I've always been a wanderer. I've moved on average every 2 years, whether new house, new city or new state. After I graduated college the first time, I looked into teaching in Japan, but emotionally I wasn't ready for such a commitment.
When I went back to school to get my master's in education, it was with the intention of working with English as a 2nd Language students. I took classes for that and loved it all. But I moved to Austin and got a job teaching 2nd/3rd grade. Then I moved up to the middle school. Then I got the additional duties of the ESL Coordinator at my school. While this has been wonderful, it no longer feels like enough.
So, I started thinking about teaching overseas again. I've continued to talk about it for years and it's feeling kinda right for next school year. I've started researching a couple of programs. There's a worldwide certification that I can get that will open countless doors (or so I'm thinking), but I'd have to take classes for a month to get it. Then they'd help me find a job. My friends and co-workers are telling me to go for it, saying it's an investment in myself and something I've always wanted to do.
And then I think, wow, what a blog readership I could get with blogging about my life in a foreign country and how cool would that be to have all those readers ready for when I sell. PLUS think of all the intriguing plots I could come up with!
I just don't want to wake up on my deathbed and regret that I never went overseas to teach. I just have a strong pull to this and I'm thinking I really want to jump off the roof and see if I can fly.
So, wanna weigh in?
29 comments:
Australia always need teachers, but the pay's terrible, and so are the students ;-)
SCOTLAND! Being there would help you write something authentically Scottish :-)
Have a lovely day! :-)
I say definitely go! I tried to vote in your poll, but it wouldn't take my answer.
And if we're talking places-- my friend taught in Prague and really enjoyed her time there and another friend taught in China and said the same thing!
But I'll really, really miss youif you go :(
Lexi,
I say go for it, girl! You never want to have to look back and say "what if I'd done this or that". It sounds like it's something you really want to do, so take the plunge. Especially if you're in a situation where you can do that. You never know what the future holds and if you'll have the chance to do it again.
Good luck!
CorrinaC
Lexi,
I think if its something you've always wanted to do you should go for it! My cousin taught overseas for 2 years and he loved it! Not only that it opened a lot of doors for him. I say go for it!
If it only requires a month's investment in coursework and you're still young enough to do it and then move on to something else once you've gratified that desire...what have you got to lose? I say go for it.
Wow, what a cool opportunity. I think that's totally a gut thing. If your gut says you need to go, what's holding you back? (For me it's my husband's inability to live for more than 3 weeks without his tablesaw, but that's another issue.) :) I've known several people who've taught abroad, and I know no one who's regretted it.
Follow your dreams! :-)
Regrets will drive you bonkers. If it fits in your life now and you've been dreaming of it, then go for it! I will offer one word of caution, based on my MIL's recent experience teaching overseas - be very careful of whom you sign up with and what parts of the world you go to. She's had a terrible experience in a wealthy middle eastern country with a company that's not meeting their contract obligations and didn't fully disclose several things. You're a smart cookie though- I have no doubt you'll be careful in your choices and have an absolutely marvelous time wherever you go!
But I'll miss you : (
I think you should ABSOLUTELY go for it!!! Life is short - live it to the fullest and make the most of your chances!!
ARWA wouldn't be the same without you, but that's a small price to pay for your awesome chance.
Lexi, you are amazing. If you put your mind to it, you can do it! I believe in you and so do many others. Take the leap and go! I'll be sure to keep reading about your adventures. :)
If you have a chance to follow your dream, by all means, do it!! We won't forget you, and the internet is always one click away. :-)
Aw, ladies! You're making me cry with your support! Thanks so much!
Oh Lexi, if you have the opportunity and nothing holding you back then GO FOR IT! We recently had a situation where my younger brother was offered a position in the UK, he had to make a quick decision and couldn't do it. He turned it down. Two months later he went to visit our family in England and the place where he would have been working and now he regrets it. So, if its something you've always dreamed of, then how can you not? Its not like you can't come home if you don't like it. And with computers and webcams-your loved one's won't be that far away!!!
I say GO FOR IT! I know if I had the chance, I would!
