Is Working In A Thai School Stressful?

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There are many reasons people move to Thailand and a popular one is that people want to avoid stress. It was the same for me, working long hours and being chased up by my boss all day. I had enough and moved to Thailand to give myself a more relaxing life. However, maybe the grass is not always greener on the other side. Many of my friends think I talk English a few hours a day to a few Thai people then sit at the beach drinking cocktails but, of course, that isn’t true. There is stress here but is it caused by work or other factors. Let’s answer the question – Is working in a Thai school stressful?

Type of School

Ok, we obviously need to look at the types of school as they differ greatly in terms of the facilities, students and working conditions. I’m not going to focus on the international schools with their high level facilities, small class sizes and teaching assistants. These schools will have targets for you as a teacher which could cause stress but for most of us we will be working in other types of schools.

Government schools are where most people work, including myself for a few months when I arrived. With classes between 45 – 55 students you will have your hands filled trying to control everyone! If teaching outside a big city then you might even be the first foreigner your students have ever seen in real life. This can lead to shyness or a case of extreme giggles and stares from your class.

In language centers you might have a wide range of students – children through to adults. The classes here are smaller, normally 4 -16 students per class. Students here normally have a reason to study so tend to be more motivated ( unless their parents have forced them to come study! ).

Government Schools

I have met many people who have worked in government schools for 10+  years and say they love it. I also know many, myself included, who ran away  from the government school system as soon as they could.

I did find the system to be stressful but I think it was more down to my  attitude than the actual school. I took things very seriously and was not so  flexible. I wasn’t used to Thai culture and the processes of the school. I made the mistake of trying to make huge changes and then getting stressed when I found out it wasn’t possible.

If you work at a Thai high school then you know your schedule is little more than a guide and a week where every class happens at the time it should is a rarity. There are many events that the school chooses to promote over classes. For example my classes were cancelled for dance classes, scout day and many more that I didn’t even find out the reason for. Oh, and the best thing, they normally don’t tell you these changes and you’ll turn up to an empty room and stand looking confused for a while. I even tuned up a couple of days to be told all my classes were cancelled as students were on a trip. That felt great waking up at 6am to hear that!

However, as I said this stress was caused by my attitude to these changes. It meant dealing with pressure to get grades from classes at the end of semester. Some classes were 3 or 4 weeks behind others in terms of lessons. I think if you are laid back and don’t mind dealing with changes you won’t be stressed by this. I guess teachers who have been there for many years learn to accept whatever happens. Just by having fun and making a little bit of a difference you can get a lot of reward. My main memory of my students were of them trying to progress and seeming happy to speak English.

Language School

Language schools have between 4-16 students per class normally so you wont have to deal with the stress of controlling students. You also have the benefit of a set work pattern and students who book classes for a period of time. If they miss the class you don’t need to teach them again.

Stress in Language schools could be caused by the working hours as you normally work evenings and weekends. This can make things difficult for your social life if your friends work the regular 9-5 midweek. Maybe rather than stress it can lead to burn-out, especially if you’re heading out on the town after working. The students are maybe more motivated and have a reason for learning. Perhaps if you’re teaching kids it is different as their parents force them to study during prime time cartoon viewing time.

However, again I think once you have worked for a while you get used to the system. If you have a good management system in place then you can just concentrate on teaching and the little things will take care of themselves.

Is Working In A Thai School Stressful?

When I compare myself here to the UK I am much less stressed. I don’t have KPI’s to hit, I have a lovely work environment and I feel like I am helping people. Sure I think there is always some stress in every job, but here the problems are mainly about adapting to new culture and the way things are done.

Overall for a less stressed environment I would recommend a language school. I’m sure many people will give you the opposite view but for me it is a more stable option. The hours and classes are normally fixed and you get the opportunity to teach students who want to learn.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Check out Ajarn.com for teaching positions all around Thailand.

Why not try:

Accommodation in Thailand

Is Learning Thai Easy or Difficult?

Types of English Teaching Jobs in Thailand

About Richard 176 Articles
British guy living and working in Bangkok, Thailand since 2013. Running LifeInANewCountry.com teaching and writer of Settling in Thailand expat book.