The Teacher Meet-Up is a chance to get together with other teachers in your city to share ideas, experiences and make some new connections. We were happy to host our first Teacher Meet-Up in Siem Reap, Cambodia. A good number of teachers from various international schools around Siem Reap were able to join in and enjoy… Read more »

Flying on small planes makes me reminiscent of my childhood days of riding the tilt-a-whirl at the July 1st picnic in my small, rural hometown of Enfield Nova Scotia, my tummy conflicted with feelings of nausea and exhilaration. I can recall so clearly every sight and smell of that picnic day each year as I… Read more »

Every year, thousands of teachers cross borders to teach foreign students. Some search for greener pastures while others do it for humanitarian purposes. Compared to travelling as a tourist where you are treated as a guest, it’s a more challenging task because you need to stay in a foreign country for a longer period and you are forced to adapt. Teachers can certainly experience culture shock in and out of the classroom. Here are 7 useful tips for a smoother transition into your new culture.

According to recent statistics, the number of expats in China is now over 240,000 and counting. HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey ranked China in the top 3 destinations for expats, based on quality of living standards. Moving to China might seem daunting at first, with factors such as pollution, language barrier and culture shock to take into account. However, it’s clear that China remains an attractive destination to live and work, with many teachers moving there to take up international teaching jobs.

It’s nearly a year since the marching parades on the streets of Bangkok which led to subsequent military coup taking power in May 2014.

At the time, I felt safe in my sleepy village but wondered what economic impact it would have on Thailand.

If you come from a grey, chilly country, then a warmer climate can be a major advantage of moving abroad. It’s great: no more de-icing the car or shivering at the bus stop in sub-zero temperatures. You only need to step outside to top up your vitamin D levels. But hot weather has its disadvantages too, of course. At the height of the hot season, the air is so hot it seems to burn your skin, and even sitting still feels like hard work. Moving from a chilly country to a hot one is liable to give you some degree of climate shock. Luckily there are a few things you can do to stay cool (apart from staying in an air-conditioned room constantly)

When looking for a new overseas teaching destination, many teachers dream of year-round sun, balmy tropical evenings, and free time spent relaxing at the nearest beach or pool. Not so for international teacher Chris Dwyer, who decided to move to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, where temperatures plummet to an unforgiving -30°C in winter. Teacher Horizons blog editor Sammy asked Chris a few questions about his experience so far.

Baku with its tree lined streets and café culture has been likened to Paris. On summer evenings the squares are thronged with people enjoying the cooler air, sitting by fountains, sipping drinks or just strolling.

Mosques and minarets dot the landscape and the call to prayer sounds above the traffic roar.

Probably not the first country that springs to mind when you decide to leave the safety and comfort of home for an adventure! At the time I joined Teacher Horizons the news was awash with footage of Iraq under attack as the ISIS fighters moved from city to city.

Erbil, the city I now call home, was being surrounded and it looked like it was going to be the next victory for the fighters, just as I was preparing to move there.

If I asked you to use one word, how would you define yourself to others? Are you a Canadian, an American, a Maritimer or a Californian?

Perhaps you’re of First Nations heritage and you recognise your tribe as being the group that you most associate with your identity. Maybe your first response would be Catholic, Muslim or Rastafarian. Or maybe your response would be brother, wife or husband of…

Now more than ever, I see myself as a citizen of this amazing planet and seem to have abandoned my preoccupations with identity.