Alex Ashley

Has taught in Prague, USA and Thailand
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I moved to Prague in 2008, a year after finishing my undergraduate degree at Elon University in North Carolina. I stayed in Prague after my TEFL course (Feb 2008) for just over a year and a half, teaching at James Cook Languages and then The Park Lane International School. I began applying to graduate programs upon my return to the States and landed at SIT Graduate Institute, which has the best International Education Master’s program in the country, as it is the longest running program with incredible professors. I credit my time in Prague to my quick acceptance and this fall another Language House alum will be starting their Master’s in IE there as well.

Currently, I am living in Bangkok, volunteering at The Mercy Centre, which is a part of the Human Development Foundation. It is a huge non-profit organization, which “stands together with the poor”. It homes 200 orphaned street children from the slums of Bangkok and places them in schools. It is also home to the largest free HIV/AIDS hospice in Thailand. I tutor the kids in English and help them with their homework. I am simultaneously working on my thesis for my graduate program and am considering the impact of education on different socio-economic classes, focusing on the children who are on scholarship to study at universities in the US.

Bangkok is one huge, crazy city and if you’ve seen the Hangover II you’ve had a glimpse. The kids are amazing and it’s so easy to travel from here- there are Language House alum ALL over the globe. I’m looking forward to a visit from Amy Livingston in August, another alum in Shanghai in September and I hope to get to South Korea and Taiwan to see other friends from the Language House this fall. The network of friends I have made from my time at the Language House and the skills I learned there are indispensable and have allowed me to travel the world, doing what I love.”