Moving overseas with a family can be an enormously successful experience - especially if you prepare thoroughly in advance. Well before making the move, many questions need to be asked and issues addressed to ensure the move for everyone is as trouble-free as possible.
Recruitment agencies help teachers find teaching jobs abroad. The company works, day-in, day-out with teachers who are moving overseas with their families and so can offer advice to all families moving abroad to work. Here is some of the advice offered to families who are preparing to move to an international job:
Make absolutely sure you know what your contract provides. Are all school fees covered for your children? Does the whole family, including your children, have medical coverage written into the contract? Is there anyone within the family who has an existing medical condition and will this be covered in the new health insurance?
Is accommodation provided and if so, is it appropriate for your family? How close is it to the children's school as well as to and from your place of work, and how easy is it to make these journeys? Are there any facilities in or near your accommodation suitable for children and families e.g. a swimming pool, play area, gym, park, garden, bike paths, etc.
Parents often underestimate the impact that an international move has on a child - of any age. Your children may need more support that you think; that will mean ongoing support too. The first few weeks are new and different which means they can be very exciting for children. It can be a few weeks later, when the reality of the move kicks in, that children can find most difficult and that's when they may need more of your help and understanding.
When you move, you may want to plan some things for the near future to help your whole family make the transition easily. This may include a visit from grandparents, another family member or close friends. Or a trip back home. This can end up being very important for children. Usually, after they've been back home once, that helps them to settle easier into their new surroundings. Or it could be an exciting holiday to explore more of your new country.
If you have teenage children, investigate the exam qualifications that will be available to them in their international school. Some international schools follow the British National Curriculum or do IGCSEs or follow the International Baccalaureate. The curriculum your teenager will be expected to follow and the qualifications they will be able to achieve may impact on the further and higher education opportunities available to them.
Don't forget teenagers can experience more problems with making a long-distance move than younger children as they will be losing contact with well-established friends and moving from environments that they are very familiar and secure with. Help them to keep the communication lines accessible between friends. Make phone, social networking and email communication a priority once you arrive in your new home.
Janice Ireland moved from the United Kingdom to work as a teacher in Kuwait when her daughter was a teenager. "She absolutely loved it!" says Janice. "Initially she didn't want to go because of leaving her friends so we agreed we would do a three month trial. It all helped to make the move much easier. She is much more internationally-minded because of this experience and has travelled more extensively as a result and experienced different countries, not just from the perspective of a holiday-maker but from actually living there."
http://www.findteachingjobsoverseas.co.uk provides services to teachers trained in countries with English as a first language. Particularly the UK and USA but also Australia, and New Zealand amongst others. Our website provides information to help find teaching jobs abroad or teaching jobs Europe.
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