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Be Like Millie: Embracing the Joys and Surprises of Teaching in a Thai School

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Working and living in Thailand is somewhat of a culture change. Well, it’s more than just culture; it’s the weather, the food, the structure of the day, the work-life balance, and the constant laughing. I used to live in England, and honestly, if you combine the cold and the rain with the 9-5 working hours, moving to Thailand was a refreshing change of pace.


BFITS Thailand Teacher Millie teaching English

Not to mention everyday I am here, I see something completely different or am surprised by something absolutely random; for example, this morning on my drive to school, I saw a driver beside us who had roughly eleven large trays of eggs balanced on the back of his motorbike. They were not in boxes or carefully wrapped to protect them in case they fell. It seemed normal to transport eggs across the city to everyone else but me.



The Joy of Working and Living in Thailand

BFITS Thailand Teacher Millie having fun with students while teaching

To give some context, I have been working and living happily in Bangkok, Thailand, since April of 2023. I work at Suksanari School, a Thai public secondary (high) school for all girls. I work in the BFITS English department and spend my time on the sixth floor, where we are spoiled by the beautiful city views of Bangkok. My school feels very central to everything I need.

Still, it is in the older part of the city, which means we have a lot more temples and interesting architecture and fewer new buildings surrounding us. However, a little further in the distance, you can see the towering high-rise buildings across the river, creating a complementary cityscape until the rainy season, when the view is more like a blurry photo than anything legible. (I do quite like this kind of mysterious cosy vibe, though).



A Day in the Happy Life of a Thai School

A surprising view of a loaded bike in Thailand

My average Thai school day goes something like this. I get picked up by a taxi motorbike in the morning and whip across town to my school, usually seeing something questionable on the way but not really being able to process it because of my early morning foggy brain.

Some examples include; the egg stacking, multiple people piled onto the backs of bikes, people smoking fish on the roadside, and workers sleeping in hammocks in the back of trucks. I enjoy the confusion and take in a nice clean breath of pollution while sitting in the school rush traffic until my driver manages to snake through the cars and buses; this can take us between fifteen and thirty minutes; however, it is without a doubt the best way to commute, and it always wakes me up so I’m ready for work!


A beautiful view of Bangkok from Suksanari School

Our school is always so vibrant in the morning. It is all open air (apart from the classrooms and offices, of course). All the girls hang out with their friends, some play basketball or practice with the band, and music always plays here in the mornings, so it simply feels joyful every day. As I head up to our SNR BFITS Program office, students past and present always stop me to say good morning or have a little chat, and if I’m lucky, just shower me with compliments – what better way to start the day?

In England, I was never much of a ‘morning person,’ but here, with the sun shining and everyone being so active and happy, it’s hard not to enjoy it. I LOVE our school first thing in the morning, in huge part because our hallway is painted a golden yellow colour, so in the morning sun, it feels like the whole space is glowing.



Enjoying the Cultural Customs and Classroom Surprises

Suksanari School (SNR) Wai Khru 2024

Celebrating Wai Khru with BFITS Teachers in Suksanari School (SNR)

Some surprises of Thai school life is that most of your students don’t wear shoes in the classrooms. This, of course, keeps the classrooms cleaner as dirt is not tracked in. However, it is also customary in Thailand to take off your shoes before entering a home or a temple as a gesture of respect and courtesy, it is also much more comfortable.

This reminds me of a favourite daily delight in the classroom. Our school is lucky enough to have air conditioning in all of our classrooms. However, sometimes, the rooms get so cold that the students insist on bringing blankets and jumpers to class to keep warm. We always find this quite funny and start the classes giggling over ways to stay warm, usually two or three students sharing a jumper.


Paper Folding Activity with BFITS Thailand Teacher Millie

This goes hand in hand with the sheer politeness and friendliness of Thai culture, specifically our students. All of my students welcome me into the classroom, thank me after our lessons, and always say kind and sometimes quite funny things. I have never worked with such respectful and well-mannered students; it makes my job easier and much, much nicer.



Exploring Thai Cuisine in the School Canteen

Golden hallway in Suksanari School

An honest delight of working in a Thai school is lunch, which is, of course, the students’ favourite lesson of the day, and it’s quickly becoming mine with the variety of authentic Thai food on offer. In our school canteen, we have many different windows/stalls to choose from for our lunch, and when I first arrived, I was very interested in the different options.

My previous experience with Thai food was pad thai, green curry, and something fried with rice, but what’s great about working in a Thai school is that the food options are more local. I am getting to try different foods every day. My usual stop for the first few months was the first window. You would be given a portion of rice and then are allowed to choose up to three local dishes, now it was all written in Thai (which I don’t yet understand) so it is a lot of guesswork.

I often chose something that I assume is a pumpkin and vegetable curry, then something with some sauce, usually resembling a panang curry or red curry (quite spicy). If that wasn’t enough, I sometimes would choose pad kra pao, which is like minced chicken with spicy Thai basil (also usually very spicy).

However this is not my current favourite window of choice, recently I have been obsessed with Khao soi. A richly spiced noodle soup dish with chicken and crispy noodles on top, this is great to have at our school because first, the lady who serves us is quite the fun chef character, and second, you get to add all these little extra toppings and spices to flavour the broth just the way you like it.

I usually finish off my lunch with an iced Thai tea, which you quickly become obsessed with after moving here. It’s a black tea with condensed milk so it is often very sweet, but a perfect cold sugary kick to start off the afternoon.



Evenings in Bangkok: A Fulfilling Relaxation

A stunning view of Bangkok from Suksanari School

I finish my teaching day at three and have the rest of the afternoon to enjoy all that Bangkok has to offer. Luckily for me, Bangkok is best experienced in the evenings, when it is a little cooler, so after work, I basically have an entire day. Night markets are my usual go-to; I live close to a very good local market where the best fresh juices are sold for only 40 Thai Baht. Or I can be found trying a yoga class and relaxing after a hard school day.

Simply delightful.


About the Author
Millie Rose Hogman

Millie Rose Hogman

Millie is a passionate traveler who decided to make Bangkok her permanent home in 2023. As a teacher in the vibrant city, she embraces the opportunities and adventures that surround her. Living in Bangkok provides Millie with a wealth of inspiration for her writing, as she incorporates the city's vibrant culture and diverse experiences into her stories.
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