Five Important Teaching Supplies to Bring with You If You're Going to Teach English (EFL) in Asia

When I first moved to Asia (Thailand) to teach English (EFL), I didn't bring many items I'd need to teach with me as I figured I could get them in Thailand. Although I managed to get through my first teaching year with little problem, looking back there were definitely things I would have brought with me if I'd known. If you're planning on moving to Asia to teach English, whether for a year or longer, bringing these things with you will make your teaching experience even easier and more fun.

Your Original Degree and Transcripts - While technically not 'teaching supplies', in most countries in Asia, if you don't bring your original university degree and transcripts, you won't be able to get a work permit. I've lost track of how many western teachers I've met in Thailand who forgot to bring these with them. For most, it required a frantic call to mom and dad and a Federal Express package, or a visa run out of the country to get a new visa and all the time and expense that entailed. Bring them with you.

Bring Your Favorite Textbook and Workbooks - While many English textbooks and workbooks are available in Asia, if you have your favorite textbooks or workbooks, bring a copy with you. Particularly if you know which age group or level you'll be teaching, already having a textbook you're familiar with can make your job easier. Many schools in Asia allow western teachers to use textbooks they prefer and some government schools simply don't have the budget to buy western textbooks,so having your own will allow you to hit the ground running. Rather than get stuck using textbooks from Malaysia or Singapore, which aren't always the best quality, bring the ones you like instead.

Supplies For Subjects Other Than English - In many Thai schools, you'll find you're not only teaching English but other subjects too. At my first school in Thailand, I taught English, Geography and Health. If you know what subjects you're going to be teaching, I recommend bringing a few books in that subject in English as, for me, finding text books in English for Geography and Health in Thailand at a level understandable by most of my students was almost impossible.

The third time I visited the US, I shipped back a box of more than 50 books with names like "The Food Pyramid" (for Heath) and even books on Asia in English for Geography classes that were impossible to find in Bangkok. Don't forget, if you end up teaching 15 year olds in a high school in Thailand, you'll need to bring books in English that are the level an 8-10 year old American would read - it's not the subject matter, it's the English level they can't understand.

Items Related to Holidays - One of the fun things about teaching in Asia is you get to talk about national holidays from your country your students may not know anything about. Bring information, stickers, greeting cards, flags, recipes, posters etc. about holidays like Thanksgiving, 4th of July (if you're American), Bonfire Night (if you're British) and Australia Day (if you're Australian). You'll be amazed how many projects you can create about national holidays unique to your country and your students will love learning about them too. They're also great to decorate the classroom with.

Big Sponge Dice - Weird I know, but one of the fun things I brought with me from the US to teach in Thailand was a pair of large sponge dice that I bought at an education supply shop.

In Asia, you'll find no matter what level of English (EFL) you teach or which age group, you'll eventually play games and many games in the classroom involve throwing dice. I lost count of how many dice my students managed to lose in the classroom while clowning around or simply by accident, so the next time I went back to the US, I came back with a massive pair of dice. Not only are they impossible to lose as they're around 6 inches square, they also make it easier for every student, and the teacher, to see the number a specific student has just thrown - thus making it easier for everyone to participate in the game. The pair I bought were less than $5 but one of the best school supplies I bought for teaching in Asia.

When you get an English teaching job in Asia, what school supplies are available to you will depend where you are. If at a school in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Beijing, you'll find it easy to buy most things you need. But if you're in Surat Thani (southern Thailand), Malacca (small town in Malaysia) or Yangshuo (a tiny town on the Li River in China), you'll find school supplies maybe a lot more difficult to get, so bring the basics with you plus these five extra things.