Teachanywhere's Christmas Message

Christmas Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

It’s time for the Christmas break, here at Teachanywhere, though as usual there will still be a number of staff working over the holidays – because jobs are coming in even as I write this.  But it is time for me to shove off, and so to celebrate my last blog, I thought I would write a holiday poem for you.

Twas the night before leaving, I was sat working late. Last I looked at my watch, twas a quarter past eight.

And thus startled was I when a man did appear, stood fast in my doorway with a bushy white beard

Dressed all in red with round cheeks that were rosy.  Was I seeing things? Was I getting dozy?

I rubbed at my eyes, but it was no folly. The old man stood his ground, with a smile quite jolly.

“Are you lost?”, I inquired as I rose to my feet. “You’re likely not far – the pub’s just down the street”.

“Well no”, he replied, “I came down for a chat. I was just passing by and your demeanour looked flat”

I replied, “I’m just busy, there’s much to get done. Next week I am leaving, so there’s no time for fun.

I have budgets and projects with deadlines, you see.  I’ve been working since sunrise but I just can’t break free”.

He sat as he heard this, and pondered my case. I needed some help. He could tell from my face.

He seemed lost in thought; he was deep in the zone. Then his smile appeared and he whipped out his phone.

He barked out some orders as I sat by myself. “It’s Nicholas here, get me the Head Elf!”

“Send me Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen.  I want Comet and Cupid and Donner and Bitzen!”.

“There’s a woman right here who needs all of our help.”. Then a knock at the doorway. I let out a yelp.

‘Cause there to my wondrous eyes did appear a sight quite amazing- twelve full sized reindeer.

“Don’t you fret”, he then smiled, “They are here to assist. What do you need doing? Let’s make out a list!

My deer are quite clever, they can add and subtract. They can type with their hooves. It’s a little known fact.“

So he set them to working, he started with Dancer. “Take that monthly report, and you write it with Prancer

Cupid, you take the emails, and then do the budget. If you don’t have the figures, don’t sweat it, just fudge it.

China jobs, that’s for Blitzen -you can do it with ease. Your writing’s quite good and you speak Cantonese.

Donner there’s something for you –don’t get your tail in a fluff. I want you to work on that database stuff. “

Soon the deer were all busy, quite a sight did I see, when the man finally turned his attention to me.

“You now should be going. I’ll stay and patrol. We are quite good at this, it’s all under control.

Go off on your trip and don’t ever look back. If we find any problems, we’ll take all the flack. “

I didn’t know what to say as I gave him my key. “If you need some refreshments, the kitchen’s got tea.

I am ever so thankful. This has been a great gift”, there were tears in my eyes as I stuttered and sniffed.

The deer looked quite grateful, with their typing hooves flashing. And old Nick gave a smile that almost made him look dashing.

Said I to them all and to all who could hear, “Merry Christmas to all. And a Happy New Year!”

A Fish out of Water: Teaching Abroad and Culture Shock!

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

It was announced today that the EU has agreed to plans for an EU wide banking supervisor in 2013. The agreement is seen as a pre-cursor to allowing the European Central Bank to give emergency money to ailing banks without going through national governments and pesky, short-sighted politicians which should make crisis management go quicker. And it’s only taken us 3 years of non-stop crisis talks to reach this point.

Solving problems is something that we do all the time, and we know instinctively how it works in our home country. A child gets bullied in the playground? You know how the reporting is done, what is required and what to expect will happen next.  Your landlord won’t fix a broken tap? You know who to call and what to do if you cannot get your point across to the first person you speak to.  A parent politely asks you to change a grade on their child’s paper? You know whether this is acceptable or not, and how to react.

But when you are in a foreign country you can literally throw away your old rule book. You are a fish out of water. You must make a new rulebook and this can be very disconcerting until the new rulebook is written in your mind and only then will you feel confident again.  I think pretty much everyone has looked at news reports of something happening in a foreign country and thought – Why are they dithering around, why can’t they just.......   and imagined how you would sort it if you were in charge. But the fact is that if you were magically transported to that country and you tried to fix a problem in a way that works at home, it probably wouldn’t work.

Culture is the air that we breathe and the water in which we swim, and we don’t really recognise its impact until we are taken out of it.  It’s frustrating at first – and this forms the basis of “Culture Shock” which is a reaction (emotional and sometimes even physical) to this change of environment, rather like a fresh water fish being moved to a brackish pond.  To read more about culture shock and how to cope click HERE.   It's something that Teachanywhere tries to prepare all of its applicants for.

