Assignment 1: Introduction

Hello,

My name is Sarah Cottreau and I am from Nova Scotia, Canada. My family is French Canadian, and I am 22 years old with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. I love to travel because it allows me to see the world though a new perspective and appreciate how unique life is. I love to learn new things about the world and myself, so I think this is a great opportunity for me to do so.

Thailand is a beautiful country that I am so excited to explore. I have never travelled to Southeast Asia as it is very far from my home country so I am looking forward to diving into a new culture. I have heard amazing things about Thailand and decided to teach here because I have a passion for sharing my knowledge to others. This experience will be rewarding for myself and others and I am looking forward to helping children achieve their academic goals.

Moving across the world is a challenge in itself but I am already so proud of myself for taking on this adventure. I will keep an open mind and remain optimistic through my journey. I have been told that the first few weeks may be the hardest due to adjusting to a new lifestyle. I must remain confident, embrace the community, and not to be afraid to ask for help or advice.

I hope to gain a sense of fulfilment from teaching others and for my own personal growth. I believe travelling connects people in unique ways and gives us the opportunity to grow.

Hello everyone,

My name is Jameil. I was born in Canada, moved to England when I was still 1, and then moved to the US where I’ve spent the majority of my life.

I am deciding to travel to Thailand because I appreciate the principles/practices of the culture and am excited to experience and learn from it, part of this will be visiting some of the amazing buildings/temples in the country. I also love nature and am looking forward to doing some travel within the country to enjoy the jungle, meeting/learning about some animals, etc.

I do expect to face some challenges such as learning to navigate the language barrier and customs of the country, dealing with loneliness in a new environment, and learning to be an effective teacher. I expect to overcome these challenges by indulging in the culture and being friendly/respectful to locals, indulging in the culture and getting out and about to at least be around people and hopefully make some friends/acquaintances, and by doing my best to learn from everyone and everything around me.

Out of this experience, I hope to gain new perspectives, new habits, new skills, and especially add to the knowledge I have that creates my view/perspective of the world; to become an even more well-rounded person.

Hi, I’m Ahaththiya, I was born in Denmark and moved to the UK and have lived here since I was 6. I have a degree in biomedical science. I have traveled to many European countries and parts of South Asia before and I am excited to explore more of the world.
I have a passion for teaching and want to make a positive impact on a students cognitive, social and emotional development as I believe it will shape them into the person they will become as an adult. The allure of Thai shows and music artists is one of the reasons I’m drawn to Thailand as well as their beautiful landscapes, good food and vibrant culture. I have decided to combine my interest in teaching with my desire to explore Thai culture to move to Thailand.
I expect to face some challenges such as Language barrier and some cultural differences. I will also be way out of my comfort-zone. l hope to overcome these by learning basic Thai phrases to be able to communicate with the locals and immerse myself in Thai culture and be open to new experiences.
I hope to gain a deep understanding of Thai culture and make many life-long memories. This teaching experience will allow me to have a give and take relationship with the students as I will be educating them, but at the same time I will also be learning from them.
Looking forward to meeting you all.

Hi! My name is Camille and I am from England. I studied Criminology for four years at Liverpool John Moores University and whilst I loved my course, I am always had a strong desire to travel. Having travelled around Thailand for a month in 2022, I felt so passionate about returning for a longer period of time to work and integrate myself into a country so different from what I have grown up in. I have always been drawn to challenge and diversity and after working the previous winter in the French Alps at a 5* chalet, I decided a total change in environment and job would be energising. That is why teaching in Thailand is so exciting to me! I think the main challenge I expect to come across is adjusting to the cultural differences, however I welcome this challenge as it is an aspect that I am enthusiastic to immerse myself into. Therefore, I think to overcome such a challenge, I intend to remain open minded, optimistic and enthusiastic. I hope to gain a lot from the experience. I would love to expand my horizons, gain a sense that I have successfully given back and helped others grow as much as help myself grow and develop. I am thoroughly excited about teaching in Thailand and to getting fully immersed in the experience and Thai culture. I wish everyone else on this experience a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding time.

Hi, my name is Jean-Philippe, I’m 45 y.o, I’m french and I come from Switzerland where I’ve been living for almost 10years.
As a kid, I grew up in several countries in Africa where I was lucky enough to meet several cultures. At 16y.o I experienced for the first time the life in Europe in Bordeaux (France, south west coast of France).
There I learned how to cope with the winter, to surf and I enjoyed the ocean nearby way of life. There, I also studied visual communication at a graphic design art school. 4 years later I got my bachelor and I started a carreer in advertising in Paris as an art director. At time, I was passionate about strategy, creativity and advertising.
After years, as I became reluctant to Paris, I decided to move to London where I lived almost 2 years and I really enjoyed the city thank to his hectic and creative atmosphere.
By hasard I discovered Switzerland and his peaceful atmosphere and beautiful scenery all around lake and mountains and decided to have a new experience there. It was 9 years ago !
I decided to move to Thailand because my fiancee had an opportunity to start a job there and I took it as a fantastic opportunity for me to live once as a teacher in this fantastic country.
The main challenge for me will remain certainly in avoiding misunderstandings between me and thai people due to the huge cultural gap between us.
But I’m so much curious about other that I’ll remain confident enough in my capacity to adapt.
I hope after this experience I’ll be better at speaking thai langage and more aware of the thai cultural particularities and intricacies.

Hello!
My name is Chelsea, and I am from Denver Colorado. I graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in psychology. Since graduating I have worked in the medical field, as well as held several volunteer positions including being a wish granter at Make-A-Wish Colorado, an organization that grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses.
I am planning to move to Thailand because I’ve always been curious about teaching, especially since my dad is a teacher. I see it as an opportunity to explore a new career path. Additionally, living in a different culture has always fascinated me. I know there will be challenges, from adapting to a new way of life and overcoming language barriers, but I believe it will be a great experience to step out of my comfort zone. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Thai culture, connect with students, and learn valuable life skills. This journey is not just about teaching; it’s about personal growth and embracing the unknown.

Hi 👋
My name is mia, I’m from Manchester in the UK. I have lived there all my life but in June 2023 I decided to quit my job and travel. I have been travelling since but I am in need of work. I didn’t want to take on any office job, but also wanted to build my career. That’s when I came across teaching. I have had a little taster of teaching through teach first and I thought it would be amazing for me to teach abroad. I wanted to travel to Thailand, now I can teach and build a new career there too.