When a colleague of mine returned from teaching in the UK, to quit his job and head back to London to settle, I decided to look into this phenomenon that was happening in South Africa. After 6 months of research I took the same step and headed off to the UK to teach for an agency that had interviewed me here and offered me supply work in the borough of Barking and Dagenham, a borough or district in Greater London. I had approached 3 different agencies, 2 of which had info evenings which I attended but chose TimePlan, a reputable agency that was more organised and professional. They managed to get my work permit and visa within 2 weeks!
At the time I had chosen the UK specifically because of the language, the exchange rate which was 16:1 and also because of the easy access to parts of Europe from the UK. I intended to take my family along, stay for 2 years, do some travelling and also gain invaluable experience from the various schools that I knew I would be teaching at.
And what an ADVENTURE it was!! London was just as I had imagined it to be ...and so much more!
Very cosmopolitan, busy and steeped in history with the most amazing places to visit and lots to do and see. My favourite weekend outing was taking the fast train into Fenchurch Street, walking along the pier on the Thames from the Tower of London as far as Big Ben and then back again on the other side passing touristy sights like the London Dungeon and the Hays Galleria, my favourite stop for coffee and a baguette at about 10 pounds. I was fortunate to take a Year 5 class to the National Portrait Gallery where they spent the day with a well known author discussing her work and wandering through the gallery looking for inspiration for their own stories, which they completed at school.
I went over in August 2002, with about 40 other South African teachers from all over SA. We had a week long induction course which ended with a bus tour of Barking and Dagenham and drinks at the local pub afterwards. We had accommodation through the agency at a local council housing estate at 58 pounds a week and could travel quite easily to school and back. While it was a very basic bed-sit with a bed, wardrobe, desk and chair and basin with tap, it was quite cosy and a lot cheaper than most places. Food also proved to be cheap with a lot more variety than I was used to (an aisle of breakfast cereals!) and my cup and plate came in very handy as we all had to have our own utensils.
My first school was a junior school where there was another South African teaching permanently. She shared with me what she had learned and it made such a difference! At the next school I taught a class who had hearing-impaired and special needs pupils and although I was quite nervous about coping with such a diverse group, it ended up being the best experience I had teaching in a government school. Yes, the kids were a handful at times and needed constant reminders of what was acceptable behaviour at school most days, but they were still very much kids as at any school in the world. When I left at the end of that year, I had to make two trips home to carry all the flowers and gifts I got from them. I taught at four different schools in Barking and Dagenham and my last year was at a private Montessori school. During my time in the UK, I managed to travel to Paris, Bangkok, Sydney and Singapore and the experience has left me wanting more.
The down side to working/living in the UK was mainly to do with housing costs which only really applies to those wishing to live on their own or have their families with them. Expect to pay anything from 350 to 850 pounds a month, excluding compulsory council tax and other utility bills.
I also felt disorientated for the first few months, so much so that I got hopelessly lost at least four times. The road names are not always clearly marked (I ended up looking for these on buildings in the same road) and tube stations may not be that close to where you are teaching, which means you have to take a bus (or two). You can then end up travelling to a school in an hour which by car would take 20 minutes!
Some tips on working in the UK:
1. Do your research: get as much info from the agency as possible and keep in contact with them at least weekly, make use of the internet, people that have been over, ask a lot of questions, find out about the area you’ll be living and working in – some areas are really dodgy. Most schools have their own websites.
2. Make proper arrangements before you leave: rent out your house with a reputable estate agency, put your things into storage if you can, take along enough money to buy a few essentials and to have travel money (a weekly travel card can cost as much as 40 pounds), make sure your visas and work permits are in order and that your tickets are bought after your get these, make copies of everything including passport, qualifications, a recent bank statement and proof of address if you are going to open a bank account.
3. What to take: certified copies documents and certificates (bearing in mind that only a solicitor can certify these in the UK), a London A-Z (a pocket size map of London which included zones, tube lines, etc.) a small backpack, take some basic household goodies like a dish cloth, a cup and plate (plastic), a warm coat (not too thick), an umbrella, decent work shoes and clothes. Keep things practical and minimal!
4.Useful websites:
www.loot.com – for accommodation, jobs, beds, bicycles, etc.
www.1stcontact.co.uk – for info on tax, jobs, visas, etc.
www.timeplan.com - for teaching jobs across the UK.www.tntmagazine.com/uk - excellent weekly mag. For expats from SA, NZ and OZ that comes out every Thursday on tube stations in zones 1-2 mainly (I think). Go early to get one! Loads of info from cheap travelling, to local news and what’s happening where.
www.canteach.gov.uk – government website on teaching in UK .
www.streetmap.co.uk – great maps and place searches by just typing in postal code or address.
www.tfl.gov.uk/tube - for bus and tube info.
Wandering the hilly streets we encountered the greatest attraction of all – the Portuguese bakery! We countered our pastry overload with the most delicious fresh fruit from the local markets, before dining down by the river on the fresh seafood for which the city is famous.