So how can you navigate the cultural divide between your new and old culture?

The best advice is to understand your new country as best you can.  A good place to start is with Gerte Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. It gives you a snapshot into different facets of culture by country and the trick is to compare the new country to your own.  Remember there is no right or wrong, just different.

For instance, if your home country has a low ‘power distance’ – i.e. decisions are usually made at a low level in a hierarchy – and you move to a high power distance country like the UAE or Russia where even small decisions have to run up the chain of command and then back down, it will seem like decisions take forever to be made and that the people at the low level with whom you are dealing are just being obstinate and useless. But they are not- they are doing their part and they know their part in the process even if you do not. It instantly becomes less frustrating and you can reset your expectations with this knowledge.  To find out more about Hofestede’s cultural dimensions for your country/ies, click HERE. Click on each of the dimensions to understand what they mean and then go to the “Countries” tab and click on your country and then your country of interest to see how they differ.

When on the ground, you should also seek out someone who can act as a cultural guide and ask them for advice before you assume things. The best guide is an expatriate with at least 2 years of experience in that country but try to find at least two guides if you can to get a range of viewpoints. If you cannot find an experienced western expatriate then try to find a person who knows a little about your culture and who understands that there is a cultural gap such as a host national who has themselves lived abroad.  These people can serve as the editors of your new rulebook and are invaluable as you make your transition.

You should also look out for and try to recognise the signs of culture shock and understand how this might influence your emotions and outlook on any problem you encounter. Usually it makes them seem worse than they are. The good news is culture shock is temporary and you WILL feel differently in about a month’s time so try to stick it out with as much good humour as you can muster.

But the message here, as always, is that the more you can prepare yourself for your cultural experience the better you will be.  The more research you can do and the more open minded you can be the smoother the transition will be for you. And when you make the transition and become accustomed to two or more different cultures, you will feel proud and special that you have this knowledge that few other people have.

It’s  a gift... but a gift you have to work for.

Notes from the General Manager: Looking East!

Chinese author Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2012, the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its 111 year history. This is an extraordinary achievement for a man who was forced to leave school at 12 and work in the fields due to the Cultural Revolution. In many ways this reflects the journey that China has been on and continues on now. I know China-bashing is in vogue in certain parts of the world, but personally I remain awed by the continued transformation taking place there – from country almost literally starving to a world superpower in less than a generation. And they are doing it their own way, picking and choosing what they want to assimilate. While we may not always agree with their methods, you can’t but admire their single-minded ambition and undeniable results.

All eyes were turning East this week at Teachanywhere, as we won two major contracts for recruitment next year. Woo hoo! First we were awarded a large contract to recruit Australians and New Zealanders to Hong Kong for their state school EFL programmes for the 2013 school year, which is making our Australian and New Zealand offices ecstatic. Then we were announced as the strategic recruitment partner for Dulwich College Schools in China, which is a rapidly expanding group of English National Curriculum schools with a very long and prestigious history in the Independent school sector in the UK (Dulwich College in London was founded in 1619 and it’s a member of the Eton group of schools to give you an indication).  We are assisting in their recruitment drive starting with an interview event in November in London.

Both opportunities are so very different in terms of what they are looking for, but both provide dedicated teachers with an opportunity to experience the very best of China and Hong Kong by working for very reputable and established operations. Both are very specific in what they want – in Hong Kong they seek only Australian and New Zealand trained teachers with a specialism in Primary and Secondary English/EFL. At Dulwich, as you can imagine, they seek very experienced (minimum 3 years) British trained teachers who have a solid history teaching the best and brightest children with a UK curriculum ideally with independent school experience.

Don’t get me wrong, the Middle East team had their share of success as well – we are in the midst of a huge recruitment drive in London, Ireland, Sydney and Auckland for teachers to work in state schools in Abu Dhabi for January or September starts, and the Middle East team has a huge variety of immediate start vacancies in international schools around the region.

All in all it’s been a super week for the company. As the weather is turning bad in London (dismal, dark and rainy yesterday. Hello October!)  the climate within the company is bright and sunny.

All the best

Diane Jacoutot

General Manager, Teachanywhere.com

Ps. If you want to send in your CV or express your interest in any of the above here’s the emails:

Dulwich:  LMC@teachanywhere.com

Hong Kong: HongKong@teachanywhere.com

Teachanywhere loves Technology

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

 

400 High Schools in Ghana are set to get internet access for the first time next year. The project is just the beginning, said Director General of Ghana Educational Services Madam Benedicta Naana Biney, of great things happening in the educational sector as teachers and students get needed resources. 

