--- title: "Teaching in Thailand Will Change Your Life" description: "GeoVisions Foundation teacher, Darby, reflects on his time teaching in Thailand, and the positive impact it has had on his life. " type: blog version: 1 version_id: "d5e4d886-426a-436a-a093-fb80d345761f" generated_at: "2026-06-09T17:53:44.053Z" author: "Randy LeGrant" date_published: "2020-09-22" language: en-us reading_time: "5 min" word_count: 882 url: "https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teaching-in-thailand-life-changing" --- # Teaching in Thailand Will Change Your Life > GeoVisions Foundation teacher, Darby, reflects on his time teaching in Thailand, and the positive impact it has had on his life. ## Key Takeaways - How much do English teachers make in Thailand? 2 min read # Teaching in Thailand Will Change Your Life [Darby Caneen](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/darby-caneen) : Updated on February 15, 2019 [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) October 19, 2018, I am 30,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean on Singapore Airlines flight 708 to Tokyo, Japan. There was a sense of urgency to get off the 12 hour flight and see what Asia had in store for me, but there was also a sense of caution. Me, myself and I, alone in a city of 35 million people, no one to lean on for help with directions and no one to go to restaurants with. I just had myself, 6,700 miles away from home and I am loving every second of it. I am not new to the travel game, I have worked 3 summers in Alaska, worked on an island off the coast of Southern California and even worked in Yosemite national park. I have also studied abroad in Italy and did a volunteer trip to Central America. But this trip was different, the purpose of this trip was simple; teach English in Thailand for four months and travel to 10 countries and 2 continents in the process. October 30, 2018, I will never forget the 2.5 hour drive north of Bangkok to my school. I had never seen rice paddies until that moment. A cloud of mystery and fear was over me, I had no idea what to expect. My first day of school, the kids couldn’t stop looking at me and touching me, they were fascinated by my presence. Every time I get lunch and I’m carrying the dishes back to my office, the kids get on their tippy toes and try to get a full look as to what I will be consuming for lunch; they find me to be so interesting and I love it. I am now writing this on January 30th, 2019, I have been teaching for 3 months, with one more month left on my contract. This last month will be a bitter sweet one; I am one step closer to fulfilling my contract and seeing the destinations that were once just a figment of my imagination but at the same time, saying goodbye to all these kids will not be easy. I easily give over 1,000 fist bumps, high fives, handshakes, as well as partake in countless rock, paper, scissors matches a day. Teaching alone in a foreign land gives you such a sense of accomplishment. There were times along this journey I would ask myself questions like; what am I even doing here? Or how am I going to last for another 3 months? And every time one of these questions arose, I always looked at the glass half full, instead of half empty. I knew I was over here to make a difference in kids lives and I was over here to ultimately enrich my soul. Every time a young Thai kid, waves to me and says hello, I have to stop and say to myself, wow I am so lucky to be having this amazing interaction and how genuine this experience is. This is the type of experience 20 years down the line, when I look back on my life, when I look back at the pictures I’ve taken, I can honestly say “I actually did that, what a beautiful experience that was.” - [](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teacher-diversity-here-and-abroad) 1 min read #### [Teacher Diversity Here And Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teacher-diversity-here-and-abroad) [Randy LeGrant](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/randy-legrant) : Sep 22, 2020 7:30:43 PM When I checked my email first thing this morning, I noticed an article from Education Week entitled How COVID-19 Is Hurting Teacher Diversity. I... [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) [Covid-19](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/covid-19) [Diversity](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/diversity) [Read More](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teacher-diversity-here-and-abroad) [](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/why-thailand-is-one-of-the-best-countries-to-teach-english) 1 min read #### [Why Thailand is One of the Best Countries to Teach English](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/why-thailand-is-one-of-the-best-countries-to-teach-english) [Randy LeGrant](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/randy-legrant) : Aug 20, 2025 3:15:00 PM Thailand has long been one of the world’s most popular destinations for teaching English, and it’s easy to see why. With stunning beaches, lush... [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [Thailand](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/thailand) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) [Read More](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/why-thailand-is-one-of-the-best-countries-to-teach-english) [](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/how-to-choose-the-perfect-country-to-teach-english-abroad) 1 min read #### [How to Choose the Perfect Country to Teach English Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/how-to-choose-the-perfect-country-to-teach-english-abroad) [Randy LeGrant](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/randy-legrant) : Aug 13, 2025 5:02:17 PM Deciding to teach English abroad is thrilling — the world opens up with endless possibilities. But with so many destinations calling your name, how... [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) [Read More](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/how-to-choose-the-perfect-country-to-teach-english-abroad) [](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teach-english-abroad-programs) 1 min read #### [Top Five Teach English Abroad Programs For 2020](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teach-english-abroad-programs) [Randy LeGrant](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/randy-legrant) : Sep 21, 2019 9:36:01 PM If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? And what if money were no object? THEN where would you go? Soon, you could be in a place... [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) [Read More](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teach-english-abroad-programs) [](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/become-a-paid-english-teacher-in-costa-rica) 1 min read #### [Become a paid English teacher in Costa Rica](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/become-a-paid-english-teacher-in-costa-rica) [Randy LeGrant](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/randy-legrant) : May 13, 2024 3:26:00 PM Discover how you can teach English in Costa Rica and get paid for it! [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [Costa Rica](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/costa-rica) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) [Read More](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/become-a-paid-english-teacher-in-costa-rica) [](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/how-teaching-english-abroad-sets-you-apart-in-your-career) 1 min read #### [How Teaching English Abroad Sets You Apart in Your Career](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/how-teaching-english-abroad-sets-you-apart-in-your-career) [Randy LeGrant](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/author/randy-legrant) : Jul 8, 2025 11:55:51 AM Have you ever wondered what truly makes a CV stand out? It’s not just degrees or years in an office. It’s experience. It's adaptability. It’s the... [Teach Abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-abroad) [why teach abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/why-teach-abroad) [teach english abroad](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/topic/teach-english-abroad) [Read More](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/how-teaching-english-abroad-sets-you-apart-in-your-career) --- ## About This Content **Source:** [Teaching in Thailand Will Change Your Life](https://culturalexchangeproject.org/blog/teaching-in-thailand-life-changing) **Author:** Randy LeGrant **Published:** September 22, 2020 *This content is provided for informational purposes. Please visit the original source for the most up-to-date information.*