By means of a simple introduction, I am an English teacher, aged 31 who moved this year from Manchester, UK to Dubai, UAE, having never set foot in the Middle East before. I must also mention that, although this piece reflects some negative aspects of teaching abroad, on the whole it is an amazing experience, which leaves me with no regrets. You can only fully get to know a culture after living there for one or two years – if you’ve only been a tourist for one or two weeks that’s not enough!

My two year old’s future was bright. He would attend an International School, learn Thai and Mandarin, complete an International Baccalaureate and maybe go on to either a US or UK university. We would save money and enjoy trips to Koh Samet every other weekend. I did not think about some of the more pressing issues such as nappies… Read more »

Of course our Christmas celebration is school related. It makes me realize that there is seamlessness to one’s personal/school life here in Venezuela. They are interconnected, unlike back in the States, where we seem to like keeping them separated, compartmentalized, as if students and school staff have two different identities depending on the setting.

Sarah Miller, an English teacher from London, has just completed her induction week in Sri Lanka at the British School of Colombo. She has kindly shared her first impressions of a life less ordinary with us…

As soon as I entered the teaching profession I wanted to live and teach abroad. English is my only language and I liked the idea of speaking to the locals so I concentrated on Down Under. Australia seemed too obvious for a sports fan like me and New Zealand seemed a bit more of an unknown quantity, a bit more exciting; so I set my heart on teaching there.

The more I teach, the more meaning it brings to my life. It is an unbelievable feeling to go to work and discover that you actually get paid to do something that you believe in. My husband Josh and I teach in a little city called Yeosu on the tip of South Korea. While I can’t say I really believe in the Korean education system per se (definitely not in its entirety anyway), I surely believe in instilling confidence and a sense of self in children on the way to becoming whoever it is they are going to be. And for some reason I’ve yet to put my finger on, these particular children are well on their way to stealing my heart, making this preoccupation I have with educating them even more delightful and fulfilling.