On the other side of the world, in General Santos City Philippines, the city government has launched a pilot programme to teach robotics in schools, having bought some fancy kit for their programme called SHEEP. SHEEP is a fancy acronym which basically means that they like technology because everyone knows that to do technology right you need good acronyms and the city Fathers in General Santos are not fools.  I just want them to make a Robot Lunch Lady who will never get tired of picking the forks out of the mashed potatoes and won’t need a hair net. But somehow I don’t think that’s the main aim of this initiative.  

Both projects illustrate the point to which technology has now become an essential part of education for developing countries who wish to pull themselves out of the cycle of poverty.  I’m all for it!

Technology is everywhere and the pace of change is incredible. Moore’s Law says – and I’m paraphrasing here so please, technophiles, give me a bit of poetic license- that the capacity of computer chips, which form the basis of all things technological, doubles every two years. To illustrate, I heard a statistic yesterday that the technology in a simple singing birthday card, (you know, the type that plays initially-funny-but-eventually-irritating music when you open it) has as much capacity as the computers used to send astronauts to the moon back in the 60s.  There’s Moore’s Law for you in a nutshell.  It can be scary when you think too hard about it. What will the world be like in 20 years? But as long as it means I can have a hovercar of my own with a hovercar drivers license, I don’t care.

Technology has moved on at Teachanywhere, I’m happy to say. This week we launched our NEW and IMPROVED website Candidate Portal. As those of you who have read my blog over the years know, I say every morning to my reflection in the mirror, “My name is Diane and I am a Closet Geek”. I love technology that makes your life easier and doesn’t require you to read a manual in 6 different languages to do so.  Finding an app or gadget that is clever and useful and easy to figure out makes me excited, fidgety and bubbling over with happiness. It’s a sickness.

The great thing about the new features of the website is that you can update your information and upload documents, as well as apply for jobs and set up your own job alerts.  It gives you more control and it’s something that people have been asking about for many years. We get at least 10 inquiries a week asking “How can I change my CV/Email/address/etc”. ...and now you can!  Yes there are some bugs (from time to time when updating a photo you get an error message – we are working on that) and yes, the font on the web page is small enough that those of us on the verge of needing reading glasses are forced to grope around for the blasted things... I know they are around here somewhere... but all in all there are some great features, made by some very clever people like Ross the Webmaster, bless his little tapping fingers. 

I know that for most non Closet Geeks this might not seem earth shattering but like all things technological, it will make your life easier in small ways.

And it doesn’t require a manual to figure out.  (I hope!) 

If you want to try it out, go to our website and hit the login button, HERE

Teachanywhere and the last minute teaching jobs on offer...

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot:  Speed

Cyclist Lance Armstrong gave up his fight against the USADA this week, who accused him of using steroids and blood transfusions to win his 7 Tour de France medals.  Whilst not admitting any wrongdoing, backing down from a fight isn’t something that Armstrong -a former hero of mine and at one time the world’s fastest distance cyclist, would do without a reason. It’s sad. Competitive athletes are programmed to win at all costs but perhaps that’s the problem.  At the same time, over in Los Angeles on Thursday, rapper LL Cool J “detained” a burglar in his home who was not fast enough, leaving the man with a broken nose and ribs. 

Speed is the theme this week, now that Principals and Head Teachers come back from holiday and are realising that they have more enrolment than they expected or finding that one or two teachers they thought were coming back had change their minds.  This happens every year and gives us an exciting array of jobs sprinkled around the globe, this week from Abu Dhabi to Tajikistan to Thailand and everywhere in between.  

What’s slightly different this year is that many of our clients are sticking to their experience requirements, not bending the rules as much as normal. In some cases it’s because Ministries of Education have set governmental regulations and this is true in China which now requires 2 years of post qualification teaching experience, the UAE and Kuwait which now require that first degrees are completely relevant to the subject one is teaching (even down to core subjects only for Primary teachers), and an increasing number of ‘expatriate ‘ type international schools in the Middle East, including the UAE, being told that their teachers must meet the previously loosely enforced 2 year experience requirements. 

