Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved to work at a language school in South Korea at the end of 2023.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I was there for just under a year at a school in Bangkok. Not long I know, but long enough to realise that although life in Thailand was fun (most days), my teaching career, supported by a degree and a 120-hour TEFL certificate, was never really going to go anywhere.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

I never felt that the school valued the foreign teachers enough. We were never observed and no one really cared if we did a good job in the classroom. As long as we turned up for work each day and the paying parents liked the look of us, then that was good enough. On top of that, there were the pointless staff meetings where most of the items on the agenda were discussed in Thai. There was an admin department that could never give you a straight answer on a visa or work permit related question. Many of the usual frustrations I know. But this wasn't some village school which you would half expect to flying by the seat of its pants; far from it - this was a large institute with relatively expensive term fees.

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

The school is very professionally run and its mantra seems to be 'look after the teachers and everything will be fine'. I have far fewer contact hours than I did in Thailand (for more money) There are regular professional development meetings and there is always a member of the management staff to go to if you have a problem in the classroom (very rare though). There are no extra curricular activities to attend like school marching band competitions. We get a generous housing allowance and end of term bonus. Finally - and this is the one thing I really appreciate - we have an admin department that are always on the ball when it comes to paperwork issues.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

I miss the ease of travelling to some of the beautiful islands and I miss the foreign teacher friends I made there. We had some wild Friday and Saturday nights on Silom Road!

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

If you are looking to gain some experience as a teacher while enjoying a relatively stress-free life (outside of school) then Thailand could be worth a year or two of your time. If you are serious about being a teacher and looking to move up the TEFL ladder, I would personally look elsewhere.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

Not at this point.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

I think most teachers in the 30-50K salary band know what they might be letting themselves in for as regards things that can go wrong at any particular school. Do as much research as you can and try and speak to other teachers before accepting a job offer. I didn't end up at the best school but it probably wasn't the worst either. I just wish I had taken more time over the decision to accept the job when it was offered to me. Perhaps I should've looked around a bit more. Anyway, that's all in the past and I'm looking forward to the future. Whether I'll stay in Korea, I don't know, but that's the joy of being a TEFLer. Don't like a particular city or country, just move on.