Should We Stay or Should We Go?

It's that time of year again, when international teachers are handed their contract and have to decide if they want to stay or resign and then try to find another job.  It's the most stressful time of the year. This is when you and your spouse discuss hour after hour what the best choice will be.

Working at an international school is different than being in the States.  Back home, you know that most likely, you will stay with your current school district for a long time.  Possibly, even retire from that school. That is not usually the case when you teach internationally.  You take the job knowing that this will be a short term teaching position.  Every November you are handed the contract and the decision will have to be made. Some families choose to stay a little longer, but other decide to change schools every two or three years. Why not?  It's a great way to see the world.

When Ben took this job, we thought it would be just for two years.  When it came to contract time, we were right down to the wire, with him signing the day before the contract was due.  Same thing happened last year. We think we could be ready to leave, but then all the great things about Thailand start to remind us why we really should stay a little longer.

Ben and I start talking about our decision almost right after the current contract is signed and continue to weigh the pros and cons all year long. It is a tough decision.  This is not something we take lightly.  We are constantly worried about the boys and if this is still the right place for them to be.  Are they progressing the way we would like or able to be involved as much as we hoped?  Are we happy?  Is this too much of a strain put on our marriage?  What's best financially?  What about our families back home? We are constantly discussing.

So, when we announce our decision, it can be difficult to respond when the recipient of our news is disappointed, upset, or possibly even mad at us.  We have spent countless looking at it from every angle. We are trying to do what is best.  It all comes down to what is, in the end, the best for the boys and for us as a family.   And it is a decision we have obsessed over for many, many months.

So, here it is again. Yet again, thinking one thing and then ultimately deciding another.  We will be staying in Thailand for a 5th year.   This was not what we expected, but we are completely at peace with our decision and know it is right for us at this moment.  We are thankful Ben has a job he enjoys and students that are happy to learn.   We are overwhelmed by the experiences we have had and places we have been able to travel.  We are happy.  Thailand, you can't get rid of us that easily.  We are here to stay for another year.