Not ETEC 540 related but this is a blog site so I thought to post this here.
One of the beauties of teaching is your skills are transferable to almost any place in the world. This attracts some teachers to look abroad for teaching opportunities and live the “expat” lifestyle. As someone who has chosen this path it has its drawbacks and benefits which I am going to outline in this post. As info when I graduated from teachers college (in Ontario) there were few full time positions available and I was told you needed to supply for a while, then hopefully get an LTO (long term occasional) then if you are in the right place at the right time you may get a contract as a full time teacher. This did not appeal to me at all as I wanted my own classroom right away. So with only 3 years of pre qualified experience I went and joined a brand new massive government educational initiative in a Middle Eastern country. I haven’t been back to Canada since and here is what I have learned.
If you are a professional teacher with years of experience, multiple degrees and professional designations a government initiative is likely not for you. Many of these are not ready for Western educators and this leads to a lot of frustration on the part of the teacher, and system. As experienced teachers you will be use to certain resources, curricula and pedagogical techniques… All of which may not be present in the system you are arriving in, and to be honest not desired. You (the educator) must adapt to the system you are arriving in, and this will lead to a degradation (and possibly even desire) in your chosen profession. I have talked to many teachers abroad that are frightened to go back to their home country, because they feel unemployable and the change in work loads may be a shock. Many recruitment companies don’t look favourable on experience in these government initiatives. To combat this I recommend all newbies to take a professional degree (Masters/PhD etc..). Keep up on your certifications in your home country, and just keep yourself busy learning.
Another consideration is the distance you travel to visit home. As an “expat” you are going to miss almost everything back home and live vicariously through Facebook and other social media. Your sisters wedding? You will miss it. Your Aunt dies? You will miss the funeral(most only give compassion leave for immediate family). If you are someone who is incredibly connected to your family and friends, this is likely NOT the lifestyle for you.
Touching on the above, if you have children they will be raised in a very nuclear family and not all expat communities are welcoming. The benefits are they will likely experience so many things they would never at home and they will be educated in an international school. But they will lose touch with their grandparents and other close family members. If your kids are very young this may not be important, but they will also be confused by the two old people talking to them through a tablet or phone.
Personally, I married another expat, and we now have two children. This has caused a host of other issues as we are from different countries, both of which are 18+hour plane journeys from where we currently live. My wife has more of a connection with her home country, and it is geographically closer so my kids typically will go there once every two years. I have yet to take them to Canada (my parents have visited a few times in both countries I have lived). The logistics is just a huge nightmare, but this is something all expat families must consider.
Now there are many benefits to living abroad, one of which is provided housing and less taxes. If you are looking to save for a house or pay debts, then abroad is likely going to achieve these goals much faster. But one the beauty of living abroad is travel opportunities, which will reduce the other two goals to the point that a lot of expats don’t save anything at all! It can be a life of relative luxury, you can afford a maid and travel 3 times a year. You buy your cars in cash and don’t pay a dime in rent. But it isn’t really a lifestyle you can sustain in your home country, so if you do go abroad keep the reason close in your heart and don’t get pulled into a lifestyle you cannot maintain. Personally I have visited Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Oman and the UK multiple times in my 6 years abroad. I am grateful for the opportunity to visit these places and share the experience with my children. But I am honestly not sure if these benefits outweigh being around an extended family unit.
If you are married being abroad can put a large amount of strain on the relationship. Yes, you don’t really have bills to fight about anymore, but the isolation of being a foreigner can be unnerving at times. Your partner will become your sole source for comfort and companionship, which can be a bit too much for some. So if you are married and looking to go abroad make sure you can tolerate each other without that decompression time afforded to you at home (“I have had enough, I am going to my mothers for the night!” :)). I have sadly seen more than a few marriages break up in my time that likely would have survived if they were at home.
Now for my advice, if you are a professional educator with 10+ years of experience.. Get your IB certification and work in a reputable international school. How do you find out if it is reputable? Research! A lot of the reviews you see online are bogus, look on the website and email regular teachers. They will mostly give you the low down on how the school actually is. Do not listen to recruiters, they get paid to put bodies in classrooms (although some are more reputable than others).
If you have any questions on living abroad feel free to ask, my wife calls me autistic because I am overly blunt and honest (if anything I am an extremely high functioning undiagnosed Asperger’s case!).
