Here’s part three of our very quick and very selective guide to some of the best travel opportunities for people teaching English in Thailand. This article covers the southern parts of Thailand including The Andaman Coast and the Lower Gulf. Read part two here.

The South

While the south doesn’t have huge teacher hubs like Chiang Mai or Bangkok, it does have quite a few TEFL jobs in provincial towns like Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat – and boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in South East Asia! While the wages are lower than in Bangkok, so is the cost of living and it really couldn’t be any easier to decamp from the town or city where you are based for a weekend lounging on a palm fringed beach.

The Night Market at Krabi

This probably won’t feature on many people’s Thai highlights, but the night market down by the Khong Kha Pier in Krabi City has a great atmosphere, English menus, really good, pretty authentic Thai food… and magnificently icy bottles of Singha beer too. This is a great place to spend the night if you’re stopping over in Krabi on the way down to Jum, Lanta or Phi Phi.

Khao Sok

Khao Sok National Park is easily reached from Krabi, Phuket and all the usual tourist hangouts. It’s thought to be one of the oldest rainforests on the planet. There are innumerable day tours available, but if you fancy getting to the heart of the forest and really experiencing its huge array of wildlife, get yourself down to the road that runs up to the park entrance, find yourself a bed for a couple of nights at one of the lovely guest houses on the road that runs down to the park entrance and book yourself a proper jungle tour from the locals. It’s much cheaper than booking it from places like Phuket or Khao Lak.

Ko Tarutao

Koh Tarutao is the largest island in the Kao Tarutao National Park, and due to stringent development restrictions, it is still a pristine tropical island paradise – think golden sands and lush green jungles running down to the shore. Accommodation is limited as is booze and the hoards of partying Westerners that you’d find on Koh Phangan and Samui. To get out to Tarutao, you’ll need to head to Pak Bara and then jump on the morning ferry heading to Koh Lipe. There are no ATM’s or banks on the island, so take all the cash you need with you.

About The Author: Helen Hargreave is one of the TEFL Experts at i-to-i TEFL