Having spent 12 years watching teachers come through my school in Thailand, I’ve been able to see the trajectory of many different kind of teachers. Whether is just a general happiness they leave with, or how their time here has led them to a successful next step of their life, there have been definite mindsets which lead people to success. Of course there’s no absolute rule for this, but there are patterns to the way in which people engage with their teaching job that seem to leave people seeing their time as an ESL teacher in Thailand, as a defining moment in their life.

In this post I’ll outline five mentalities that I think almost always guarantee a positive experience in Thailand, both for me as a program director, and for the teachers themselves.

The Chameleon

Ten years ago, approaching the experience of living in Thailand without rigid expectations was easier. Nowadays, extensive pre-move research on every conceivable aspect of life there is commonplace. Instagram, with its carefully curated galleries of palm trees, sunsets, and cocktails, exacerbates this, easily exaggerating the reality of life in a small Thai city. The Chameleon arrives ready to accept Thailand as it is. This goes deeper, though; the more one reinforces preconceived notions of what life might be like, the more one loses the ability to adapt to what life actually is.

Chameleons shrug off expectations, seeing their life here for its potential. Cities like the one I live in weren’t built around tourism, nor around preconceived experiences or expectations. They were built around Thai culture and religion, which is what makes them unique and beautiful. Chameleons recognize this, and instead of forcing their own ideas of how things should be, they open themselves to the wonderful experiences Thailand truly offers.

This extends to a teacher’s time at work. Instead of importing ideas of how education functions in their home country, or preconceived notions of what a job should be, Chameleons adapt, grow, and find fulfillment in experiencing something beyond their past understanding of the world. This fosters contentment and happiness, making them the biggest contributors to growth within the school. Rather than forcing their views and becoming discontent when things don’t align, they grow with the school, with the community, and in turn, the world around them changes with them.

The Empath

My favorite people are the Empaths. These are the people who have put in the work to place themselves in the minds and experiences of others and act accordingly. Empaths are the backbone of the school and the ESL community in Thailand because they are both effective teachers and create an environment where others feel connected and belong.

Empaths are the ones with whom students build the strongest connections; students sense their understanding and feel comfortable engaging with them. You would never hear an Empath say, “That student is a problem.” They are the ones looking for the reasons behind a student’s behavior. They seek solutions, looking for ways to improve the classroom experience for everyone. When these teachers have bad days at work, they reflect on their contribution to the situation and how they can improve the next day. Empaths also extend support and advice to their fellow teachers, understanding their struggles as well as the reasons behind the school’s decisions. These teachers have been the heart of my school and are essential for creating a work environment that people want to contribute to.

This extends beyond the school; Empaths create the soul of the wider community in the city. They are the ones who reach out to new teachers, offering advice and ideas and guiding them through the struggles of moving to a new country and a new culture. For many years, our city had teachers who stayed for more than two years, an exception to a culture that often sees teachers doing six-month or one-year stints. This is largely due to the people who went out of their way to foster community by engaging with everyone. Empaths don’t waste time complaining about those who are different; they understand that environments like this attract people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds and strive to find ways to understand and connect everyone to their experience of being in Thailand.

The Excited

The Excited have been my biggest inspiration during my time in Thailand. These are the people who are enthusiastic about everything, and through them, your perspectives are changed and your mindset is improved. Where others might see the trivial or the mundane, the Excited see the beautiful and the unique. These are the people who come to Thailand for whom every moment is something to celebrate and appreciate; for someone who has been here a long time, they are a constant reminder of how life is full of things to be grateful and appreciative for.

The Excited make the best teachers because they make their classrooms places of wonder and stimulation. The students are captivated by the lessons they teach and the enthusiasm with which they approach them. I don’t think this is unique to teaching in Thailand. However, when your class might have limited English language skills, having a teacher who visibly communicates their excitement is crucial. The students are inspired and eager to engage. These teachers use engaging crafts, activities, games, or experiments. They go above and beyond with their plans. The teachers around them can’t help but be inspired to try to do the same. These teachers remain calm when they encounter the obstacles of a Thai school. They creatively incorporate the Thai way of life into their classes. They work with the system to inspire.

