Taking a Leap of Faith - Teaching Abroad

 "Why is any of your experience relevant?"

This was the first, somewhat sobering, question I was asked in my first ever job interview for a teaching post in Australia. It was a scary question and immediately in your head you try to justify your entire existence as a teacher up until that point. With a bit more thought though, you realise that it is actually an excellent question. Immediately, it made me think about the key milestones in my career so far and what the big learning curves were and why they happened.

Now, 6 months after being asked that question, I'm happy to say that I got that job, and took a leap of faith to move and set-up life in Australia. I say it was a "leap of faith" or a "massive step", but really when I decided to accept the job and stop applying for any at home in Scotland, I didn't understand the gravity of the move.

The day I realised the gravity of it all was Thursday 27th June 2013. It was a big day - one I won't forget. It was my last day with my very first class; a class of 25 amazing and hilarious primary 3's (year 2's); I had to say goodbye to them and the wonderful staff and friends I had made at my fantastic school and then say goodbye to my family and friends because at 9pm that night, I flew to Australia to start a new chapter in my life and a new chapter in my career in Melbourne.

The last day was one of the hardest experiences I've had. Saying goodbye for the foreseeable future to crying 7 and 8 year olds is not pleasant. There is also no preparation you can have for when the week before, during circle time, everyone talking about what they were looking forward to in Primary 4 next year, having a boy burst into tears and continue crying inconsolably and repeatedly shouting, "please don't go, don't go, don't leave me here!" It's an experience that will never leave me and a class that were so special it'll be impossible to forget a single child. The emotional attachment to your class is a hard aspect of the job, especially if you move school at the end of the year, never mind move country and continent.

I'm not ashamed to say that I cried a lot after saying goodbye to my lovely class and hand them on to their new teachers for next year. I contemplated just before I took off from Glasgow for Dubai then Sydney, "What sort of a scene could I cause that would get me off this plane, without getting me arrested?" However, I didn't cause a scene. After a few hours of sleep and time to reflect on what a great year I had had, as well as the fantastic opportunities that lay ahead, I knew there was reason to treasure those memories and experiences but look forward to with excitement and anticipation the opportunities to come.

I have a book of memories that I will be able to treasure forever and left my class with a few words of wisdom that I hope will stay with them.

However, the experience with my class and individuals in my class have made me really think about poverty and inequality; particularly the impact it has on experience, achievements, prospects and outcomes for the children in our care. It's a big topic and warrants a blog post on it's own.

I've had two main goals in life. I don't remember when I decided, but my first has always as long as I can remember, to be a primary school teacher; the second was to move to Australia.

This year, it was clear from the children and their families that my class had a great year, I loved every minute of it, I'd successfully completed my probationary year and received full registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) as well as the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). Also, I'd felt like I really made a contribution to the school and wider education system in Scotland while learning so much from it. I'd achieved my first goal, and I was ready for a new challenge. The job in Australia came up, and exciting, dynamic and research intensive school were looking for a new teacher. After a lot of research on the school and good discussions at interview with the principle and vice-principle of the school, I really, really wanted to join the team there. It was a bonus they offered me the job! It did mean making a decision after Easter to not apply for any jobs in Scotland (if at all) and to turn down another exciting job offer I had for a school in Barcelona. This school is definitely the right choice. And Australia has been a lifelong dream - achieved!

It's nerve wracking leaving a system and country that I know, I'm comfortable with an been pretty successful in; having to start afresh in a new system and place.

But, quickly it's becoming clear that no matter where in the world we are, we have common objectives for education and common challenges. A few I've picked out and plan to explore in even more depth are:

• The growing gap in educational experiences, achievement, attainment and outcomes due to poverty and inequalities within and between groups in our societies.
• The increasingly complex and multifaceted role technology has to play in our lives and in learning and school education.
• The changing concept and process of continuing professional learning for teachers in response to changing roles, demands and challenges we face.

Those are the big picture objectives that will always remain my focus. But, coming back to the whole idea of moving and teaching abroad, either for a short period, or longer term, I would say is a vital experience. The opportunities to experience new cultures, countries, languages and simply just to travel while working abroad is something so important. The amount you learn from working in a new system with children from different cultural contexts is amazing as well as the teachers and school leaders you are able to work with and learn from.

It's a difficult experience emotionally, and that is something that cannot be underestimated, even if you know you are not leaving permanently, the monthly "down-days" when you're homesick and missing the familiarity of friends and family are hard, but you push through those, keep focused on the experiences you are having and the amazing experiences to come.

A good friend put a quote on the front of my leaving card which I think sums up my focus just now in life and particularly my professional life, but is also something I come back to re-read regularly;

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the harbour shore. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover"

So, do you think teaching abroad is something you'd be keen to try? Go for it. Get away from that "safe harbour" and go and explore what the world has to offer!

Written by, Policy Police