Teachanywhere's New year Message

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

Happy New Year to those not in the Far East (sorry but Chinese New Year  starts 10 February so I’m withholding  from those in East for just a short while). 

If you are like me you have made a New Year’s resolution, a practice started by the Romans when they made promises at the start of the year to the god Janus for whom January is named.  A 2012 study of modern day New Year’s resolutions by the University of Scranton  showed that the most popular resolutions were to lose weight (yup, I’m there), get organised, stay fit and healthy, save money, learn something new and to live life to the fullest. Unfortunately, two weeks on, almost 30% of those studied abandoned their goals.  Why is it that what seems such a good idea on 1 January seems impossible in February?

At Teachanywhere, we notice a huge increase in inquiries into teaching abroad in January every year.  It’s like a light switch flicking on.  Perhaps it’s spurred on by those resolutions to learn and save and to live life to the max by challenging themselves but whatever the reason we like it. And luckily our retention rate is far more than 70%... which must mean that working abroad is easier than losing weight... and this has certainly been my experience.

But teaching abroad is certainly not easy – it means uprooting your life and taking a big risk to leave your family and friends behind, if only for the school year. But it has huge rewards, personal and financial.  I recommend that when they first consider moving abroad, teachers write down all the reasons they want to go – whether it’s to save money for a down payment on a house, to experience a new culture, or because they are frustrated with the status quo in their home country and put those reasons in an envelope to be read in June when they start getting cold feet because they are tempted to stay by the evil that they know and frightened by what they don’t know.  Because those reasons will still be there this October if they decide to abandon their resolutions and their dreams and I think it’s a huge shame.

I have a long held belief that most people are good at heart, but that we all should strive to improve ourselves. Every day. And if we only succeed 7 out of every 10 days, that’s still an accomplishment that should be celebrated. 

  

I just need to remember to celebrate with a couple of carrot sticks rather than a cake this year.

All the best,

Diane Jacoutot

General manager, Teachanywhere