Catlin Dewar writes:
Over the summer, I was lucky enough to be involved in the British Council’s ‘Teach English in Thailand’ scheme. I went with approximately 250 students from universities all over the UK. The official job title is ‘English Teaching Assistant’ (ETA), but more often than not, you’re expected to be the teacher. This can seem daunting at first, but it’s amazing how quickly you warm up to the role.
I was allocated to a Primary school in the North of Thailand which was around 8 hours from Bangkok in a province called Phrae. I taught 6 classes for 2 hours each week, with students ranging from 6, 7, 8 and 10 years old. The children were very cheeky and chatty but extremely welcoming as well – some of the girls would regularly sit me down to plait my hair!
I travelled a lot on the weekends, and for the rest of the time I was lucky enough to live with my mentor, who very quickly became like a mum to me. All in all, it was the most incredible experience and I would recommend it to anyone. If you want to read more about what I got up to, check out my blog.
Catlin Dewar