Global Castaways

This one's for the school librarians. Susan joins us to share her journey from taking a leap of faith later in her career to thriving in life as an international school librarian.

This "Postcards from the Edge" is with another good friend of the show, Mary! Mary talks about her path from college professor to middle school teacher and shares wisdoms about building a life abroad.

Global Castaways is baaaack*. And we're kicking off the new semester with a Postcards from the Edge with Jenny, a math teacher currently based in Vietnam. We talk about all the usual things of being an international teacher along with the unexpected lessons we learn when building a life abroad.

*So back that Gabrielle doesn't remember the name of the series.

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Our last episode of the season! Join us as we talk to Liam about his 27 years abroad and his abiding love for Japan. The question that I forgot to ask: How many passports does Liam have?

04:16 EAL: aka the department of acronyms. "You teach English; help me out with this kid."

05:22 Liam's reason for moving to Japan: "I was young and wanted to meet girls so volunteered and through that sort of became more interested in Japan."

09:19 Reminiscences of the WIFI Lounge at the Job Fairs ten years ago. Also, netbook, and *gasp* payphones.

10:02 "Mongolia, I don't even know where that is but why not?" Liam calling Tara's life choices out.

13:02 The pros and cons of accepting a job a school that has yet to be established.

19:00 We seriously consider a move to Mali.

28:09 A love story. It all started with her not being impressed. "Your ego gets very big very quickly because people go, anything you say is witty, anything you say is interesting and it is very easy to get an inflated ego."

33:49 "It is very easy to get into the mindset of, 'Well, we are here to educate you' as opposed to remembering that as much 'as we giving we are also here to learn from you.'"

39:03 Liam has the most surprising answer to the alternative profession questions.

Let's welcome KB, friend of the show, the last true romantic, and technically an adult.

• 00:50 "I'm gonna hug so many people!"
• 06:50 KB learning how to have a work-life balance as a teacher. "No matter how weird something is it can become normal very quickly."
• 13:45 "Middle year students, particularly in year seven and eight, have so many questions about themselves. They have multiple truths they are grappling with as well."
• 17:30 The unexpected racist undertones of Where the Wild Things Are??!
• 22:49 Why virtual learning is so difficult for middle school learners. "You can't really do fuzzy goals online in the same way."
• 26:53 KB turns the tables on Gabrielle and grills her on her time in Australia.
• 33:03 Figuring out what becoming an international teacher will means. Spoiler alert: Balance, people, balance.
• 40:00 The juicy, juicy process and the failure along the way. #lovethemess

Are you in need of some positivity "in these uncertain times"? We have that covered. Today we are finally sharing Tara's interview with the wonderful Andy. Come for his story of getting a teaching job in Jordan 38 years ago despite thinking it might be a scam, stay because he is a delight.

• 05:36 "I don't think in all my years of traveling that I have ever gotten to a place and thought, I don't like the people here. They are always and inevitably welcoming as long as you are willing to have a go at interacting with them and being pleasant."
• 16:30 Grade 7, in particular, is bonkers.
• 19:16 "Once you're overseas it becomes much easier to travel to these countries that sound so exotic when are back in England or the States."
• 19:40 "When you show a kid that you care about them and you realized that they know that you care about them... Those sorts of moments are just magical."
• 22:02 The story of the ArchDuck Ferdinand
• 28:01 "We live in bloody China!"

Black Lives Matter The following are esources we have used to educate ourselves as we continue to learn and unlearn, to be better educators and fellow humans.

• An Open Letter to the International School Community: Our Role in the Black Lives Matter Movement and Anti-Racism Work by Rachel Engel
• So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo
• This book is antiracist by Tiffany Jewell

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Courtney, Tara and Gabrielle - three international teachers, three countries, three different experiences with the pandemic and how it's impacted our teaching and life abroad.

Sharon is our guest in the season's final episode where you get to find out where she discovered the best frappucino she's ever had.

We are so thrilled to have people on this show and for you listeners. Have a great summer and see you next semester!

We made it to the end of the school year again! Truth, who has been teaching internationally for 10 years, joins Tara to reflect on her experience living abroad with two kids. Truth is leaving Beijing for Dar es Salaam!

We're back with two girls in Tuscany talking. We share our experiences and sprinkle in tips, insights and advice when you're ready to jump into the crazy recruiting fair scene. For additional fun: take a shot every time Gabrielle says "research".

• 02:09 Courtney references Pitch Perfect while attempting to describe the job fair
• 14:26 But where do you actually interview??
• 21:45 Use your support system
• 24:30 A tip or two to prepare for your next job search. Then a story that ends with Gabrielle in New Scotland Yard.
• 30:20 "I'm always terrified; every single time I [go to a job fair] I'm scared"
• 35:44 Don't go HAM on your references.

LINKSUNI Overseas Recruiting FairGlobal Recruitment CollaborativeSearch AssociatesISS/Schrole AdvantageTIE Online

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Music Smooth Actor by Podington Bear Gizmo by Podington Bear Use under Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.