Why I quit teaching in Thailand
It is now almost a year since I quit teaching in Thailand. I wrote a blog post about it at the time, but I’d now just like to expand upon this with the benefit of hindsight. I know that there are many people who are considering moving to Thailand and see teaching as a way to do this. I would never try and dissuade these individuals, and I don’t regret the years that I spent in the profession. In the end though I had to admit that I wasn’t very good at the job, and it forced me to choose something that suited me better.
I taught in Thailand for about seven years. During the first few years I was very motivated. I even went and completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE); the official qualification to teach. By the last year though, I’d had enough. The reason for my dissatisfaction with teaching was mostly due to me, but as I lost interest the problems with my school, and just teaching in Thailand generally. I began to dread going to work, and this is not the way that I want to live.
I really believe that we have a path in life, and if we don’t follow this path then life becomes increasingly painful. I previously spent almost two decades on the wrong path and learned just how bad things can become. I don’t mean to sound overly spiritual here; my point is that a part of my mind knows what I want/need and if I ignore this then I can’t be happy. This is what I was finding with teaching. I realized that it wasn’t really for me about a year before I finally quit, but I tried to continue regardless waiting for the correct time to exit. The more I delayed though, the harder it was to go to work each day.
In the years before I gave up teaching it was always my plan to make my living as a writer. I have always wanted to do this, but it is only last year that it became feasible. Writing is unlikely to make me rich, but I know that this is something that makes me happy and it never really feels like work. I have been involved in freelance writing for few years, and have a good idea about how it all works. It is hard, but the truth is that I would rather write for twelve hours a day, seven days a week, than teach for twenty hours a week.
I had planned to wait until the next term before turning full-time at freelance writing, but I realized that teaching was just getting harder for me as time went on. I didn’t want to turn into a teacher who was just going through the motions because I felt the students deserved a whole lot better than this. I was also becoming increasingly hard to work with as everything that was going on in the school was becoming a cause of resentment. In the end the idea of returning to that for six more months seemed unbearable so I took the chance, and quit waiting for my life to begin.
I have a wife and son so this type of decision couldn’t be taken lightly, but once I did make my choice there was a huge sense of relief, and the feeling that I’m going in the right direction again. Life is too short for being timid and not taking chances; sometime we just have to go with our dreams and have confidence that we will end up where we should. This is why when I hear people say they want to move to Thailand I would never dissuade them. Sure it can be hard, but you have to go for your dreams.
I devoted about seven years of my life to teaching in Thailand. I don’t regret any of this, and don’t feel that the time was wasted. I just know that it needed to come to an end. I would say to anyone who wants to teach in Thailand that they should give it a go. You won’t find out if something is possible or not unless you try; most things are possible if we want them enough.
I’m glad you were strong enough to follow your dream. For me, teaching is a career and I see myself retiring as a teacher. However, I believe a job as a teacher gives me enough time to pursue my writing dreams and eventually, my writing career.
I do think that teaching is a very noble profession and a good career. I looked around at some of the other teachers and noticed how passionate they were about the job. I just didn’t have that same feeling – not really. It was important for me to find a job that does give me that sense of passion. I’m happy to keep typing away on my computer until I drop dead. I never felt that way about teaching or any other job I’ve had in the past. I know that many people do manage to teach and still have time to write; I also know of writers who have ‘made it’ as writers and became very wealthy, but still continued to teach – I’m thinking of people like Roddy Doyle. I’m glad that you feel comfortable with doing both; teaching in school keeps you young or so I’m told.
Unfortunately,teaching in Thailand is just about the only way for most people to earn enough to keep their head above water,myself included. So you do find that a lot of people gravitate towards the proffesion who normally wouldn’t give it a second thought. I teach because i love teaching and really get something out of making a difference to young peoples lives. I just can’t imagine teaching if i wasn’t getting something special out of it.
It sounds like you have done the right thing. It’s such a shame that so many people find themselves “stuck” teaching because there is no alternative in Thailand.
Regards……..Tom
I think many of us who have moved to Thailand found teaching to be an easy option. I don’t see this as a bad thing because it has meant that some people have found that they are actually very good at the job. I don’t believe that any job like teaching needs to be a vocation, sometimes luck can just allow us to find our ideal job.
Hi Paul, you are so right, finding your true purpose is so important. I have found that once you do you virtually hum with energy for it and everything in your life lines up. Have you read “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle (sp?) It’s a fantastic book about exactly this idea.
All the best X
I’ve heard of him, but I haven’t read much. From what I’ve heard though he seems to talk about things that are similar to Buddhist ideas; being mindful of the present moment and so on. These are things that have worked in my life so I’ll probably check him out more later. I just get a bit put off by all the hype that seems to surround him.
Hi Paul,
Great post – went through exactly the same phase as you – though I was only teaching for a year or so.
For me, it wasn’t just that the passion came second to writing but also that the career potential and – shall we say – ‘management issues’ within Thai schools also got to me.
Glad to see the writing is going well for you a year on. All the best pal.
Jon
Dear Paul,
It is interesting to read this, I did now know why you resigned from teaching. As a retired teacher I do believe that teaching requires a vocation wherever you are. I have never taught in Thailand so I can’t comment about here but in the countries I have taught teaching is ruined by the careerism and profiteering that often interferes with genuine classroom vocational work bringing with it conflict and power-struggles. I often felt these careerists would sell out to the profit-making for their position, and would then turn their self-loathing on those who had a genuine vocation and enjoyed the classroom.
As a Buddhist I would recommend reading the Power of Now and/or A New Earth. If by the hype you mean Oprah, I can remember reading these books long before Oprah worked with him – did that go well? Both books do contain ideas consistent with my understanding of Buddhism, but because his framework is different it helps us understand without the use of dogma. I feel such books add to that limited understanding.
