Our story
Two teachers in love and planning their life together in Thailand
Suffering or no suffering, this time we are doing it. We are Thailand bound and excited, if somewhat distracted for the time being. Sun, smiles, a detachment from most of what and who we know. New friends, new haunts and new experiences. A different perspective on life. Success or failure, this foray into the relative unknown will shape the rest of our lives.
We've landed!
I was looking for a job and then I found a job
I was refused a place at the two major international school recruitment fairs and turned down by every international school I applied to. Then one fine morning last week, I received an email from a private Thai EP school that I had applied to way back at the start of my job search, offering me an interview.
Just be thankful you don't teach in the UK
I live in a glass house so I've put away my stones.
I often notice job postings, warning teachers that they will be revered in Thailand due to their chosen profession. Believe me, Britain is one of few countries where teachers are not revered. It's the status quo in most places. I do often get told to F off by students as young as 11 when I ask them to tuck their shirt in.
The paradise lost syndrome
Something that affects a lot of foreigners in Thailand
The ordeal was over. The four of us looked at each other, waiting for someone to break the silence. Eventually the three Thais started to chat amongst themselves and ask questions of their own. What was the farang's problem? What had we done wrong to make him so angry?
A time of uncertainty
How the coup has affected my life in Bangkok
It's nearly two years since we moved to Bangkok. I don't think we would have made the move if the events of the last week or so had happened in the run up to us leaving London.
Longing to be back home
What on earth can my wife and I do to make things happen?
So after being back in Australia for 7 months now, I'm still disappointed and can't settle here either whichever way I try. I have tried several different jobs and in my heart they don't really suit me. I guess I really just miss the Thai lifestyle I have been waiting so long for.
Pack your suitcase!
The must-haves, the worth considering, and what to leave behind
Now that I have settled into my teaching job in Thailand, I can look back on the things I should have brought with me and the things I didn't need to bother with.
Baby steps and spontaneity
An ode to a semester in the books
One thing I will say for any aspiring teachers who are even mildly contemplating the idea of hopping over the pond to teach is this: Give it a shot! I for one am 25 years old and despite being here for seven months, am still wildly unsure of what I want to do for a career.
Confessions of a new teacher
What I learned in the first five months
I'm Karisa and I couldn't be more of a cliché: a blonde, American, recent college grad who decided to go teach in a foreign country! Don't be too impressed with me; I'm hardly unique in this expedition to teach English abroad.
Talkin' bout my situation 2012
More worried teachers and their complex situations
More situations from teachers who plan on coming to teach English in Thailand and are looking for hard answers and stone cold facts rather than hearsay and barstool opinion.