Motorcycles in Thailand

One of my favourite things about living in Thailand is the popularity of the motorcycle. Motorcycles are the primary mode of transport for a large percentage of the population and they are such fun and great value!

Should I get a Motorcycle?

'I'm in Bangkok' - no

'I'm in the provinces' - yes

I would recommend that anyone who lives in the built up areas of Bangkok should avoid riding a motorcycle unless they are an experienced rider. The sheer number of vehicles on the road in Bangkok combined with the erratic driving style seen in Thailand make it a far too dangerous proposition. The public transport system in Bangkok is developed that I would just stick to this really.

If you live in the provinces however riding a motorcycle is a completely different proposition. Once you leave Bangkok you'll find that not only does the population decrease dramatically but you'll find that there are less cars and more motorcycles. This means that the risk of an accident involving another person is far less then in the city and that most accidents are either a fault on the riders part or from bad road conditions. Transport links in the provinces are not very developed and you may find that a motorcycle is your only way of conveniently getting out the town in which you live. 

(Honda Wave)

Why not buy a car?

'Its too expensive & I don't know how long I'm staying for' 

Cars in Thailand are expensive and I mean really expensive. The price of a new car in Thailand can be double what you would pay for the same car in Europe. The used car market is even worse. Thai people typically do not like to buy used things so the used car market isn't as developed at what you would find for example in the UK. If I wanted to buy a 10 year old runaround in the UK I would look on auto trader or check out Ebay and be able to find a car for around £400 - £800. I have seen absolute wrecks advertised in Thailand for four times this amount. In a country with no reliable MOT like testing procedures I would stay well clear!. I also imagine that selling the car at short notice would be very difficult if you had to leave the country for whatever reason. Selling motorcycles is far easier.

If you have the money and plan to stay in Thailand for the long term then purchasing a new car might be a decent investment because they do hold there value fairly well. The other alternative is of course a motorcycle. 

Do I need an international motorcycle licence?

'yes and no'

Officially you should be in possession of a valid motorcycle licence to drive a motorcycle in Thailand. You can use your international driving licence or you can take a motorbike test in Thailand and obtain a Thai drivers licence. In reality though I don't know anybody who actually has a valid motorcycle licence. The vast majority of people including myself had never ridden motorcycles before they came to Thailand. 

I have never once been asked to produce licence documentation when renting a motorcycle either short term or long term. I do have a valid UK car licence which I will produce if requested by a policeman and this has always been sufficient for them. I would imagine that in the highly populated expat areas of Bangkok & Phuket they might be a little more switched on to the different categories of licences and possibly inclined to use this information to make a little extra money on the side. In the provinces however they're very unlikely to stop foreigners, even if they are clearly breaking traffic laws. 

Should I buy or rent?

'If you are staying for more than six months' - yes

'If you are unsure of your short term plans' - no

There is an old saying that renting is just throwing money onto the fire and this is also the case with motorcycles. I rented an automatic Honda click for about 18 months for 2000 baht per month. This works out at a total of 36,000 which is almost the price of a brand new bike! The reason I was hesitant to take the plunge and purchase my own bike was the convenience that renting gave me. 

The standard price of renting a motorcycle is around 2000 baht per month for automatics and between 1500 - 1800 for manuals. This includes insurance and often doesn't require a deposit either. The main advantage to renting the bike is the flexibility you have to change the bike or leave at short notice without having to deal with the headache of selling your bike beforehand. 

The sensible option for anybody who is planning to stay in Thailand for the medium or long term is to buy a motorcycle. The price of new motorcycles is significantly cheaper than in the west and can be seen as a real bargain. You can get a decent spec automatic Honda Click for around the 50,000 baht and a manual bike for even cheaper than this. The used bike market, unlike its car equivalent is plentiful and extremely good value. I've noticed that manuals bikes tend to dominate the used bike market and are often the preferred choice of the Thais due to their reliability and economical running costs. 

The main problem with purchasing a motorcycle seems to be the paperwork which goes with transferring the bike into your name. The general requirement appears to be a non immigrant visa and proof of your address. I have heard conflicting reports about whether or not a work permit is required but I'm sure there are ways around these requirements if needed. I was lucky enough to have a coordinator from my agency to help me with the motorcycle registration process and I would recommend that everyone uses a Thai native to help them with the documents as this will make the whole process much easier. 

