Lately I've been reading international school teacher forums and thinking about the lives international teachers lead. Some people do it for a few years, some do it for their whole career. Regardless of how long you are away, I think it is a valuable experience for many reasons.
Pros:
- Full-time teaching experience (for those who have a hard time finding a job back home, international school teaching might be the way to get this experience)
- Schools tend to have lots of resources and good facilities
- Paid rent/housing accommodation
- Lower cost of living (depending on where you go)
- Experience a different culture (learn a language, get a feel for another country, try new foods...)
- Meet new people (as an international teacher, you meet so many people... you bond with your colleagues because you have no one else here - they are like your second family away from home)
- Sense of adventure (living abroad, you never know what you're going to get next... it can be a very dynamic lifestyle at times)
- Travel opportunities
- Gaining world perspective
However, with any situation, there is always a downside...
Cons:
- Far from family and friends back home (causes feelings of homesickness)
- "Not in Canada anymore..." (missing all things Canadian that you can't get outside the country)
- Can be lonely if you haven't met friends yet
- Feeling like a "foreigner" in a country despite living there
- Language barriers
- Missing out on stuff back home (big events like weddings, holidays, and birthdays; pop culture, news, etc.)
- Dependence on others (rely on people for translation, help with housing, finding health care, information, etc.)
- Culture shock (may take some time to get used to a foreign culture)
- Also possible to experience reverse culture shock when you return home
As an international teacher, on some days you may feel like you're living the life - things couldn't be better, but then there can be days that make you feel the opposite - homesick, feelings of contempt towards your adopted host country, etc. As with any person, doing any job, anywhere in the world, there are good days and bad. For the most part, my experiences abroad have been very positive. If anyone is considering trying out international teaching, I say go for it! I'm glad that I did... if I hadn't, then this blog would not exist. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my adventures thus far!
Pros:
- Full-time teaching experience (for those who have a hard time finding a job back home, international school teaching might be the way to get this experience)
- Schools tend to have lots of resources and good facilities
- Paid rent/housing accommodation
- Lower cost of living (depending on where you go)
- Experience a different culture (learn a language, get a feel for another country, try new foods...)
- Meet new people (as an international teacher, you meet so many people... you bond with your colleagues because you have no one else here - they are like your second family away from home)
- Sense of adventure (living abroad, you never know what you're going to get next... it can be a very dynamic lifestyle at times)
- Travel opportunities
- Gaining world perspective
However, with any situation, there is always a downside...
Cons:
- Far from family and friends back home (causes feelings of homesickness)
- "Not in Canada anymore..." (missing all things Canadian that you can't get outside the country)
- Can be lonely if you haven't met friends yet
- Feeling like a "foreigner" in a country despite living there
- Language barriers
- Missing out on stuff back home (big events like weddings, holidays, and birthdays; pop culture, news, etc.)
- Dependence on others (rely on people for translation, help with housing, finding health care, information, etc.)
- Culture shock (may take some time to get used to a foreign culture)
- Also possible to experience reverse culture shock when you return home
As an international teacher, on some days you may feel like you're living the life - things couldn't be better, but then there can be days that make you feel the opposite - homesick, feelings of contempt towards your adopted host country, etc. As with any person, doing any job, anywhere in the world, there are good days and bad. For the most part, my experiences abroad have been very positive. If anyone is considering trying out international teaching, I say go for it! I'm glad that I did... if I hadn't, then this blog would not exist. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my adventures thus far!
A very insightful commentary with very honest and complete points of view! Obviously, we prefer that you be close to us but at the same time, we are VERY proud of your strength and courage to take on such an AMAZING, once in a lifetime journey!!!You go girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete