Q1. Where did you move to and when?

Saudi Arabia, August 2015

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I taught for 6 months in what supposed to be one of the best language centers in Bangkok. However, it was one of the worst experiences of my 11 year teaching career.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

To be frank, teaching in Bangkok was, and will always be, an absolute farce. I knew it wasn't good going in but I really had no idea how bad it was.

For starters, the salary is an absolute joke that isn't even fit for a pension. I was earning 65,000 baht and saving roughly 15,000 a month. As a well educated adult with eleven years of professional experience and proper teaching credentials from a developed country that is an absolute shame. There is no way I could ever have retired saving less than $500 a month, even if I had planned on retiring in Thailand. I suddenly understood why so many foreigners commit suicide in Thailand. I too would rather die than live at the poverty level in Thailand.

But the real joke is that so many teachers agree to work for a poverty level wage. This is in fact a form of suicide, although it is much slower and much more painful. The wage issue is exacerbated by the fact that many schools employ unqualified people to be teachers.

You really have to ask yourself, what kind of person thinks they can teach without proper teacher training? Why would you want to screw up someone's chance at an education? The foolishness and selfishness of it baffles the mind. Would you hire an electrician who wasn't certified, or worse, refused to become certified?

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

I'm paid well, nearly 4 times what I was paid in Thailand and double what I was paid in Vietnam. I also earn more than I could at home as an EFL teacher. I also have excellent healthcare for myself and my wife. I also have 3 months off each summer in addition to semester breaks. In short, I receive a pay and benefits package on par with the rest of the professional world.

I'm also able to teach vocational subjects that I have previous work experience and graduate certificates in, particularly IT and programming. This leads to a more enjoyable teaching experience, as well as increased compensation without having to teach extra classes in a McDonald's in my spare time.

Other benefits include paid housing, in fact I earn a monthly bonus for staying in a serviced apartment provided by the school. I could choose to live elsewhere and have a driver but I don't like commuting.

The lack of commuting and the ability to work a normal day, 8 - 4, allows me time to get to the gym 5 times a week, cook regularly and still have time for studying in the evening and on weekends. Also, the benefit of not being around alcohol is quite remarkable for a person's physical and mental health.

Another great advantage is being treated as a professional and a competent adult, not a marketing gimmick or a 'service provider'. Furthermore, students are treated as students and not coddled and entertained in exchange for tuition fees. When they fail they fail, they don't pass.

Also, student performance is the responsibility of the student, not the teacher, which is normal but worth pointing out as Thailand seems to have it backwards.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

Very little. Thailand is a great place for an adventure, especially if you can get yourself away from the sexpat traps and instead head north or to the more remote islands, although that is increasingly difficult and increasingly costly.

However, daily life in Bangkok is an absolute nightmare. From the incessant heat to the traffic to the over crowding to the rise of totalitarianism to the rapidly declining quality of life to the dumbing down and pacification of the population to the awful expats with substance abuse problems and mental health issues, there is very little of interest in Bangkok.

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

For a new teacher, or really any teacher who is qualified, avoid working in Thailand at all costs. It is well known throughout the industry that Thailand is a the place for deviants, for unqualified and incompetent teachers, and for schools with absolutely no standards. Experience in Thailand is not a plus on your CV, at best it is a curiosity and at worst it is a red flag for both your own personal qualities and your professional abilities.

I say this from my own previous experience in other countries where I assisted in hiring and CVs with more than 1 year in Thailand were generally discarded. When a teacher with experience in Thailand was hired they almost always had major issues with maintaining a work ethic, developing coherent materials and lessons, teaching basic lessons, telling students 'how to think', following curriculum and of course using any form of technology in the office and classroom. The worst quality though was the inability to receive feedback on their teaching and make improvements.

In addition, I have had interviews for jobs where my own experience in Thailand was scrutinized. Since then, I've removed it and but it down to time off. I'd rather tell a lie than say I was employed in Thailand.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

Like I said earlier, Thailand can be a fun holiday. But, after 4 or 5 days it's really enough.

While my wife still lives in Bangkok we will be relocating soon. In the last two years we've only spent time in Thailand when it was necessary, such as taking care of banking (another nightmare) or legal issues at the embassy regarding visa applications. We choose to spend our downtime, and our hard earned money, in friendlier and more interesting countries like Japan, the US and Europe.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

Let's be frank -- teaching in Thailand is an absolute farce. Anyone who is even remotely serious about education will be better off working in any number of other countries which not only pay better but take education seriously. Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia...the list is long and it even contains many countries that Thais want to study in; this should be a major red flag for a teacher.

Taking a teaching job, or nearly any job for that matter, in Thailand is an exercise in financial suicide. You will burn through whatever savings you have, savings that ironically you earned in another country -- let that sink in for a moment.

The result is that you, like so many others before you, will get stuck in Thailand and that will not only be a financial disaster but will also lead to a professional and probably a mental health crisis as well. The professional crisis is that you will most likely become deskilled and unemployable elsewhere. The mental health crisis will evolve as it slowly dawns on you that you have wasted your time and money and will have to work hard to get out.

If you're interested in Thailand, do yourself a favor, save up for a holiday and take that holiday in Thailand and love it. Then, go back to work in a country where you can save up for another holiday. That country will not be Thailand.