Andrea
GO! GO! GO! You may never get the opportunity again. Page from my book: My dh had recieved orders to Scotland. Carrying our first child, I was scared silly about delivering overseas without friends or family, that my grands wouldn't see their first great, etc., so he got them changed. That was about thirty years ago and we've both regretted it ever since.
If opportunity knocks, ANSWER THE DOOR! (and I hope you have a fabulous experience!)
You only regret what you didn't do. Even if you do it and you don't like it, at least you'll learn that much and you won't live the rest of your life wondering what if.
So said Thoreau - Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
Honey, I think you've answered your own question -- you'd hate to live out your life and realize you never lived out your dream. Do it!!! And let the rest of us live through you vicariously!!! :)
Go, Lexi. We'll miss you, but you can always come back after your adventure.
I sold everything I had and went to live in Paris, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. My cousin Pat teaches in Barcelona and absolutely adores it. I bet the opportunities are endless.
The world is your oyster, baby. Make the leap while you're free to do it. Just don't forget to write.
I say go for it. You don't have to stay forever. If after one year you dislike what you're doing you come home... If you loveit you stay. Not only itis a great oppurtunity to see parts of the world--really see them-- it's a prime oppurtunity to advance your writing with your own experience... a heroine who teaches overseas... you could write a book on teaching over seas... I think you wouldn't regret going, but staying here you might. that's my weigh in. :0)
I think you answered your own question: If it's in your mind enough to post about it publicly here, then you already know you want to go. And you should! *:?)
Lexi, I think it's obvious that you'll regret it if you don't.
Life is too short for regrets. Follow your heart.
Hi, Lexi.
What an incredible trampoline's worth of cheerleaders you've got here!
I'll add my voice to the chorus. Your tale of moving every couple of years suggests you're pretty much a nomad at heart, so I'm sure you'll land on your feet--first in whichever foreign country you're lucky enough to go to, and then back in the US, if/when you decide to return.
If you haven't lived in another country yet, it's an experience not to be missed!
Do carefully check out the program you go with, though. I've had some students & friends who've taken ESL positions overseas and been worked like dying donkeys. Talking to several alumni of the program would be a good idea. (But I've sure you've already thought of this!) Also, with your professional experience, you should be able to snag a more comfortable (& lucrative!) position than the typical recent college grad.
Good luck. We're all waiting to hear your news.
Somebody said "it's better to regret the things you have done, than then things you haven't done" -- and I've found that to be totally true. I say go for it! :-)
Gotta go with your gut and it looks like it is saying go for it. Have no regrets...life's too short.
Oh, if I had the opportunity to work overseas, I'd jump at it!
Oh, yes, totally, if this is one of your dreams, GO FOR IT. I'd love to read your blogs about the experience.
It will be the experience of a lifetime! Go for it!
Chiming in late, but I wanted to add my voice to the chorus. We'll miss you, but life is too short not to follow all of your dreams.
Go for it!!
Lex! You've been talking about this since I've known you! What an adventure! I say go for it, but we'll miss you and your beautiful voice . . .
Kit
Lexi, I envy you. An opportunity like this comes along once in a lifetime. Only you can decide if this is the right thing for you to do. Are you ready to leave friends and family (knowing of course, that you'll be meeting and befriending an entire new crowd of folks)? Are you ready to uproot yourself from your job and home to pursue a new one in a new place? And at the back-end, when the job comes to an end, how will you feel about having to start over again?
When I was 25 years old I gave up a secure job, and a promotion that was on the table that would have led to an entirely different career, to pursue acting and singing in New York City. I was not naive and I knew what the odds were when I made the decision. I pursued the career, enjoying myself immensely, for 20 years before coming to the conclusion that, while I loved the performing, the business itself was not for me, nor was I ready to make the personal sacrfices that were necessary if I was to be successful. In the end, I had some great experiences and some bittersweet ones, but would never have given up the entire episode of my life. If I were single, without familial responsibilities, and had the contacts and financial wherewithal to undertake the journey, you can bet your ass I would. Good luck!
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