Assignment 1: Introduction

Hi Everyone!

My name is James, I’m 31 years old and I’m from Cambridge, England. After graduating from Leeds Beckett University in 2015 with a degree in Criminology & Sociology I spent a lot of time travelling around South East Asia, including Thailand (the north in Chang Mai and the southern islands), Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia. This was an amazing time in my life with unforgettable experiences and I’ve wanted to get back to South East Asia ever since! for the last 5/6 years I’ve worked on and off as a tour guide in Cambridge, showing young people from all over the world the fascinating city of Cambridge with its interesting and unique history. This really sparked my passion for working with young people and being able to combine that with my love for travelling is really amazing.

I’m sure there will be many challenges to come especially in terms of cultural and language barriers, adjusting to the hot climate, Thai cuisine and general way of life but particularly with regards to teaching, speaking in front of large classes is a daunting prospect as I’m used to working with smaller groups. I feel though, that approaching this experience with an open mind, enthusiasm and a positive mind set I’ll be able to overcome any challenges thrown my way! I really look forward to meeting lots of wonderful people on the course and gaining valuable life and teaching skills/experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by James Golder.

Hi everyone, my name is Morag and I’m from Scotland. I graduated from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow with a master’s degree in pharmacy in 2023 and I am now trying to explore what my next steps are going to be! I knew from the beginning of my degree that I didn’t really want to become a pharmacist at the end of it, but at the time it felt easier to just stick with what I knew. So, I stuck the course out and graduated anyway. It didn’t help that most of my course took place online due to COVID, which made it even more of a challenge to push myself to explore other potential options for myself.
I think in hindsight that decision was just an easy way out instead of taking a risk and trying to explore something new that I was more interested in. So that’s where teaching in Thailand comes in!

I’ve always loved working with kids and was interested in going down the teaching route, but I was and am still very unsure of what I want for my future and career. So, I want to explore avenues that I have a genuine interest in and that will fulfil me in a way that pharmacy just didn’t. I travelled around Southeast Asia in 2019 and 2023 with friends and I fell in love with the people, culture, weather, and way of life. However, I have never done any travelling alone. So, I think teaching English in Thailand is a perfect opportunity for me to really push myself out of my comfort zone in a way I have never done before. I am excited to learn a new skill and learn how to teach and manage a classroom, and I am excited to live abroad on my own. The Thai people were so kind and welcoming when I travelled as a tourist, so now I am excited to give back and return the favour.

I have a lot of anxieties about living in Thailand, but I have really been working on taking them in my stride. I have never taught in a school, and I have no idea how I am going to handle it. I’m going to feel very overwhelmed and out of my depth at the beginning, but I am preparing for that to be the case, and as with everything, I know I will eventually get the hang of it with time. I have also never lived on my own. I’ve been living in my family home my whole life and I am ready to move out, however, doing so in a different country is a big jump. So, there will be a lot of learning curves. Being away from family and friends for a long period is also going to be a challenge and I am worried about feeling lonely. However, I make friends quite easily and hopefully I can build up a new little support system when I arrive.

I hope throughout this experience I build my confidence and independence and show myself that it is okay to take risks and do things that make you uncomfortable. I also hope to have a little clearer of an idea of what I maybe want for my future, and if not, then at least I’ll have tried something completely new. I also hope to widen my perspectives and outlooks by meeting people from all over the world. I think you can become very closed-minded living in the same place with the same people your whole life, and sometimes a new perspective can be very refreshing.

Hello everyone!
My name is Anna, I am from Oxford in the United Kingdom. I am 31 years old and have been a driving Instructor for the past 5 years. During this time I have completed a Level 2 in Counselling skills, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Counselling. Following on from this I wanted to gain experience working with children and would really love to give something back! I have a huge passion for people and love to travel, so I am very excited for this opportunity to combine the both. I visited Thailand a few years ago with my dad and have wanted to return ever since to see more of what the country has to offer.
I lived in Ibiza a few years back so I have some experience with diving in at the deep end, and being away from home, but I am much more excited for this journey, to improve on some personal and intellectual goals, meet new and likeminded people, and to be able to help the younger generation in a way that they can reach their goals and dreams. My goal in life is to be a coach to help people to fulfil their potential, break down emotional and mental blockers, so that they can follow their true passions. This experience will undoubtably provide me with plenty of experiences to learn and grow.
With my experience in a teaching role and my love of people I think I will do well however, after doing the TEFL course it is a bit daunting and makes you question how well you know your own language, regarding grammar structures in particular. :’D . So I guess we shall see how it goes. One step at a time.
I am due to arrive in Hua Hin on the 24th December, so I have a little time to relax before I start this journey, so please shout if anyone is also arriving a little earlier, it would be great to share life stories over a beer. 🙂
Looking forward to meeting you all and embarking on another adventure!

