teaching english in thailand
In my second semester of University (Spring ‘23) I decided that I needed something more that summer. I had a position to go back to my old pub job but I could not handle another summer season in a touristy English town. I felt trapped and wanted the grandest opportunity I could possibly conceive of. I have had desires to teach since I was young, when the opportunity to teach English in Thailand popped up I jumped at it. I met the Gotoco organisation at an open day at my University. I was talked to about the program and that same night I applied. I could not believe it when I was accepted to go for July and August. My friend also decided to apply, and although I believed that to be great at the time I wish it was a trip I went on solo. Going to another continent for the first time to teach English is an experience I was grateful I had a friend for but, with hindsight, I believe that my personal growth could have been so much greater if I did not have that safety blanket. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it massively.
The first week was interesting as it was our orientation, I met a variety of characters from all over England all with their own personal motivations and goals. It was extremely liberating for me to meet so many people alike to me in such a new context, it definitely felt like an out of body experience to meet everyone with our different walks of life. Me and my friend were placed in a school in the south of Thailand, a province called Phatthalung. At first I was skeptical, it was introduced to us as a private school and, being someone who came from a state-school in the UK, I was worried it would be similar to the horror stories of private schools in the UK. My assumptions could not have been further from the truth. The travel down to Phatthalung was one of the most exhausting trips, even though we had an air conditioned train, the bumpy ride, different language and unfamiliar customs left me at unease. It was at times like this that I was grateful to have a friend.
Our arrival at our new home for the next two months was something out of my dreams, seeing all the sights for the first time and knowing that this would be my daily experience made me, once again, feel out of my own body. It is this first day that we also met our school director for the first time, I was worried our sleep-deprived and stinky state was a bad first impression but I hoped she understood our circumstances. She was extremely empathetic and helped us check in to our hotel, allowing us a moment before taking us out for lunch. We ate, talked about our shared experiences, love of teaching and of travel and immediately felt connected. All my previous worries were immediately abolished.
