Inspired by a well-structured education system abroad, she is now settled in Berlin. Apitha Seetalaratsamee, better known by her nickname Joy, was previously employed as an English teacher by the Thai government. After four years of hard work, she decided she could no longer live in this kind of system.

In Thailand, the educational system puts a tremendous amount of pressure on its teachers. Instead of focusing on the children and spending her time teaching English, she spent most of her time doing paperwork. Even on her days off, she was left with no choice but to come back for meetings. Although she does not have a family of her own yet, based on her experiences as a teacher, she decided right then and there that she did not want her own children to grow up with this kind of education. She quit her job, and so began her search for autonomy—breaking away from a system she does not support.

The idea to move to Europe was being put into motion. Inspired by her dream, her husband started looking for a job in Europe. In the meantime, she earned a role in her family’s ceramics factory. As a marketing manager, she was working with international clients, overseeing the production line, and being able to use her English language skills. Her husband landed himself a job in Munich, and since the family business was doing really well, Joy decided to stay a bit longer. Everything went smoothly until, all of a sudden, business slowed down excessively. The COVID pandemic ultimately became her reason to leave Thailand.

Finding direction in Germany

In her quest for liberty, she decided her life needed to change now, and it was time to move to Germany. She finally joined her husband in Munich, two years after he relocated to the region. Although she had moved to Germany in order to gain independence, she suddenly found herself living the life of a housewife. A life that made her incredibly insecure and very unhappy. Her ambition was to create a life on her own, away from family and without relying on her husband. Even though she loves them very much, and they share all parts of life—or, as they say in Thai, "we all eat rice from the same pot"—it is essential to her to be able to take care of herself. Her first goal was to learn the German language. She was committed to making the language her own during the first few months in her new country. The next step was to find a job.

At one point, she got the chance to work as a sushi chef, in a supermarket an hour away. A job that was too far from what she wanted to do in life. So, she chose to focus on her education instead. "It was not a suitable job for me. I thought if I could study more, it would all be better eventually." She continued studying the language and was finding a path to launch her new career. Joy was inspired by her husband, who is a software developer and was involved in making company websites. She sought the opportunity to enter the tech industry. That’s when she discovered Blue Road Academy.

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