I GOT A JOB!!!

Never did I think I would call Bangkok home, but in less than one week I will be!

Yesterday I accepted the job offer I received from Ascot International School. The school is located in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok - thankfully away from all the hustle and bustle of this HUGE city.

Last week while passing through Bangkok on my way north I stopped into the school for a quick interview. I nearly canceled last minute, but boy am I glad I didn't! Everything went really well despite the fact I started crying in the interview. I was not crying because I was telling an emotional story about my love for children, but instead tears were pouring down my face as this was my first day with pink eye and they were uncontrollable. It was ridiculous, but may have been what landed me the job! Who knew pink eye would be a blessing in disguise?

It was comforting to know I had the job if I wanted it, but I still wanted to see what may lie ahead in the Chiang Mai area. Like I mentioned in my last entry, I fell in love with many schools in the northern region, but unfortunately none of them were hiring as school started a week or two ago. After countless hours stressing about finding a job here, I decided I'd be dumb to pass up the offer in Bangkok.

Ascot has a real sense of community about it which I love. Looking over the school calendar I noticed events like book week, international fun day, sports day, charity bake sale...seriously, how could I go wrong? These are some of my favorite things!

The school itself looks very put together. It is located in a really nice residential area with gated houses all around - pretty sure only rich Thai and international kids may go here, not sure if that's true or not. The school is run by a British woman who instantly made me feel at home, she was very welcoming!

As for details about what I will be doing...essentially I will be signing two contracts. The first one is from November 9th - December 16th where I will be working with preschoolers. After Christmas break (December 17th - January 5th) I will start my position as the head Kindergarten teacher! My second contract will be from January 6th - July 9th. At first I wasn't keen about working with the preschoolers, but lets be honest they are probably the cutest things I have ever seen (aside from my nephews of course) and this will give me an idea of how the school is run before diving in head first to teach.

I almost forgot to mention I will be making more than double of what I would be making if I stayed in the Chiang Mai area - definitely a perk, but I'm not here for the money. Not gonna lie it is nice to know I won't need to worry about financial issues while in a foreign country - plus I should have a little extra money to go on amazing beach trips to the south or to see my cousins in Australia - life is rough!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to get settled! Over the past month I have stayed in 5 different locations and I have yet to unpack my suitcase. I am excited to get my own place and make it my home away from home.

Another thing I forgot to mention - after accepting the job at Ascot, about 4 hours later I got a job offer in Chiang Mai. What are the odds? I feel I made the right decision though - Bangkok here I come!

Now that I have a job lined up I can relax and enjoy the rest of my time in Chiang Mai. A huge festival kicks off this weekend called Loy Krathong which I am very excited about! It also happens to be Halloween so I have a very busy weekend ahead of me! Time for a little fun before work starts up.

For those who are interested check out Ascot's website: http://www.ascot.ac.th/
Take a look at the school calendar to see my breaks so you can start planning your trip to visit me :)