First time teaching.

After being in a job that had me physically and mentally exhausted I needed a change, thankfully I had recently finished my TEFL course and found a job opportunity to teach in Thailand. A week after I applied to MediaKids I had an interview, the next day I was offered the job at my choice of schools. Less than a month later I had arrived in Bangkok. I had a warm welcome when I arrived at the hotel, spent the evening getting my bearings and then got ready for the three day orientation which was interesting, taught me some basic Thai and explained various elements of teaching along with practising lessons with the rest of the new teachers. I had 5 days before I started teaching once the orientation finished, so I flew up to Chiang Mai where I climbed waterfalls, explored a cave temple and relaxed at some hot springs. Once I eventually arrived in my town, a nice rural area in the North of Thailand, I had a weekend to explore. I got to meet the Thai teachers and the director of the school, everyone was incredibly welcoming, the foreign teachers were introduced at a school assembly and we were each presented with some flowers which now decorate my desk in the office, a week after that we were taken out for a welcome meal which was absolutely incredibly, and presented with another plant, which decorates the head of my bed. Teaching has been an entirely unique experience, it started off very tough but as the students got used to me they are more talkative and even speak to me in English when they see me around town. While this is a small rural town there is still a lot to do, if you know where to look. I have made many friends here, and there is now a group of about 12 of us teachers who often meet up in the evenings or at weekends. Just yesterday, we hired motorbikes for 200 baht, roughly the price of a pint of beer back home, and spent the day driving through the mountains, visiting temples and relaxing by some rivers and waterfalls before returning to the weekly night market in town. If you are feeling stuck in your life, or just need to get away from everything, I would highly recomend applying to a MediaKids job listing and start a new life, have some incredible new experiences, see a brand new world with a totally different culture, enrich some young lives and have 24/7 support from the agency while you are doing all of this.