Walking, skiing, water-sports, amazing beaches and a beautiful countryside of contrast and extremes, New Zealand has plenty to boast about. We spoke to Bernie Feehan, manager of the Eteach New Zealand office in Wellington, about living and working in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

What’s the big attraction of New Zealand for UK early childhood educators looking to work overseas?

New Zealand has a unique appeal based on its location as one of the most isolated westernised countries in the world. It is a land of contrast – from beautiful sandy beaches to snow capped mountains, from large cities to small rural communities, and from modern sophistication to old world charm. There are two main islands, the north island and the south island, which are very different.

The north island has the largest population and the largest city Auckland which is the major business centre of the country. The capital city is Wellington, at the bottom of the north island, home to the government and its many departments and civil servants. Despite this, Wellington is regularly referred to as the culture and the cafe city of New Zealand. The coffee here is fantastic!

The south island features rugged mountains and beautiful scenery and is the main area of the adventure tourism industry; it offers a huge range of outdoor activities from outstanding skiing, to bungy jumping and jet boating. It’s been likened to a combination of parts of the Scottish highlands and parts of Switzerland. Large parts of the film trilogy ‘Lord of the Rings’ were filmed on and around these mountain ranges and there are some excellent tours that run to these locations.

New Zealand has a first class education system and is a world leader in early childhood education with its Te Whariki national curriculum. This is an outstanding, set curriculum highlighting activities and outcomes for the 0-5 age group, and there are excellent opportunities for UK trained candidates to work within it. This link will take you directly to the informative Ministry of Education website, and you can download a PDF about Te Whariki here (494 kb).

New Zealand also enjoys a safe and secure living environment and has a healthy culture of sporting, outdoor, cultural and artistic events. No matter what type of leisure activities you enjoy, you’re likely to find them readily available in New Zealand.

What do you think is the value for teachers of taking on an early childhood education post in New Zealand?

  Read more…

Jo Short will be leaving behind her well-paid job in the retail sector in August, and jetting off for a job in the sun. A post at the international British School of Kuwait is waiting for her, following a successful application through eteach.com. So why did she decide to pick up sticks – and how is she feeling prior to making the big move?

Jo successfully completed her initial teacher training in Exeter after deciding to quit her well-paid job with WH Smith and pursue her dream vocation as a primary teacher.

Unsuccessful in clinching a full-time induction post because of a tough teaching market for newly qualified teachers, Jo signed up as an Eteach supply teacher, and had been working three days a week.

Interview by video

But her lucky break came earlier this year, when she applied for a post via Eteach almost 3,000 miles away; she successfully landed the job at the British School of Kuwait after being interviewed via video conference at her parents’ home by the school principle and key stage 1 coordinator.

Far from being a statistic of the so called ‘brain drain’, Jo sees her Kuwaiti ‘adventure’ as a golden opportunity to escape the recession, broaden her teaching horizons and increase her chances of gaining an induction post on her return to the UK – altogether better than dropping out of the profession after three years of a teacher training course financed by the taxpayer. Specialising in special needs, Jo plans to use her training to good effect in the UK when the right induction post comes along.

“I fully intend to return to the UK after a year or so in Kuwait and use my specialist training in a school that can really use them, but by taking this golden opportunity I can broaden my teaching horizons and also satisfy my travel lust.”

Perks

With all the financial perks of a tax free salary, petrol prices the equivalent of seven pence per litre, a two bedroom flat and a hire lease car thrown in, Jo can expect a life style she was used to in her twenties on her arrival in Kuwait.

In fact, her only concern about uprooting to the Arab nation is that her cats will miss her when she leaves them in the safe hands of mum and dad!

For Jo, the prospect of working in a scorching hot country bordering a war zone, and adhering to the country’s strict religion, is not a daunting one.

She’s reading up on the Muslim religion so she can be respectful of the Kuwaiti culture and is also learning Arabic.

“People have asked me how I feel about going to a country so close to Iraq, but I think there can be dangers anywhere you go. It really is not a consideration.”

However, she is aware that in the private sector parental demands and expectations will be great: “I am used to the pressures of working with children with special needs, but I know in Kuwait my greatest challenge will be the demands of parents. I will need to perform to the best of my ability.”

Jo says applying for jobs with eteach.com was easy and enlightening: “The job information is clearly presented and having a profile of the school really helped – thank you Eteach for this opportunity”.

To find out more about opportunities for school support staff, teachers and leaders overseas, head over to the Eteach International Zone – or email international@eteach.com detailing where you would consider teaching, your availability and with a copy of your CV.