Hi everyone!
My name is Sarah. I am from South Carolina, United States. I recently graduated with Psychology and Studio Art degrees. I plan to get my master’s or doctorate eventually, but I am taking a gap year to learn more about myself and my career interests.
I discovered my love for teaching English as a second language during a study abroad program in Czechia, where I volunteered at an elementary school. I enjoyed creating a fun learning environment that made kids passionate about their studies. Teaching ESL feels like a great fit for me because I enjoy working with young minds, traveling, meeting new people, and learning about new cultures.
I chose Thailand because it was recommended to me by many people, and I am deeply interested in learning more about its history, culture, and cuisine.
I am very excited about this opportunity to connect and work with people and learn more about myself. While I have lived abroad before, I am excited about this opportunity to become more independent and open to new adventures. I hope to become more confident in myself and figure out what I want to do professionally once my gap year is over.

Hello everyone,
My name is Curtis McLaurin, I am 23 years old, and I live in South Carolina, USA. I have lived in a small town for my whole life until I got the chance to study abroad in Europe during my time at my university. Living in Europe was a great experience for me and decided I wanted to not only continue travelling but to go even further across the world. The east-Asia pacific region of the world has stood out to me for a while and there are many countries here that I want to visit. Thailand especially stands out with its brilliant culture and gorgeous landscapes. I am very interested in visiting historical sites and involving myself in volunteer work. I have only heard good things about the school systems in Thailand and I very much look forward to teaching English there. The main challenge that I expect to face is the first couple weeks of my new teaching position. I have no prior teaching experience, and I expect things to be uncomfortable for the start of the semester. The next big challenge would be learning the Thai language. My hope for this experience is to get my confidence as a teacher established, to help others in my school and community, and to set a good example for Americans abroad. I feel like this is the right time for me to travel and to teach and I am looking forward to it.

Hello, my name is Jon, I am 20 and currently live in Chester in England. I hold a Master’s degree in history from Chester University and currently work full time in sales. I have decided to take part in the programme because I have always wanted to teach and see this as a great opportunity to achieve this internationally. I loved Thailand when I visited and so would like to settle there permanently.
I think the biggest challenges are going to be adjusting to their way of life and navigating the language barrier. I have never learnt the language and never lived outside the UK, so this will be a big adjustment over the first few months. To overcome this I will immerse myself fully into the countries culture and endeavour to learn the language as I go along. I will be entering the country with an open mind and I have always enjoyed challenging myself.
I hope to meet lots of like minded and amazing people who are wanting to travel and see the beautiful country that is Thailand. I also want to develop my teaching skills and build classroom experience.

Hello!
My name is Alex DiGregorio, I am 32 years old from the United States. I grew up in New Jersey a state on the east coast right outside of NYC. I studied Business administration at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. I worked in Finance for the past several years and lived in New York City.
I felt that I was not doing anything fulfilling and after I was laid off in December of 2023, I decided that I needed a career change. I have always loved Thai culture and Thai food, and after doing some soul searching I thought it would be a great opportunity to travel and teach English in Thailand.
While I am sure that adapting to Thai culture will have it’s challenges, I welcome these challenges as I do not think you can grow as a person unless you put yourself in difficult and new situations. I merely am worried about all the paperwork and items needed to teach in Thailand!
I look forward to getting to know all of you better 🙂

Hi, everyone! 😁✌️
My name is Hannah Cook, and I am a teacher here in Canada! I have completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and my Bachelor of Education degree. After graduating from high school, I had the incredible privilege to teach TEFL on the beautiful island of Haiti for the 2017-2018 school year! It was amazing! That was a major year of my life because it helped me to decide two things: I wanted to travel and to immerse myself in as many cultures as possible to learn as much as I could and to see as many places as I could, and I wanted to help make this World a better place for everyone by teaching the next generation who will inherit this World to love themselves, to love the Earth, to love the creatures we coexist with, and to love each other! I returned to Canada and attended university to become a teacher. To finish off my Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, I jumped at the opportunity to study at Oxford University in the UK! I had the privilege of living in the UK for the 3 months of the winter semester, and it was fantastic! During Spring break, I had the chance to visit Rome and explore Italy with a few other fellow Canadian classmates. For a herstory/history buff like myself, it was incredible! I have gotten to visit 12 countries (including beautiful Thailand) total, and I am so lucky to have gotten to do the travelling I have and to have met the people I have! If I have learned anything, it’s that Humans are incredible, and there will always be more kind Humans in this World than unkind ones, and, as long as you “just keep swimming”, you can do anything! Any number of challenges will pop up, but I like to remember what Bandit said in the Bluey tv show (I like to lesson plan with the lessons from that beautiful show in my mind😁), “Obstacles don’t block the path. They ARE the path.” I am so excited to meet more amazing Humans and animals, to eat more delicious food, and to learn as much as I can! I like learning so I can pass it on to my students! Like Brie Larson said, “If I can make the World a better place than the one I was given for those who come after me, than that will be enough for me.” Have a fabulous day and be encouraged! We got this😁!