This means that teachers looking for international jobs for September are faced with a dazzling array of possibilities, especially if they are Early Years, Primary (Elementary), English, Maths or Science teachers but at the same time many doors are not really open to them. I think this makes the role of Teachanywhere more crucial to guide teachers to schools that can hire them.  Every country has rules which are constantly changing, and within those rules some schools can bend them and some schools cannot.  I can imagine how frustrating it must be for international teachers wanting to move to a new country and not knowing why their applications are failing. So this is where we can help.

Speaking of help, one of our consultant’s Ben, did a webinar about Kuwait as he taught there himself quite recently.  It was only our second webinar and the feedback from the teachers who participated was super. If you missed it, you can catch it HERE for the next 10 days.  Have a listen- you might learn something!

All the best,

Diane Jacoutot

General manager, Teachanywhere

Ps. Watch out for our World Teacher Day flyer coming out next week. You could win £500 in free teaching resources!

Teachanywhere says Eid Mubarak

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

One of the pleasures of international teaching is celebrating holidays abroad and Sunday marks the first day of Eid Al Fitr, the celebration at the end of Ramadan.  Ramadan, for those who do not know, is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a holy month which marks the period in which the Holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.  During Ramadan, Muslims are expected to strive to a higher level of spirituality to nourish the spiritual side rather than the physical side of themselves, and this is achieved by fasting during the hours of daylight. This means no eating, drinking, smoking and other pleasurable activities from sunrise to sunset. Even drinking water is not allowed.  In addition, Muslim virtues are emphasised such as charity to the poor, patience, steadfastness, etc.

Ramadan ends with a three day holiday and celebration, Eid Al Fitr, the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast. This is time for family celebrations, outdoor prayer, large gatherings and the giving of money to children. This year Eid Al Fitr runs Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and these are bank holidays in the UAE and many other countries.  A traditional greeting is “Eid Mubarak” meaning roughly “May you enjoy a blessed festival”.

If you are fortunate enough to be in a Muslim country for Ramadan and Eid, I encourage you to participate wherever possible. If you are invited to a meal or celebration by all means go.  Your hosts are understandably proud of their culture and heritage, and by inviting you to participate, are sharing this with you.  Understanding another culture by firsthand experience is hopefully one of the reasons you have gone abroad in the first place. It’s what makes living abroad so much better than just going on holiday.

Speaking of holidays, I should also mention that World Teacher Day is coming up on 5 October and to celebrate this year Teachanywhere is having a fabulous competition to celebrate.  We are inviting schools and classes around the world to send us their poetry, artwork, videos and essays celebrating those who make such a difference – You!  

 Please see www.teachanywhere.com/worldteacherday for more information. The winning class, judged by a respected South African artist,  will be presented with £500 of free school resources.

All the best

Diane Jacoutot

General manager, Teachanywhere

Ps. Apologies to all of Ireland. Ireland has actually won 9 gold medals, not one. I should fire my researcher (me) and hire a new one (someone else)! Thanks to all the Irish readers who gently pointed out my error.

Teachanywhere: Olympic Success

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

The Olympics are drawing to a close this week, and as someone who loves all things international I have loved every minute of it. Whether it was Ireland winning their first gold medal ever (Anne Marie was going wild in the Teachanywhere office yesterday), Usain Bolt’s historic 200m win (Nick was going wild in the office as well), Michael Phelps’ amazing medal count, the first brave Saudi female athletes, flawless Chinese divers, or Kazakhstan’s 6 gold medals, it’s been a feast of national and international pride.

There were calls in the paper yesterday to make the 70,000 Olympic volunteers a national Sports Personality of the Year, which is quite an honour here in the UK. Having been to some of the events I can say that they certainly deserve recognition as unsung heroes.  Pink jacketed “Games Makers” have been absolutely everywhere and incredibly helpful to the millions of visitors who have come to the games as well as those wandering around London doing touristy things. I met some lovely ones in Trafalgar square last weekend and they gave me great directions to a restaurant I was trying to find which I would imagine was somewhat outside of their call of duty.  Extending the friendly hand of welcome makes such a difference when you are new to a place and I was proud of the UK for doing it so well.

It is precisely that hand of welcome that international teachers experience when they arrive in their new country, and one that is just as unsung.   International schools will have representatives meet you at the airport, and take you to a hotel or your new apartment. You will then meet the other new international teachers for an organised orientation that covers culture, language, and everyday necessities such as setting up bank accounts, residency paperwork, medical forms, curriculum and school policies. It’s so ironic that many of the fears teachers feel before embarking on their new jobs abroad are so unfounded – the lifeblood of an international school is an international teacher and you are welcomed with open arms.   I was corresponding with a teacher yesterday who is about to embark on a job in Kuwait and I told him how jealous I was – I love the feeling of excitement tinged with trepidation that accompanies the start of a new journey. I love the challenge of working in a new environment where you don’t know precisely what’s around the corner, because once you overcome personal and professional challenges in this way, the rush of satisfaction when you turn the corner into the relative unknown becomes quite addicting. 

