Teaching and learning in Asia

I was stuck in the library one cold, dark afternoon in February when I decided to take a six-month break in my studies to go travelling. My decision is a popular one for students to make; the Gap Advisory Service (gapadvice.org) estimates that every year 250,000 people aged 16 to 25 take a year out of some kind.

The reasons to take a gap year, while being particularly evident on a winter day in Britain, are manifold. Gap years even make you more employable, according to the 88% of employers surveyed by the Association of Graduate Recruiters who think people who have had a gap year tend to be more independent, motivated and confident. And according to the vast number of gap year organisations across the world, it not only enhances your career prospects, but it has the potential to change your life.

As a student who went on a six-month teaching and travelling adventure in Asia, I can certainly say my life has never been the same since.

Despite the fact I had barely been beyond the boundaries of Britain, I relished the thought of leaving my comfort zone of family, friends and familiar surrounds for an exotic faraway land. My heart was set on Thailand, but with only part of my student loan left, I had little more than enough money to cover a return flight!

However, thankfully money didn’t hinder my travelling plans, as I discovered I could earn while I travelled - by working as an English teacher.

There is a high demand for English teachers in Asia and many backpackers opt to teach while, during or after they travel. Not only does it allow you to save money, you also get to know the country and its people from the inside; as a worker and not simply a tourist.

Sometimes work as an English teacher can be secured simply on the grounds that you are a native English speaker - but preference is usually given to those with qualifications or experience.

So to increase my chances of finding work, I enrolled on an online teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) Diploma course through i-to-i International, one of the world’s biggest organisations arranging voluntary and work placements abroad. It cost £195, took just 60 hours to complete, and as well as forcing me to brush up on my grammar skills, it provided me with lesson ideas and advice about planning and preparing for the trip; all of which made the idea of working as a teacher and living in a foreign country much less daunting.

I received a TEFL Diploma at the end of the course and within weeks I was offered a six-month paid teaching placement in Bangkok.

Arriving in Bangkok, it felt like I had been hibernating all my life. It took at least a week before the buzz of the city started to thrill me; at first I was completely bewildered. The constant stream of cars and motorbikes carelessly zipping back and forth, horns of multi-coloured taxis blaring, rusty bicycles attached to food carts, open-top trucks, wobbly tuk tuk and over-loaded battered buses…it was like the scene of a Hollywood blockbuster, just before a superhero comes leaping out of chaos!

All thoughts of home faded fast as I started living like a Thai. With delicious hot and cold food sold for less than £1 on every corner (from fresh fruits to meat on a stick and live insects!); the laid-back friendliness of the people, beautiful ancient golden temples appearing as if out of nowhere among modern buildings - it was difficult not to fall in love with the city.

A city that never sleeps, Bangkok is a 24-hour feast for the senses. From the intoxicating aroma of Chinatown and the buzz of the Night Bazaar to Chao Praya River, where a ‘hop on, hop off’ cruise for around £2 takes you to temples including Wat Arun and the Golden Reclining Buddha.