Approximately 7 minutes ago, I just finished my last day of my first ever (real) teaching job.
The rush of emotions is incredible. You know when chapters finally closed and you can actually feel the next page turning? This is how this feels.
I’ve lived in Thailand for (almost) 6 years, and worked at my school for 5 of those years. And while COVID-19 has other plans for my next move, there’s no denying what feels like the end of an era.
When I first moved to Chiang Mai at the ripe age of 23, I had no plans of becoming a teacher, living in Thailand for more than 2 years, or staying abroad for an unknown amount of time. But here I am, wanting to live abroad forever and teach teenagers why Math is actually the best subject.
I hold a very unique space because all of my adult life has been spent overseas. I don’t know what it’s like to be an adult in the United States and I probably won’t for a very long time. But I still hold that I’ve been living a full life over here in Thailand. I’ve had my heart broken multiple times, dealt with trauma, grown away from toxic relationships, found people who love math and books just as much as I do, traveled extensively in SE Asia, met and built friendships with people from the internet, pushed myself to try new things, became a qualified teacher, and even moved into the first house that I could call my own (rented of course).
And while this is not the life that I had ever pictured for myself in a million years, I wouldn’t take it back in a single instant.
These 5 years wouldn’t be without a few lessons along the way, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a few things that teaching internationally has taught me:
Always have a backup plan
There’s truly nothing like living in SE Asia to teach you how to be flexible; from random power outages to random immediate changes in the schedule, it always helps to have a backup plan when something goes amiss.
Since my school is located in the jungle, I always try to have some sort of offline backup plan just in case it starts to rain too hard.
The International Teaching Community is SMALL
Once you’ve finished an initial contract, you’ll now have a network of people who have worked all over the world. It makes a difference to make a good impression. People might not necessarily know the school you work at, but they might know someone who knows someone working at your school.
There are a lot of perks!
Most contracts will lure you in with perks to make the idea of living abroad easier. Some will offer you end of contract bonuses and annual flights home. But they don’t all stop there. I’ve even heard of school giving out small car loans and putting money towards retirement.
These small things help make the 16 hour time difference a little easier.
A non contractual perk is the community of international teachers you build. I now have friends who are from Colombia, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Thailand. These are all people I never would have met without coming abroad first.
You become more relaxed
Since living in a country that has multiple ways to say “relax”, it’s no surprise that that’s rubbed off on me a little. Even though my Type A personality hasn’t completely gone away, it’s definitely lessened its grip on my life.
I probably won’t ever live in the US
Lastly, teaching at an international school has stolen my heart in a very special way. It’s opened my eyes to the bigger world around me. It’s made me more open to crazy experiences and to trust the process. The kids are incredible. The travel opportunities are unreal. It’s hard to find solid reasons to return. While I love the occasional visit, I often find myself yearning to be uncomfortable in a new country again.
It’s been a rollercoaster of an experience here in Thailand and I know I’ll continue to look back at this time with the utmost fondness and gratitude.
Unless next time loves
xo
-Ari
