Without wishing to get too philosophical, what is life all about?

Tim Douglas, Head of Group Travel at GVI shares his experience of leading adventure trips for young people and demonstrates how enriching these experiences can be…

Unlike many, I hadn’t come to Italy in search of its fine culture of good food, wine and the works of Da Vinci. And even the thought of ever potentially working out there as a teacher had never really occurred to me until I was in need of immediate work.

You are faced with a problem. Four schools have offered you positions. Each offer salaries in different currencies and each has different benefits. The cost of living in these four countries varies hugely too. What is the best way of assessing the package on offer? Which will afford you the best quality of life whilst allowing you to save?

This blog post attempts to help by using four real life examples of a candidate currently working in the UK and looking for work overseas.

They say that expectations lead to resentments and that acceptance brings peace. I wish I had remembered those truths before I began my year teaching abroad in Jogjakarta (Jogja).

Jogja is a small university city on the Indonesian island of Java. The city is known for its culture, and the island is known for its fertile land and dense population.

I heard a famous quote once that said, “each child is potentially the light of the world, and at the same time its darkness”. What determines whether a child will follow a path towards lightness and potential or a path towards darkness? I believe it is the role of parents and teachers to guide children towards the path of goodness. But what if that child has neither parents nor teachers? Who then will steer them in the right direction?

Have you ever visited a city and had your mind completely changed about what you expected it to be like? Well Mexico City has done that to me. Let me share how and why this is a must visit city!

I was so excited to actually have a job offer for what on paper looked like my dream job that I accepted without thinking through all of the practicalities!

I was so desperate to leave my stressful job in an inner-city London Primary at the time, that I think I would have taken it anyway even if they had said they wouldn’t pay me, and I’d have to sleep in a cowshed!

“Entrepreneurship can and will be the liberating force for Africa’s economy”

“All our future leaders will need to take human-centred approaches to resolving the challenges we face”

“No, success does not knock on doors. Talks don’t lead to great achievement. Only actions count”

Where are these quotations taken from? Mandela’s autobiography? The Dalai Lama? The FT?

I spent a two year period abroad in Hong Kong teaching music in a semi subsidized international school (Lorway, 2010). The truly fascinating part is what happened to me as a teacher after I returned to my country of origin into my position at an IB International school on the east coast of Canada.

So, why did I skip the country and teach overseas?

I needed air! I needed a change. I had been in the same area for 17 years and felt suffocated, although I enjoyed my job and felt wanted and appreciated at the same time.