With English being such a lingua franca, namely in academia and in the world of technology, more and more Brazilians are recognising the necessity of familiarising themselves with the language.

As a result, a large number of new English schools open in Brazil every year, and as they emerge, the need for qualified teachers and attractive methodologies – combined with affordable prices – become fundamental to a school’s success in the growing private education sector.

On 22nd July 2014, London hosted the very first Girl Summit focusing on how to enable girls and women living in some of the poorest countries in the world to live free from violence and discrimination and achieve their potential.

3.3 billion people are expected to travel abroad this year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Motivations for spending time, resources, and energy travelling abroad range from: studying or taking a crash course, accepting a new job to discovering new cultures, savouring unique delicacies, seeing breathtaking sceneries, and meeting new people.

However, there are issues we all encounter as travellers in a foreign country. Aside from cultural differences, a language barrier can turn a fairytale trip into a nightmare.

I am a first time mum (Fabien is three now) and some of the decisions that other parents have to make, such as where to send your child to school, have been made for me.

Being able to send your child to the Early Years provision at your international school is just one of the perks of the job – seeing them grow and make new friendships. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be able to drop my son off at his nursery and know that I am steps away if needed.

“Nelson Mandela’s achievements came at great personal cost to himself and his family. His sacrifice not only served the people of his own nation, South Africa, but made the world a better place for all people, everywhere… He showed the way. He changed the world.” (Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon)

Visiting potential partner schools and meeting with Heads face-to-face is a crucial element of how Teacher Horizons operates.

Planning these visits tends to go something along the lines of “…where should we go next? Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Cape Town, Hanoi, Sri Lanka, Madrid, Amsterdam?”

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” (Ernest Hemingway)

I’ve always been bad at making decisions. What do I want for tea? What shall we watch at the cinema? Which subjects should I take at college?

So when my boyfriend and I were offered a job in the Seychelles I was in a panic.

The old adage ‘patience is a virtue’ should have been coined for the process of getting a placement in a good international school! So many prospective candidates, having completed an individual profile, expect to achieve a position within a very short space of time.

Some even believe that they will be offered a position at the first role that appeals to them! Well, this occasionally happens with a superstar teacher, but for the rest of us mere mortals it’s a far more fraught and time-consuming affair.

I have a confession to make. I was struggling to come up with something for this blog which would be of interest to all you fab teachers out there. I wanted to write about initiative and then I found a story which perfectly highlights this theme.

So (and I promise I never did this at school), I have borrowed someone else’s work…

It’s nearly two years since we moved to Bangkok. I don’t think we would have made the move if the events of the last week or so had happened in the run up to us leaving London.