What it ACTUALLY costs to be a teacher abroad / A month of logging purchases

After writing my post about what it costs to be a teacher in Thailand, I was dubious of my math and where my money actually went. So for the past month I've logged every single purchase, a interesting and insightful habit I no doubt got from my father, from the 1st of August to payday (which was early this month). It's quite fascinating to see where all your money goes, especially in a foreign country.

Looks like my estimation of about 11,000 for the absolute necessities was offset by my overwhelming desire to buy beautiful trinkets (including some expensive boots, a scarf, and a purse) and a bottle of Campari for myself. I took out the previously mentioned items on a side bar showing the expenses of the month without them to show a more realistic amount of money spent (because they totaled to about 7000 baht...oof).

August 9 - 12 I spent in Pai and there was no mercy to my spending... I figured it would be my last time in the beautiful artsy city, so bought everything I wished to bring home and remember.

So as you can see, my estimation was a tad off. I will explain though that this month I was quite frivolous with my spending as I have developed more of a mindset of buying things that I can bring home that will remind me of this trip. A lot of teachers may spread that over their 6 months, or years here...and I did most of it in August (hence the frighteningly high shopping category).

Also, some teachers may try and save money while they are here... which is totally doable. Even putting a couple thousand baht away every month can definitely add up at the end of your trip.

While there is a canteen that gives me my meals for free (and I theoretically shouldn't have spent 4000+ baht on dining out...), some of my best experiences are trying new restaurants and exotic dishes in town.  I also missed a few laundry trips in this chart. Oops. 

Hope this helps people to see where most of your money will go when you are in this beautiful country!

Any questions ? ---> amyskinner05@gmail.com

Day 100 // FAQ's about Teaching English Abroad (Round III)

More emails = more questions and answers! Thanks for all the questions guys, it makes my heart so happy that people are reading this blog and getting some use out of it :)

Any more questions send them my way - amyskinner05@gmail.com

FAQ's Round III

What is one thing you really wish you had packed and didn't? 
There is not much in Thailand that you can't buy if you leave at home. I do wish I brought more comfortable work clothes, I barely packed anything and wound up buying a lot of my clothes at the mall because what I actually did bring was so friggin hot or not "polite" enough for work. If you can find button up linen shirts I definitely recommend those for the hotter months. I know it cools off significantly for October - January so it's not as bad.

I also wish I brought a smaller backpack, I have a large purse I use at school and a traveling backpack for long trips, but nothing in between. And you can buy backpacks here, but the quality is just a tad less than a nice North Face back pack or Jansport from the states. Just me thinking out loud.

What did you bring that has turned out to be totally useless?  
My hair appliances and too much makeup. I used to spend a good 30 minutes on my hair every day back in America before I left the house, either straightening it, curling it or this and that. I have maybe done my hair once in Thailand, and within minutes  sweated it out. It's so humid and you sweat so much it really doesn't matter, and vanity isn't the same thing in this culture as it is in America. That might me just me though, but this place can really help you become very low-matienence. I also would recommend packing small amounts of toiletries to get you through the first weeks, because they have giant shopping malls that have everything you will need.

Whatever your hair looks like in 5000% humidity, just work it. 

I also was FREAKING out before this trip thinking I needed to bring a gazillion teaching resources with me so I would be better prepared for my first week. So I went to kinkos and had them print out all the sample teaching material CIEE gave us…which turned out to be nearly 900 pages. The binder sits on my desk and I haven't touched it in my time here. Everything you really need can be found online or ask other teachers.

I actually printed all million pages and brought them to Thailand, yea don't do that. 

How difficult is it, really, to learn and use Thai?  
Thai is confusing, but not impossible. You will learn that tones are very important, so you can say the same word in different ways and it will change the meaning. So "maa" said with no real change in pitch means "come here." But "maa" said with a rising tone, kind of like how we would read maa? means "dog". It's things like that that get challenging because our language changes tone to imply meaning and change sentence tone…sooooo that's fun to work on with your students. I've learned the basics fairly quickly because you kind of have to to get around the market and use public transportation. CIEE does a great intro to Thai lesson that helped me immensely.

Get your maa's straight.

