Transportation
Now imagine this bus without the snow and 35 degree celsius weather outside. The windows are open and people are hanging out the sides of the bus. That will give you some idea about what taking a bus is like in south east Asia.
If you are in Myanmar, people will be on the roof and hanging out of the doors but if you are in Singapore you better take a sweater because the air conditioning is on so high you can catch pneumonia.
Here are the options getting to school. You can walk if you live near the school, but if you live near the school you will miss out on the nightlife since schools are generally not downtown. You can take a regular bus which is surprisingly cheap but cannot be depended to run on schedule and you might have to transfer a lot. You can ask your school to allow you to ride on the school bus but you will have to get to a drop off point. The third alternative is to take a taxi. If you are in places like Thailand or Vietnam you will be pleasantly surprised at how cheap it is.
In most countries of south east asia you can always take a taxi motorcycle, and if you choose this option I hope your insurance is fully paid up!
Clothing
Now imagine this bus without the snow and 35 degree celsius weather outside. The windows are open and people are hanging out the sides of the bus. That will give you some idea about what taking a bus is like in south east Asia.
If you are in Myanmar, people will be on the roof and hanging out of the doors but if you are in Singapore you better take a sweater because the air conditioning is on so high you can catch pneumonia.
Here are the options getting to school. You can walk if you live near the school, but if you live near the school you will miss out on the nightlife since schools are generally not downtown. You can take a regular bus which is surprisingly cheap but cannot be depended to run on schedule and you might have to transfer a lot. You can ask your school to allow you to ride on the school bus but you will have to get to a drop off point. The third alternative is to take a taxi. If you are in places like Thailand or Vietnam you will be pleasantly surprised at how cheap it is.
In most countries of south east asia you can always take a taxi motorcycle, and if you choose this option I hope your insurance is fully paid up!
Clothing
In the west, teachers dress quite casually but when you are in the east at an international school the owners want you to portray a certain image so men will have to wear ties and dress pants and women generally have to wear a dress or a skirt with no open toed shoes, especially in Thailand where an open toe is a huge sign of disrespect.
Here is the good news. Don't even bother taking any clothes with you. They are so cheap to have made that you will be delighted. If the collars fall off in a few months , just think of the clothes as rentals and keep buying new. Some schools will even give you the material to have your clothes made!
Here is the good news. Don't even bother taking any clothes with you. They are so cheap to have made that you will be delighted. If the collars fall off in a few months , just think of the clothes as rentals and keep buying new. Some schools will even give you the material to have your clothes made!
Week-end Fun
Here is the good news. Transportation is so cheap and countries are so close together that you can easily fly from one country to another. The most expensive thing will probably be the visa to get in! Laos is particularly expensive for example. For sure the visa is more expensive than the bus or flight to get there.
Air Asia has ticket counters in all of the malls and tickets very plentiful and cheap to buy. You can also take overnight buses. However, you certainly do not have to go to other countries. For example, if you live in Bangkok you can easily get to Koh Samet which is a few hours from Bangkok and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You will discover these hidden gems no matter where you are and you will enjoy these sites immensely.
Here is the good news. Transportation is so cheap and countries are so close together that you can easily fly from one country to another. The most expensive thing will probably be the visa to get in! Laos is particularly expensive for example. For sure the visa is more expensive than the bus or flight to get there.
Air Asia has ticket counters in all of the malls and tickets very plentiful and cheap to buy. You can also take overnight buses. However, you certainly do not have to go to other countries. For example, if you live in Bangkok you can easily get to Koh Samet which is a few hours from Bangkok and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You will discover these hidden gems no matter where you are and you will enjoy these sites immensely.
Koh Samet
Ready to get a job in Asia yet? All schools are hiring now for next September! Just go to the web sites I keep mentioning and good luck. One other thing to remember...things move very slowly in Asia when it comes to making decisions so you may be waiting a long time after the interview before you hear whether or not you go the job. Just hang in there because you probably did!
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