Teaching in Thailand
Advice from School of Education alumna Allison Scott on teaching abroad
About 400 miles south of Bangkok in the coastal city of Surat Thani, located along the Gulf of Thailand, University of Delaware alumna Allison Scott is teaching English, math and social studies to classrooms full a talented fourth and fifth graders. For Scott, teaching in Thailand is a dream come true.
“Living in Thailand is absolutely amazing,” Scott said. The weather is warm, the people welcoming, the students incredible. “I feel lucky to be able to experience a completely different culture and still do what I love.”
Scott decided at an early age she wanted to teach. Both of Scott’s parents are UD alumni, and her mother has been a public-school teacher for the past 15 years, graduating from UD in 1990 with a degree in education.
“I chose UD because of the reputation of the education program,” said Scott, who enrolled in the Elementary Teacher Education degree program. She recalled how her special education class with Gary Allison, assistant professor in the School of Education, as particularly helpful.
“Professor Allison was a major part of my professional development,” said Scott. “His class allowed me to grow as an educator.”
Scott also loves to travel — having studied abroad in South Africa through the UD’s Human Development and Family Sciences program — and hoped that one day she could combine her two passions by teaching abroad.
Allison graduated in 2017. That summer, UD’s College of Education and Human Development had an opportunity for someone to teach in Shenzhen, China. With the help of Carol Vukelich, who at the time served as dean of the college, Allison and her mother, Michelle Scott, were able to travel to China to teach English to Chinese students for the month of July.