Strange encounters of the foreign kind

Amusing recollections of foreign teaching colleagues

I thought I should write about some of the more interesting or obscure behaviour, that I have witnessed from foreign ex-pats living in Thailand, or have had related to me by others. Although I'm going to travel back a bit in time, so as not to put anyone's nose out of joint that I know at present.


My experiences of working in a college in Bangkok (part 4)

Settling in to my apartment and meeting my wacky teaching colleagues

The apartment had no windows, though a sliding glass door leading to a tiny balcony funneled in a trickle of sunlight. Worse than its size was its smell.


Different teachers, different styles

Sometimes showing the students tough love doesn't work.

My teaching colleague was just a bully who could only intimidate the younger students. ‘Find something unique that the kids are interested in, then you will be halfway there’ was some of the best advice I ever got.


The staffroom

Why do so many schools not recognize the importance of a good teachers' room?

It's in the staffroom that teachers grow their own skills, expand the range of the school curriculum, coordinate their efforts, and construct a coherent school culture. School administrators (who don't teach) are not aware of the power of a good staffroom.


A year in Ubon (part three)

The concluding episode from a first year teacher in Thailand

After work, late in the afternoon - back in my bungalow having packed my saggy suitcase with the few items I was going to need. I sat on one of the two chromed chairs in my compacted kitchen and couldn't prevent myself from thinking about the possible impending events of this coming evening.


Excuse me, haven’t we met before?

A satirical look at TEFL personality types

If you’re just an average teacher struggling along in a sea of two legged sharks trying to do your best give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back, because you sir or madam are gold dust.


Get it down on paper!

The secret to managing office politics

Conflict in a workplace can pop up unexpectedly. This is why it’s necessary for you to write things down. This way, when it comes time to defend yourself or to shed light on the matter you can look back to your notes and bring up exactly what happened


Handling hostility in the EFL office space

The single best political strategy

Managing the politics involved in teaching requires you to just admit that you know nothing. Pretend that you are an alien from outer space. You have no idea how to teach. You have no idea how the system works and you need help at all times. If you don’t do this, then people want to use your sense of importance against you.


Sharing the classroom

Let's consider some of the possible reasons why good relations in the teaching team is important.

I've come to believe that putting two teachers in the same classroom needs careful planning, and even then, the clash of egos is a minefield. It only takes one wrong step. With the cultural dimension added in, especially for a newcomer, things can become noxious frighteningly quickly.


The worst kind of teachers

Postbox letter from Jim

In my opinion, the worst teacher is the one that doesn't want to be there, but says nothing - and does nothing.


Showing 10 tagged items out of 52 total Page 2 of 6



Featured Jobs

Full-time Native French Teachers

฿45,000+ / month

Bangkok


NES Primary Teachers

฿47,000+ / month

Nonthaburi


Music / PE Teacher

฿25,000+ / month

Bangkok


NES Kindergarten Homeroom Teacher (Ages 2-4)

฿50,000+ / month

Bangkok


Full-time Chinese Teachers for Primary & Secondary

฿25,000+ / month

Bangkok


German Language Teacher

฿48,500+ / month

Myanmar


Featured Teachers

  • Tesipao,


    Filipino, 24 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Carmela


    Filipino, 30 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Rogelio


    Filipino, 36 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Jezzel


    Filipino, 28 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Grasila


    Filipino, 31 years old. Currently living in Philippines

  • Nevshar


    Filipino, 25 years old. Currently living in Philippines

The Hot Spot


The cost of living

The cost of living

How much money does a teacher need to earn in order to live in Thailand? We survey various teachers earning different salaries and with different lifestyles.


Air your views

Air your views

Got something to say on the topic of teaching, working or living in Thailand? The Ajarn Postbox is the place. Send us your letters!


The region guides

The region guides

Fancy working in Thailand but not in Bangkok? Our region guides are written by teachers who actually live and work in the provinces.


Contributions welcome

Contributions welcome

If you like visiting ajarn.com and reading the content, why not get involved yourself and keep us up to date?


My Bangkok suburb

My Bangkok suburb

Overviews for different areas and suburbs of Bangkok, written with the help of teachers who live there. Let us help you find the perfect Bangkok neighborhood for your lifestyle.