In this episode, Claire interviews Jade Raynor who is one of our very own proofreaders at Classroom Secrets. Before joining our team, Jade taught in primary schools in both the UK and Thailand leaving her with many interesting insights into teaching internationally.
In Thailand, Jade taught all subjects across the primary phase, other than those taught by specialists in Music, PE, Swimming, MFL and Thai. Although the workload was similar in both countries, teachers were given much more non-contact time in Thailand allowing them to keep on top of tasks during the school day. She found that this gave her a significantly more positive LIFE/ work balance than she had experienced while teaching in the UK.
Drawing on her experiences, Jade shares the similarities and differences between teaching in the UK and abroad, details about the preparation required before making a major move and information about the support systems and school structures in place.
Claire’s interview with Jade offers a fascinating snapshot of teaching abroad and weighs up the pros and cons of embarking on the ultimate teaching adventure.
KEY TAKEAWAYS

Apply early!Many schools begin recruiting in October for the following September. You can apply later in the academic year but it’s advisable to get your application in as soon as you can to ensure you have the broadest range of options available to you. When working abroad, schools often expect their teachers to decide in October whether they will be staying beyond the current academic year to allow maximum time for recruitment.


Be prepared to prepare!As you might expect, there can be a lot to organise when moving and working abroad. After accepting her job offer, Jade needed to gather up her identification documentation, apply for a VISA and complete stacks of paperwork from the school. The company Jade worked with agreed to pay for the flights to Thailand and back to the UK at the end of her contract, and although they didn’t contribute financially towards her accommodation, they did help her to organise this before her arrival. The school that Jade worked in also offered places for teachers’ children at the school as an incentive for families to move there. Since all schools work differently, it’s recommended to research a variety of schools to see which perks and incentives may be most suited to you.


LIFE/work balanceJade found that teacher life in Thailand offered her a much better LIFE/ work balance than in the UK. Unless she was running her weekly after-school club, her working day ended around 4 or 4.30pm on average. She found that her evenings and most weekends were free to enjoy life and she and her partner spent many weekends on cheap mini breaks to nearby islands. The key to this balance was having more time to complete tasks during the school day. Jade taught all subjects across the primary phase in Thailand, other than those taught by specialists in Music, PE, Swimming, MFL and Thai. While the children were with their specialist teachers, she had at least an hour each day to catch up on tasks and this went a long way in giving her a positive LIFE/ work balance.


Support systemsJade felt very well supported by the leadership team at her school in Thailand. If she had any concerns about children with SEN issues, she could ask for them to be observed and they would be supported with additional TAs where possible and taken for interventions if needed. Teachers who could speak the native Thai language also assisted her greatly with translation and behaviour management. Jade and the other staff created a support network amongst themselves to help each other during their time away from home.


School StructureIn Jade’s experience, the school day in Thailand was structured in the same way as the UK. The main difference was that the school year started in August rather than September and the October half term and Christmas holidays were longer. Many of the schools in Thailand were funded privately. Sub