Job Discussion Forums

[katybell]

Hello everybody,

I know that not everyone is a dog lover, and that this question will seem silly to those people...

I am single, no kids, no guy, perfectly free to teach abroad right now. I have already taught in South Korea so I know what I am up for... The issue is my large yellow labrador retriever, who I love and can't leave behind for more than a couple weeks.

Anyone know of a place where I would be able to...

-rent a place where a big loud dog would be okay? (right now, I live in an almost unpopulated forested area of Ontario, Canada)
-walk with my dog without being stared/ laughed at?
-find big wide open spaces where it would be safe for my dog to run around?

My qualifications... I have a B.A. in French, and a B.Ed. in teaching French as a Second Language, plus qualifications in Spec. Ed. and every grade level from preK to gr.13. I have taught FSL for ten years now, and I taught in S.Korea for a year.

Tall order I know... let me know if you know of a place!

Thanks!

[spiral78]

I've gotta snauzer sitting on my lap at the moment who lives with me in Canada and here in the Czech Republic. He's been to Moscow to work, too, and we've visited Vienna, Frankfurt, Krakow, and many points in between. He's a bit easier than your giant guy, as he weighs just 7 kilos and doesn't shed.

Central Europe is dog-friendly, and even in big cities like Prague there are huge parks and off-leash areas. Dogs are usually welcome in most public venues, as well - notably restaurants and pubs, and on public transport.

The drawback here is that salaries are relatively low- you can make enough to live on all right, but it's not an area to save up.

[2 over lee]

Since you've been teaching in Korea I don't have to tell you that Asia in general is not the most dog friendly place.

The most dog mad place I've ever lived was Buenos Aires, Argentina. On any given day you could see dozens of professional dog walkers, walking dozens of dogs of all shapes and sizes. A dog lover's paradise, any Buenos Aires park would have hundreds of well-trained pure-bred dogs playing together. Naturally there was a lot of dog poop there too and the money for teaching was not great - you'd have a happy dog though.

[ls650]

I note that you're in Canada. I believe that with NAFTA, it's been made much easier to bring a dog or cat into Mexico.

A couple of my co-workers have acquired dogs while living here in Mexico, and have made or are making plans to return to their home countries (Canada, UK) with these pets.

Where I live, at least, having a pet dog is considered perfectly normal, although the locals may think that foreigners tend to spoil their animals in comparison to Mexicans (probably true, I think).

[katybell]

Hello there...

Yes, I have been thinking about Mexico... Argentina sounds appealing too... yes... hmmm... and, if I could learn Spanish, then it would be easier for me to get a job teaching in a highschool... instead of teaching Core French in an elementary school, which is not what I wanted to do, originally. Students in highschools elect to study French and Spanish beyond grade 10, instead of being forced to take it in the elementary schools here (I'm talking about Ontario, Canada).

hmmmm...

Is it possible to rent a country house with a field over there? Do you think that I could just bring my Honda Civic over there too, just drive it over?

What about the men, I have heard that they are incredibly annoying over there.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

from Katy

[spiral78]

Ok, must say it.
I went to Prague yesterday with the schnauzer.
We saw a crowd on a sidewalk and went to check it out.
There was a guy sitting there, playing a recorder. He had a hat full of money on the street in front of him.
Next to him sat a huge Rottweiler, with a big, red, drooly Rottweiler smile.
On the head of the dog, there was a red and white rat. The rat was calmly grooming himself, and occasionally the dog's ears.

It's one of those moments.....
Why did I work so hard on the MA? Why do I stress about management hassles, and students, and all this worldly crap?
I've already got a dog.
I only need an old hat and a rat.

I could retire on the sidewalks of Europe.

What's life really all about??!!

[2 over lee]

[katybell]

Hi 2 over Lee,

I didn't understand what you meant in your last post. Are you trying to say that I am being too optimistic and not pragmatic enough?

from Katy

[2 over lee]

Well you may be able to drive your car to Mexico. A country house with a field - it's my impression that you are being a little too optimistic!

I guess you never know. You not going to have the country house in Argentina that's for sure.

Good luck in any case