Be Like Chris: Create Meaningful Connections with Fellow Teachers in Thailand

For most teachers in Thailand, the path into the classroom can begin in many different ways. Mine certainly did. I’ve been an active member of the workforce of this world for over 20 years now. In that time, I’ve done a plethora of different jobs.

When I was about 16 years old, I worked as a stable hand for a local horse breeder. I love animals in general, but had no particular interest in horses as such, beautiful creatures they may be. That was hard work, but rewarding in the sense that sometimes only physical work can be.

I’ve worked in retail, construction, banking, and as a removalist (moving people’s furnishings from one property to another). For 6 months, I worked what seemed like endless hours on a farm in rural New South Wales, Australia. That was in another lifetime, way back in 2012.

From Work Experience to Teaching Abroad

After graduating from university, I worked as a junior civil engineer back home in Ireland, but my heart was never in it, and after a couple of years of that, I at last found my calling when I took the leap into teaching overseas with a deployment to China with the aim of getting some much-needed experience in the field.

That eventually led me to take up my current position as a Math teacher in the BFITS English Program at Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School, a position I have held since August 2021 (with a short 6-month break).

For anyone considering what it means to teach in Thailand, the classroom is only part of the story. Teaching abroad also means learning how to build relationships, collaborate with colleagues, and find a sense of community far from home.

Working Alongside Teachers from Everywhere

Throughout these varied work experiences, I have encountered and worked alongside many people. While not always seeing eye-to-eye and having differences of opinion along the way, I have always tried to maintain a professional working relationship with all of my colleagues and a basic level of respect.

At my current school here in Buriram, I am lucky enough to work alongside people from all over the world. In the English program alone, the United States, England, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Ireland are all represented alongside our Thai colleagues. In other programs in the school, BFITS provides teachers from the Philippines and New Zealand.

Part of the appeal of working overseas for me has always been that opportunity to work with people from wildly different backgrounds, and who may have had good or bad past experiences that proved to be character-forming, and still, here we all find ourselves, working side-by-side towards a common goal.

This is one of the quiet strengths of the BFITS Program. It brings together teachers with different stories, teaching styles, cultures, and experiences, all working toward student growth.

Learning Through Different Perspectives

You can learn a lot from people with different perspectives and life experiences from your own. If you are open and honest enough to do so, that is.

I come from an engineering background, while some of my immediate colleagues worked in the legal and business fields. This means we have learned or been taught different techniques and can utilize them in our shared teaching environment.

I have worked in unison with teacher Ronan Quinn here in Buriram, who arrived at about the same time as I did. We both teach the same students, M1-M3 (Grades 7 to 9) in the BFITS English Program, with me acting as the Math teacher while Ronan enlightens our students on the intricacies of English grammar.

Because we have the same students, we often maintain dialogue regarding good teaching practices, discuss student progress, and share concerns about student behavior. Our English Program has about 200 students and is tight-knit, so this kind of behavior is not just limited to Ronan and me.

I merely used him as my example, since our timelines are so closely aligned. The truth is, all of my colleagues generally adopt this kind of teacher collaboration towards our students, ultimately for their benefit.

For those teaching in Thailand, this kind of collaboration can make a huge difference. It reminds you that you are not working alone, even when the classroom itself can sometimes feel like your own little world.

More Than Just Professional Relationships

I can honestly say that with my colleagues here, we share more than just a professional relationship. I have formed friendships with the majority of the teachers I have been lucky enough to work alongside.

Teachers Charles, Jacquie, Ronan, and Michael are long-term English Program teachers, with Matt Krupa filling in as our current Science teacher this semester. Matt has obviously been a great addition here due to his experience and wealth of knowledge.

I have met many of the other teachers from BFITS who work in the various other schools here in Buriram, and although I obviously do not see them as regularly as the ones I work with on a daily basis, I also call them friends.

We meet up in restaurants and bars around the city, at Buriram United football matches, at the race track, and in other such locations around town. Buriram is not Bangkok, and it’s easy to form friendships here, both with locals and other overseas temporary residents.

These friendships become part of daily life. They make teaching abroad feel less temporary and more grounded, especially when you begin to recognize familiar faces not only at school, but around town as well.

Friendships That Support Better Teaching

What are the benefits of forming friendships with fellow teachers during our time here? They are twofold. There are benefits on both a professional and a personal level.

At work, it is good to have people with whom we can share our ideas, maybe something new that we are going to try in the classroom. It’s always good to have a colleague act as a sounding board, give you advice, and point out the positives and negatives of any ideas you may have.

For shared events, of which there are many in my school, we get to collaborate more closely, so it’s important that we are genuinely friendly with each other. English Camp, Christmas and New Year activities, teacher/parent meetings, and many other activities throughout the year give us opportunities to collaborate.

When you teach in Thailand with a community like this, the work becomes more connected. You exchange ideas, support one another through busy periods, and build trust that carries into school events, classroom planning, and everyday teaching life.

Finding Community Far from Home

On a personal level, I value the friendships of my colleagues here because we are mostly far from home, and those friendships can help combat loneliness and offer support in times of trouble or hardship. That is not to be underestimated.

Luckily, I have found people with common interests here, be it in music, sport, film, or literature. There are different Line groups with BFITS for those who share a common passion. There is a wellbeing group, a travel group, a football group, and many others.

These help us stay connected with each other, so even though I have never met some of the people in these groups in person, I would feel comfortable meeting them in the future because of our interactions online.

This is one of the things that makes the wider BFITS Thailand community meaningful. It gives teachers space to connect through work, shared interests, and simple everyday conversations that can make life abroad feel more familiar.

Belonging Within the BFITS Community

It is important to have a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose in this increasingly fractured world, and I feel here in Buriram that I indeed do have that.

Having always been a relatively self-confident person myself, I nonetheless owe a huge debt of gratitude to my many friends and colleagues here and to the wider BFITS community who have always supported me. And for just being there for me if needed.

And it is indeed a community here in BFITS, one that I am proud to be a part of and will continue to be a part of. As Christmas approaches, it can be a lonely time for some of us, away from family and childhood friends, but we are all in this together, and I give sincere thanks to all of you for everything.

Let’s keep going forward and never look back. Keep on keeping on, as a better man than I once said.

All the best.

Chris Whearty
Buriram Pitthayakhom (BP) School