Living The Dream

[Bluecat]

Basically I'm a 29 yr old single man who is ready to give up living in the U.K. and move to Thailand permanently. I already have a TEFL course place in Pattaya which is paid for and a little room near the centre my Thai GF has found for me, so now I'm just working away to raise the cash for the first couple of months.

If a person is happy, what can money buy him,...?

[igotworms]

Obviously for some, teaching in a foreign land is merely a means to an end. A method of supporting one's submersion into an exotic culture, or perhaps escaping from their own. Some of these people may learn to love teaching, and perhaps lead them towards a new career. Some may use teaching as an entry point and eventually carve out their niche outside the realm of teaching. And most definitely, the hacks, slackers and degenerates who waste the time, resources, and money of the foreign socieity will tire of teaching and will depart from said country due to boredom and unfulfillment. They will float from school to school, realizing that teaching takes up the majority of their time, and having their lives centered upon a field that is ultimately empty and unfulfilling to them will be the factor determining their return home.

As for the Degree debate, whether it be a teaching degree or non-related, I would much prefer to hire a teacher with a degree providing that they have the enthusiasm opposed to a high school grad with a makeshift TEFL certificate under their arm. Most graduates with a four year degree walk away with more than a formal education. Dedication, problem solving, free-thinking, curiosity, researching skills, stress management and social awareness are just a few qualities that most university grads develop and are also attributes essential to a good teacher.

Be warned, Thailand is very addictive. I entered the kingdom on a whim, scheduled a year of my time to this journey and planned various paths beyond Thailand. Nearly three years later, I find myself engrossed by the LoS and can not see how there is any other way to live. Though it is bitter-sweet, separated from family and friends by an ocean, some static and a constant delay can cause some mental discomfort.

Living the dream indeed, but that is definitely subjective and dependent upon the individual. If it feels right, do it, and if it doesn't work out, it will be one of the sweetest failures that you'll ever have the fortune of committing.

[riderpty]

Be warned, Thailand is very addictive.

. . .

Living the dream indeed, but that is definitely subjective and dependent upon the individual.  If it feels right, do it, and if it doesn't work out, it will be one of the sweetest failures that you'll ever have the fortune of committing.

Will it always be the sweetest? In fact for some it will be the bitterest if not indeed the last. The loss of one’s self-respect, health, freedom, wallet, heart, and very life is a very real possibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“Addictive” is the operative word. There are good addictions, perhaps, and then there are bad. Can an addict survive a clearly self-destructive addiction, as Thailand can be, once it’s taken hold? Maybe, maybe not. Have you ever chanced to have had the sad experience of helping scatter a former friend’s ashes in Pattaya Bay? I have. The occasion thoroughly impressed upon me that trying to live in Thailand, esp. Pattaya, without good support behind you—without, for example, a fulfilling job, adequate income now and in the future, relatively secure legal status, AIDS awareness, trustworthy mates or family, common sense, self-restraint—is more than a little dangerous. Like all who move here, he never imagined that his dream could turn into a nightmare. Indeed, if you could communicate with him today up there in The Great Beer Bar In The Sky, you’d be hard pressed to convince him that it would just be a lot better to still be having boring but comfortable dinners with his family in Surrey than to have died betimes in Pattaya. That’s how crazy Thailand addicts become.

Having sounded that dissonant note, I thoroughly enjoyed and agreed with the rest of your post.

[mbkudu]

Igotworms, I agree the most with the first paragraph of your post. The degenerate, bad teachers are pushed out eventually by mostly lack of fulfillment

as you say. Someone here said Thailand is a filter; the dregs flow out and the good stay. This young man will never know whether he'll be a good teacher unless

he gives it his best shot. A positive attitude and determination are really the keys to success. As far as qualifications go, I would say a TEFF or RSA certificate is enough. Asking for a four year degree is too much. Most people who have four year degrees would not consider teaching English. If they do, it is treated merely

as a stepping stone to a better career, not a long term dedication.

