30 years. Three countries. One mission: to help you find a brilliant teaching job.
I grew up in a small village in the Cotswolds, and I honestly never imagined I'd end up spending the best part of my life on the other side of the world. But in 1989, fresh out of university with a degree in English Literature and absolutely no plan whatsoever, I accepted a teaching position at a small language school in Bangkok. I was 24 years old. I was terrified. And it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
I spent 12 years in Thailand — mostly in Chiang Mai, which I still consider one of the most liveable cities in Asia. I taught everything from kindergarten to university level, and in my later years worked as a curriculum coordinator for a network of international schools. Thailand taught me patience, warmth, and how to eat with chopsticks at speed.
China was a revelation. I arrived in Shenzhen in 2001, just as the country was opening up in ways that were extraordinary to witness. I later moved to Beijing and then Chengdu. China is vast and varied — the ESL market there is enormous, the opportunities are real, and the cultural richness is hard to overstate. Nine years flew by.
Korea was my final posting before retirement, and in many ways my most professionally satisfying. I worked at a private international school in Seoul and later as a teacher trainer for the EPIK programme. Korean students are among the most motivated and hardworking I've ever encountered. The food is spectacular. The winters are brutal. I loved every moment.
When I retired and came back to Cheltenham in 2019, I had one persistent thought: how many young teachers were about to make the same mistakes I did? How many were going to sign contracts without checking the housing? Take positions at schools with dreadful management? End up stuck in cities they hated?
I'd spent 30 years accumulating a very specific kind of knowledge — what makes a good school, what a fair contract looks like, which cities are wonderful to live in and which aren't. That knowledge was sitting in my head, largely useless.
So I built LucyESL. Every job that goes on this site gets reviewed by me. If I wouldn't take it myself, it doesn't go up. Simple as that.
This isn't a faceless job board. It's me, at my kitchen table, with a cup of tea, genuinely trying to make sure you find something wonderful. 🍵
I read every email personally. Whether you have a question about a specific country, need advice on your first teaching job, or want to flag a school that's behaved badly — I want to hear from you.