Career Opportunities

 Now that I'm feeling rested and recovered from the Covid disaster and also am caught up with planning for my class, I finally feel like I can turn my attention back to London. I have really been focused on perhaps going the University route and getting a student visa. What is holding me back is money. The programs I was interested in at Trinity College in Dublin (MA in Childrens' Literature or Irish Literature) cost more than I had previously thought. So, I'm trying to think about how else I could go back to school with an eye towards moving to Ireland or London. 

I decided on a whim to look up universities in the SUNY system that offer one year Masters in Irish Literature and didn't find any. I did find Notre Dame and Boston College offered interesting programs but again the cost wasn't working out. So I tried online programs in Irish Literature and Language and found a really interesting option. University College Cork offers a very reasonably priced online option in Irish Studies which include the literature, language, and culture of Ireland. Learning the Irish language would give me the added ability to apply for teaching jobs in Ireland because to teach elementary in Ireland all teachers have to be able to speak Irish. Even though my end goal is a Ph.D in the work of W.B.Yeats, specifically his work in Irish Mythology, giving myself another course of action in teaching would be smart. Now it would mean that I would stay here in NY for another year after retirement but that also gives me another year to save up for a move. Right now I'm exploring this option and can actually apply as a backup for not getting a job teaching in London. 

I can hear some of you say, "Wait. I thought the end goal was teaching in London?" Yes, when I started this journey I thought that was my #1 preference. But as I am progressing through the first month of school, I'm just not sure I want to teach anymore. Don't get me wrong- I have a lovely class and I have accomplished a lot with them because there are fewer behavior issues compared to last year. I've been able to keep my standards high and some kids are not only reaching those standards but going beyond them as well. But the joy of teaching has really decreased for me as a result of two issues: a horrendous school year in 2023-2024  from which I'm still experiencing PTSD  and working for a really poorly run school district. Every day I need to put on my actress face as those kids come through the door as my district makes classroom teaching harder and harder. As lovely as my students are (and they are probably one of the best I've ever taught),  some days it is such a struggle to remain positive and teach with a growth mindset. I'm just not sure that I have it in me to continue teaching in the 2025-26 school year. 

But I'm not closing any doors...yet. I'm still planning to apply for positions starting in January (for September start dates). If I find a university where I can pay less tuition than the $18000 average I've seen for American students (non-EU students pay way more than EU and home students), then I will apply and see if I can go to school abroad. Now I'm adding the option of getting a degree online and postponing the move for another year. My therapist (who happens to be from Scotland which I surprisingly found out was the most cost prohibitive to live, work, or teach in!) keeps urging me to think about the financial side along with alternatives to going abroad in 2025, and he will be pleased to hear about this latest brain child. Is it ideal? No. I really want to be living abroad in 2025. But what I don't want even more is to be miserable abroad because I'm short of money. The Clash sing about the lack of jobs and the abundance of abject poverty in "Career Opportunities", and it really speaks to me at this time.

Of course, all of this reimagining of my life post-June is making me regret even more giving up my Keeva. I really miss her even though I'm still getting pictures and videos of how happy she is. I don't think I'll be able to go much longer without another Frenchie. I have found some pet relocation services that I didn't realize existed before. These services would have taken Keeva from  the Albany Airport and transported her separate from me and keep her until I arrived. So, I am thinking about getting another dog.  But I realize that a puppy would be much too expensive. I am looking at rescues and contacting breeders to see if they have any older dogs available to adopt. I will keep you updated on that search. I still want my Keeva but that is going to have to be a learning lesson for me, just as this whole journey has been.