Speaking of personal challenges, for those who have been following the story, my 16 year old son returned home from Tanzania this morning having summited Mount Kilimanjaro and completed a community service project. He’s slightly skinnier, definitely fitter and more confident with a higher tolerance for vegetables, a hankering for a big steak and a newfound love of coffee.  He’s also got a head full of indelible memories and the knowledge that if you set your mind to something and put your fears to the side, you can do the most amazing things. 

 I think I learnt a bit of that myself in letting him go.

Teachanywhere goes Olympic!

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

The Olympic Games are on, and it’s been quite a thrill to be a Londoner this year. Despite the numerous and constant warnings during the run-up of tube chaos, terrorism, immigration and bus strikes, the games have run like clockwork, a few empty ‘grace and favour’ seats aside. I’ve been so proud of the organisers for their hard work.

 Please don’t hate me for it, but I have managed to get some tickets to the games. I’m usually not lucky but somehow managed to win a few in the ticket lottery back in February so last weekend saw Judo.  I’m not actually a Judo fan but my husband and aforementioned mountain climbing son are. Ironically my son is almost to the top of Kilimanjaro as I write this, so my sister gratefully took his ticket and I went along. I really enjoyed watching men and women from the various countries we work with competing – Kazakhstan v Mongolia, Egypt v UAE, Spain v South Korea, Portugal (she was one scary Judo fighting woman) v China etc. And even countries we don’t work with such as North Korea (!) were there to represent their countries and the vibe inside the arena was fantastic – fans supporting their own countries as well as others. (OK, maybe not North Korea but the rest, yes.) Unlike the Badminton players, all the Judo athletes played by the rules and respected each other and the games.

The rules for teaching abroad however, unlike those set by the IOC, are often gray, selectively enforced and changeable and I thought I would update you on some recent changes and trends which are affecting lots of teachers because they are in very popular locations – China and the UAE.

China this year has been really enforcing their 2 year post-qualification experience requirement and this means that teachers who have less than 2 years experience are shut out of international schools in most of the region now.  Even teachers with significant pre-qualification experience are not being approved by the Chinese Ministry.  So if you are interested in the Far East or Southeast Asia teaching in international or bilingual schools (rather than TEFL schools or as a Language Assistant- rules are different there) and don’t have 2 years post-qualification teaching experience at the time you start your new job then it’s highly unlikely we can find you work in this part of the world. If you are having trouble finding teaching work in your home country then I recommend you look first to the Middle East or Africa, then jumping over to the Far East/SE Asia once you have got your experience sorted.

On the UAE front, for all but ADEC Licensed Teacher posts, the Ministry is now (mostly) enforcing rules that had previously been enforced only selectively/rarely regarding educational requirements. Similar to the ‘no child left behind’ requirements in the USA and current MOE rules in Kuwait, teachers who want to work in the UAE (including Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi as well as other emirates) need to have a first degree and teacher training that matches their teaching subject. This means that secondary teachers with a Geography degree who have a PGCE in English and 15 years of experience teaching English cannot be approved as English teachers. At the primary (elementary) level, the Ministry is now looking at teachers’ first degree and if not in Education, it must usually be in something relevant to what you are teaching. This means that primary teachers with Business degrees, Theology or Sports Management (etc) cannot be approved.   Teachers with these degree issues should look at countries nearby who do not have this requirement such as Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

Like the Olympics themselves, international requirements are always growing and morphing which is why many teachers like to work with a reputable agency like Teachanywhere whose business is to stay on top of such things. With our scale and breadth of interaction with schools and ministries around the world we are able to give you up to date guidance on where you will be considered/approved, saving you frustration and wasted effort.  If you have any questions you should definitely pick up the phone to your consultant or email us at teacher@teachanywhere.com.

