Hi, I’m Jon Kurt!

I’m Jon Kurt, a Southern California native with a crisp SoCal accent, raised as a Navy brat from California to Virginia, USA. My teens to thirties were spent near Tijuana, México, partying and hang-gliding in SoCal and Baja with 300 hours as an Intermediate pilot. My mom, raised in Calí, Colombia, taught me basic Spanish, now Intermediate. After Navy service, I bartended in Zürich, Switzerland, from 1991 to 1993, picking up Swiss German in 6 months, later studying High German to Intermediate level. I worked 4- and 5-star Swiss hotels and studied at Institut Hôtelier César Ritz in canton Valais. I worked at a 5-star Relais & Châteaux Inn in Connecticut, USA, while attending college, and 5-star hotels and private clubs in California, until completely burned out. I trained at Sierra Academy of Aeronautics at Oakland International Airport, California, but major events in late 2001 delayed my training, so I moved on. I ran a clothing company for 3 years, producing in Thailand and selling in California. I then earned my TESOL certificate. After teaching in Sihanoukville, Cambodia (7 months) and Bangkok schools, I returned to 5-star resorts in Southern Thailand as Training Manager and Beach Club Manager for 5 years. Now, I travel Southeast Asia, teaching and connecting globally. Self-studied Thai to Upper-Intermediate supports teaching Thai-speaking students.