Is teaching in Thailand a good life decision?
Greetings from Mexico (posts soon to follow).
So lately I've been thinking about my life, as we all do from time to time, and this lead me to feeling quite trapped. Society predicts that we should all have a plan of action, which resembles something like this:
Finish degree as soon as you leave school
Get a job
Get married
Have kids while working at this job which you absolutely hate
Wake up: repeat, repeat, repeat
So yesterday I had a chat with my brother's girlfriend, the two of them live in Cancun, she is an interior decorator and he is a scuba diver instructor. They are in their early thirties but aren't married yet and aren't really that interested in having kids from what I know. She was telling me how happy she is, and how so many people mistakenly think that your life ends at 30. I mean, your 20s are your only good years, and after that its just work work work, right? Well, she convinced me how important it is to travel and gain experiences, and to be truly happy and productive in life.
So, I have made a decision. When 2019 comes, I am moving to Thailand.
The obvious choice would be to teach English, which I am super interested in. However, my brother was telling me about this program where you hang out with the monks and the tigers (although I'm not too sure if you get paid for that). But anyways, I've been Googling some information and decided that it would be a good idea to ask you guys how moving to Thailand would work. It's easy to Google requirements, however, I want some real inside tips from any of you that have done it.
For example,
Is moving to Thailand really as cool as what people say it is? Because I've never been.
How long before the time should I start contacting schools? When do their schools start?
Do you go through a certain company? Like a TEFL company?
How is the weather? How are the people? Are they friendly?
Where would I stay?
What do people do there for fun?
How English is the country?
Is this a good idea?
Let me know what you guys think. I finish my degree end of next year and some big decisions need to be made. But anyways, that's enough serious talk for now. Time to make some tacos for breakfast. Ariba Ariba!
I've been in Bangkok and Udon Thani for about a year and a half. I love Thailand and highly recommend it. To teach English here you need a tefl certificate and it's better if you have a college degree. But the jobs are very plentiful. I have a lot of information about courses to take for tefl and places to apply to work if you need help.
You should change one of your tags to Thailand so others can find you :) Followed you.
I've been thinking of doing the same! I will be flying out to Thailand in a few weeks for the BCC conference so I will keep you updated on what I find! :)
PLEASE keep in touch @lunascookies, you are a star! Please enjoy your adventure!
Thank you so much @fitinfun, followed you :) I will keep in touch, there are such amazing opportunities out there, would hate to miss them! Thank you for the comment and the tips, greatly appreciated x
I'm strongly considering doing this next year. You usually go through a company that organises everything from your visa to your accomodation. And you having a degree that will accompany your tefl certificate have the advantage as you'll likely be placed at a private school and also have a bigger salary then than people with only tefl. I think the biggest obstacle is finding the right company to arrange everything for you. And also how much commision cut they take from your pay. But other than that. It can only be a great decision as you'll be living in paradise for a year. Can even go to the island they shot the movie the beach on over weekends.
Thank you so much @maretha94, I think this is such a great opportunity and definitely something worth considering! Lets keep each other in the loop, will keep my eyes open x
I want to do this too!!!!! One thing I know is to be careful of the dogs.. my cousin got scratched and he ended up with tetanus.
@capetowngirl, a friend of mine and his wife is currently teaching English in Thailand. Seems like they are living the life! He bought a small boat and sometimes they sail between the islands. My brother in law was in South Korea now for 2 and a half years as well. If you can go over, do it! @darnscotty