Ajarn, I agree with all that you say, but I think you are being far too serious and rigid in your thoughts on qualifications. I will admit that when I started teaching

(1991-1999), I had no teaching qualifications. I had a certificate from vocational trade school. I was 'winging' it for awhile until I really started buckling down.

After a few years, I collected a very good set of students full time and made very good money. I will say that if I had had good training from the beginning, life would have been much easier and not so embarassing for that first year. I say to the original poster: Just do it. If you don't like after a few years, bail it and do something else. One thing though. Your expectations are too low. Try to make more money than what you think is 'enough to get by.'

[Rhys]

It can be done... Yet, head up country to Issan....Get into the boonies for a bit.. The adventure of P-tang city can wait. Wages are relative... If you came here to make money..go back.. ..the life is different, and so are you now.. Good luck teaching stay away for the ----tempations of your students.. Good luck.. cheers

[igotworms]

Will it always be the sweetest? In fact for some it will be the bitterest if not indeed the last. The loss of one’s self-respect, health, freedom, wallet, heart, and very life is a very real possibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

...

“Addictive” is the operative word. There are good addictions, perhaps, and then there are bad. Can an addict survive a clearly self-destructive addiction, as Thailand can be, once it’s taken hold? Maybe, maybe not. Have you ever chanced to have had the sad experience of helping scatter a former friend’s ashes in Pattaya Bay?

Death becomes us all. No, I have not buried any close friends in Thailand as of yet, nor do I doubt that that is a likely possibility. Granted, the roads, traffic, and hidden dangers in this kingdom can be treacherous and fatal. A person entering this kingdom must have their wits about them and a strong sense of rational judgement.

But death is random and inevitable and can happen in any land at any time. Hopefully, when faced with such dangerous situations, one will have time and good fortune on their side. Unless, a 100 km/h bus is barreling down upon them with no escape, time is not always a favourable factor. Be constantly aware and arm yourself with the language, good friends and perhaps a little luck from Buddha, Allah, JC, or Ganesh will definitely be needed along the way.

riderpty, sorry for your loss.

[riderpty]

But death is random and inevitable and can happen in any land at any time.

Oh, I think we're all pretty much aware of that, but the question you see is whether it is less random in Thailand in some proportion to the "sweetest failures" being so, which you find not in the least random but assured in the absence of sweet success. And I believe that the statistics on farang suicides in Pattaya at least show quite clearly a much higher rate than one would normally expect in a random sample. Hence references to farang jumping off balconies have become practically a cliche. And the stats hide other kinds of slow suicides like alcoholism. I think there are definite correlations to be observed that give pause to the notion that one can blithely quit his job back home and move to Thailand with little money and be sure of a sweet success or at the least a sweet failure. It really isn't that clear and simple.

[Sunburn]

Thanks again everyone for your help & advice. Just to let you all know, I am still going to do the course in December, but I have taken note & am also looking at doing a BA in English when I come back (not sure when that'll be, but I'll let you know how I get on.)

Kawp khun khrap

[otherstuff1957]

Sunburn - I'll add my voice to the "go for it" crowd. I'm 18 years older than you, but still healthy, fit, active and irresponsible. 9 months ago I jumped on a plane to BKK with a fairly truthful CV and copy of my University transcript in my bag (a BS, not a BA in English), it took me about 3 days to find a teaching job at 30K per month. Not a great wage, but a tad over survivor level.

You may have visa problems, you may find the beer and girls just a little too tempting, you may have problems with the heat, food or your girlfriend, but if you don't do it, you'll spend the rest of your life wondering what you missed.

Quite a few people end up going home after a year or so, but they rarely seem to regret the time they spent here.

[Ajarn]

Igotworms, I agree the most with the first paragraph of your post. The degenerate, bad teachers are pushed out eventually by mostly lack of fulfillment

as you say. Someone here said Thailand is a filter; the dregs flow out and the good stay. This young man will never know whether he'll be a good teacher unless

he gives it his best shot. A positive attitude and determination are really the keys to success. As far as qualifications go, I would say a TEFF or RSA certificate is enough. Asking for a four year degree is too much. Most people who have four year degrees would not consider teaching English. If they do, it is treated merely

as a stepping stone to a better career, not a long term dedication.