The other main problem with buying a motorcycle is that if you need to leave you are left with the burden of selling this bike. Most things in Thailand are sold through word of mouth and unless you can sell it to one of your farang buddies generating leads for your bike can be tough. If you sell to a Thai they are likely to try and play on your ignorance and get a lower price especially if they think you are a 'rich' farang who doesn't need the money anyway. I know a number of people who had to sell their bikes at well below their intended sale price due to time constraints and a lack of buyers. 

(Honda Click)

Automatic vs. Manual 

'if you're only going to drive in town' - automatic

'If you're planning on doing long trips' - manual 

If you've decided to buy a light motorcycle your first decision will be whether to get an automatic or a manual bike. Automatic bikes are very easy to ride and all the rider has to do is regulate speed with the throttle and break accordingly. Automatic bikes are highly recommended for new riders. My first ever bike was a automatic Honda click and despite having three minor scrapes it was the safest option for me in the beginning. The automatic bikes are fun to drive around town but are not as ideal for long distance riding. They drink petrol far quicker than their manual counterparts and the parts for them are generally more expensive. 

The manual motorcycles you commonly see in Thailand, such as the Honda waves aren't really manual bikes at all. They are actually semi automatics as there is no clutch to control. These bikes are sometimes referred to as 'four steps' because all the rider has to do is switch between the four gears using the step pedal on the side of the bike. Although the initial learning time is slightly longer than with the automatics they are still really easy to ride. The toughest part initially is probably knowing when to change gear because the bikes usually don't come with a rev counter so you must train your ear to listen to the engine. 

The manual bikes are like workhorses. They are strong, reliable and economical. I currently own a Honda Wave 110i and I get almost double the petrol efficiency that I used to get with my old Honda Click. The bike feels far more stable at faster speeds and the parts are extremely cheap due to the fact that they are literally everywhere. I would highly recommend a manual bike to anyone who is planning to go on road trips as these bikes will perform much better over long distances than their automatic cousins. 

Thinking of getting a bike?

Go For It!

If you are thinking of getting a motorcycle and are mature enough to take all the proper safety precautions I say go for it!. It won't take long for the motorcycle bug to bite you and you'll have the freedom to explore what you want, when you want, how you want - bliss!

ASEAN Common Time (ACT)

In 2015 the ASEAN group of nations will officially come together to implement the ASEAN free trade area. This is essentially a trading block which in theory should allow each member country to benefit by standing together with its neighbours in areas of trade and commerce. The concept is similar to the EU and the EEA and such as was experienced in Europe its is likely that its implementation will be rolled out slowly over many years. 

The issue of free movement of labour and capital will probably become a contentious issue as the union progresses and there have even been talks of a common currency being implemented at some stage. One of the most interesting changes that has been discussed is the implementation of a common time zone which would be used throughout the ASEAN region.

ASEAN common time or ACT is seen as a way to increase commerce between member states as they strive to develop the ASEAN economy. The most discussed option is to align all the ASEAN member states to the GMT+8 time zone. This is the time zone which is currently used in Singapore and Malaysia two of the most developed countries in the region. This is also the timezone which is used by mainland China and its special administrative zones, which are an important trading partner for the region. 

There have been arguments against the implementation of a common time zone from member states particularly Myanmar and the furthest eastern islands of Indonesia. The concept on the whole however does seems to make sense, at least economically, although there may well be agricultural implications. It would not only benefit trade between the member nations but would also better facilitate trade with China, a trading partner who is likely to be vital for ASEAN over the coming decades. 

From a personal point of view I would love Thailand to move to the GMT+8 time zone. I can't speak for those who live in the north of the country but those here in the south would only see benefits. In Thailand if you leave work at 5 o'clock you only have about an hour of daylight left to enjoy. I really love that extra hour of daylight that you get when you visit Malaysia or Singapore. It really makes your day seem longer and more valuable, much like summer in the UK when it gets dark really late. 

I hope we will see ASEAN common time in the future at GMT+8 so we can all start enjoying more daylight in the evening!

