I've been teaching in Thailand for 3 years. It's a myth that it's an easy gig.

• James Gane moved from London to Bangkok to become an English teacher in 2020.
• He thinks transplants often don't take key steps to prepare themselves for the realities of teaching in Thailand.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with James Gane, a 34-year-old English teacher based in Bangkok. This essay has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified his employment and expenses.

BI's review of salary comparison sites found that salaries for a teacher in Thailand typically range between 40,000 to 90,000 baht, or around $1,100 to $2,500.

I moved to Thailand three years ago after deciding it was time to leave my home country of the UK.

Back then, I had been working in the university sector in London for six years. And though I felt like I was progressing in my career, the cost of living crisis and inflation made me feel like my quality of life hadn't actually improved. That's when I decided I needed a big shift.

And after teaching in Thailand for three years, I think there's a big misconception that teaching in Thailand is an easy gig — and it's not helped by the viral and misleading stories some people share online.

Being a teacher here can be tough, but rewarding

I work in an international school based in Bangkok and teach secondary school students — aged 11 to 18 — in class sizes that I would consider small, at around 16 students per class.

I feel responsible for not just their educations, but also their futures — because teachers can make a really big difference in their prospects for university. One student sent me a gushing email after they got their SAT results, and that made it really worthwhile when the workload gets crushing.

There's a perception that foreign teaching in Thailand is easy enough that you can get drunk and high every night, but that's simply not the case.

A common refrain among the full-time teachers I've spoken to is that the workweeks are long and draining. I typically work 45 to 50 hours a week.

It's also work that can be precarious. Schools here typically employ teachers on short and fixed-term contracts. As my right to stay is based on my work permit, not getting my contract renewed would mean having to leave the country.

A little preparation goes a long way in securing a good teaching job

When I decided I wanted to leave the UK, I began training to become a teacher by pursuing a PGCE — or a postgraduate certificate in education. It's a master's level qualification that takes a year to complete, and it has made all the difference in my time here in Thailand.

With it, I've been able to secure a job at an international school that pays me around 100,000 Thai baht a month — or around $2,800.

That affords me the ability to live in a condo near the Siam neighborhood in Central Bangkok. I'm a 10-minute walk from the city's most central malls, and five minutes from the nearest BTS — or Bangkok Mass Transit — station.

Though you only need a bachelor's degree or TEFL — teaching English as a foreign language — certificate to teach in Thailand, the difference in pay can be stark. I've seen jobs advertised for those qualifications with less than half the pay I make now. I don't imagine you'd be able to save much or make visits home on such a pay.

As a 34-year-old though, I recognize that I have a different perspective from someone who's in their early 20s and only looking to teach here for a year or two.

Despite some of the drawbacks, I love life in Thailand

I love Thai people. They're kind and polite, and it makes living here such a pleasure. And I love living somewhere that's warm and sunny all year round.

Back in London, I was living in a shared apartment and had to commute an hour to work. Right now, I'm living centrally with my partner, and pay around 30,000 baht in rent for it.

I also worry less about safety here. I've not seen a single fight in my time here, whereas back in London, I'd see a fight or some other form of casual violence every time I had a night out.

Plus, I've yet to visit somewhere with a more international and diverse food scene than Bangkok. You can get everything from amazing street food for 60 baht to Michelin star restaurants.