back to Ireland in early 2010. Currently in the UK.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked in Thailand for just over six years. (between 2002 - 2010 with gaps in between) Initially, arriving in 2002, after teaching in South Korea for a year in a place called Suncheon.
I started work in Bangkok at an English language school at Victory monument before teaching at a government Prathom school in Bang Khun Thian. These two jobs lasted about 18 months combined. I then did six months at a Japanese kindergarten at Thong Lo. Following this little stint I decided to go home for a year between 2004 - 2005.
I had enough of the cold, windy West after about a year. Returning to Thailand I started to work through an agency and landed a job teaching mathayom 2 and 5in a school in a town about an hours drive from Bangkok. However the city lights were calling and I only lasted a term at that job. I then proceeded to get a job with a bilingual school in Bangkok (again with an agency). This was a rewarding experience and I taught here for 3 and a half years until I went back to Ireland.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
My main reason for moving was initially due to a close family member passing away. However once I was home I decided that the time was right to do some further study in education.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I am not working right now per se. I am actually doing a teacher training course which involves a lot of classroom placement. There is an enormous difference between teaching in a UK school and what I encountered in all my experiences in a Thai classroom.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Wow. I miss so much. The great friends that I made (still in contact), the weather, the children that I taught, the independence of living in a foreign country, the lifestyle (cheap if you want), and so many more things.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
I reckon that Thailand is a great place to try your hand at teaching if you are that way inclined. It has so much to offer. However I would say that I did find it quite difficult to save any reasonable amount of money by teaching just English. That is one of the main reasons I returned home.
I don't really know much about the prospects for English language teachers in the UK. I guess you need a PGCE to become a teacher here.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Yes. Definitely. I, like quite a few other teachers out there, sampled what it was like to teach in Thailand and then wanted to further their career in the field of education. After doing the initial few years abroad it was always at the back of my mind to return home and get certified. Once certified and with the required experience under my belt, I plan to return to Thailand or maybe try out another teaching gig in another country.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Not a lot really. That's about it.
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