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The paedophile schoolmaster who fled to France with an underage pupil aims to move to Thailand after early release from jail – to teach English.

Jeremy Forrest plans to start a new life there after being banned from classrooms in Britain.

There are no laws to stop him teaching children abroad, and other convicted UK sex offenders have landed similar work in the South East Asian country.

Maths teacher Forrest, 32, could be out on licence by the end of July after serving half his sentence.

He was jailed in 2013 for abducting and having sex with the vulnerable 15-year-old girl.

The pair spent seven days in France before Forrest was caught in a police sting in Bordeaux after a huge manhunt.

His wife Emily divorced him after he was jailed for five and a half years.

A source said tonight: “Jeremy feels there is nothing left for him in England. He has lost his job, his wife, the lot.

"He reckons Thailand is as good a place as any to start afresh. He thinks he can make a living giving English lessons.”

Forrest, who is on the sex offenders register, would have to ask permission from probation authorities if he wanted to travel to Thailand before the end of his licence period. After that they cannot stop him.

Child protection officers can inform schools abroad if they find a sex offender has landed a job, but warnings are often ignored.

Forrest, who taught at Bishop Bell CofE school in Eastbourne is in Channings Wood prison in Devon. He is one of more than 300 sex offenders there. The shamed teacher has a room with his own key, a TV and PlayStation console.

The source said: “He is expected to be out in the next couple of months.”

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Forrest’s trial heard how his victim suffered bulimia and had been self-harming before she began her secret relationship with him. They had sex at Forrest’s marital home in Ringmer, East Sussex, when his wife Emily was away.

They fled to France after learning police had been tipped off about them.

In March last year it emerged the girl had found a new boyfriend, despite an earlier pledge to wait for Forrest “forever”.

In February the girl’s mum gave an interview to the Daily Mirror in which she described Forrest as a “monster” who had stolen her daughter.

The Ministry of Justice said tonight: “We do not comment on individual prisoners. Those on licence must ask their probation officer for permission to travel abroad. This will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.”