Five Disadvantages of Spending Christmas in Thailand

In my previous post I wrote my top five advantages of spending christmas in Thailand. The idea of spending the christmas period in a tropical country can certainly sound idilic. Whilst there are many benefits to being in Thailand over the holiday period there are also many disadvantages. These are my top five disadvantages of spending christmas time in Thailand.

1. Family

The chances are that if you are spending the christmas period in Thailand you are probably away from most of your family who are spending christmas time together in your home country. Christmas is traditionally the one time of the year that all family members come together at the same place at the same time. If you are away in Thailand it can leave you feeling slightly out in the cold and as good as friends are they can never really compare to spending the holidays with your family. 

2. Food

A huge downside to spending christmas in Thailand is missing out on all that yummy home cooked christmas food. Roast turkey, potatoes, stuffing all those traditional christmas comforts and traditions - forget about it!. The best you can hope for is to try and make your own christmas dinner using extremely overpriced import food from luxury retailers such as tops. In the provinces you can forget about getting anything even resembling a christmas dinner at a restaurant but if you head up to Bangkok i'm sure you could find a restaurant doing christmas roasts aimed at the tourist market. Hardly the same though is it? 

3. Work

If you are like me and you work in Thailand then the chances are that you will have to go to work on christmas day. Thailand isn't a christian country and you'll find that most Thais will be completely oblivious to the fact that it's christmas or maybe not even know what christmas is!. You should be able to wangle a day off of work providing your boss isn't too mean or you can just pretend that you're a diehard christian and you need to go to church on christmas day (that always works!!!)

4. General Sense of Missing Out

If you use social media you will find that most of your friends back home are posting about how they are preparing for christmas and how exciting everything is. At the same time you look around and everything is normal, no references to christmas and life going on as normal. This can easily make you loose your christmas spirit and be tempted to simply 'not bother with it this year'

5. Homesickness 

I'd imagine that christmas is the number one time that expats feel homesick which is the reason that so many of them decide to go home over the holiday period, even though practically it's probably the worst time of the year to do so. I think the reason that we feel particularly vulnerable to homesickness at this time of year is that all of our memories, traditions and cultures are bought to the forefront of our minds. This can lead us to look around at our current alien surroundings and think 'why the hell am I here?'. If you are particularly prone to homesickness I would suggest that you stay away from trying to recreate a traditional western christmas and embrace the change. I'd say head to the beach, eat exotic food and create unique christmas memories - everyone at home will be well jealous! 

Five Advantages of Spending Christmas in Thailand

Christmas is an important time of the year for many people. It is the time of the year when people return home to their family and partake in age old christmas traditions. Many expats however will be spending the christmas time in a foreign country away from their families and whilst this may sound a little depressing there are actually a number of advantages. These are my five top advantages of spending christmas time in Thailand. 

1. The Weather

The obvious advantage of spending christmas in a tropical country is the weather. Whilst your friends and family at home in blighty are dealing with the cold temperatures, overcast skies and general dreary conditions you are sunning it up in 30C heat. Head to a beach enjoy the sun, take some pics, send them home and make everyone really jealous!

2. Lack of Stress

Thailand is a buddhist country, it is not christian and for all intensive purposes does not celebrate christmas whatsoever. Whilst you may see a christmas tree in the local department store, it is more of a marketing ploy by the large companies to sell a luxury western ideal. The vast majority of Thai's don't know anything about christmas and have little interest in it. This means that you're not going to be invited to an endless string of christmas get-togethers and you can focus on those who are important to you the most. It also means that instead of having to buy presents for everyone you know, you could just give them a cheap christmas card and a sweet from an assortment box and they'll be over the moon! 

3. Spending time with friends

Christmas is of course a time for family and loved ones. Most expats who decide to remain in the country for the christmas period will surround themselves with their expat friends. It is likely that your group of expat friends is made up of a number of different nationalities. This is a golden opportunity to experience other countries christmas traditions without actually being there yourself. You can take the best of christmas from North America, mix it with the best of Europe, add a southern hemisphere twist and finish it off with a Filipino topping. Multiculturalism at it's best!

4. Skype Technology

The advent of technology has certainly made the world feel like a smaller place. Like most expats I will take the time to Skype with my family at christmas. We usually make the call when everyone is in the family living room together on christmas day. This gives me the opportunity to be with the family as a whole, as well as have individual conversations with each family member in turn. If you spend a decent amount of time on that Skype call you'll still feel very much part of the christmas party and you won't have to deal with sitting through a 2 hour marathon edition on EastEnders! Result!