Where have you traveled that I absolutely should visit?  
I am up in Chiang Rai (one of the northern most cities), so most of my travels have been up north. I love Pai (i've been there twice), it's like a westerners paradise in the hills of Thailand, all very hippie and artsy. Chiang Mai is great too, a lot more relaxed but still super busy (though nothing like Bangkok). There is pretty much everything in Chiang Mai, shopping, temples, zoos, museums, hill tribes, food, etc. The beaches are calling my name and I will be headed down south in October. But Chiang Rai as a city is awesome too, we have the amazing White Temple which is definitely worth a visit.

Any advice you wish someone had given you when you first arrived?  
That the few first weeks are going to be hard. Homesickness and anxiety are real when you make a huge change like this. Just knowing my drastic emotions at the beginning of this experience were not unwarranted made me feel better. It's a hard transition for some. I would have liked to know that culture shock and all that is very real but is totally manageable with the right resources (like a hospital visit and some medicine for me).

What are the best and worst dishes you have eaten?  
Ooooh Kao Soy, it is my favorite dish I've had in Thailand for sure. It's only up north because it's a traditional Burmese dish. It's a sort of sweet and savory coconut curry with noodles, chicken, onions, lime, and crispy fried noodles. Seriously the most incredible dish ever. Also Pat Thai, som tom (papaya salad), sticky rice with anything, pad see ew, pad pack boong (Stir friend morning glory), and mango sticky rice are all delicious plates. As for fruit, mangosteens are amazing. I've never had anything like them, and have a hard time comparing them to anything back home.

I haven't had too many awful plates, but I did try sheep's brain the other day and wasn't really into that. It was very creamy… And durian fruit isn't my favorite. It's a SUPER stinky and pungent fruit that smells like gas,  but tastes somehow different. Another creamy consistency that I didn't enjoy much.

Kao Soy, the most glorious of all the foods

The main thing I've learned on this experience is that you will be thrown a lot of curve balls, and you take them all as they come. It will be nothing totally out of your ability, but it will challenge you and you roll with it. I wanted to know about absolutely everything before I left, but it's so hard to get all the answers you want because every school, every city, every experience is so drastically different. The great thing about Thailand though is they are very good about "saving face" and not shaming each other or embarrassing each other, so even if shit goes south, it's okay. The Thais just laugh it off. This can be very frustrating, but sometimes just what you need when you have a total shit show of a class, or day, it's all good.

Cost of Living in Thailand as a Teacher

Living in Thailand initially got me stoked on how cheap everything is, but that was when I had my American income frame of mind. Being a teacher provides us with more than enough income to live comfortably in Thailand, but you still have to be smart about superfluous spending.

So here is a break down on my expenses in the past 3 months living here (remember, this is fairly subjective and could vary depending on your priorities while here... like how buying a guitar was very important for me the first month...goodbye 3,000 baht...oof).

Exchange Rate: 30 baht = $1 US Dollar

My salary: 25,000 baht a month (paid on the last Friday of every month)

Basic Expenses

         

Accommodation: Free (most likely) // Monthly: Free

If you are going through the CIEE program (or OEG) you will most likely get housing taken care of. Some of the teachers I’ve met have to pay rent and utilities, but share it at a discounted price with multiple roommates. I am at a boarding school, so housing and utilities are free. 

Dining Out: roughly 100 baht a day // Monthly: 3,000 baht

Thai food is one of the things that bring me the most joy here. Seriously. The food here is so good it will make you emotional. Maybe that’s just me.

My school feeds me for every meal, so hypothetically my food expenses could be zero, but I find myself wanting to leave campus often and try new restaurants out on my own time, which equals about 100 baht a day.

A cheap Thai meal: 20-30 baht a plate (the best pad thai/som tam/mango sticky rice you’ve ever had at a restaurant where no English is to be found)

An expensive Thai Meal: 90-150 baht a plate (normally just as delicious as it’s cheaper counter part, but at a more westernized location that is more appealing to foreigners, usually because things are in English)

Average Western meals (because sometimes you just need a pizza dammit) 

          250 baht for a hamburger & fries

     60 – 80 baht for French fries

     300 baht for a personal pizza

     500+ baht for larger pizzas

Groceries: roughly 300 baht per visit // Monthly: 1,000-2,000 baht

Unfortunately I am not blessed with a kitchen, so I rely on leftover meals and snacks to satiate my appetite and occasional midnight eating binges. Some people get to cook a lot of their meals, so their expenses in this category would be much higher.

