Q1. Where did you move to and when?

In September I am returning back to the Middle East to the school where I used to teach after I first left Thailand years ago.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I worked in Thailand from 1998 – 2009, exactly nine years too long. I returned on holiday in January this year and happened to meet one of my former employers who asked if I would like to do a few special ESP course development projects for the university; I agreed, but only for a short time, Thailand is not a career path choice.

Doing one or two years of English teaching in Thailand to get your feet wet as an ESL newbie is fine - it is all the country has to offer for the most part. After that, if you are a dedicated professional educator on a career path, Thailand has few opportunities to allow you to develop professionally and even less where you can be paid a reasonable wage.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

There are several reasons why Thailand does not work for me but these are the two foundation reasons. Foremost reason is teaching is my career, and a serious one at that. Thailand is, unfortunately, dominated by unprofessional “educators” at all levels, Thai, “Falong” and “Others”. Sorry, I’ve got better things to do with my life than sit around a high school mentality bubblegum chit chat gossipy office knifing people in the back and then smiling at their face as they pass by.

The next reason is the pathetic, insulting really, salary on offer in Thailand. Paying foreign teachers stagnated salary rates of 15 years ago while virtually every cost of living item has doubled in price in that time is simply abusive, especially as Thai government teachers enjoy a 6% cost of living allowance pay increase every year.

Add in the fact that many schools refuse to pay a full 12 months of salary, I feed my children 12 months a year thank you very much, and work permits and non-B visa extensions are increasingly cut out of contract benefits, it bewilders me why any teacher would teach in Thailand.

In a nutshell, unprofessional work environment and money are the reasons I am not interested in teaching in Thailand.

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

The list is somewhat extensive, so bear with me here. Administration is organized, professional and supporting of all staff from teachers to LMS development teams, from janitors to cafeteria ladies; dignity, respect and concern for the needs of all team members are the order of the day.

Every educator is respected and treated as a professional. We are provided with every possible resource to deliver high quality instruction to our students. That includes smart boards in every classroom, broadband WiFi, Apple MacBook Pro laptops for all teachers and all students, professionally designed curricula and syllabi, an LMS that supports student learning as well as teacher and administrative management of assessments, attendance, etc.

Our salaries are set at a level higher than our home countries to account for the fact that we have expenses back home that must be paid while living abroad. We receive a $5,000 USD relocation allowance to “welcome” us to our new host country and help us get settled in comfortable, this is not a loan -- it is given to us.

Annual airfares are paid for teachers and their dependents, school tuitions are paid for our children, world class medical care is provided free of charge,

Christmas is given as time off out of respect for our cultural values and religious beliefs. We are in an Islamic country so think about that for a moment.

We get a full two months summer semester paid break to go home, travel, whatever.

Thailand offers none of the above. Why, Thais have an inherent built-in psyche that “Falongs” should and shall never “benefit” in Thailand, Thailand is for Thais and only Thais shall “benefit” in Thailand. “Falongs” are simply resources utilized to facilitate the securing of “benefits” for Thai people.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

I really do not miss anything about “life in Thailand”. Why people perceive Thailand to be something so special or unique is beyond my scope of understanding.

Perhaps they have not lived in other countries and experienced the same smiles and hospitality that Thais seem to proclaim as proprietary rights of the Thai culture.

In fact, in most countries I have traveled to and lived in the people have been welcoming, friendly, helpful, and polite. The reality is, it is fair to say that the inherent demeanor of most human beings is something that is closer to universal nicety and that Thailand has done little more than to “market” the welcoming smile.

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

A “new” teacher would not be offered a teaching post in the ME, they hire only experienced professional educators. “Newbies” should teach in Thailand where all parties concerned get what that need and deserve, a “play time for Bonzo” teaching and learning experience.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

On holiday, maybe, but even then, “been there done that”.

The world is a big, beautiful place and Thailand, at the end of the day, is really not as special as the Thais proclaim, “market and promote”, it to be. Any place that has to pound its chest so hard and yell out so loud to tell the world how “Amazing” it is, is likely not telling us the whole story.

To teach, never.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

Teaching is a serious responsibility. As educators we hold the transfer of knowledge and the development of students in our hands. We all need to take that responsibility seriously and fulfill our obligations to our students.

Thailand’s educational administrators, teachers, parents, and foreign teaching staff leave much to be desired in the contributions they offer to the students in this country.

There is little here in Thailand for the professional career path foreign teacher. Best to stay out of Thailand and teach where the pros teach, it is much more rewarding in every sense of the word.