10 things to know before you teach English in Bangkok
If you’re readying yourself for your first TEFL year in the wild and wonderful Thai capital, be sure to read on. We’ve slung together 10 of the top things you should know before you touchdown in the electrifying megacity that is Bangkok…
It’s huge
Bangkok is not a bite-sized city. You can’t stroll from one neighborhood to the next. It hosts a whopping 8.28 million people, which is just shy of London or New York. It’s going to take you a while to see the whole place, but that’s okay – that’s part of the fun!
Getting around can be a chore
Going from A to B in Bangkok is never a breeze. Yes, the tuk-tuks are wild and the MRT is uber-efficient, but traffic and a lack of metro lines can cause an issue. The key is to be creative in how you get from one place to another. Use the canal barges or the river boats, or summon one of those nifty scooter taxis if you’re feeling really brave.
The best food is on the street
There’s just no way around this. Bangkok might have Michelin-starred bistros and uber-chic sky bars, but there’s nothing that can beat the street food. In fact, we’d go one step further and say Bangkok is the street-food capital of the world! There’s much more than just the quintessential pad Thai (although they are lovely). You can also get fiery noodle soups, pork skewers, mango sticky rice – the list goes on!
The playing of the national anthem
It’s common for travelers to be caught unawares by the spontaneous playing of the Thai national anthem. It happens around key areas of the city, and in bus and train stations, usually in the morning and early evening. When it’s on, be sure to stand up, be still, and stay respectful.
Taxis can be as fast as walking
We remember being sat in a taxi on the way to a bar while the person we were meeting strolled alongside the car. They got there before us. That’s just Bangkok – a city where the traffic moves slower than the pedestrians. You can dodge the jams if you take a motorbike taxi, but they’re not for the faint hearted.
This is the world’s hottest metropolis
Yep, move over Dubai, take a backseat Riyadh, it’s Bangkok that comes in as the world’s hottest city when you measure temperatures by the mean average. According to the stats, BKK is a steady 28 degrees throughout the year. That’s balmy to say the least, which is why it’s always nice to try and score a condo with a pool if you can, eh?
Durian, durian and more durian
Durian is unquestionably the most-hated fruit in the world. You can’t even eat the stuff in public down in Singapore. Thailand has no such qualms over the fruit, which is infamous for its sickly, rubbishy smell. That’s great news if you love the taste (but don’t ever eat durian with alcohol!) but not so good if, like most, you find the aroma a tad pungent!
Chinatown is massive
Bangkok boasts one of the biggest Chinatown districts on the planet. You’ll find it strung all along the Yaowarat Road. It’s not a drop-in-and-wander sort of place. It’s more of a city within a city, with spice stalls, seafood bazaars, noodle cookhouses, dim sum chefs, and all sorts running for mile upon mile. An amazing neighborhood, but take a map!
Cockroaches are common
Don’t fret: It’s normal to have a roach or two hanging around a street-food stall. You’ll have to get used to it in these tropical reaches. We even had a particularly feisty encounter with a big ole’ roach on our 17th-floor apartment. They can get anywhere!
Don’t stick to only Khao San Road!
This shouldn’t be an issue if you’re planning on adopting Bangkok as your new home, but you’d be surprised how many travelers get caught up on the classic backpacker mecca of Khao San Road and never leave. There’s so much more to this city than that heady mix of pubs and bars. Check out hipster-cool Ekkamai in the east, or try the market district of Chatuchak in the north – both offer something totally different.
There are LOADS of TEFL opportunities in Thailand and Bangkok. Check out our Thailand jobs or Thailand internship page for more information. Or, if you’ve got anything to add to this list of things that everyone heading to BKK should know, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below…