| Imagine working at a school where you rarely have to | | | | around them because they are so motivated to learn. |
| use your disciplinary skills, the students are motivated | | | | I really feel that I am part of the community of my |
| to succeed and lead well-rounded lives by participating | | | | international school. My students greet me when I walk |
| in sporting and creative activities. Even better, imagine | | | | into school in the morning and they will greet me and |
| a parent-teacher conference where the parents | | | | stop to have a conversation with me whenever they |
| respect you and your profession and, your | | | | see me on the street. There is a strong parents' |
| professional development is of concern to the school's | | | | association that I can call upon for assistance if I am |
| administration. These are the kind of benefits I have | | | | running an event or need extra adult supervision for an |
| reaped from my move into an international teaching | | | | activity. The majority of my students have aspirant |
| career. | | | | parents who support them in their studies, sporting and |
| Prior to securing my position as an international teacher | | | | creative activities. In the UK parental support was not |
| in Thailand, I worked for more than three years in the | | | | always forthcoming and nor were the students |
| United Kingdom. While I enjoyed my time there and | | | | always polite. |
| learned a lot from my colleagues, there were parts of | | | | One of the keys to being a great teacher is continuing |
| the job I didn't like, and at times found a little soul | | | | to invest in your own education and development. |
| destroying. That's one of the reasons I now teach at | | | | That's why many of us have professional |
| an international school. | | | | development guidelines written into our contracts. From |
| When I was teaching in England, I often found that I | | | | the school I taught at in the UK I received two days |
| spent a considerable portion of my time on discipline. | | | | training that was aimed specifically at me or my |
| This was time that was taken away from my role as | | | | subject area in over three years of teaching there. |
| an educator and affected the chances of my students | | | | While this wasn't the only professional development I |
| excelling. In my role as an international educator, I don't | | | | received in that time I can honestly say that the only |
| have half or even a quarter of the discipline issues I | | | | other training that was specifically targeted to meet |
| had when I was teaching in England. It's not because I | | | | my needs were courses that I found and paid for |
| teach less students, I still teach classes of 23 to 25 | | | | myself. Teaching abroad, I now have a professional |
| students. The reason I spend less time on discipline is | | | | development budget in excess of $US300 per year. |
| because teaching is a respected profession in Thailand | | | | Last year I attended a 3 day workshop in Singapore |
| and therefore teachers are treated very well by the | | | | on the IBO curriculum, and this year I have attended a |
| whole community. | | | | 4 day summit. Should I choose to do a Master's |
| Here in Thailand the majority of students are | | | | degree, my school will pay part of the cost, and give |
| motivated to succeed academically. The whole school | | | | me a salary increase once I have completed it. |
| has a culture of rewarding success; academic | | | | You can experience many benefits from teaching |
| successes, sporting successes and creative | | | | overseas. I feel more enthused about being an |
| successes. This is in part because we are in Thailand, | | | | educator now that I am teaching here in Thailand, and |
| but it is also an integral component of the educational | | | | while I wouldn't like to say that I will never teach in a |
| philosophy in the International Baccalaureate | | | | state school again, I would certainly think carefully |
| Organization's (IBO) curriculum. In the UK I was | | | | about any position offered to me. |
| constantly giving of myself to keep my students | | | | If you are not feeling the passion for education that |
| motivated and believing that they could achieve well if | | | | originally inspired you to become a teacher, perhaps |
| they put in the effort. After a while this became | | | | you should be looking at moving overseas. An |
| draining. Now I can concentrate on delivering content | | | | additional benefit is that they salary is better than I was |
| and opening my students' eyes to the wider world | | | | getting in the United Kingdom as well! |