Assignment 1: Introduction

Hi everyone,
My name is Kirshnee and I am from South Africa.
For the last fifteen years, it has been a dream of mine to have the opportunity to teach English in Asia. Now, after several years in the corporate work sector, I am finally in a position to be able to pursue this passion and venture to Thailand to do exactly that!
Having visited Thailand a while ago, I was struck by the simplicity of the lifestyle and the contentment of many of the people who live there. It was something that really sat with me for a long time and is what has drawn me back to this country once again.
As someone who has been primarily employed in the formal work sector, I believe there are a few challenges I am likely to encounter during my time abroad and while teaching English, namely language and cultural differences and living away from my established life in South Africa. I view these as opportunities to fully immerse myself in life there and be open to experiences without expectation, thus allowing myself to truly appreciate this unique and priceless opportunity.
I hope that I am able to make a meaningful and tangible contribution to the lives of young students, while simultaneously allowing myself to learn and grow as an individual as well. I am specifically looking forward to embracing the child within myself again and shed some of the layers of societal conditioning that I have found so prevalent in the corporate work environment. I trust that my experience working with children will certainly play a direct role in helping me encounter a different aspect of myself and allow myself to safely demonstrate the deep compassion and love I have for others.
I am so looking forward to sharing this experience with you all and look forward to seeing you soon!

Hi everyone, my name’s Wayne and I’m a primary teacher from the UK. I came into teaching a little later in life, after not having the easiest experience at school myself. Because of that, I’m really passionate about helping children feel confident and enjoy learning, rather than worrying about getting things wrong. I aim to create calm, supportive classrooms where students feel safe to have a go, learn from mistakes, and build belief in themselves.

Over the years I’ve worked in a range of settings including mainstream primary schools, specialist SEN schools, mentoring, and alternative provision. Most recently, I worked as a class teacher and middle leader in a specialist SEN school, supporting pupils with autism, ADHD, and speech and language needs. I also led literacy and phonics across the school and enjoyed helping both students and staff develop their skills and confidence. Before teaching, I had some unusual and exciting jobs too — including working at Buckingham Palace and in international hospitality — which helped me develop adaptability, professionalism, and strong communication skills.

I’ve decided to move to Thailand because I want to experience a new culture and fully immerse myself in it. I’m really looking forward to learning more about Thai traditions, daily life, and how education works in a different part of the world.

One of the main challenges I expect to face is the language barrier. I know communication may be difficult at times, especially at the beginning, but I plan to overcome this by learning basic Thai, practising as much as possible, and being patient and open-minded. I also think my experience working with children with speech and language needs will help me to communicate clearly and creatively.

Ultimately, I hope to get a lot out of this experience, both personally and professionally. I want to diversify my teaching experience, develop new skills, and learn from different approaches to education. I’m really excited for the journey ahead and I look forward to meeting everyone and getting started.

Hello , My names Lyndsay and I’m 21 years old from Scotland. I have been passionate about travel as early as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated that a completely different way of life is just a Airplane away. I solo travelled Thailand At the start of 2025 and fell in love with the cultures, traditions and the people. Everyone seems happier & that’s the life I want to create for myself. Traveling opened my eyes to a life I could have, I fly to Thailand on the 26th of march 3 days before the start of my orientation week. I’m super Exited and nervous, however looking forward to seeing what this next chapter will bring me. I left high school and went into collage straight away where I studied sports coaching, after a year in collage I got a coaching role in London. This job opened up my eyes to the potential of teaching. I always enjoyed working with kids as I love to make a positive impact on their future. I think the challenge’s I will face are the language barrier , However I want to try my best to overcome that by learning the basic’s and proceed to learning more.
I hope to get more experience leading me to become more confident, I hope to share all the love I have to give and I hope to receive it back.

Hi,

My name is Patrick, I am 31 years old and I am from Ireland. I work in Recruitment and have a background in Sales, but have always thought about being a Teacher. I play guitar, I’m a gamer and I love food! I also love travelling and experiencing different cultures, and meeting new people.