My groceries mainly entail candy for my students, dried fruits, granola bars, instant noodles, fruit, and more fruit.

Laundry: 30 baht per load // Monthly: 180 baht

Do yourself a favor and have someone do your laundry. I didn’t know hell until I washed my pile of clothing in my scary shower during the scorching heat of May, sweating through all the clothes I was wearing, then needing to wash those as well, and to top it all off the water was brown. I was washing my clothes in mud, or something worse than mud. And anything cotton (so everything I own) didn’t dry for 3 days in the humidity. #endrant

Then I met Aoy, who has one washing machine and a small market near the school, and she is my new Tuesday & occasional Thursday laundry buddy. For 20 baht you can wash a small load, and 30 baht a large load. It spins out your clothes so they are nearly dry when you take them home, and a short hanging on a drying rack will do the trick.

Motorbike: 150 a day (if rented daily) // Monthly: 2,500 baht  (if rented per month)

I could write a whole page on Motorbikes…but main point: Wear a helmet. Don’t be stupid.

Taxi: 40+ per ride // Monthly: depends on how often or if a taxi if your main source of transportation

If you call a taxi to pick you up, they tack on 20 baht for a call center fee. The meter will always start at 30 baht. Most of the time your driver will be awesome and just charge you the meter fee, but occasionally they like to stiff people and charge 10 baht per kilo…which can seriously add up and is always more expensive. Make sure you tell your driver meter, and if they say no…another taxi will say yes.

Tuk Tuk: only if you are desperate

While Tuk Tuks should be cheaper, they normally aren’t. Unless there are 6 of you and piling into one to get a few kilos away is more convenient. They will give you a flat fee that will probably be twice as much as a taxi ride, but they are every where and if you want to pay for the convenience, go for it.   

        

Phone (Data & Minutes): anywhere from 100 - 2,500 baht a month (totally subjective here)

2,500 baht may seem like a lot, and it is. This is how much I spend because I have a data plan and call home quite often. But these things have been my saving grace in connecting me with my family and my boyfriend back home. So for about 550 baht a month, I get an unlimited data plan and can use my iPhone for anything. The rest is for those long calls home, where you find yourself on the phone for over 45 minutes telling your loved ones everything that has been happening, and hearing about life back in the states. For anyone doing a long distance relationship on their journey here, being able to text (use Line or WhatsApp) and call at anytime has made things a lot easier on being 7,500 miles apart :(

On the other end of the spectrum, my roommate only uses around 100-200 baht per month on her phone since she relies on other methods of communication (like the internet or calling other people through OEG because it’s free).

Booze : roughly 1,000 baht a month

Large Beer (Leo, Chang, Singha): 80 baht

Campari and soda (elixir of life and happiness and rainbows): 120-180 baht

Because alcohol.

* I’m definitely leaving out a lot of other things you spend money on in Thailand, but this is a good rough guide to see the absolute basics (take out booze if that's not a priority...)

Miscellaneous Expenses 

Bus to Chiang Mai from Chiang Rai: 185 baht

Movie ticket: 180 baht

Thailand has some swanky movie theatres.

Thai Massage (1 hr): 200 baht

These should be required after every day of work. For everyone. Ever.

Opening a bank account: 500 baht

It is a lot easier to have a Thai bank account so you aren’t carrying around your monthly paycheck of 25,000-ish baht in your wallet, or getting charged like crazy for exchange fees from withdrawing from your home bank account.

Trip to the Hospital / 6 different prescriptions: 650 baht

A hospital visit is synonymous with seeing a doctor in Thailand. When I had my panic attacks the first weeks here, I went to the hospital and for 650 baht was given 6 prescriptions for my anxiety and sleeplessness. Needless to say, wtf that’s ridiculously excessive. I took one or two only when I really needed to, not all 6 every day. BUT, if you are in need of a doctor/hospital visit, it is quite cheap to get help.

~
So living in Thailand won't completely drain your bank account. However, I have been close to spending most of my paycheck each month, oops.

