The Fewer Things Clubhouse 🏠

I have always aspired to teach English abroad, and TFT has helped me to attain this goal! I moved to Thailand in October 2023, and I will complete one semester by March 2024.

When it came to moving and securing a teaching position in Thailand, I hadn't a clue how to go about it. Luckily, TFT has been an amazing support system, and I was guided every step of the way on what I needed to prepare before flying out. The TFT team is also very communicative throughout the whole program -- just a message away. I especially appreciated when Jaemi did check-ins once I was settled in, as this reinforced that I could contact the team for anything. We also have an active group chat with the other teachers, so this helps us to seek peer support and advice, or to make meet-up plans.

While you will be in the school teaching for most of the semester, there are several whole-day school events on campus, and plenty of national holidays throughout the year; those long weekends are great for exploring the country! Thailand is an optimal placement as a base for traveling around SEA, and I look forward to visiting the neighboring countries at the end of the term.

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect when I chose to move to Thailand. I figured that whatever experience I would have here would be an opportunity to learn and grow, no matter what. I am happy to say that the Thai people and culture have been so warm and welcoming to me and my fellow foreign teachers. I am so grateful to be surrounded by a friendly community, and such endearing students at my school.

Although I still have a few more months in Thailand, I already know that I want to continue my professional development in ESL/EFL instruction abroad. Once again, TFT has come through to support my goals with the TFT clubhouse. As a clubhouse member, the opportunities are endless, and I'm hoping to make Vietnam my next base in fall 2024.

This was my first time flying out of the country and I have to say it was an overall great experience. I decided to go with an agency because I figured I would need a lot of support (as this is my first solo travel experience). Working with Jaemi, Will, and Molly has been great, they get back to you in a timely manner, and with all their combined travel knowledge, they are an amazing resource for almost everything you need (teaching, social scenes, restaurants, or even someone to have a good rant with lol).

I was placed in Chaiyaphum, Thailand, it is about 5 hours from Bangkok, which makes it a bit hard to travel to unless there is a long weekend. However, it is a good area with amazing food! I love the fact that TFT team took the feedback from the placement form and came up with Chaiyaphum. It has a decent-sized expat population, so there are nice restaurants around with some Western influence (One Bar and Ms. Buns). There are nice parks and plenty of things to do here. Overall, I would recommend it because it has a bit of everything, grocery stores, movie theaters, a night market, mountain trails, temples, fishing, waterfalls, vegan options, and many other convenient amenities.

Even though there are some...hiccups with some of the operational stuff on MediaKids' end (not part of TFT) I am happy that I got in contact with Jaemi and got the ball rolling to come to Thailand, at times it truly is like a dream!

I moved to South Korea in October 2021 and spent a year teaching in schools provided by the EPIK programme. However, I could not have done this without the exceptional help of TFT.

From the very first call I had with Jaemi, to the moment the plane left the airport I was continually supported. None of my questions (some of which seemed silly) were ignored and answered in a very timely manner. Even when I was abroad I still had TFT behind me, providing updates via email and watsapp continuously. I even get emailed now asking how I am. TFT really care about us all.

When living in South Korea I was in a lovely seaside town called Donghae, which if you love hiking half as much as I do, is an ideal place to live. Mountains galore! The people are very welcoming and polite and the town was just a great location to be in. The schools I worked with, one centrally based in the town and another in the countryside about a 40 min bus ride away, were incredible places to work with. I wasn't treated like a stranger and was asked my opinion on things continually. I was allowed my own creative freedom in the classroom and I know my students loved the amount of crazy games as well cultural lessons I came up with. If the 40 min bus ride has made you worry, fear not, South Korean public transport is top notch, always on time and very fast! Also, if you want to move to Korea to have a genuine experience like I did, moving to a town like Donghae, in Gangwon-Do, is perfect. You pick up Korean quite quickly, with the help of your students teaching you K-Pop lyrics and old women helping show you round supermarkets and asking you 110 questions. All in good humour obviously, but it helps with the home-sickness that does appear, and like I said, makes learning Korean a breeze. Equally, if you are afraid or nervous about speaking Korean, please don't be, everyone is always so happy and appreciative to hear you even say a simple "hello" or "thankyou".

Although I travelled during Covid-19 I wasn't restricted in where I could go in Korea, visting several beautiful places in the country, even having my mum spend two of my last weeks with me exploring. But I was unable to travel outside the country. If I was to go back (which is highly likely) I'd love to explore more of South-East Asia as restrictions are now lifted and holiday leave is very fruitful, with bank holidays also a common occurance.

Without the support of TFT I would not have made it there, probably having chickened out along the way, but as my continual cheerleaders they helped me experience something that not everyone is lucky enough to experience.

So if you are reading this and feeling any of the same fear I did, I fully suggest you just do it! You will not regret it and TFT will help you every step of the way.

I moved to South Korea in November 2022 and did a year. It was my first-time teaching, and although it came with its challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of South Korea.

For my placement, I was placed in Yeosu. I loved Yeosu as it was both such a dynamic and tranquil place. Everything you needed was there. It gave the city vibe that Seoul offered but was still rural enough to enjoy quiet walks along the coast.

With TFT’s help, the whole process was much easier. You get a lot of support from everyone in the team, they made sure to try to accommodate where I wanted to go. Furthermore, whenever I am uncertain about something, they are always quick to respond and clarify it. Also, I appreciate the support from Jaemi, he is very supportive and always one message away.

For travelling, along with the allotted vacation days, Korea also has a lot of national holidays which make it easy to find time to travel within and outside of the country. I was only in Korea for a year but I managed to visit quite a lot of cities in Korea, to name a few such as Seoul, Tongyeong, and Gwangyang. Furthermore, being in Korea also allowed me to travel to other Asian countries like Thailand and Philippines.

Due to my wonderful and exciting time in South Korea, I’m planning to head back to Korea again in 2024 using the TFT clubhouse scheme programme offered by The Fewer Things.

I recently moved to Thailand last month to teach English for a semester. I have never taught before so it was a scary experience to begin with. With the help and support from The fewer things I am now thinking of staying and teaching for abit longer. I love it here. Everyone is so nice. The work is very straight forward and easy to pick up.

Working with The fewer things made me feel more relaxed, comfortable and organised during this process and have made the transition feel so easy. I know if I needed anything they would support me with my worries. I would like to especially give a shout out to Jaemi for being so helpful.

The help and advice given was so good and really made the experience smoother than anticipated. Would highly recommend tft to anyone looking to teach abroad as I had a great time in Thailand. I taught at Satrichaiyaphum and had a great time. The tft team are very professional and help with any queries you may have about the move, school structure and culture. One again I would highly recommend them if you are considering moving to asia to travel and teach English to escape the 9-5 work life xxxx