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...
Harry
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Moved to South China in September 2012 after gaining teaching certification in Australia.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
Worked in Thailand for 6 and a half years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
Six and a half years was enough. Wanted to travel more and earn and save more money.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
No great advantage. Life is more dull here and not as fun as in Thailand. Money is not good enough for a certified teacher unless you're working for a top line international school, which I ain't. if you're interested in travel then South China offers Hong Kong , Macao, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and nice enough weather.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Bars, eye candy and easy access to travel to any nice destination in Thailand. The weather is also cooler here at the moment, so do miss the weather at times, although the heat in Thailand on a daily basis can be gruesome.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Start off in Thailand, because it's more fun. Both China and Thailand just want a white face, so educationally speaking they're both as bad as each other. The schools are basically the same with bad management and not knowing how to utilize a foreign teacher's expertise. Also it's more easy to change jobs in Thailand. In China the need for a release letter and payment of contract breaking fees make it more difficult to leave and change jobs within China.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
If things don't work out here, it's possible I might return. I would not stay long term though. Just a short time to get my bearings together before I decide what to do next.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Both China and Thailand are not for qualified teachers with masters degrees. I felt there and here that foreigners have a 'lack of voice' and that management was/is embarrassing. Eye candy is good though and that's why most foreigners are there and here.
Antonio
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
I moved to Beijing China about 4 months ago
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
I lived and worked in Thailand for about 2 years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
I wanted more money. I was tired of the humidity and go-go bars. It was a 'perfect storm' of events that all colaborated together I suppose...
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
So far - none really. More money, but the same ol' problems. You have to get on a plane to do a visa run from Beijing! Oh gawd!
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
I miss that first year as a teacher there - when everything was brand new and so... exotic isn't the word. You know when you hear the Thai national anthem for the first time and see all the students doing the wai. It's like being on another planet. I can still remember my first students. I'll never forget them.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Do not come to China without at least one year of teaching experience. You will get ripped off harder than you would in Thailand. For example: Where I work now I make $1666 a month. There is some young kid at the same school who makes $2500 a month, even though he has no experience - but he was a direct hire. Then there are two girls with no experience also, and they are making $800 a month. Our agent is screwing them hard because of their lack of experience. She's screwing me too, because I should be making $2500 a month!
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Maybe to become a monk or do Muay Thai (Thai boxing). I don't want to end up strung out on Hong Tong again...
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
No.
HJ
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Tbilisi, Georgia in September 2011
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
2 years
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
I wanted to try a new country, environment and culture.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
I gained very valuable experience, especially in the Cambridge curriculum. The visa and work permit processes were also infinitely easier to navigate and resolve.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Everything! The easy low-cost living, the warm weather, the friendly people, my old Thai neighborhood where I knew everybody and everybody knew me, the excellent food!
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Thailand definitely!
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Yup, all my friends are there.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Working in different countries can be very advantageous but be aware that the differences between one country and the next can be very dramatic and can catch you quite unawares. Even though Georgia was a country I dearly wanted to work in and even though I thought I was prepared for a teaching year there, I suffered quite badly from culture shock and depression (from the cold sun-less days) - something I never had in Thailand.
Franklin
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
First to Vietnam, then back to the US.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
Nearly five years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
The flawed school system. I got tired of being blamed for students who didn't master English in two months, never came to class, or more importantly, didn't "have fun". Oh, and the fact that even on 50,000 a month, I still couldn't save any money.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
After so many years of living in a fantasy of cheap food, great weather, and amazing holidays on isolated tropical islands, the one glaring advantage of being back in the US is owning up to the reality of life's responsibilities: namely, paying bills, saving money and getting old. The notion of a retirement fund has yet to eclipse the thrill of budget excursions to Laos, but hopefully it will soon.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Waking up in the morning and knowing that I was only a bus and boat ride away from some of the most spectacular beaches on the planet. The relaxed pace of life in a small town. The incredible food. The unique travelers on the night train to Chaing Mai. The surprisingly state-of-the-art movie theaters. And of course the option to have a wild night on the town for under fifty bucks.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
Of course, come to Thailand. My only advice is to set a timer. If you're happy and where you want to be when the buzzer sounds, then reset. If not, move on because nothing is worse than telling yourself that the food/weather/shopping is worth the hassle of being misled or outright lied to by sneaky administrators and jaded principals.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
I left and returned three times already. The last time I spent about six months retracing steps and absorbing all the breathtaking flora and fauna. Most of Southeast Asia is beyond description and if I go back, Thailand will be just one stop on a multi-country trek. But even if I wanted to teach there again, I know too much about how it works to put up with all the drama.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Teaching in Thailand was a great excuse for me to live out my wildest dreams of travel, but at the end of it all, the classroom is the last place I think about. My experience was uneven but I hold on to the good stuff; brilliant students, and lots of "this is why I teach moments'. When it was good, it was great.
Aaron
Q1. Where did you move to and when?
Back to the United States, December 7, 2012.
Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?
For almost exactly four years.
Q3. What was your main reason for moving?
Thailand has a number of problems that are not going away, and some of the biggest obstacles are part and parcel of the Kingdom's attitude toward public education: there is an intensely rigid class system which is readily apparent in Thai art, as seen at the Grand Palace, as demonstrative of an incredibly hierarchical concept of social relations. Also, there are many great mysteries the country will face politically. I shouldn't elaborate here, as that would be most un-Thai.
Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?
Predictability, professionalism, pro-active attitudes (that are not encumbered by a fantasia of disorganized activity) make life much more predictable and comfortable in terms of consumer welfare. There isn't a political apparatus in which accountability is the very most insignificant consideration. Human welfare actually does occur to some of the local population as a consideration.
Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?
Cheap taxis and hotels (don't be fooled, those are Thailand's only bargains...everything else is quite expensive). I miss the beaches I could never afford to visit.
Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?
I would advise a new teacher who has some chops and knows it to seek private lessons and a long-term visa through an agent. Thailand's schools rank (according the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Survey) as among the very worst schools in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia outperform Thailand by significant percentages. This means that Thailand offers better salaries to workers without work permits (unless you're Burmese, a quick bribe will nearly always handle matters) than to those with permits.
Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?
Vacations are nice, but Thailand is nothing short of a hell-hole for those uninitiated and who understand that tropical tourism destinations rarely make quality work refuges.
Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?
Thailand is a disaster of a country: floods that they can hardly manage (I believe their last initiative was to turn on a bunch of boat engines and hope the water flows out of the Chao Praya faster), political vultures and citizenry that trusts itself about as much as a Russian Gypsy trusts a Kremlin shopkeeper. It is ranked by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy as one of Asia's riskiest countries. I worked in Korea for one year before I moved to Thailand. In my mind, Korea is a golden paradise of rationality compared with Thailand. Good luck to those foolish enough (without hope).
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