Wishing you and yours Olympic glory,

Fifty Shades of Teaching Overseas

Guest Notes from the Recruitment Manager by Matthew Peck

I saw my Mother at a family lunch last Sunday.  All was most pleasant, the usual family catch up until my Mum took great delight in announcing she had joined the masses and read the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy and “loved it”.  Having a general understanding of the novel’s content I responded as only a son could “Yuk Mum, too much information”!  The very thought of my own Mother reading so called Mummy porn was obviously not one I relished – but perhaps I should not have been too surprised to hear that she had joined the “Fifty Shades” bandwagon.  Like any popular craze, word of mouth (not to mention the anonymity of reading it secretly on a Kindle!) has helped sales of the books rocket in to the stratosphere….. and it’s clearly fulfilling a need!

At Teachanywhere we have witnessed similar popularity explosions when it comes to location choices for our international teachers.  Dubai being a prime example.  And why not?  Dubai has everything a modern westerner might need.  Bright lights, big city, - affording teachers an ease of living.  I visited Dubai for the first time last year and was similarly dazzled by its various attractions.  Who wouldn’t want to live here?  Well, erm – me actually…  - great holiday destination but not enough substance or traditional culture to sustain my interest – but hey that’s just me – we are all different after all and I am certainly in the minority.  Here at Teachanywhere, our goal is to help teachers be as flexible as possible when it comes to location in order to afford them many more chances of securing a great teaching role (after all there are only a certain number of reputable schools in one location like Dubai and a huge number of people are vying for them!). 

Like Fifty Shades, Dubai clearly has a market and its wealth of western style malls, restaurants and facilities will always attract large crowds and word has very quickly spread.  But what about the rest of the Middle East region?   Likewise – could there be a more gripping, better written book out there that deserves success on a par with Fifty Shades but has perhaps suffered from poorer marketing and lets face it a slightly less tantalising hook!?  Undoubtedly.  Similarly, are teachers missing out by going for the obvious location (when we ask prospective teaches “Why Dubai”? the answer is so often “because I have heard it’s nice”)?  What of Kuwait – the cultural gem of the Middle East where close knit expat communities enjoy a more traditional international experience?  Or Qatar – host of the 2022 Soccer World Cup, the Dubai of 10 years ago where smoky souks merge with the latest glitzy nightspots? Or even mysterious but stunningly beautiful Oman – where white sand beaches, mountainous terrain and tropical splendour all combine to provide a top class destination to live and/or holiday?  The Middle East has so much to offer so many and we want to make sure everyone is suitably informed.

Of course Dubai deserves its reputation as I am sure does Fifty Shades.  But as I remarked to my Mother as we battled with Auntie Sheila’s Pavlova - “why not read a first time novelist next?  Look beyond the most popular – imagine the joy of discovering a great writer unknown to others” (plus I selfishly prefer to imagine my Mum reading about 18th century romance rather than 21st century bondage but thats son's for you!)  and this I urge to all prospective international teachers.  It’s a big wide world out there – certainly with more than fifty shades!  Don’t just limit yourself to the obvious (because it’s nice!) .   Go for broke and try somewhere new…….  You might just become the trend setter!

Teaching Abroad: Apron Strings

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

I know what your parents feel like.

My sixteen year old son left this morning for Tanzania to work in a village building a playground and then to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. I'm simultaneously anxious, bereft and proud.  It's a strange combination of emotions.

At first when he told me his intentions over a  year ago, I was bursting with pride. A travel group had come into his school and presented to them the idea of 3 weeks in Africa - a combination of community service and physical fitness... and my son took to it like a duck to water. Ha! I thought.  This is my DNA in action. (every parent loves it when a child takes after them in a good way). I have a son who sees the benefit of reaching out to help those less fortunate and also does not shy away from challenges. So I went along to the information session and signed the cheque.

But as time has drawn closer, and the reality of what he will do - literally climbing a mountain and then living in an African town where water must be purified and rabies shots are essential- has dawned on me and my parental danger sirens have been flashing red. The nagging questions - what if something happens to him? what if he gets ill? what if he forgets to take his malaria tablets? what about altitude sickness?  and a hundred others have haunted my quiet moments.  I have not shared my concerns with my son, though I will readily admit my husband has heard quite a few and thankfully he's a patient man.

This morning was T-day- The day he left for Tanzania. And finally my son's nerves got the better of him.  I found that by letting him tell me about his anxious feelings, they were instantly less acute and I shared with him how nervous I felt before I went to Africa and to various other previously unknown countries in my travels but how wonderful were the experiences when I got there. This didn't stop me from tearing up, of course, as my husband drove away with Matt in the passenger seat, going to meet the rest of the expedition but at least I held it together when my son was around.  I thought this was an accomplishment because what part of me really wanted to do was grab onto his ankles and not let him walk out the door.

