Kink Bundy

A brilliant account of one teacher's experience of working in a college in Bangkok.


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 7)

Poor facilities and poor student attendance make teaching difficult.

Many of the students had taken out loans to come to this school. The loans could often be too much for their families to repay and they’d need to drop out for financial reasons, and end up leaving the school with no degree and a staggering pile of debt that their families would struggle to repay.


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 6)

Getting to school on the first day of term proves to be troublesome.

The van arrived in a stinky black mist of dust and diesel fumes. It wasn’t the shuttle bus I expected either. The beaten-up minivan was probably 20 years old. The school's name was embossed on its sliding door but with a couple of letters missing.


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 5)

Discovering things that weren't mentioned at the initial interview

Teaching staff were required to report to the school even when classes weren’t in session. I was dumbfounded by this. I couldn’t comprehend how a school would work like that. Didn’t they understand how tough teaching is?


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 4)

Settling in to my apartment and meeting my wacky teaching colleagues

The apartment had no windows, though a sliding glass door leading to a tiny balcony funneled in a trickle of sunlight. Worse than its size was its smell.


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 3)

Meeting the head honchos

Eventually the head of HR received me. She was a tiny lady about sixty years old, half-German, half-Thai and 100% mean. She launched into a tirade about the poor behavior of foreign teachers at the school and how awful so many of them were.


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 2)

The application process

The interview started with a stressed out looking middle-aged lady from HR asking me a few basic questions, probably just gauging whether or not I was sane, didn’t have a speech impediment, a thick regional accent or that I wasn’t too old or disabled


My experiences of working at a college in Bangkok (part 1)

Swapping Korea for Thailand

The job search was looking grim, and I figured I’d either return to Korea or perhaps look back into teaching in America, as the economic situation there had improved. Suddenly, lo and behold, a job ad graced my phone.


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    Filipino, 45 years old. Currently living in Philippines

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The Hot Spot


The dreaded demo

The dreaded demo

Many schools ask for demo lessons before they hire. What should you the teacher be aware of?


Air your views

Air your views

Got something to say on the topic of teaching, working or living in Thailand? The Ajarn Postbox is the place. Send us your letters!


Teacher mistakes

Teacher mistakes

What are the most common mistakes that teachers make when they are about to embark on a teaching career in Thailand? We've got them all covered.


Contributions welcome

Contributions welcome

If you like visiting ajarn.com and reading the content, why not get involved yourself and keep us up to date?


Will I find work in Thailand?

Will I find work in Thailand?

It's one of the most common questions we get e-mailed to us. So find out exactly where you stand.


The cost of living

The cost of living

How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to survive in Thailand? We analyze the facts.


The Region Guides

The Region Guides

Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.


Need Thailand insurance?

Need Thailand insurance?

Have a question about health or travel insurance in Thailand? Ricky Batten from Pacific Prime is Ajarn's resident expert.