Any other things I left out you are interested in? Let me know! I'll update the list accordingly :)

Email me with any questions: amyskinner05@gmail.com

Day 77 // FAQ's About Teaching Abroad (Round II)

Round 2 of more Teaching Abroad Questions! Thanks to everyone who is emailing me, it makes my heart happy this blog is being read and helping out some of you :)

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Did you have to get a TEFL Certificate? 
Getting a TEFL Certificate for Thailand is (from what I understand) now optional. I decided to take the 12 week course (after paying CIEE $500 to enroll me in it) about 6 weeks before I left. I was freaking out about taking a job in a foreign country I have zero qualifications for and wanted as much experience as I could get before I left. The problem was once I left for Thailand, all my work started to dwindle. I was tardy on turning in the assignments because moving to Thailand and experiencing everything firsthand was taking priority. So I wound up not completing any of the last assignments, because at that time I had already started teaching and understood what my school needed from me. But because of that I never got TEFL certified...

So my advice is if you want that extra amount of experience to help you before you move to Thailand, I would take the TEFL course, but just make sure you finish it before you leave the country, or right around that time. It becomes too much to balance traveling and meeting new people and orientation, with homework every week (due at exactly midnight Chicago time on sunday nights).  Looking back, I wish I did not take it, just because it was FAR more intense ESL Teaching material than most of us are doing here in Thailand. The TEFL program shows how to teach grammar, critical reading, pronunciation, intonation, and other material that most of the students probably don't know yet, or they are learning from their Thai teachers. And the best way I learned to teach was from the first couple weeks of trial and error (which we all want to avoid the error part, but it's inevitable). Some of my friends completed the TEFL certification before they left and said the Practicum was the most beneficial part, which is where you shadow an ESL teacher or you practice teach for 20+ hours and write a review on it. It sounds like you would be capable of this pretty much any where and could shadow other ESL teachers to get a better feel for the classroom energy.

Did you do it through CIEE? 
I went through CIEE to set me up in a TEFL course, but it took them a while to get everything organized, so I was beginning my TEFL class with 6 weeks left until I left for Thailand (and the program is a 12+ week program). Perhaps it was my fault I didn't contact the correct people in time, but if you want to take the TEFL class through CIEE I would let them know as soon as possible so you can complete it before you leave, or at least be almost done by the time you leave.

Any insight into deciding which country to travel to? 
I have always been drawn to Thailand, ever since my brother traveled here 8 years ago through the same CIEE program and taught in Chiang Mai. His stories of the culture and the people have stayed with me ever since. From my understanding, it is a popular teaching destination because of the more relaxed culture and kind students. My friends taught in Korea and said teaching was more like a military regime, they taught for 7 hours a day with one break…and HAD to follow a ton of curriculum, continuing on even if the students didn't understand. Here we have sufficient down time during the day and I teach for a total of 16 hours a week. I can also plan my lesson plans to my liking, so that is another bonus.

Are you actually making enough money that you will be in good standing when you come back to the States? 
So before I left for Thailand I made sure to have about $4000 saved up as backup for my return. Teaching here gets me about 25,000 baht a month (roughly $778), which is more than enough to live comfortably. If you go through CIEE you should also get housing taken care of..so most of your paycheck is for traveling, buying lots of beautiful things around the country, and eating all of your feelings, be them happy or sad.

All the food please.

I am doing a really good job of spending almost all of my paycheck each month on miscellaneous things around the city and traveling. I'm definitely thinking by the time I get back to America I will be dipping into my savings. I also plan to travel for a couple weeks in October with my boyfriend around Thailand and that will not be cheap. I am lucky to have a place to move into when I get back, but I am not banking on making a profit working here…if anything I will probably break even with my paychecks or have a couple extra thousand baht a month to put aside for when I travel. Living in Thailand is by no means expensive…but our American mindset sees something for 30 baht and we want to buy EVERYTHING because thats only $1!! But it's hard to shift your mindset to realizing you are only making 778$ a month…and not an American salary. Oof.

Is there opportunity to renew the contract?
From my understanding, there will always be an opportunity to renew your contract. My second day at work I was asked to stay an extra semester, and they didn't even know how I would be as a teacher. Native English teachers are in high demand in Thailand, and most schools are looking to keep the same teacher on for as long as possible. It helps the students a lot too to not have a new teacher every 6 months, but rather the same one they become close with for a year or so. Another position that schools look for are Native English speakers to teach different subjects, like Social Studies or Science. The native English speaker at my school who teaches Biology in English to the older students also makes a little bit more every month. So if you want to stay for another semester or two, it is very easy to do so, and the schools would love it.

