Pursuing the Dream (part 3)

After making the decision to pursue teaching abroad, the next couple months went by with the usual routines. I dedicated some time to researching what I would need to do to apply for a leave of absence from my teaching postion, as well as completing a re-certification program (which really had me wanting to leave education entirely). Kristin spent additional time sending e-mails to the hiring service and contacting schools to apply and direct them to the service for résumé info.  The service held a job fair in December in San Fransisco. When she checked the list of schools attending it was very sparse.  She chose not to register, but would later regret the decision as the list swelled during the week leading up to the fair.  She continued to contact schools and put herself through a mini crash course learning how to Skype. Early on she was contacted by a school in Paris, France. We were both excited by the prospect of living in Paris, as we had both spent some time there and could clearly visualize how life might be. As an artist I was excited by the opportunities Paris could provide. Unfortunately, although the Skype interview went well, Paris made no further inquires.  Next she was contacted by a couple schools in rural China, but we decided China was not someplace we really wanted to live, save for Hong Kong or maybe Shanghai. Pollution was a “deal breaker,” and kept Beijing off the list entirely. Next was a school in Eastern Europe, and so it went until there were a handful of prospects but no solid job offers.

It was now the month of May and Kristin was feeling anxious about the prospect of not being hired and continuing another year at her current school. She was regretting not attending the earlier job fair in December, but was hesitant to register for April job fair in London due to the airfare and lodging. We decided London would be a great vacation, even if only for three days, and she booked the ticket.  We flew Icelandic Air, spent a day in Iceland,  and then hopped over to London. We had a fantastic experience at our little AirBnB just blocks from Hyde Park. I spent a day in the National Portrait Gallery and toured the city on the Big Red Bus tour line when she was talking with schools at the fair.  We walked the city during her free time. It was sunny and clear and the fish and chips were incredibly delicious. It was a wonderful vacation. But, as far as the job fair went, you could call it money wasted.  Not one school at the fair hired her.

To say that no one hired her is a bit misleading.  A tentative offer was extended by one of the schools in London.  But, it was made clear that I would have to be working to afford to live in London (but no teaching position available to me), and Kristin would have to obtain a certification needed in the British system. This same certification requirement kept her from an offer in Almaty, Kazakhstan (also a British school). Two other schools operated on different systems as well, such as International Baccalaureate, for which Kristin was not uniquely qualified. Her expertise was Advanced Placement, used primarily by the U.S.  Her school and school district were also a pioneer in the Project (or Problem) Based Learning (PBL). Shortly before we were to leave for London she was contacted by an international school that was looking for a teacher with expertise in both. They would not be at the fair and requested an interview by Skype. Kristin informed them she would be at the fair during the time requested, so the interview took place early in the morning before the fair began. After we returned home from London this school contacted her and extended an offer of employment. Kristin accepted, and suddenly we were heading abroad. That “something new” that we were looking for was taking us to someplace entirely unexpected.  Shanghai.

This is #3  in a series that chronicles my own experiences as an artist and teacher ditching the daily grind and moving from Seattle, WA to Shanghai, China.