Full circle - back on the KSR -jobless and aimless!

[Smeg]

Did you enjoy teaching here Smeg and how long would you have stayed if you'd got a work permit?

It was ok, not terrible but nothing special, but more hobby than career choice.

I would have stayed and worked for a year had I got a WP from one of the two school-based jobs I did, probably no longer than that, because of the low salaries. My cost of living is about half that of the UK, hence I need to earn at least half to make being here as comfortable.

TEFLers earn on average perhaps 5 pounds per hour here, and 10 pounds per hour in the UK, hence I'd never be a TEFLer in either country for long...

[colourful-era]

TEFLers earn on average perhaps 5 pounds per hour here, and 10 pounds per hour in the UK, hence I'd never be a TEFLer in either country for long

Well I was earning 3 pounds an hour! (220B to be precise)

[colourful-era]

How come you are homeless and jobless at the same time?

I'm not homeless - as I said in the OP I am staying in a guest house.

[DJ Pat]

Well I was earning 3 pounds an hour! (220B to be precise)

What a grim situation indeed

[colourful-era]

^yes, grim indeed and so utterly pointless!

Made worse by the fact that all the Thai staff there were making me out to be some kind of millionaire 'farang'.

What a fucking joke!

[DJ Pat]

^yes, grim indeed and so utterly pointless!

Made worse by the fact that all the Thai staff there were making me out to be some kind of millionaire 'farang'.

What a fucking joke!

That can be damned irritating.

[Smeg]

Better than being made out as some peasant Cambodian tho...

[hillbilly]

Fired from my job the other day - a blessing in disguise no doubt.

It has been my experience in life that these little hiccups have often forced me to redirect where my life is going.

Good luck!

[mad_dog]

How come you are homeless and jobless at the same time?

I'm not homeless - as I said in the OP I am staying in a guest house.

But why move out of your apartment to life at khao San ? it is more expensive and shit...

[Smeg]

He probably needed the deposit cash, chai mai?

[mad_dog]

He probably needed the deposit cash, chai mai?

chai mai??? i thought you were near fluent smeg ??

[Smeg]

No, its Kernewek for "feck off Mad Dog". Didn't you know that?

[mad_dog]

No, its Kernewek for "feck off Mad Dog". Didn't you know that?

sweet

[obsidian]

hang in, man.

[colourful-era]

But why move out of your apartment to life at khao San ? it is more expensive and shit

well, the thing is I had moved out of my apartment two weeks earlier in order to move near my school. I was staying in a cheap hotel in the area and was going to move into a new apartment on 1st April.

However, with the job going tits up there seemed no point staying in the area so I've moved to the Ko San Rd as a temporary measure until I get my final paycheck.

[klongmaster]

You've gotta make up your mind about the booze thing...

initially you told us you were an alkie...now you're saying losing your job had nothing to do with the booze

Before I came to Thailand (6months ago) I was hardly drinking anything but now I'm getting back to my old ways (ie: an alcy, alco, wino whatever..) - probably on the juice 3 to 4 times a wk now.

The alcohol thing really isn't an issue. Losing the job and now being on KSR has nothing to do with the whisky , more the fact that I hated the job and thus ultimately got fired from it.

[William]

But why move out of your apartment to life at khao San ? it is more expensive and shit

well, the thing is I had moved out of my apartment two weeks earlier in order to move near my school. I was staying in a cheap hotel in the area and was going to move into a new apartment on 1st April.

However, with the job going tits up there seemed no point staying in the area so I've moved to the Ko San Rd as a temporary measure until I get my final paycheck.

oh boy. another problem is sure to crop up here. you really should have commected that "final" paycheck before you left the school.

i hope i'm wrong, but if i got a baht for every time i heard horror stories about "final" paychecks, i'd be retired on a beach somewhere nice by now.

[kingwilly]

^ yeah that and tryign to get back your key deposit

some things just shoudlnt be an issue.