Was the application/interview process hard? 
CIEE Teach in Thailand only had an application process that I completed through the website. I had to answer questions about where I wanted to be placed, upload my resume and two professional recommendations, and write a personal statement. I think the personal statement was the most challenging part, just because I was desperately trying to avoid the cliche "I want to teach abroad so I can give back to a culture that in turn will give so much to me"… which I think is what I wrote anyway… Regardless, it wasn't as drastically important as I made it out to be, they just want to make sure you are literate and have some recommendations backing up your skills. There was no "interview" per se, I was just assigned to school, showed up on a Sunday and started teaching on Tuesday.

~

If anyone has more questions, send them my way! AmySkinner05@gmail.com

Day 45 // FAQ's about Teaching in Thailand

I had the pleasure of someone reaching out to me after reading my blog with questions of my experience with CIEE and teaching in Thailand so far. It provided me with the perfect moment to write down my perspective on this trip so far in a slightly lengthy list, pros and cons included. 

I hope anyone reading this who is interested in the program will benefit from some of this (I also spent a significant amount of time pouring myself into writing this to my new friend, so I wanted to share it).

How was your experience using CIEE?
My experience with CIEE so far has been great. My only real interaction with the organization was during orientation week. I ran into a bunch of other people teaching at the airport, so we all banded together and were picked up by a representative and taken to our hotel. The week in Bangkok is an overwhelming and amazing experience. It felt like college all over again, lots of exploring and fun with new incredible people who all have that desire to push their limits and try something new.  

Orientation gave us a crash course on how to teach and the basics of Thai language, but I'll be honest with you… nothing can really prepare you for when you get to school and start teaching. Most of it you will learn from trial and error and just jumping in with blind faith, but the one thing I've learned (yet still have a hard time practicing) is that it is nothing to stress about… But sometimes, when you are really overwhelmed and pissed off, it's the last thing you want to hear. 

What was the application process like?
The application process was fairly simple, I just followed the guidelines on the CIEE website which are very straightforward. I also kept in contact with my CIEE representative (Alex Legere I <3 you) who would answer questions and give advice on whatever we needed. She was a wealth of knowledge, so if you apply, someone will email you and keep them close if you have questions. The website guides you on how to take care of your Visa and all of the documents you will need once you get to Thailand.  Thailand doesn't require and interview, but if you have any motivation and drive to do well, you will be a kick ass teacher :)

How do you like Thailand? 
I have grown to love Thailand. I've only been here about 7 weeks but it already feels like home. Most people know it's called the "Land of Smiles" and it is more than you can imagine. It is a wonderful energy to be around a culture that encourages inclusion and happiness rather than shaming and judgement. This transcends in the classroom too, sometimes you will have an awful lesson plan that makes no sense or is too easy or is just a train wreck, but the students won't try and make you feel bad. In this culture, if anyone feels embarrassed or doesn't know what to say, they smile or laugh. It really is an incredible way to deal with things that normally stress out Americans.  The culture up in the north is spectacular. I am loving the north: lots of temples, waterfalls, and incredible food. Northern food to try: Kao Soy. It will change your life. 

How safe do you feel there, especially as a woman? 
I feel very safe here. Stealing isn't really a thing, so I feel comfortable carrying my purse around alone. Also the Thai culture is very "polite" in many ways, which means no hollering and harassing women when they walk down the street. You might get the occasional "beautiful lady!" comment, but thats much better than my experiences in Italy where men are grabbing your ass and basically sexually harassing you with inappropriate comments.  There was a curfew for a couple weeks that shut down the city early, but now it's over and things are back to normal. The best advice I got was if you don't go looking for trouble, you won't find any.

What is the living situation like? Were you placed with other Americans?  
I live on campus which is particular to my school since it's a boarding school. Most teachers are housed by their respective schools, and are in houses nearby campus and normally have a short commute to work. I'm lucky since I walk 2 minutes from my house to get to my office. But, the housing was definitely a challenge when I got here. Thank GOD I have A/C in my room because I do not do well with the heat. If you are sensitive to the heat, October-April is the best time to be here. It's cooled off significantly here in the past month. But the first couple weeks I would get heat stroke and come close to passing out because I overheated too easily. So the A/C in my room was a saving grace, but I also have heard most teachers don't have A/C in the houses they get.

