Job Discussion Forums

[ejh263]

I was wondering if anyone has any experiences, good or bad, of teaching and travelling abroad not as a singleton but with a family!!!
My partner and I had always planned to go abroad in the future, not back packing as such but travelling a little and trying to find somewhere we would eventually like to settle.... thinking Oz, NZ, Asia mostly. However, just found out expecting and wondering if, this dream of ours, although obviously not do-able RIGHT NOW is still do-able??! Or are the hormones getting to me and I'm in fact crazy??! Would love to hear from anyone who is or has done this and how they found it, anywhere in the world! Cheers!

[moot point]

I think most of us in this field with a family tend to have advanced qualifications in teaching EFL. Without these, it is hard to make ends meet in this industry.

How old are your children? If they are approaching school age then you'll need to think about the fees for putting them into international schools. These aren't cheap, with tuition running from $6000 to $20000 per year depending on the country.

Also, what kind of qualifications and/or experience do you and your spouse have? If you don't have advanced degrees in teaching English (i.e. an MA) or a teacher's certificate, then it will be hard to find a post that will supplement your children's education. These are things to think about before making the move.

As pertaining to Oz or NZ, why do you limit yourself to ESL? Can you not find another job there or is this profession of particular interest to you?

[ejh263]

I don't have a family as yet... I've just found out I'm pregnant. So putting the kids through school is not a big factor right now, hopefully by the time we get to that point we'll have settled somewhere and established ourselves. Not necessarily restricted to these areas they are just places we have wanted to travel to - this was not planned!
I'm currently studying for my diploma in Tesol so by the time we're ready to go I will have that finished and about 5 -6 years of teaching experience.
My partner is a glazier but is re training to be a dive instructor at the moment. I just wondered if going abroad when a child is so young (prob about 2 by the time we go) and moving around from place to place - although not frantically - is something one could do and get by on. We would be able to rent our property here while we are away.

[Glenski]

[Not St Louis]

I would say, a qualified yes. I think if the child is only or two years old, up to maybe 3 or 4, I think you could hit the road abroad and it would do your child a lot of good. I have two kids and since they do not know any different, this is all normal to them. But I say this, my children are bi-cultural/bi-racial, we live in a third country now, but if they lived in my wife's country life wouldnt be much different than life is here. So, a qualified yes for you.

On the other hand, older than 5 or 6(school age), I think you would be doing them a huge disservice pulling them out of school and being with their friends and then transplanting them to a foreign land where they don't know the language. Culture shock would be extreme for them.

I don't where you are planning to go, but even children as young as 4 or 5 have a cultural imprint that can create obstacles in another culture. I did observation of this when I went back to the states with my 3 year old son for a vacation. The US children, even at that age, had a take-take mentality, while Thai/Southeast Asian children have a share-share mentality.

About schooling: If you have got the big bucks, then international school is an option. In Thailand, it runs about what the combined salary of 2 teachers is. Depending on the country you go to, it might be more affordable, but since that is an unknown, you probably should consider that you will be putting your child into a local school. If education is a big issue for you, then you may be abroad for only a few years. My wife and I are teachers so we aren't too concerned, school is for social interaction, learn what they need to learn at home with mom and dad.

[ejh263]

thanks for the advice. Given me some stuff to think about. Just wanted to point out, I'm not planning to travel whilst pregnant or until my baby is about 18mnths - 2 years old and fully vaccinated.

[khmerhit]

my daughter was on a plane at 8 weeks. granted, her mother wanted me to take her on a motorcycle journey at 9 months -- 9 months prengnant----i didnt, but what a battlethat was..... yeah, just stay at home for a little while, if it doesnt offend any feminist sensibilities....

[MELEE]

My kids were born here. They are approaching 18 months now, medical is definately something you'd want to think about. I'm of the opinion that kids need to be exposed to germs, but what if you were in an accident, what sort of trama facilities do you want to be near (she says while being pretty far from adequate trama facilities )

I agree with NoStLouis about education. I'm fully expecting to tell my girls to know more than most of their primary school teachers. But with parents who work in education I'm not worried about them not learning.

Don't give up your dream, your family will suffer in the long run. I don't know much about dive instructor positions and how hard it is for foreigners to get work visas for that type of job, but its possible that the two of you could work in some country.

Good Luck, have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

[ejh263]

thanks very much!!