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Make the Most of Life Overseas
Once you have applied to teach overseas with Educators Overseas and been offered a position at an international school, you are ready to begin a new adventure: living overseas. Two Below are a few practical suggestions to help you make the most of your overseas teaching and living experience.
Think Positive
After about three months teaching overseas and living life
in a new country, you may find that the initial excitement fades away a
bit. Instead of looking at everything
through rose-colored glasses, you may begin to notice some things you find
bothersome or troublesome. When this
happens, try and focus on a few particular things about the country you remember really liking when you first arrived. Think about the differences between your new temporary country and your home country
and find something to appreciate. When
you have had it up to here with the driving and pollution, for example, instead
of bemoaning the negative remind yourself how much you love the food or the low
cost of living. When you realize you
miss X or Y about life in your home country, bring to mind something about your
new country that you know you will miss when you return home.
Language
While teachers don't have to learn the local language to teach
overseas and be a good international school teacher, a basic knowledge
will go a long way in helping you acclimate to your new life. Fluent knowledge of a language will
make you more marketable and will enable you to enjoy your overseas stint to
the fullest extent possible. But, fluency is certainly not necessary. What is most important is the ability to
understand and speak enough of the language to successfully perform essential tasks
required in the course of every day life, like interacting with shopkeepers and postmen. Furthermore, knowledge of the language will
go a long way in helping bridge cultural gaps with local residents who, in most
countries, will be ecstatic to hear even your simple attempts at speaking and
communicating with them.
The teachers who enjoy living and teaching overseas the most
are those who speak and understand the local language to some extent. Many good teachers are naturally more inclined
to learn the language for the benefits it brings to their quality of life, in
addition to their own love of learning. Whether it is the personality of
a good teacher which lends itself to the field of learning, to include
languages, or whether it is the learning of a language that cultivates positive
qualities in the teacher. Whichever
comes first, the result of learning some of the language is the same: an
increased enjoyment of life in the foreign country. Educators Overseas will provide hired
teachers with a list of key language words and phrases of the country the
teacher is being posted to; some schools provide resources as well. Once you are in country it should be fairly
easy to find an inexpensive tutor to teach you the language. In many cases local residents are more than
happy to help you speak the local language in exchange for English conversation
to help improve their own language abilities.
Make Friends
Go out of your way to meet as many people as possible and participate in as many activities as possible your first few months abroad. You will probably find that making friends overseas, especially with other teachers and expatriates, is quite easy. Everyone is away from their home country and their own friends and family, so making friends becomes almost a necessity for everyone and consequently happens more naturally and faster than it would in your home country. Such friends can help stave off homesickness if and when it strikes, but don't neglect making friends with local residents as well. In addition to morale support, one or two good friends who speak the local language and know the culture of the country will prove invaluable in helping you establish your new life in a foreign country.
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