I felt better knowing that in his bag, I put a little secret note. It was stashed away in one of the many pockets of his enormous backpack. It said:

Dear Matthew,

By the time you find this note, you will hopefully be in Tanzania. I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you for going on this adventure and for having the dedication to make it happen. I am sure during your trip you will face many challenges but I can tell you from personal experience that the harder something is, the more you feel a sense of accomplishment in having done it.  It is the hardest challenges I ever faced that I am most proud of having faced down.  It's not easy to remember that when you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted and you can think of nothing more instantly rewarding than leaving it all behind. So I am telling you now that you should persevere wherever possible. It will be worth it when you can look back and say, "Wow. I did that!".

All my love

Mom

ps. I hope I don't find this note unread in the bottom of your backpack three weeks and 1 day from now. It would be just my luck. :) 

pps. Take lots of photos.

So I know how your parents are feeling.  No, you are not a 16 year old kid going to climb a mountain in Africa. You are embarking on a much longer journey that will impact many more people and will change your life all the same. Just remember, when you are awash in packing, visas, flight changes, passport renewals and medical checks that your parents and I (and the entire team at Teachanywhere) know it's not easy.

But nothing worthwhile ever is.

Teaching Overseas: To have and to hold....

Notes from the General Manager, by Diane Jacoutot

A woman in New York City splashed out $250,000 on a wedding for her dog. In case your invitation was lost in the post with mine, I can report that Baby Hope Diamond, a pooch belonging to Wendy Diamond of New York, married her paramour Chilly Pasternik in an event that included a $15,000 seven piece orchestra, a $5000 custom made dress (Not much of a market for off the shelf dog wedding dresses then?) and $5000 of sushi. For the human guests I hope. The wedding was planned by Harriet Rose Katz (ahem) who planned the celebrity wedding of Billy Baldwin and Cheyenne Phillips.  Proceeds from the nuptials went to the Humane Society of New York but methinks that’s not the point. Diamond said. "I never need to get married, now, because this wedding has everything." Exactly.

It’s been a week of wedding talk for me. Nick, in our office, is off getting married in the Caribbean as I write this, and Lisa in our office is planning her wedding next year. Yesterday I met with some candidates who were interviewing with a client from Abu Dhabi, and quite a few of them were getting married shortly. One in fact said she was only getting married IF she got the job in Abu Dhabi after being engaged for 3.5 years (so far). Her mother, as you can imagine, is really hoping she gets the job! Me too.

Unmarried partners are quite a thorny issue when you go abroad. Because marriage creates a legal bond between two people that is verifiable and internationally recognised, going abroad as a married couple is far simpler than going abroad as an unmarried couple.  Besides the fact that it’s illegal to live together as unmarried partners in some countries, if you are not married each person must have their own work sponsorship and each must secure their own job before going abroad whereas when you are married, one person can often sponsor the residency of the other ....although in some countries a man can sponsor his wife but not the other way around!

In addition, schools get really twitchy about uncertainty – what if your unmarried partner does not get a job or their job falls through? Will you pull out of the contract and leave the class without a teacher suddenly? It’s not something they or you have control over. And I understand this concern. It is not like a TEFL school where you can cancel class for an evening or two- we are talking about a class of 9 year olds who are there for the day or a bunch of 16 year olds studying for their exams. And you have a raft of demanding parents who are paying for the best education their money can buy.  The stakes are quite high and when the stakes are high, most people try to minimise risk.

So what should you do if you have a partner and you want to go abroad? We usually recommend that your partner get a job first and obviously target places that have lots of international schools, then we can look for a job for you nearby. Make sure your relationship is secure, and your partner’s job is secure.  Ideally, your life will be FAR easier if you get married so do consider that. (No I have not been lobbied by a group of mothers to say that- it’s the truth!)  If you do not wish to get married, then certain parts of the world will be off limits.

So for reasons that are based in international practicality I am a fan of marriage. And for this reason, I raise a glass ..well a mug of coffee actually as it’s only 8am... to Baby Hope and Chilly. I wish you a long and happy (and puppy-less because let’s face it you are both neutered) marriage!  Let the very expensive wedding bells ring.

Teaching Overseas: Goodbye and Hello!

