Believer

This adventure that is my life has just taken a weird turn. I have two new options, neither of which I expected or even thought were possible. The first one is the possibility of being awarded a fellowship in Ireland. Dublin City University has 5 Education Fellowships open with one of them calling for an expertise in Literacy Education. It would entail me working at the University with local student teachers and beginning teachers. I would be teaching in small groups, observing lessons, and doing other things to support early support teachers (ECT). I have applied formally and am now looking at making sure my credentials are recognized by the Irish Teaching Council. I never thought I would be able to teach in Ireland because all primary teachers need to be able to teach/speak Irish Gaelic. One of the fellowships does have this as a requirement but not the literacy one. I'm excited about this possibility and hope to hear something by the middle of January.

The second twist involves one of the UK teaching placement agencies that I had contacted earlier this year. Prospero Teaching works with teachers in the UK which includes Australia and New Zealand. I made an appointment to have a phone consultation for this past Monday and received a lot of information. Unfortunately, the agency would not be able to help me get a position in England because they don't sponsor work Visas in England. I knew this from other agencies which don't typically become involved in the work permit part of placing teachers. This means I will have to continue to just keep checking for jobs where Visa sponsorship is offered by schools. This was kind of disheartening to hear but what came next surprised me. The consultant, Anna, asked me a series of questions pertaining to teaching in Australia one of which disqualified me from working with them (I think it was the age limit). I expressed my regrets and was ready to hang up the phone when she asked me if I had any interest in New Zealand. I told her I honestly hadn't thought about it, and she encouraged me to consider it. 

Apparently, New Zealand has a program set up through the government that is recruiting international teachers for all across the island country. I had mentioned that I didn't want to be in a rural area and was told that Auckland (the largest city) was a popular destination. The government offers a $10,000 grant to help with moving costs and I would only need to be offered a contract to apply for it. The Visa process is much more straightforward and the agency can walk me through every step. They would get me the paperwork I needed and help pair me up with a school. After I got off the call, I started researching what it is like to live in New Zealand, and the standard of living is much more reasonable than any other place I have researched. I'm currently going over the pros and cons and to be honest, it is not the opportunity I'm most excited about (the Fellowship Program in Ireland is #1 as of now). So, I'm going to continue to research what New Zealand is like and if I would enjoy living there for a period of time. 

While I'm still without direction as far as work here goes, I am back to feeling hopeful for my future. London still is in my heart for many reasons, but it doesn't seem like my future is there. That has been really hard to accept not only because it has been my goal to return there to live ever since college but also because I had hoped to reconnect with a person who has been important to me for a long time. Being rejected by him was hard, and I hate to admit that I let myself get swallowed up in that disappointment. It almost made me doubt the importance of following my dream. But, like the Imagine Dragons said, I am the master of my sea.

First things first

I'ma say all the words inside my head

I'm fired up and tired of

The way that things have been, oh-ooh

The way that things have been, oh-ooh

Second things second

Don't you tell me what you think that I could be

I'm the one at the sail

I'm the master of my sea, oh-ooh

The master of my sea, oh-ooh  

God knows which island country I may end up in, but I will be the one who decides in the end. 




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