Moving to Bangkok has been a decision I am really glad to have made. After graduating university, I knew I wanted to travel, but I always knew I wanted some professional work experience- and Impact Teaching offered me both options. But, this experience has pushed me out of my comfort zone in ways I hadn’t expected. I wasn’t too naive about moving to Thailand- I knew that starting a job in a country halfway around the world was daunting, but there are some things I hope I can help future teachers be more prepared for than I was!

When moving to Bangkok, I was more apprehensive about the teaching more than the actual moving. I felt as if I would adapt quite well to the living part. I have always loved learning about new cultures, meeting people and I’ve never been that picky with food! However, on reflection I think I definitely had some culture shock. When you are still trying to settle in, find accommodation, and tackle first time teaching, small changes in daily life can feel bigger. It’s when you are alone in a new place doing these adulting jobs that I most wanted home comforts.  It sounds silly but after an uncertain school day, even navigating a local market, and being tested by a spicy dish made me miss home! And of course general normalities of daily life, such as sorting bills, communicating with your landlord, visiting the supermarket is made a greater task by the language barrier. It took awhile for me to stop feeling shy and embarrassed when attempting to speak little bits of Thai. As someone who felt they gained confidence during university, naturally I felt as if this new environment had knocked me back a little. Now looking back eight months on, I can see that this was really just culture shock, and I have gained more confidence than ever! Sometimes, you just have to remember that settling in can take a bit longer than you initially think, and now I am settled into and proud of the daily routines I have established here. 

However, the main challenge I think for me was the teaching itself. I have never been the best with public speaking but I thought how wrong can you go when it is in front of young children? But I still had my moments. Although I had training with Impact Teaching, and my school was supportive, in schools out here it is very much being thrown into leading the classes straight away and learning through trial and error. This was harder than I thought, and I would definitely panic when I was unsure of what to do in lessons! However, over time, I learnt to not feel so embarrassed in front of the kids, to take myself less seriously and enjoy being with my students. At the same time, I was building up a bank of good lesson ideas and games to make sure I was covering the required material. It was still daunting as you have Thai teachers who are watching your lessons, and because of the language barrier sometimes it can be hard to tell if things are going well! But if you go in with confidence, and keep the lessons engaging, they will be supportive! You just have to make sure you are doing your part, as the Thai teachers have a lot of their own responsibilities. 

Also outside of the classroom, there are other things in school that can be a little confusing. A lot of the time the Thai and English administration sides of school are quite separate. Information can get lost in the language barrier. You might not know about a school event, your kids might not be in the classroom- things like that. But this is never a big deal and you will find out eventually. When starting at a school it can feel like you don’t know what is going on, but now I get excited at new events as it is usually a Thai tradition or celebration that I get to experience! Another unfamiliarity for me was immigration tasks. There is a lot of paperwork involved in dealing with Thai immigration. Work permits, 90 day reports and immigration appointments become a part of life, but I found that my school assisted with all this so much (luckily I didn’t have to do much thinking). Just try and be organised! Budgeting my salary in a new currency was something I also had to get used to. It takes time before prices become intuitive and when you know if you are being overcharged or not. Soon things like this just become normal.

Moving abroad and starting a job you might not have experience in can be daunting- and it can take time to feel settled in. But the longer I stayed, the more everything new just became familiar. Navigating daily life became natural- as it is back in the UK! And although some periods felt uncertain, it all became worth it when I realised how I had grown in confidence and how I  was able to set up a life somewhere new. It has been such a rewarding experience!