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

It’s been a week of goodbyes. First Bob Diamond stepped down as the head of Barclays bank after his initial anaemic response to the latest banking scandal to merely go without a bonus for 12 months (ie downsize from his typical magnum of Cristal with Sunday Brunch to a mere 75cl bottle this year. What will the neighbours think?) almost caused a riot in the streets. Then Katie Holmes bid farewell to Tom Cruise and his friends from Xenu. And finally in Florida USA, lifeguard Tomas Lopez was bid adieu (aka fired) for saving a drowning man because the man was drowning in a section of beach slightly outside that which Mr Lopez was paid to patrol.

Saying goodbye can be easy, as in the case of Mr Diamond with his hubris and ethics-free lifestyle, but in most cases it’s hard when you say goodbye to people you care about and familiar places to which you have become accustomed.  When you work abroad, saying goodbye is a fact of life. 

Probably the hardest goodbye is when you leave for the first time because you know what you are leaving but don’t know where you are headed and you are less practiced at easing your way out the door.  Family and especially parents often sneak in that special kind of guilt-laden goodbye that only caring parents have access to (do they teach this at Parent School? I wonder). 

“Oh  Diane”, my mother said last time I left, “It was so good to have you home. It’s a shame you live so far away”

With friends you get more of a mixture of sadness because you are leaving and jealousy because they secretly wish they were going too. But this is tempered with promises to visit... and usually they do.

 Of course the flip side of saying goodbye to those you know and love is saying hello to your new school and your new friends.  It may be comforting to know that, on average, international schools change 20% of their staff every year. So you will certainly not be the only New Kid in class. And it also means that international schools are set up to greet you and help you settle in because staff movement is normal and welcomed as a source of fresh ideas. Those who choose to teach in international schools are people who love travel and are unafraid of meeting new people, so you can be assured that you will be saying hello to some very interesting and welcoming people indeed. One of the reasons I really love working with international schools and organisations is that the clients I get to work with and the candidates we meet are so open-minded, bright and balanced that the whole working abroad thing, whilst difficult on one hand because of who you leave behind, is so easy because of who you get to work with.

Goodbye is hard but you cannot have goodbye without hello, just like you can’t have happiness without sadness and light without dark. 

Of course actually saying hello and goodbye and being understood is another matter when you go abroad. So below is a handy cheat sheet for you to start you on your way:

	Hello	Goodbye
Chinese	Nin Hao	Zai Jian
Russian	Zdravstvujtye (zdrah-stvooy-tee)	Do svidaniya! (duh svee-dah-nee-ye)
Arabic	Salaam Alaykum	Ma salaama
Malay	Hello	Selamat tinggal

Teaching Overseas - righting my wrongs!

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

When I worked at IBM in PC development (yes it’s a long story how I ended up in teacher recruitment. That’s for another newsletter. Or three) one of our jobs was to test new releases of the Microsoft operating system on our hardware. And we would find bug after bug and report them back to Microsoft. Some of them would get fixed but from time to time a resistant bug would be found and Microsoft, in their haughty way, would turn to us and say, “You know what, that’s not really a bug. It’s a feature.”  I use that terminology today. Our new TV turns itself off on occasion and our doorbell doesn’t work when it rains. Interesting features. 

So I need to point out a few features from last week’s newsletter which actually got quite a bit of feedback, and that’s really great. At least I know that people are reading it!  So here are a couple of the inaccuracies last week’s discussion about the educational standards at secondary/high school around the world.

·         Feature number 1.  In New Zealand , School Certificates are not given out at 16. This is apparently very old news that just took a while to make it all the way around the world to me here in London.   Instead they get National Certificates of Education Achievement levels 1 through 3 as they rise through years 11 through 13.

·         Feature number 2. Australia is in the process of adopting a national curriculum called ACARA. It’s in consultation at the moment. And Australia doesn’t have provinces, it has states/territories.  Doh.

·         Feature number 3. Pursue is spelled pursue not persue. Ahem.

·         Feature number 4. For the US, I mentioned AP exams but didn’t mention SAT or ACT. These last two are standardised tests that universities use to measure academic success because there are no national standards.

So for today, I will think of myself as better than Microsoft, at least in this one little way-I can admit when I’m not entirely right. (don’t like to use the words ‘ I was wrong’ out loud. You don’t know who might be listening.... my boss or maybe my husband. )

“We made too many wrong mistakes”  - Yogi Berra, baseball player and very  funny guy.

“I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong” – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor.

“Darling, of course your directions were correct. It’s just someone must have moved the hotel we’ve been trying to find for an hour several blocks north when we weren’t looking” – my husband, right before I swatted him with the map.