They also inspire those around them outside of the classroom. Whether it’s a sunset, the moon, or a smiling man dishing out breakfast curry on the way to school, they see the beauty in everything around them. They encourage you to do the same. The Excited are the entertainers. They remind you to be present and enjoy the little moments that are unique to Thailand. These moments are ultimately the biggest part of being away from your home. They are the essential moments of enjoying life.

The Planner

As important as flexibility and finding excitement in one’s surroundings are, there is also great value in those who can manage their time and plan effectively. One of the biggest challenges new teachers face is effective time management. We often hire teachers with little to no teaching experience, and balancing planning, grading, book checking, craft building, and the various other tasks assigned by the school is no easy feat. For most, this is a skill they must build, a necessary tool for all teachers, and one that doesn’t come easily to many of us. The Planners thrive in these environments, and the best of them impart these skills to those around them.

Within the school environment, Planners are essential to ensuring smooth operations. Their stress levels are tempered by their preparedness. Their lesson plans are extensive and easy to follow, resulting in effective and engaging classes. The way they build their lessons around the syllabus brings structure to the school and provides a foundation for everyone to build upon and continue to grow. There are many extra duties that come with being a teacher in a Thai ESL school, and these teachers show us how to balance the job and are less affected by the daily stresses and deadlines that make up their time as a teacher. These are the dependable ones, the people whose attention to detail allows the creatives and the dreamers to build around them and with them.

Outside of school, their planning adds value to their friendship groups. Less time is wasted wondering what to do with a long weekend. Not only do they provide a plan for the big dreams of others, but they also find little gems along the way that might be missed by those who think in broad strokes. Through their meticulous nature, the Planners enhance our experience, make big ideas seem achievable, and provide comfort when things seem overwhelming.

The Student

These are the people who come to learn. Everything that happens around them is something they can use to grow and evolve. Their reasons for coming to Thailand are rooted in a journey of discovery, which allows them to take every moment for what it is, without expectations of how things should be. For these teachers, listening is just as important as teaching.

In the classroom, these are the teachers who take their time to listen, remembering that each of their students has a new perspective to offer. Their learning mindset makes it easier for them to plan classes that help students learn effectively, applying how they have learned and how they want to learn to a teaching method that allows the same. The disruptions of a Thai school aren’t cumbersome, just another way to understand how things work in a different part of the world. These teachers engage with their coworkers in the same way, seeing each of their fellow teachers as a book to learn from. This mindset encourages collaborative office environments and makes those around them feel valued and respected. The Students are always positive contributors to the school; their natural curiosity and open-mindedness create natural structures that allow us to be more effective in how we give and gain information.

Outside of the classroom, these are the people who help us engage proactively with the world around us. Their curiosity about the local culture leads us to conversations we might not otherwise have, learning about what motivates people and gaining a deeper understanding of the culture. The Students approach their travels with such sincere interest. Without them, some of us might spend more of our time in our hammocks on the beach, but instead, we are reminded of one of the major reasons we left our home countries in the first place.

Throughout my time in Thailand, I’ve strived to embody a little of each of these personality types. The best teachers possess a combination of these mindsets, allowing them to engage with the world with a richness that can’t help but inspire those around them. Each of these types of teachers has enriched my school and, I know without a doubt, has improved the lives of both the students they teach and the people they meet.

I think that even if we can’t fully relate to any of these mindsets, even if we don’t naturally connect with any of these people, our goal should be to gather their best attributes so we can also leave a lasting impact and, in turn, become true citizens of the world.

Next post I’ll touch on the mindsets to avoid but if you have any other topics about Thailand or ESL teaching in Thailand that you’d like me to touch on please let me know in the comments!