I spent 3 months volunteering in Thailand as an English Teach in 2024, and fell in love with the culture , people, food and the weather! Coming from Belfast it pretty much rains all the time so experiencing so much sun was definitely a much needed change lol So i decided to take the leap and go live abroad for awhile, and have a longer time to experience the Thai culture. Mostly I just want some Pad Khra Pao again haha

I expect to come across many challenges while abroad. It will be the longest I have ever spent away from my family, but I have told them I will video call every week, and send them videos every day. They are also planning a trip to come see me when I am all settled. Another challenge I think I will face is the language barrier as I know most Thai people don’t speak English, however I am taking Thai lessons and will continue to learn the language while in Thailand, I have set myself a goal of being able to go about my normal day while only speaking Thai.

I think the change in career will be challenging at first but it isn’t the first time I’ve changed career so I atleast have some experience with that, I am currently studying classroom management techniques etc to try prepare myself and plan to continue my studies to keep developing my skills.

I am hoping to make a career for myself, that can take me anywhere in the world. I also hope to experience the Thai culture more fully this time around, going to more temples, muay thai classes, learning the history and speaking the language. Most of all I hope to make some amazing, unforgettable memories.

Hello! My name is Anna Phillips. I am 24 years old and I am from the US. I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a major in business administration and a minor in Spanish. I also studied abroad at Sogang University in South Korea. I have to decided to move to Thailand because I love the culture and teaching kids English is an amazing opportunity. Also I have always wanted to work abroad. Some of the challenges I would have to face is learning the language and adapting to a new environment since it will be my first time in Thailand. I love watching Thai dramas and Thai Youtube videos. This has helped me pick up on a lot of Thai words. When I was in South Korea for 4 months, I was able to adapt to the environment quickly so I think this will be the same for Thailand. I hope that I will build a great community, become fluent in Thai, and become the best teacher that I can be.

Hello,
My name is Rachael and I am 26 years old. I am from Wigan which is a small town in the middle of Liverpool and Manchester in the UK. I am a support worker currently and have been for the past 5 years. I work at a day centre teaching performing arts to young people and adults in the community with disabilities.
I am coming to Thailand because I want to do something different and push myself out of comfort zone. I am really excited to see a new part of the world, meet new people and challenge myself in a completely different environment.
A challenge for me would be that i’m not always the most confident person, especially in new situations so this experience will hopefully help me with this. I plan to overcome this by staying open minded, be patient with myself and simply ask for help if I need it.
From this experience I hope to improve my communication skills and learn how to connect with people from different backgrounds. I hope to make a positive impact while learning a lot about myself along the way too.
I look forward to meeting you all!

Hello,

My name is Olivia Walliser. I was born and raised in Alberta, Canada, and hold dual citizenship between Canada and the United States. I completed a BSc in Psychology from the University of Calgary and continued my post-graduate studies in the United States in Clinical Psychology. Professionally, I have primarily worked as a compliance administrator for a continuing education website and as a freelance grant writer. I currently live in Spain with my two dogs and my husband, Emmanuel.
While we have loved living in Spain, we decided to move to Thailand for the teaching abroad program because we love exploring different countries and cultures. We have been fortunate to be able to travel quite a bit, and we are excited for this new adventure. Additionally, we have a friend who has lived in Thailand for years, who has shared his experiences with us, and his stories further inspired our move.
The challenges I expect to face while in Thailand include learning a new language and living and working in a new country with different customs and rules. I faced similar challenges moving from North America to Spain, and I believe keeping an open mind, participating in the community, and taking proactive steps to learn more about the culture and language will help me face these challenges.
From this experience, I hope to learn more about the Thai culture and people. I hope to make new friends and grow both professionally and personally. I look forward to this new adventure and hope to gain many new happy memories.

Hi my name is Simone. I am a 50 year old wife & mother from Australia. I am an early childhood educator, being in the industry for over 20 years. I am also a qualified Horticulturalist, which I love to include into my daily teachings. I have been married for 30 years and have 2 beautiful adult aged children. Since my husband works away for long periods at a time and both my children are grown adults. I chose to partake in this program as I love the Thai culture, people & landscapes.
I am excited to share my knowledge & skills while learning myself, meet new people, travel to new places and do what I love – teaching.