Ajarn, I agree with all that you say, but I think you are being far too serious and rigid in your thoughts on qualifications. I will admit that when I started teaching

(1991-1999), I had no teaching qualifications. I had a certificate from vocational trade school. I was 'winging' it for awhile until I really started buckling down.

After a few years, I collected a very good set of students full time and made very good money. I will say that if I had had good training from the beginning, life would have been much easier and not so embarassing for that first year. I say to the original poster: Just do it. If you don't like after a few years, bail it and do something else. One thing though. Your expectations are too low. Try to make more money than what you think is 'enough to get by.'

Mk, you certainly have made good points, I never meant to devalue you personally, nor did I intend to be too serious or rigid in my thinking. If that's the case, my apologies. I stand by my words, and accept all true responsibility.

But, it's true that I do feel serious about teaching. It's my heart and it's my Profession, and I've always taken my work, and my heart, seriously, and with due respect. But, I sure don't like rigidity any more than you do. It builds barriers.

I think in two worlds. The world of Reality, and My Opinion.

I know about Khao San road type teachers...I've hired a number of them. I've snuck through a few, too! Surprised? When I was a DoS in Bkk some years ago, I went a lot by my intuition in hiring, once the basic requrements were met Maybe I was just lucky, but the backpackers and others I hired worked out great, just as I expected.

Of course, my bottom line was what was best for our students. I'n most other schools, the hiring is usually done by Thais, and they are much less intuitive than other farangs, when it comes to hiring farangs, in my experience. I felt I could much more easily screen out the potential problems, and there were many...I was shocked by some. Some seriously. Some quickly got hired at another place, maybe down a peg or two.

Hey, I came here on a dream, and succeeded. He can, too, if he's sharp, as I said. Those boiler room guys had skills any school would value...How to con, I mean, 'motivate' kids into learning, for one...

But, the students shouldn't be put up as guinea pigs . Even the various volunteer teachers must be held to standard, and be held accountable. My, that does sound rigid!

Thailand has always seemed like a mixture of Noah's Ark and Pandora's Box. A bit of everything, good and bad....

Onward, through the fog

[igotworms]

But death is random and inevitable and can happen in any land at any time.

Oh, I think we're all pretty much aware of that, but the question you see is whether it is less random in Thailand in some proportion to the "sweetest failures" being so, which you find not in the least random but assured in the absence of sweet success. And I believe that the statistics on farang suicides in Pattaya at least show quite clearly a much higher rate than one would normally expect in a random sample. Hence references to farang jumping off balconies have become practically a cliche. And the stats hide other kinds of slow suicides like alcoholism. I think there are definite correlations to be observed that give pause to the notion that one can blithely quit his job back home and move to Thailand with little money and be sure of a sweet success or at the least a sweet failure. It really isn't that clear and simple.

Pattaya is not especially known for its clean living expat residents. If you're inclined towards the drink and have a lot of time on your hands, trouble will likely seek you. And if you're consorting with folk who frequent the seedier side of Pattaya, with a diluted sense of perception and an insatiable itch for the working girls, your chances of doom infinitely increase. Or if you lack any sense of business skill, or seem perplexed and dismayed that your bar is fast losing money, a long walk off a balcony is a good way for some to exit such dilemmas.

If you travel to Thailand armed with a few perilous addictions, the probability of misfortune increases considerably compared with living with addictions in one's home country. There shouldn't be any question on why farangs off themselves in this country. But that shouldn't deter anybody else from giving it a go here. If you come here ill-prepared or predisposed to failure, well, your chances of living the dream are ill fated from the beginning.

Thus, if you're a <deleted> up in your home country, you're bound to be a bigger <deleted> up in this country.