All schools are different so I'm sure my experience isn't typical, but my teaching job has so far added nothing to my social life except having to go home early on Friday nights so that I am fresh for my Saturday morning class. With no staffroom or communal space, and us all teaching at different times, the most interaction I have with the other teachers is a quick hello as we pass each other leaving or entering a classroom, so I definitely can't count my colleagues as friends. As someone who usually has a big network of friends and a busy social life this makes me feel like a failure. I'm sure most English teachers living abroad hang out with their colleagues and have a great social life thanks to their school but my experience of teaching so far has been a pretty lonely one. That said, after my initial period of impatience and frustration at speaking only to my boyfriend and the waitress at the cafe, I have adjusted to the pace of life here, chilled the hell out and have made some friends. Of course my social life in a sleepy surf town will never compare what I had in England but, after some minor adjustments to my expectations, I am fine with that. After London, the village feel has taken some getting used to but I have met people through volunteering with a local street dog charity and these days I can rarely make it to the corner shop without stopping to chat with at least two people.