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.