“I Left My Family And A Good Job To Teach Abroad – As The Plane Took Off I Was Screaming Inside”
Working in an overseas school can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it’s no holiday. Making it a five-star stay takes work, says Chris Fenton
- by Chris Fenton
- Headteacher of Al Noor International School in Bahrain
Twenty-two years ago my dad had a heart attack. It didn’t kill him, but it put him in hospital for a week.
When he was there, he got talking to the man in the bed next to him, and eventually the conversation turned to children.
My dad said that I had just started out as a teacher, and the older gentleman explained that his son was an expatriate head living and working in Egypt, who by all accounts was having a wonderful time. He gave my dad his son’s number, and Dad duly passed it on to me.
I rang the expat headteacher in Egypt and was told in no uncertain terms that teaching abroad was a wonderful experience and that I really should give it a go. I looked out of my window into the drizzle while he told me that it was 38 degrees there, and he was sitting by his pool with family and friends about to enjoy a barbecue. At that moment I put living and working abroad firmly on my list of things to do… then I got on with my life as an NQT in the North of England.
As you would expect, the next 19 years brought marriage, children, animals, credit cards, promotions, houses, job changes and all of the other everyday experiences that many of us experience as we go from enthusiastic graduates into a slightly jaded middle age. But throughout all this, there was a constant niggle that I hadn’t acted on the promise I made to myself during that phone call to Egypt.
Taking flight
In 2013, I found myself working in Oxford as an educational advisor for Pearson and the BBC. I was happily going about my business when remarkably, completely out of the blue, I received a blanket message through LinkedIn (undoubtedly part of a general campaign) from a company called Footprints. It was asking me to apply for a job in Abu Dhabi.
That niggle I mentioned immediately reappeared. So, over a lazy lunch, I replied that I was interested and would like more information. The following weekend I was in a hotel near Hyde Park awaiting an interview for the post of headteacher for the Abu Dhabi Education Council. By August I was sat in the departure lounge at Manchester airport having said a tearful goodbye to my wife and children and wondering how the hell I got there.
As the plane took off I found myself screaming inside that I wanted to get off, that I had given up a good job and left my family behind based on a niggle from 22 years ago. But the plane carried on regardless. That was three years ago.
I’m writing this as I sit by my pool with my family, waiting for my friends to arrive for a barbecue. But before you book a plane ticket, let me add a few key points that were missed out of my own phone call to Egypt as an eager NQT.
What I heard about then was the end result – the perks and the lifestyle that make it all sound so appealing. What the headteacher didn’t explain was the culture shock; the blood, sweat and tears that go in to leading a school in a completely different environment; the time it takes to build trust and relationships with colleagues and families; or the enormous barriers of feeling homesick and constantly wondering if you made the right decision.
But why should he mention them? He had survived all these challenges, like I now have, and he was enjoying the fruits of his labour. I like to think he probably knew that if he did tell me, it might put me off completely, and I would never have the opportunity to live the life he was enjoying.
Trending
Bumpy landing
As I reflect on what I’ve achieved and the lifestyle my family now enjoys, I realise all of the personal and professional doubt and the hard times were worth it. I have three years of international school leadership under my belt and the thought of going backwards, returning to the UK to lead a school, rather than asking ‘where next?’ doesn’t even enter my mind.
Now that it’s my turn to sit by the pool, I wonder what I would say to a younger version of me from the other end of that phone call. As it happens, Abu Dhabi didn’t work out for me at all. It was a dreadful experience that shook me to my core.
But without it I wouldn’t have found this wonderful job in Bahrain where I’ve settled. Would I have mentioned that? Probably not. The failures and successes in my current school have certainly made me more resilient and knowledgeable, challenging my years of experience in what constitutes sound educational practice. Would I have mentioned that? Probably not. The culture shock, frustrations and disagreements – I probably wouldn’t have mentioned those either.
All of these difficulties are part of why it is such a remarkable thing to do. Every day brings an issue that I’ve never come across before – it’s made me a better teacher, and the relationships I’ve developed with colleagues will stay with me for the rest of my life. So, if I were to receive that phone call now, what would I tell my younger self? I’d say that while I can’t guarantee it will work, you won’t know unless you try. And if nothing else, the pools are great.
PACKING LIST
Living and working abroad isn’t easy. Here are three travel essentials to consider if you’re thinking about teaching overseas.
• The lifestyle is fantastic, but it comes at a price. To be successful, you need to be resilient. You have to work hard to make it work for you, and you need to recognise that it definitely isn’t Britain.
• When I first arrived in the Middle East I was expecting to be lauded as the all-knowing British head, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Most employers of expat teachers are private businesses, and as such have very high expectations of their staff. There are no unions, no teacher pension schemes and no PPA.
• If you are working with local children you will have to learn the cultural delicacies of handling them and their parents, and of course there are the language difficulties. For want of a better phrase, it really is a different world.
Chris Fenton is headteacher of Al Noor International School in Bahrain
