Are you a teacher who once taught in Thailand but decided to seek out pastures new? Has the grass been greener on the other side? Maybe you swapped Thailand for the financial lure of Japan or Korea? Read about those who have left Thailand, and their reasons for moving...
Prasad Bhat
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to India in 2013 after living in Bangkok and working in an International school there.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked in Bangkok, Thailand for 4 years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
Several. I wanted to take a fresh guard in life as i was running out of ideas and started to develop 'a sense of loss'. I chose to come back to India as life for me and my family became 'routine'. I felt my work was becoming very predictable and boring. The initial excitement of living in Bangkok started to fade and teaching became economically unrewarding and the school management was very regressive and lacked vision. Also I wanted to switch from Cambridge board (CIE) to IB world to improve my market value.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Currently, I live in India working for an IB school. I am working in my own country, closer to my home city. Economically slightly more rewarding and the school is growing. I would like to describe this as a change in ambiance.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I really miss a lot about that great country...especially that truly secular and cosmopolitan city. I miss the smiling ...stunningly 'beautiful' people and the travel opportunities and intellectual enrichment. Visits to markets and countryside to buy exotic fruits & fresh vegetables and the calm of Buddhist temples are all sorely missed.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Certainly. It is a great baptism to life for a young teacher. A country for both-young and old. A teacher must spend at least a few years there. The city provides plenty of chances to age 'excitingly'. It is a place to lose oneself and learn when one is in the heat of life. A teacher in the early 20s need not become a philosopher but can easily dedicate a decade to Thailand.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I am not averse to the idea of another innings in the distant future as i have fond memories of the country. Will visit as a tourist next year.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Living in Bangkok is a great privilege as it is a happening city. But the people are becoming greedy and Thai way of life is disappearing. Everyone wants to kill the golden egg-laying goose. Things will get worse if people don't think about the bigger picture.
Thai kids deserve a better quality of education. Thai people have to spend time introspecting and move in the right direction. I am sure things will improve as many have started understanding the need of the hour...
Ricky
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to my small town in America just two months ago (August 2015)
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I was there just short of three years, teaching at a secondary school near the Thai-Malaysian border.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
I was coming up to thirty years of age and even though my school was happy for me to stay on for another term, I just didn't have the motivation. I suppose you might say I had fallen out of love with teaching and too many aspects of Thai culture were starting to grind my gears. I had also split up with my Thai partner of two years and suddenly, it felt as if nothing was going right in my life.
I did think about moving to teach in another country in South East Asia. Perhaps a fresh start at a new school with new students and lots of new faces might have given me the kick-start I needed, but I felt America calling me home. And I think deep down the family wanted me home as well. I hadn't been back for a family visit since I moved out to Thailand.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
None whatsoever. My small town in America is exactly how I left it. The same old faces drinking in the same old bars and talking about the same old stuff. It's almost as though everybody was frozen in time. It was great to see the family again but that novelty soon wore off after a couple of weeks and we started getting on each other's nerves again.
At the moment I'm holding down a couple of casual cash-in-hand jobs. I'm helping out an old friend at his auto repair shop during the day and working evenings at a Mexican bar / restaurant. I'm making more than enough to cover my lifestyle but that doesn't mean it's a lifestyle I actually want.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Familiarity breeding contempt is the saddest thing but I really miss the smiles and friendliness of the Thai people. I took those smiles for granted when I lived there and it became the norm. But moving back to America has been such an eye-opener in this regard. You quickly realise that hardly anyone smiles here or has a good word to say about anything. Everyone seems to be merely existing. It's such a sad state of affairs.
I also miss the slower pace of life in Thailand.
It's a country not without its problems but Thailand has so much going for it. Unfortunately, you have to go back home to fully appreciate it.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Oh absolutely! I think if you made a list of all the things that a teacher needs out of a new country - salary, accommodation, friends, food, transportation, etc I think Thailand would score the highest out of any South East Asian country. Sure, the likes of Vietnam or Burma might score higher for certain categories but overall, I think Thailand would come out on top.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Very difficult to say. I want to try and make a success of things in America even though I have no masterplan at the moment. I wouldn't ever rule out coming back to Thailand to teach but it strikes me as a bit of a desperation measure at the current time.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
I enjoyed most of my three years in Thailand but I got too complacent and stuck in a work-a-day routine. If I returned for a second stint, I would certainly travel more. Can you believe I never once went up north.
Jay
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved from Bangkok to a small town in Japan's Ibaraki prefecture in July 2015.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I lived and worked in Thailand for exactly three years. Prior to that, I lived and worked in northeast China for two and a half years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
It was simply time to move on and experience a new country. Nothing against Thailand really, but that initial excitement of living in the country had already long faded away, and I was also growing tired of all things Thai. I was having the exact same feelings towards Thailand earlier this year as the ones that I had towards China way back in early 2012.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I make exactly twice the salary here in Ibaraki than I did back in Bangkok. I pay into a pension system, as well as a national healthcare system. Things at school generally run quite smooth, and everything I need to know is usually quite clear. My school provides me with a car to get around, making this the first time I've ever had a vehicle in Asia. My school also supposedly subsidizes part of my apartment cost, a practice that's virtually unheard of back in Bangkok. I can easily save around 40% of my paycheck here in Ibaraki, as it's a semi-rural part of Japan. There's not much temptation to spend here unlike in flashy Bangkok.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I may make twice as much here in Japan, but I have to work two to three times more than I did in Thailand. The work is exhausting. I got about four months paid vacation a year at my school in Bangkok, whereas I only get one month here. I taught 16 classes a week in Bangkok, but I teach 32 here (exactly double). I honestly think I'd rather have the extra time off than the extra money.
