I have been teaching in a Texas public school for several years now, and lately I have wanted to do something different. I like my job and my school, so it wouldn’t be enough just to change school districts—I want to get out of the country!
With that in mind, I attended an international job fair. For my first job fair ever, I picked a big one, with over 120 schools from about 60 countries attending despite the crazy weather. The fair organizers said keep an open mind, cast a wide net, interview with schools from places you’ve never heard of—the problem with that was that I did my homework, and by the time of the fair, there weren’t any places I hadn’t heard of. I knew which schools I was interested in (and Texas schools weren’t yet talking about laying off teachers). So, I did exactly what the fair organizers said NOT to do: I focused on only a handful of schools, knowing full well that I could end up going back to my current job. In the end, it was as good strategy for me. I only had three initial interviews, but I ended up with two job offers—both in the country I had dreamed, hoped, and prayed I’d get a job in: Germany.
My departure date is July 31st… it sounds far away, but that’s only four months to pack up everything (or just get rid of it) and start a new job in a new country!
Lots of snow at the fair in Boston...good practice for Germany!