I am placed with two Americans and one teacher from China with good conversational English. There is a good sized foreigner community in Chiang Rai too. Some people are placed in schools as the only white person and pretty much the only person who speaks English for miles. This definitely poses a whole new challenge than being placed in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, for instance, where there are foreigners everywhere and all the restaurants are in English. As shocking as it is initially, it's something that quickly becomes the norm and you will find your Thai language skills improving immensely. You will be stared at everywhere you go because a lot of these people never see any white people roaming around, especially the small villages. But there is no hostility and they embrace when you try and speak in Thai or help them with English. 

How do you deal with all the bugs? 
Dealing with the bugs is just that: you just deal with them. To be very honest, they are fucking disgusting. Showering last night I had a spider, 3 different kinds of ants, mosquitos, geckos, and flies in there with me, all at the same time. One day, I left a bag of food on my desk in my room, and 3 hours later I had a colony of ants overtaking my room. You will get eaten alive by mosquitos when you get here, but it decreases as time goes on. There are also giant lizards called Tokays who are about a foot long who like to live in our house. Some other people I've talked to have much nicer living accommodations (like not as many bugs and sealed rooms) but it all depends. The thing is, you'll get used to them. They are gross and disgusting, but you just learn to accept it (like most things that challenge you in Thailand). 

What is the classroom situation like?  
The classrooms vary from school to school on a vast scale. Some teachers have 8 students in their classes, some have 60. Some have little angels who listen to everything you say and never talk in class, and some have little shits who try and light things on fire and hit each other or push you. I am lucky enough to have VERY well behaved students (I think because it's a boarding school). There are 24 students in each of my classes (one with 36) which is a perfect amount. Ideal for pair work, group work, lectures and games. They don't get as easily distracted as my one class of 36 students, which is much more challenging, but still manageable.

Orientation is going to tell you this every time you have a question about teaching, It depends. It will seriously become the most irritating thing you hear because all you want is an answer about what you are going to experience, but it is seriously the only way to effectively answer. You will VERY quickly find out how your school operates. I know a lot of teachers are having issues with their naughty kids being very rude and inappropriate, so thinking of some effective disciplinary measures would be good to have if you need them. I haven't had to discipline any of my kids though, since they are all so well behaved. Thai students do talk a lot in class, but it's not rude like it would be in America…they just talk a lot. And cheating is a big thing in Thailand too that's not really punished in anyway…you basically just learn how different the school system is than America and learn to adapt very quickly.  But no matter how awful the students can potentially be IN class, outside of class they LOVE you. The amount of respect and excitement they get when you walk by them and they yell, "HI TEACHA" can seriously make any awful class or day you might be having, into a good one. They will listen to you and respect you, even if you have to punish them if they are really bad. But those smiles and waves everywhere you go will make your heart melt. I don't even want to be a teacher in the future and it's making me very attached!

So in conclusion...
The best advice I can give you is to not have set expectations about this trip. My best experiences so far have been the spontaneous things I said "yes" to and never thought I would have the balls to do in my regular life in the states. Playing volleyball with a bunch of 17 year old lady boys who far surpassed my skills? Sure! Renting motorbikes to find an elusive waterfall that took up 2+ hours to find? Yup! Trekking through the scratchy and buggy forest to find a giant buddha cave? Of course.

All I know is that I am a MUCH stronger women in the short weeks I've been here when it comes to dealing with nearly everything: bugs, anxiety, problems, the heat, transportation, language barriers, food…damn near everything. You really learn, as much as I wanted to deny it, that there is nothing to worry about. The culture really starts to infuse your thinking, and you develop a much more casual, laid back attitude about everything. Really nice to learn because I was SUPER uptight when I got here.

I personally never thought I would be strong enough to do something like this, but seeing myself 7 weeks into this makes me so proud of myself. I definitely recommend this to anyone, for me it is a journey to see what I am capable and push my comfort zone, for some it is an excuse to party in Thailand and teach periodically, and for others it's a transition into full time teaching. So whatever this experience is for you, it will be a good one you won't regret.

If anyone has any questions about Teaching Abroad in Thailand or wants to ask me questions feel free to email me: amyskinner05@gmail.com

Love and light to you all! -Amy