Happier Abroad Forum Community

I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language since 1995, and have survived some of the worst employers and shittiest jobs in the profession.

Except for one year in New York, I have lived abroad continuously since 1994.

I am occasionally credited with being the fist TEFL blogger; while that's probably not exactly true, I was definitely one of the first half-dozen or so people to blog about English teaching abroad.

(All the usual questions that people have about English Teaching abroad, and my advice and opinion of it as a career in general, are addressed in my book ENGLISH TEACHER X GUIDE TO TEACHING ENGLISH ABROAD.)

I have worked in Thailand, Korea, the Czech Republic and New York. Various stories from those years can be found on this blog, and for a full account, read my first memoir, TO TRAVEL HOPELESSLY.

I lived in Russia between 2000 and 2009, experiencing much memorable debauchery.

My memoir about that time, VODKABERG: NINE YEARS IN RUSSIA is now available.

For tales of alcohol, Russian women, and a lot of depravity, read the blog archives between 2005-2009. You can also choose stories by label, of course. (The labels "Russia sucks" and "Russian girls" will provide some insight.)

Then I turned 40.

From September of 2009 to June 2012, I worked in the Middle East, seeking purity in the desert. And a high tax-free income.