Living in Thailand and Teaching English - First Impressions

In mid-May, I started teaching at the high school in a town called Suwannaphum in Roiet Province which is located in the northeastern part of Thailand. After spending 3 days at the training and orientation in Bangkok, coming here has been unnerving and a little scary, even though there are 3 other teachers from the same agency at the school.

The town is medium sized and the school where I work has about 2000 students.

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Teaching English in classes with as many as 40 kids can be challenging. I teach kids who are ages 14-16 and their understanding of English varies. I try to keep it fun (we play a lot of games) and to get all the students to participate in classroom activities.

A typical day at school starts at 7:30 am. All students and teachers attend morning assembly. My schedule is different every day of the week; On average, I teach 3-4 classes a day totaling 20 hours a week. When I don’t have classes, I’m at the office preparing lesson plans, tests, and grading papers.

I live in a studio apartment provided by the agency. It’s very basic with just a bed, refrigerator and a vanity table. Most of the rent (3200 baht/month, $101 USD) is covered by the agency although I pay for the utilities (cost depends on usage) and transportation. I’ve rented a motorbike for 2000 baht/month ($64 USD).

Life here seems to be on a different rhythm; going with the flow is the key.  The locals and students are friendly even though we have a communication barrier. There are lots of street foods and local markets as well as supermarket chains like Big C and Tesco Lotus.  Local restaurants are abundant, especially noodle shops.

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