Decided I wanted a new thin overshirt and liked the look of this one especially with the pocket on the front. Happy with my purchase quality is decent and can be seen in the pics 🙌
Hi everyone,
I’m currently facing a massive crossroads in my life and need some un-sugarcoated reality checks from people who have been round the block in terms of the TEFL route in Thailand and either stayed, or transitioned back home afterward.
My Profile:
Age: 35 (turning 36 next May).
Life: Still live at home, have around £65k savings. Looked to buy a flat a few years ago but was still difficult getting the mortgage (for somewhere that isn’t a dump) from the bank on my own, self employed. Now trying to live life a little more while still saving, it’s a short ride this old thing called life so trying to balance more while still saving a bit. Year and half relationship just finished for a number of reasons but right decision.
Profession: Barber for the past 10 years in the UK. I do somewhat enjoy my job, money isn’t terrible, but I am a bit burned out, sick of the routine, and the main gripe for me, I absolutely despise the UK winters, (I find life significantly easier in what is currently our summer) I want a different life, feels like a ticking clock to make a change.
Qualifications: I have a BA (Hons) degree (unrelated to teaching), never ended up using this and got in to barbering after uni (strange to some maybe but is what it is). Also have an online TEFL certificate. (Was planning to move abroad with my GF but obviously now that’s out the window. So had other plans which are now not going ahead but this is why I originally did the TEFL course)
The Dilemma:
I’ve been looking into doing a program to go teach English in Thailand (targeting the Jomtien (Pattaya) area for affordability and lifestyle, don’t want to be in the mix of it in Pattaya but just outside is ok). On one hand, the daily lifestyle sounds exactly like what I’m craving… warm weather, beach proximity, gym training, and a complete mental reset. I’m thinking even just a year or two out there could cure my burnout. At my age, if I don’t do it now, it’s probably a now or never thing right?
On the other hand, the math is terrifying me the more I look into it. An entry-level TEFL salary in Thailand seems from research to sit around 35k – 45k Baht (£800–£1,000) a month. From what I can gather, for a 35 year-old who wants a half decent condo, gym/Muay Thai memberships, and medical insurance, that wage is maybe liveable yes, but still potentially difficult.
Plus sides are I’m 3 years sober so don’t drink at all and not interested in the party life so I would save money there. I don’t have nomad experience and don’t want to eat into my savings too much (a little is ok) but this teaching option seems like the only viable option for me to have an income and live.
My Fears:
Financial Stagnation: At my age, spending 1 or 2 years earning a wage that leaves me with £0 to save, freezing my UK National Insurance contributions, and putting nothing into a pension feels like potential financial suicide for my future self.
The Dead End: A standard TEFL/Non-B visa path in a local school seems to offer zero actual career progression unless I invest years and thousands of pounds into a formal UK PGCE/state teaching license. Way too long in the tooth to be doing that now.
The Return: If I do it for 2 years and come back at 38, I’ll have a multi-year gap on my UK resume, no accumulated wealth, and I’ll likely just have to walk straight back into a barber shop anyway.
(Maybe I’m better just doing a long haul holiday there once a year and during the worst months (Jan-Feb) sneaking in a few quick and cheap all-inclusive breaks to canaries, Egypt, Morocco to get my sun fix?).
My Questions for the Community:
To those who started TEFL in Thailand in their mid-30s with a trade background: Did it actually provide the life reset you wanted, or did the financial anxiety of paused savings/pension track ruin the experience?
Is it realistic to think I could use local teaching as a foot in the door, build up a private online teaching client base (like Preply etc) on the side, and transition to a digital nomad setup/DTV visa to make better money? is the online market too saturated to rely on? Or would I realistically be stuck in the classroom?
Am I completely overthinking the future implications of just taking 12 to 24 months out of my life to enjoy the sun, or am I right to treat this as a dangerous financial trap?
Be as honest as possible, but also, be kind please. I need facts, not romanticized travel blog stories, but already feeling a bit shit about everything so please make criticism constructive. Thanks.