5. Control Christmas 

Perhaps the best part of spending christmas in a foreign country which is not christian is that you can control christmas 100%. If you're a big fan of christmas you could have a huge bonanza, decorate your house and spread the christmas spirit to everyone around you and they'll love it!. If you are perhaps not so keen on the festive season then you could have a very relaxed christmas time and just take part in the traditions that you want to. If people found out that you didn't have a christmas tree in the UK you'd be seen as a miserable scrooge. If you don't have one here no one thinks anything of it. No one is going to force christmas on you! Want to have a less traditional christmas dinner? Go for it - no one will judge, remember it's only a normal day!

In my next post I will be writing five disadvantages of spending christmas in Thailand. Stay tuned! 

Krabi Airport

Thailand is a wonderful country to either visit for a short holiday or to stay in on a more long term basis. The country is famed for its hospitality being nicknamed 'the land of smiles' and this can be seen up and down the country. 

Long term expats and regular travellers will be aware however that this mentality doesn't always spread the Thai borders, in particular the immigration staff who man them. I am going to write a post in the future talking more about the land border crossings but today I want to actually take the time to praise the immigration staff and their hospitality for once!

Krabi Airport is a fairly small international airport situated in the popular southern Thai province of Krabi. The airport is situated outside of town but most people will be heading to an island or off to Ao Nang anyway. The airport offers a shuttle bus service which goes to Krabi Town for 80 baht and to Ao Nang for 150 baht. The bus is air conditioned, white in colour and has all it''s destinations clearly stated in English. I would highly recommend the bus service although private taxis and car rental services are also available at the airport. If you're really looking to save money there is a songthaew which passes the airport and goes directly into town. The problem is that you have to exit the airport and then cross the very busy road and wait for an indeterminate amount of time at the side of the road for the songthaew to arrive and even then there is no guarantee that it will. 

Krabi Airport itself is very small and easy to navigate which makes both the check in and the arrival process extremely easy. The airports international services are mainly from Malaysia and Singapore although there are also services to mainland China as well as a large number of domestic services. I imagine Krabi is seen as a really nice local getaway for Singaporeans & Malaysians with beautiful beaches and cheap seafood found in abundance. 

There was one extraordinary thing I witnessed at Krabi airport though that I have witnessed at no other border crossing either by land or air. The immigration staff were polite and courteous and not just polite and courteous they were actually welcoming, friendly. They engaged with travellers and spoke amazing English. The immigration staff at a lot borders speak in grunts, gaze through your passport as though it was something from a magical far off fairy land and then begrudgingly stamp you through. When I went through Krabi Airport recently there were three desks open to stamp passport and two officers acting as 'greeters'. They were wandering between the lines checking everybody had the correct arrival cards, lending pens and chatting with the tourists. I would have assumed they were airline staff if they hadn't been dressed in immigration uniforms. 

I would highly recommend flying into Krabi Airport if you want an easy stress free immigration experience. I think the reason the staff are so moody at the other crossing is the sheer number of people they have to deal with each day. Krabi Airport only sees a handful of international flights a day which appear to be fairly spaced out. This gives the immigration staff plenty of time to eat, sleep, watch lakorns or whatever they do. A right little easy number!

We Hardly Ever Teach!!!

"how many classes do we have cancelled today?"

This is the running joke me and my fellow teachers have in the staffroom each morning as the head of English gives us our daily lesson cancellations. 

The second semester in Thai government schools (Nov - March) are always very stop-start as the students take part in a lot of activities. This makes lesson planning very hard because its impossible to second guess which lessons are going to be cancelled and you usually only find out about it 5 minutes before anyway!

Whilst some of the reasons for cancellations are understandable i.e. preparing for GAT tests, competitions etc some are not so...

• "students are very tired today... yesterday was  loy krathon"
• "students are cleaning car park because we have visit  from education area"
• "students will have a concert today"
• "students have to practice thai dancing"
• "students will have a uniform inspection"

Whilst it may sound nice to have all this free time the truth is we still have to stay at school so it just means that we end up sitting around for hours doing nothing. Personally I'd much rather teach!