As for non-work related life, I miss the excitement of Bangkok. It's easy to forget while you're already there, but Bangkok really is a fun and exciting city. Even more fun than I had in second-tier city China. Bangkok is hectic, sure, but boring it is not. As crazy as it may sound, I miss riding my bike all around Bangkok. It's not a bike friendly city at all, but my life in Bangkok drastically improved after buying a bike.
I also miss the room for error that's generally found in developing countries like Thailand and China. Here in Japan, the people seem to expect everything to go smoothly and as planned, so life feels somewhat robotic in this regard. There also seems to be an extreme "better safe than sorry" mindset where I'm living, which makes the place and people kind of dull.
I also miss the photo opportunities to be had in Bangkok. I love photography, and I've traveled to many places in Asia, so I can firmly say that Bangkok is a great place for street photography. Obviously, It's just not the same here in small town Japan. To be blunt, I also miss the dating/sexual opportunities in Bangkok. Bangkok really is a great place to be a young bachelor. Here in Ibaraki, it's all married soccer moms, factory workers, and old folks. Local single women are scarce (I'm sure Tokyo must be quite different though).
And finally, I miss my favorite restaurants from Bangkok - the Saturday night vegetarian buffet at May Kaidee, Sunrise Tacos on Silom and Sukhumwit, Beirut Lebanese at Sala Daeng, the Tuesday night Mexican buffet at Bourbon Street, the Saturday lunch Mexican buffet at Señor Pico, and so on. I also really miss Thai sweets. Lots of good eats - both local and foreign - in Bangkok.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
I think it's too early for me to make a judgement call on my current school and locale, but I have a question to ask reader's out there who might be considering Thailand and Japan: is your goal to have a fun and exciting experience or to make some money and live a quiet life? If your goal is the former, by all means go to Bangkok, but if your goal is the latter, then by all means come here to Ibaraki. The dynamics of the two places are totally different - apples and oranges.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Of course. I'm not anti-Thailand now that I'm not living there any more. I left China for Bangkok back in 2012, but I've revisited China countless times since my departure there. Bangkok is like a second (or maybe third) home to me now, as I'm so familiar with the city and had countless experiences there. I didn't make many Thai friends while living there, but I would still definitely like to revisit in the future. I already miss the place a lot, and of course I'll never forget it.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
It may sound cliche, but there's no perfect country to live and/or work in this world. Every place is gonna have its advantages and disadvantages. Your own individual personality, where you're currently at in life, your own personal tastes, and your travel experience are what you should use as a guide to decide where you want to live/work. For example, where I'm at here in Japan might be boring as sin to a young, extroverted twenty-something Western bachelor, but it could be just what the doctor ordered for a middle-aged, introverted married Western guy.
Do your research, consider who you are as an individual and where you're at in life, travel to the places your considering to work/live, make a decision, and then take the plunge. Online reviews usually don't tell the whole story. Experiencing a place for yourself is always more valuable than reading second hand reports.
Bangkok Ian
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved back to the UK after being interviewed by phone to York In the UK. I returned in February 2009.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I worked in Thailand from 1999 until 2009. Both my kids were born here and I still have a house in Nonthaburi.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
My main reason for moving was to get a job with a liveable salary. At that time teachers employed by the British Council were limited to about 4 years as the BC was on charitable status with the Thai authorities. I'd done 4 years and about 5 or 6 months on rolling temporary contract.
When I looked for work elsewhere the salary was half what I'd been earning locally and no pound sterling supplement paid to the UK. Shock to the system to say the least. I notice that the advertised salaries have not changed in the last 5 or 6 years either.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I can buy from a selection of reasonably priced cheeses and drinkable wine is available from about 300 baht a bottle. Everything else is on a par. Oh, and bread in the UK has no sugar in it. Look at the label of the cake you bought today labelled as bread and you will see it contains between 5-12% sugar. Why? Flour is imported and therefore expensive, sugar grows everywhere and is promoted by the government.
I wonder if the hospitals are prepared for the explosion in type 2 diabetes that it will bring in few years.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Certainly not the beaches or the shopping malls. They lost what little sparkle they had for me after a couple of years. Nothing really, it frustrates me more than pulls me to it.
As another escapee put it - any country that needs to tell you it's amazing can't really be that amazing.
I have the immigration stamps of more than 70 countries in my passports and Thailand doesn't figure in the top ten of either 'favourites' or 'never agains'. It's just a country between Cambodia and Burma.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Thailand certainly draws the newly qualified. Use it to get some experience. As others have said it is not likely to be helpful if you want to make a career out of TEFL. See it more as a few rungs on the ladder.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I'm writing this from my parents-in-law's house in Kanchanaburi. I've taught a few lessons in the local primary school on a volunteer basis. For the next few weeks I'm going to keep things ticking over with a few IELTS preparation intensive courses in Bangkok.
I'm here because my wife runs an education agency in the UK and we introduce Thai students to schools, colleges and universities in the UK and offer home-stay tuition too. I'm going back to the UK at the end of August to teach a Chinese girl at home. She is studying on a master's course in the UK in October and needs some EAP first.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
I suppose I could return here and 'work from home' I work for the British Council marking exams and do more than 50% of my work online using Skype anyway so location is not really an issue.
While I'm here 'on holiday' I've helped online students with essays and dissertations and they have had no idea where I was working on them.
Thomas
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.
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