Teach Abroad

My Story: 

I taught in New Hampshire, Florida, and Colorado before I discovered international teaching. I had taught Kindergarten, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 5th grade. My largest class size was 29 students. Student behaviors became increasingly difficult to deal with. Each January, after Winter Break, I would return to be told to start “teaching to the test”. School funding was based on how our school performed on state testing in March. Salaries were low. I was barely able to pay my studio apartment rent and pay my student loans. After 7 years of teaching, I started to look at alternatives. I considered jobs such as flight attendant, travel agent, and nurse. I was ready to leave the career. 

In 2018, I took my first big international trip. I went backpacking in Europe for 3 weeks. The moment I set foot in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, I fell in love. I cried on the train when I left for my next destination. I had already become mountain obsessed from living in the Rocky Mountains, but the Alps had a different magic. I returned just 4 months later to Switzerland, this time skiing Zermatt. I returned to the U.S. determined to someday live in Switzerland. 

In 2019, the international teaching search began. I started googling “How to teach in Switzerland”.  This led to the discovery of many agencies that assist in the process of finding international teaching positions. Agencies such as Search Associates, Schrole, International School Services (ISS), TES, and more came across my computer screen. 

Ultimately, I went with Search Associates, a company that had an online database of international schools, listing salaries, requirements, class size, saving potential, and offering a job fairs. I applied, stating that I wanted a job in Europe. I was warned that jobs in Europe are hard to come by and to broaden my search. I didn’t think much of this advice and immediately started applying, sending my resume and cover letter to as many European schools as I could. 

In January 2020, I attended my first International Teaching Job Fair in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was excited to interview for a job at my dream school in Switzerland! The night before the Job Fair began, the job was removed from the portal. Turns out they ended up hiring a local hire. I was beyond disappointed and entered the Job Fair with a list of “backup” locations I would interview with. 

I ended up broadening my horizons and interviewing with schools and countries I had never heard of. On the first day of the job fair I interviewed with a school in Quito, Ecuador and was offered a position! I was excited by the potential to live in another mountainous area, the Andes! The only flaw, the savings potential was low. While the cost of living in Ecuador is low, it would be difficult to save money when I still had substantial student loans. I asked for 24 hours to make a decision and rushed to my hotel room to make a Pros and Cons list. 

The next day, I had more interviews on my schedule, some of which I signed up for just to improve my interview skills. One of which was a school in Indonesia. I didn’t even know where Indonesia was on a map! Surprise to me: Bali is not its own country! It is a part of the island nation of Indonesia! I went into the interview thinking it would be good practice, but instead was impressed by what the school had to offer and immediately bonded with my interviewer who had lived in Colorado for many years. I was invited to interview with the Head of School, where I was once again felt connected, as he was from my home state of Maine! I was offered a position, with a salary nearly double what I was offered in Ecuador. 

I returned to my hotel, added to my Pros and Cons list, and called my Mom for advice. I fully expected my Mother, who has only ever lived in New England, to tell me to pick the school closer to the United States. But instead, she surprised me. She listened to my Pros and Cons, and I told her that I thought I had to go with Indonesia, because of the savings potential, the opportunity to pay off student loans, and the connection I had with their leadership. I cried. You would think I would be thrilled by this decision, and I was excited, but I was also disappointed because I had already imagined my life in Ecuador. 

Ultimately, I ended up teaching in Jakarta, Indonesia and 2 years later accepted the job in Quito, Ecuador. I was able to fulfil both goals of savings and adventuring.