Championship Manger: The Teaching in Thailand Edition

Anybody who has played the legendary championship manager or football manager series will know that it's vitally important to keep your players happy in order to ensure good performances.

I have found that the personal status of players in the game are often used by teachers in Thailand too. What do you think?

Common Personal Statuses

• Is excited by the new challenge
• Every teacher goes through this stage in the first month. It is the time when everything is new and exciting.

• Is happy with the conditions at the club currently
• After the first month this stage normally kicks in until there is a problem.

• Is content with the conditions at the club currently
• This is the position most teachers find themselves in neither particularly happy or unhappy in their job.

• Feels he was bought to the club under false pretences
• This is usually seen by teachers who have been assured that their 2 year diploma from Maidstone technical college would be recognised or they thought they could teach legally without a degree.

• Wants to be paid what he deserves
• This is usually when the teacher has been asked to do activities outside of their contract or they've been looking at jobs in China or Korea.

• Is homesick
• This is common in younger teachers who have never really travelled before.

• Struggling to adapt to Thai culture
• This is usually seen after Thai bureaucracy has been witnessed or they have been asked to pass everyone in their class regardless of ability for the first time.

• Feels he need to leave in order to further his career
• This is most common in younger teachers who have ambitions to establish themselves in either in their home country or in a more developed country. 

• Has personal problems with John
• Personal problems between foreign teachers in the staffroom can be common and I'm sure fights have broken out in some schools.

• Has lost faith in his manager
• This is if they had any faith in their head of department in the first place.

Transfer Statuses

• Refused a work permit
• This is usually teachers without a degree who have been granted a non b based on a future work permit application that will never be accepted because they don't have a degree. They need to do a visa run ASAP!

• Currently considering a new contract from the club
• Usually occurs in February or March when they are asking the question should I stay or should I go?

• Has instructed his agent to look for a new club
• The teacher wants to stay in Thailand but wants to change school so they give the agency a ring. The agency will probably be reluctant to help unless you are firm.

• Leaving on a Bosman
• They have decided to head off to pastures new.

• Given a free transfer
• The school has had enough of you and haven't renewed your contract. You might know why or you might be left in the dark.

I would like to see Thailand made available as a playable league in the series so that we can see statuses such as

• On a visa run
• Has chronic diarrhoea
• Is refusing to take part in training camp 
• Believes his agent is stealing money from him
• Is questioning the system

5 Expats In Thailand To Follow On Twitter

Twitter is a social networking site which is fairly new to me. I had a dormant account for a few years which I used mainly to read tweets from various celebrities but I didn't quite get the point of it all. I've found the whole microblogging concept kind of fails if you just follow random people in which you have little in common and no real sustained interest in. This is why Facebook feeds are always filled with pointless filler because you feel obliged to add everyone you know who will then in turn inundate you with pointless information regarding things you have absolutely no interest in i.e. the pie and mash they cooked last night. This is why I keep my twitter follow list streamlined and only follow people who 'tweet' things I have an interest in. 

This list of five expats in Thailand to follow on Twitter is by no means exhaustive and I would highly recommend that you check out my follow list on Twitter because many of them are Expats in Thailand. This list instead recommends users who each take a different perspective on living in Thailand and present an interesting account of expat life. I would also like to point out that I don't know any of these people personally and am just a fan of their content. 

1. Richard Barrow

https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow

Richard Barrow will more then likely be the first person you add if you are looking for information regarding Thailand. Richard had lived in Thailand for over 20 years and works primarily as a travel blogger. As well as covering his own travels he also covers news which would be of interest to foreigners in the kingdom so he is always a useful resource. 

2. Ajarn.com 'Phil' 

https://twitter.com/Ajarncom

Phil has also lived in Bangkok for over 20 years and runs the popular teaching website ajarn.com. The website is the first port of call for teachers looking for jobs within the kingdom and I'm told it also has a decent forum for teachers although I haven't actually checked it out yet. Phil tweets about a large number of topics and I've found his tweets give a really accurate impression of life in Thailand. He is a must follow for all teachers out there but he also tweets on many different subjects.

3. Somchai The Dog

https://twitter.com/bkksomchai

I like this guy because he brings a very real account of his daily life in an entertaining fashion. He is very representative of your average guy in Bangkok, he works as an English teacher with a wife and a young child. A definite must follow if you're looking for an entertaining expat. 

4. Bangkok Girl Blog

https://twitter.com/bangkokgirlblog

Anna is a British expat living in Bangkok who always tweets interesting things about her life living in Bangkok. Her account is great to follow if you want to know more about cool places to go in the capital and it's also great getting the prospective of expat life from someone who isn't an English teacher!

5. Amusing Thailand

https://twitter.com/AmusingThailand

A recent addition to my follow list has made it into my top five twitter recommendations. Amusing Thailand as the name suggests shows the amusing side of life in Thailand in all it's bizarre fashion. They also RT a lot of funny tweets so it's definitely an account to follow if you want a laugh!  

6. South Thai Expat

https://twitter.com/souththaiexpat

OK, this is merely a shameless plug for me but why not check it out? I tweet on my life working as a teacher in Thailand with all the up's, down's, frustrations and jubilations that come my way. Also check out my follow list for other great expats to follow :)

How I Watch TV in Thailand

There are many things that people miss about their home countries and a common one is television. I don't think there are many foreigners who would want to watch Thai television and that includes those who speak the language fluently. The content shown on Thai television just does not appeal to the vast majority of foreigners so most of us will try to find a way to watch foreign television.

There are expensive pay TV packages out there from the likes of True Visions but I have always thought that the level of content they provide is poor considering the large subscription fee they charge. Instead these are the services I use to get my TV fix!

Torrents

This is by far the most popular method of viewing foreign television programs in Thailand. The vast majority of people I know are torrenting almost constantly and we often leave ourselves with  a surplus of things to watch because we go slightly torrent crazy!

My torrent site of choice is pirate bay but there are many out there which are just as effective. These torrent sites rely on people to upload and download the content so while they might be effective for new releases and popular shows certain programs can be hard to find. It is always hard to find the 90's british sitcoms which I love so much!

*note as of december 2014 the pirate bay has been closed - I now use Kickass torrents but there are still many alternatives out there*

If you would like to watch your torrents on an actual television rather then on a laptop screen you have a number of options. I have recently bought a Samsung TV which has USB capabilities. This allows me to put all of my downloaded torrents onto a flash drive and stick it in the back of the TV allowing me to view the content on a large screen in beautiful HD. Another option if you're not in the market to buy a new television is to connect your laptop to a normal TV using cables. This is a fairly simple process on most windows PC's but I did have to buy a special adapter to connect my macbook which was fairly pricy (1,200 baht)

Live TV & TV on Demand

We all know that most broadcasters restrict their live steams and on demand content to viewers based within their intended broadcasting area. This means that I am unable to view the BBC I Player or watch any live streams from a service such as Catch Up TV. There are of course options which allow you to trick the website into thinking you are viewing the content from a certain country. Many people use programs to change their IP address or purchase expensive VPN services. These can vary in quality and although I have only tried the cheap options I was not impressed. I am told that the paid VPN's are actually quite good. 

I was recently introduced to a service on Twitter which has the same effect as a VPN but is free of charge and really reliable. The program is called Hola and can be installed as an extension in your google chrome browser. You simply turn the service on head to a website and then select which country you would like to view the website from. It really is as simple as that and I would urge anyone to check it out! This service has completely changed my viewing experience because I am now able to trick the BBC website into thinking I'm in the UK and I can view the BBC iPlayer as well as TV streaming sites such as TV Catchup. 

If you know anybody in the UK who subscribes to Sky Digital who would be kind enough to let you have their username and password you can use hola to watch every channel just as you would back home. The service is called Sky Go and I believe it is included in every Sky Subscription so it's just a case of finding someone to lend you their details and you're away! 

Live Sports

Most of the time that I want to stream live content is to watch sporting events. There are numerous websites out their with various links to streams showing sports events. The site I usually use is Wiziwig and I think it is the most comprehensive of all the stream aggregators.

When you look at the site you will see there are various different methods of streaming. Most streams will be flash streams and these are usually very poor quality but are often quite reliable streams. These flash streams are not appropriate is you are viewing the content on a TV because they are too pixelated. The best results are had by downloading an external video player. Sopcast and Ace Player are external players which provide the best quality streams and work on a similar method to torrenting so the number of viewers directly effects the quality of the streams. I often find HD quality streams on there which are comparable to anything on a normal television!

