Jessica Ward

Wow some of these comments are hilarious. As the person this is all about I figured I’d drop in. Firstly, I have very little to do with this article, I had no idea I was even in the news until my partner told me! I did a favour for a friend back in the UK and allowed her to use me as a case study for a PR campaign she was working on. Hence why the article is so light - I am not interested in having my personal life in the media and I was not really supposed to be the spotlight. No-one expected it to go global and to be picked up by so many news outlets in Thailand! The PR in me applauds her for gaining international coverage, yet personally I am less thrilled. Either way, it is what it is, and she is a very dear friend so no grudges held! It was supposed to be less about me and more about the cost of living in the UK, but the media seemed to take a different angle than intended. Yes the state of the UK is a bit ridiculous at the moment and was one of the many reasons we felt moving was a good idea. My partner has spent over 7 years living in Thailand previously. He came home, we met, had a baby and he always felt as though he wanted to return. His job here also covers pretty much everything living wise. Director level and YES HE HAS A WORK PERMIT! My career took a bit of a back foot when Cece was born. Being self employed can be hard and being that my specialism (Marketing and PR) is based on selling time, as she got older I had less and less to sell. Nursery costs in the UK are about £1,800 per month on average. Also hard to find a good nursery and we had very little help from family. The childcare costs alone made me working impossible, Vs Thailand I am paying £120 a month in a Thai nursery which Cece absolutely loves and is already picking up Thai. As for how we afford things and how much money we have coming in, frankly that’s none of your business! Would you like it if people were making comments on how much money YOU had in the bank? Do better! Yes we both have the relevant work permits/Visas to stay here and everything is absolutely above board. Due to my partner living here for so long previously, we have a lot of friends here and a good network. Also yes we LOVE Thai food! It wasn’t a quick decision we had been talking about it for over a year before making the move. The truth is I had never been to Asia before moving so I took a huge gamble and it paid off. We love our life here and hope for it to continue. My mothers side of the family originates from Hong Kong so the culture doesn’t feel too dissimilar to my upbringing, which actually makes me feel more at home here. We had a very middle class lifestyle in the UK and we are very lucky we had good jobs and savings to facilitate the move and initial set up. However with childcare costs, food costs etc rising it was either downsize and work more, or move to Thailand, work the same amount but find that balance and enjoy life. We also wanted our little girl to have a better life than what we think the UK can provide. It worried me that growing up in a UK school where kids are stabbing other kids, and bullying is at an all time high thanks to social media, would negatively impact her. Here in Thailand I get to watch her play outside on the street with other kids and there is a much more community feel, which I love. This article, and many like it, have been pulled from GB News - so don’t believe everything you see on the internet people! These articles can be like Chinese whispers, the original message diluted and “facts” in reality, are fiction. The GB News article was pulled from a press release so even that isn’t a true reflection. I was never interviewed directly or contacted by any media outlet. I rarely use LinkedIn, but if you want to keep up with me, feel free to follow me on Instagram @jesswardauthor - this is where I am most active. No I’m not an “influencer” either. I don’t care about my follower count, but I won’t be making any further comments on here. I do not owe any of you an explanation, but I felt it was right to clear a few things up. I’ve shared all that I am willing to share on a public forum. If you have read this far thank you, and I hope you have a great day!