Hope you are keeping well,
All the Best,
Bill Z
Thank you Bill, I have previously read some of your teaching materials and it is obvious that this was something you loved. I just didn’t have that same passion, and felt like I was going through the motions a lot of the time – especially near the end. I’m happy with what I’m doing now though, and life couldn’t be better. I’m glad that I gave teaching a go.
Jon, I’ve only noticed your comment now. I don’t know how I missed it before – apologies. I have found that there is a lot more potential in writing too; at least for me. It is tempting to think that it would have been better if I’d made the move to full-time writer sooner, but life isn’t like that I suppose.
Dear Paul,
As a teacher myself, I am sure you were a good teacher at the time you did it That being said, all of us pass through stages in life where we desire growth in a new direction and I congratulate you on moving ahead to the next stage. Best of luck in your new writing career.
Thanks Mary, I did have good days teaching, but I suppose near the end these good days became fewer and fewer.
Hi Paul,
I like the reasons you mentioned about quitting teaching. I agree with you. In my opinion here in Thailand specially in Bilingual schools where students are still struggling to learn English as a second language, teachers mostly linger on the basic contents for long time rather going extra miles in terms of enhancing their knowledge in various subject areas. Apparently students are fun loving and least interested towards learning from foreign teachers. Well I think It is quite normal when they are not able to understand what teacher is talking about consequently majority of students never care abut learning but care about keeping expensive gazettes to flaunt among their classmates. These status conscious brats make foreign teacher’s job lot more difficult which leads them to quit teaching.
Ranjita
Hi Ranjita, great to hear from you. I think many of us only appreciate the value of learning after we have left school – at least that is how it was for me. I was one of the disruptive students in school; one of the reasons for this was that I was bored out of my brains. I also think that some students feel pressured into not learning because they have to fit in with their friends – listening to the teacher just isn’t cool. I think there are some exceptionally good treachers who somehow manage to get past some stundent’s reluctance to learn, but most teachers can’t. This is not to say that these other teachers aren’t good teachers.
Paul, When I started teaching in Vietnam it was a dream come true! Years later as I found myself in quite possibly the worse situation I have ever witnessed in a government school in Thailand, I realized this just wasn’t for me anymore. I felt ashamed how much I hated my job and how unprofessional I had become… even more than in the past. Somehow I was considered a good teacher and I hated it even more.
Thanks Dave, I think teaching can be really difficult when we are not happy. Like you, there were many things about the situation that increased my negativity about the job – administration issues. My main reason for leaving though was that I just wanted to do something else.
I could never teach in Thailand with the current system of learning over here. It is amazing that anyone in Thailand learns anything other than what is pounded in their heads. No room for individual thinkers.
Thanks for visiting KK. Yes the current system is all about fitting in with the group rather than being an individual.
Writing vs. Teaching – which is more satisfying? I’ve done both, and I have to say… writing beats teaching in Thailand, solidly. I’m glad you decided to write Paul, I’m reading one of your books now and enjoying the hell out of it.
Good luck to you man!
Thanks Mike, I did turn out to be a great decision. I sometimes wish I’d made it earlier, but I suppose the time has to be right.
hey paul im interested of being a teacher in thailand…i read that you are a nurse…same here..now im in oman working as a nurse..is it possible that you could help me?thanks…
Hi Abby, I stopped teaching a couple of years ago, and things may have changed in regards to regulations. If you have a degree and English is your first language then you will have no problem finding work here. If you don’t have a degree but can speak English then you should still be able to find something – it might not pay too well though or be secure employment. If you want to get the best paying jobs then you are often better off applying to one of the international schools; you will need teaching qualifications to apply for these positions. A lot of schools seem to prefer female foreign teachers so that should make it easier for you to pick up something. Good luck.
I am a non-native speaker of English . Im 47 years old Scandinavian guy living in BKK. No previous experience as a teacher. Is it possible for me to work as a teacher in Thailand if I pass the TEFL exams ?
I just wanna teach , and do something meaningful in my life for the next 2-3 years. I dont need the money to survive.
Hi Henning, I stopped teaching a few years ago so I’m probably not the best person to ask. I think you will find something if you are serious about it. If you do a TEFL course where there is actual classroom experience it would be beneficial. If you speak good English then that is the main thing. Unfortunately in many Thai schools being a native English speaker just means that you have the right skin colour.
Hi Paul, I’ve enjoyed reading your stuff. I’ve just quit teaching in Thailand after a semester in a BKK government school, but am now looking to pursue my writing. I have had a few articles published in a magazine back in the UK this year, and have been keeping a travel blog for some time, but I want to start taking it more seriously now. Do you have any advice? I’m also really into muay Thai, so have found Middle-Aged Muay Thai very interesting, good work! 🙂
Hi Emma, I hope it works out well for you. I suppose the best advice that I can give you is to look after your health. My own health deteriorated after I took up writing full-time due to sitting down all day. It also fried my eyes from starring at the computer for so many hours a day. I use a stand up desk most of the time now and that has improved things.
wow!
i taught for 8 years in bkk.
govt – private – corporate
ALL suck!!
ALL a BIG SHOW.
No Substance AT ALL.
A waste of my 8 years.
Paid well! 40-80,000 THB
SOUL Draining!!
Now i spend too much time online, reading how to avoid sending my kids into the same nest of vipers, burning my eyes and destroying my spine from too much inactivity.
I probably had 3-4 ‘genuinely interested in learning’ students in 8 years.
Almost all are there because someone else sent them there, and that will be an ongoing theme throughout their lives.
eckhart tolle only says what you should already know anyway from being observant…