I would also recommend taking a look at the youtube live streaming page because sometimes when a sporting event is not bought by Thai television it is broadcast on here free of charge. A good example of this is the Commonwealth games which is not broadcast in Thailand so is available free of charge in 720p HD. 

Links

• Pirate Bay
• Hola
• WIZIWIG
• Sopcast
• Ace Player
• Youtube Live Sports

Teaching in Thailand: Typical Day

Teaching in Thailand is a great way to travel the country and see new things and teachers are lucky enough to not only be able to take advantage of the weekends and long school holidays but also the various public holidays which are spread throughout the school year. This gives you plenty of time to travel but what about the standard mid week day which is perhaps not quite so exciting and glamorous. 

This is an example of a midweek day in the life of a teacher in Thailand along with some thoughts. 

**The content is based on the daily routines of a few different teachers**

7:00am - Wake Up 

I really should have woken up a little earlier, it's going to be a rush to take a shower and get all my gear together but it's fine because I only live a three minute motorbike ride away from school!

7.30am - Arrive at school

We have to arrive before the students meet for their daily assembly at 7.45am where they will sing the nation anthem, say their prayers and catch up on any announcements. Luckily as foreigners we are allowed to skip the assembly and relax in the staff room until classes begin at 8.30am. A perfect time to catch up on the breakfast and grab the coffee I missed out on earlier.

8.30am - 10.10am - Teach

Teach two classes of M6 students (18 year olds) They are generally quite switched on and I am very lucky to have them and not the M2 or M3 classes. Walk pass another teacher who is struggling to control the rowdy 14 years olds. I'm not sure how long I would last in there. 

10.10am - 11.30am - Downtime

A bit of downtime means preparing my lessons for my private classes after school. The school has a printer and no one's checking what you print so I take advantage and print colour flashcards for my P6 students after school. 

11.30am - 12.30pm - Lunch

Lunch Break. Head off with the other foreign teachers to a local restaurant so we can all analyse the morning and have a bit of a moan. Can't go wrong with 35 baht Kaprow Gai and it's cooked fresh unlike the food at the school canteen which has been sitting around for quite a while by this point. The other guys like to go out because they need a cigarette. I'm lucky I gave up 3 years ago.

12.40pm - 2.20pm - Teach

Another couple of back to back M6 classes. The students are fine and we get through the work quickly. I also teach some of the M1 students. They are also nice to teach because they are so young. If you are given the choice of what grades to teach go with M1 & M6 (M5 are ok too). These grades will give you the least amount of stress and are the easiest to teach.

2.20pm - 4.00pm - Downtime

The afternoon downtime. One of the advantages or possibly one of the disadvantages of teaching is the amount of free time you get. In an ideal world it would be nice to have a hobby you could do in the office but most teachers don't. The afternoon is spent messing about on social media, chatting with the other teachers and catching up with an episode of that TV show I downloaded last night. 

4.20pm - Hometime

Arrive home and immediately take a shower. Work clothes are then instantly put back on and I head off to my private class.

5.00pm - 6.30pm - Extra Class

My private classes mainly consist of primary school students and whilst this is not my preferred age group to teach the language school does provide an assistant teacher to help keep order. The class mainly consists of flashcards and basic communication. I Prefer the privates with the M6 students which are mainly spent listening to them gossip about teachers at school. I guess it's OK as they are practicing their English. 

7.00pm - Dinner

Grab some dinner from a small restaurant near my house. The food is inexpensive and they actually serve good portion sizes. I try not to spend too much money in the week so I usually skip a beer unless others insist on having one.  

8.00pm - Relax

Some other people like to go to the gym in the evening but I'm usually far to lazy and just want to relax at home. I don't have a TV so I'm always downloading stuff to watch overnight. I spend a couple of hours watching TV programs, catching up on social nets and possibly a Skype call back home.

10.00pm - Bed

Usually feeling pretty tired by this point. It's a long day because unlike in the west where jobs usually start at 9 we have to be at school by 7.30. Slowly drift off watching some random thing on the computer. 

Up again early in the morning. Weekend soon :)