Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved back to the UK in November 2013 with my daughter. I then pursued another undergraduate degree, which I completed last year in October 2017. Currently, I am continuing my MA degree in English at a prestigious university in London.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I worked in Thailand for thirteen years in total.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

My main reason was that my British husband cheated on me while we were both working in one school a few years back and he is now with the former Thai assistant teacher, who threatened me while I was in Thailand. They now have two children together. So I decided to leave. Another reason was to protect my daughter and we decided to continue her studies in England.

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

I am a full-time MA student and a single mum, juggling my time and trying to finish my studies hopefully this year. The truth is that the situation is not easy at all because I am doing everything on my own and it is really difficult. I thank God because my daughter keeps me going. I hope that I will be able to get a better job in the future so that my daughter and I will survive.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

I consider Thailand as my second home because I started working as an English teacher there in 1997. I worked for different schools from south Thailand all the way to Bangkok for 13 years. I loved the Thai students and miss the food. I am also grateful that I can speak Thai fluently because of my Thai teachers and students.

The 3S' called 'sabai' (comfortable), 'sadu-ak' (convenient) and 'su-ay' (beautiful) are the 3S Thai words I learned in Thailand. Thailand has the qualities mentioned but then I hope that it is still the same nowadays regarding the general perspective in this country.

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

If you are a young TEFL teacher and would like to explore the country, I think Thailand is for you to serve as a springboard to teaching. Even without teaching experience, as long as you are a native speaker, some Bilingual or Thai schools and language schools will give you an opportunity to teach.

However, it is hard to save money because the salary is barely sufficient to live on unless you have extra tutorials or work in an international school as a qualified teacher - and then you will get a higher salary.

Just a piece of advice for those families who decide to move and work in Thailand, please think twice. Although, I am not generalising, in my case my husband, daughter and I moved to Thailand from the UK and worked as a family. Then in less than a year, an assistant Thai teacher hooked my husband knowing she knew all along that this man had got a family already.

My husband came back to us twice but things just didn't work out. He eventually went back to the Thai assistant and left us as his legal family. With all the hopes, excitement, promises and dreams we had, everything turned into a nightmare due to their act of infidelity.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

I would love to go back to teach in Thailand one day because I miss and love the Thai students. I have so many unforgettable experiences to cherish from my time in Thailand.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

All people have their own journey and stories to tell. The main thing is to help the learners in a good way by applying different teaching methods and techniques with a touch of theory and practice'. In addition, good education values should also be instilled in the classroom apart from teaching English itself. Above all, when you love the things you do, then you keep going.