[kingwilly]

hang in there man - but i do worry that hanging out in KSR is not really gonna help ur case re: booze or re:new job

[colourful-era]

oh boy. another problem is sure to crop up here. you really should have commected that "final" paycheck before you left the school. i hope i'm wrong, but if i got a baht for every time i heard horror stories about "final" paychecks, i'd be retired on a beach somewhere nice by now.

Yes I am worried about the 'final check' business but they gave me their 'word' they would pay. Pay day has always been the final day of the month so I can only accept their word.

They may stiff me yes - I'll find out on Friday.

[colourful-era]

^ yeah that and tryign to get back your key deposit some things just shoudlnt be an issue.

I was ok when I moved out of my apartment - got my 6,500B back minus 60B for two coathangers - now that is just bad manners in my book.

Paid over 30K in rent and they charge me 60B for a couple of poxy coathangers -still, could have been worse I guess.


So overall no real problem with that one.

[colourful-era]

hang in there man - but i do worry that hanging out in KSR is not really gonna help ur case re: booze or re:new job

I'm not even going to look for a new job until I get paid - not drinking at the moment - KSR is pretty tame really - just couples mainly.

It's not like it's particularly inspiring to go out on the piss here anyway- just useful for a few days.

[colourful-era]

You've gotta make up your mind about the booze thing... initially you told us you were an alkie...now you're saying losing your job had nothing to do with the booze

I must have overstated the alkie thing a bit - I was drinking on average twice a wk whilst working and only on my days off.

I was bored shitless with the job from way back but just stuck at it - guess that showed in my lessons.

I reckon the final wk of my employment (the only wk that I drunk every night in) was the final straw - ie: looking like shit every day.

The seeds of discontent had probably been sown 2 or 3 months previously.

[Ice Maiden]

You didn't comment on my post colourful-era that I took so long to write

[colourful-era]

You didn't comment on my post colourful-era that I took so long to write

sorry, apologies for that... - I've been too busy ranting and raving..

Why do you hate teaching in LOS?

Well, my job was a nightmare really - overworked, underpaid , dealing with irritation on a daily basis and having to line the pockets of the Thai cronies running the show.
Also it turned me into hating teaching - I job that I very much enjoyed before coming here.

I'm sorry Thailand didn't work for you but sometimes you shouldn't just give up, you say this is your second time trying but would a third time hurt? I believe in the dated phrase: "If at first you dont succeed try and try again"

I'll come back to Thailand again no doubt , either on an extended holiday or perhaps to work in a different field - I'd do the Tefl possibly on a part-time basis as I do actually like teaching.

Life isn't all rainbows. The odd rain appears every now and then but sooner or later the sun returns again.

That's true , but for me it was raining for 25 days a month and only shining for five - ie: not a good balance.

Many hard choices happen during our lives and I'm sure this is going to be a difficult one for you.

It's not too big a deal really, I can always come back to Thailand if I want and really I am now looking forward to getting on with something more constructive. My enjoyment here has only been fueled by avoiding reality - often involving alcohol, marijuana and other wayward activities.

I think putting down that whisky bottle is a start mate. But I dont know your situation.

See my above post to Klongmaster - I'm not really a heavy drinker these days and haven't touched a drop since I left my job - more a case of the job pissing me off so much that the w/ends involved alcohol to de-stress.(although, yes, my alcohol consumption had been gradually increasing - another reason to make some changes)

Your own happiness means a lot to you because life is very brief so you are best enjoying it and it isn't worth the constant upset of being somewhere you dont wish to be. I hope you find the path that leads to your rainbow but until then, like good old FriscoFrankie says enjoy the ride.

I like Thailand and could be happy here under better circumstances - but the path to the rainbow for me here has been just a superficial illusion.


anyway, thanks for your comments in this thread and also the other one. I know a lot of people here love the teaching and the life it gives them but it's not for me.


Hope you have a good day today Icey One.