Be prepared for a much slower life
Postbox letter from Katrina
I moved from Bangkok to teach up-country but I wasn't ready for how chill village life would be. Moving to a village means everything slows down, which isn't all bad.
What to expect when 'accommodation is included'
Postbox letter from Brian
If you live on the school grounds, there are certain expectations of you. These to a certain extent apply in general when living in a small countryside town, but more so if you're at the school since you're more visible.
Is it worth moving out of Bangkok?
People often cite the lower cost of living, better quality of life and a more Thai-style existence as reasons to be based outside the capital.
I’ve done a little research and come up with some example salaries in different regions in Thailand. Whilst this isn’t an exact science it should give a good guide of potential earnings
Bangkok or up-country? Which is best?
Are you a city boy or a country bumpkin?
Ajarn.com attempts to answer that burning question - is it better to live and work as a teacher in Bangkok or out in the boonies? We've decided to divide Thailand into two sections - Bangkok and everywhere else. Even the Thais refer to every city, town and village outside the capital as 'up-country' so who are we to argue?
Home or away?
Where is the best place to do a TEFL course - Thailand or your own country?
A good question that occasionally pops up on social media is “should I take a TEFL course in Thailand or in my home country (USA, England, etc)? I’ve noticed that the question never really gets a decent answer, so I turned to a dozen or so of Thailand’s TEFL course providers and asked them for their input.
A year in rural Thailand
Twelve months at a Thai government school
Today I am celebrating my first year of teaching at a government school in rural Thailand. I thought I'd share some of the interesting idiosyncrasies within the school where I currently work.
Small talk with big results
The art of teaching English forwards
"Hi, how are you?" "I'm fine thank you, and you?" "I'm fine thank you." Now, where have we all seen and heard this longwinded, nigh on nonsensical way of communicating before?
Talkin' bout my situation
Everyone's situation is a little different
A section of the ajarn website for those teachers looking to embark on a teaching career in Thailand and have so many questions and no real answers.
Thailand vs Korea
Which country offers more for the English teacher?
Living and teaching in both laid back Thailand and fast paced South Korea has made for an interesting perspective on life in Asia. The two extremes are hard to compare but I think I should at least try.
An unwanted duty
Is this Thai tradition pain or pleasure?
In many schools in Thailand, Thai teachers, as well as foreign teachers, take turns in standing at the school gate to greet parents and students. Two or more teachers are assigned, depending on the size of the school, to do this each day.
