Life as a Supply Teacher

I've been wanting to write a post about my experiences as a supply teacher, just for those who are curious about what I am doing or for those who are interested in becoming a supply teacher in London...
By the way, supply teaching (as known in England) is basically relief teaching.

It all started with me going to a seminar in Perth about supply teaching in London. The seminar was organised by a recruitment agency called Protocol and they gave me a glimpse of what it was like to work in London as a teacher. They basically had me sold by the end of the presentation!
A few months later, Protocol organised a telephone interview with me about my teaching experiences and to also sort out some paper work before I left Australia.
When I arrived in England, they set up an induction for me. They helped me organise my registration, assisted with opening a bank account and told me all I need to know about supply teaching. Three words: all too easy! Signing up with a teaching agency before I left was part of the reason why moving to London was quite a smooth process...

Well I've been doing supply teaching for over a month now and I have worked at probably 5 to 10 different schools. It was interesting how I was pre-warned by so many people that teaching in London was going to be challenging and difficult. However, I haven't really had too much trouble apart from one or two classes which still  was manageable. It could be the teaching experience I have accumulated over the 3 years, especially when those  classes I taught back in Australia were even more challenging... I'm not sure why, but I have been given a lot of supply teaching at infant schools (Reception to year 2 classes). I was initially quite worried about teaching younger kids but I seemed to have enjoyed them more than teaching the older kids! The students in England are basically the same as any student in the world. Most are naturally curious, especially when you tell them your surname is Chan or you are Australian, some are cheeky and all of them have the typical English 'posh' accent. The schools in London are very multicultural, with over half of the students in each class coming from Indian or European backgrounds. I remember teaching a class where there was only 1 Caucasian child and the remaining students were from ethnic backgrounds.

The pay with supply teaching is not as much as what I get paid back in Australia but according to London standards, it is pretty good... I have been able to survive on the money earned to pay for my accommodation, food and even save a little for my upcoming holidays...

The best thing with supply teaching is the flexibility. This means that if I only want to work for 3 days in a week then I just let the agent know, and they will find work for me on the days I am available. The downside is that on days you are not given work, you will need to be on standby mode.  This involves you waking up early and getting yourself ready to work. Usually they call you between 7am and 8am in the morning. If they call you, they expect you to be out the door straight away and arrive at the school by 8:15, which at times is not quite possible. I recently was called at 8:45 to work, even though schools usually start at 8:55. I guess they were that desperate for a supply teacher, even though I said I was still literally in bed. I ended up getting ready in 10 minutes and arrived at the school at 9:40! Talk about being efficient!

I have just been offered a PPA position to teach 4 days a week for the whole of next term which means I will have a long weekend (Sat, Sun and Mon) every week! That will mean the possibility of short trips to Paris, Amsterdam etc... being on the cards! For those who don't know what PPA means, it is basically a support role where I will release teachers from their class so they can do their planning. The best thing with this position is that I will not have to plan, deal with parents and write reports!!!!!!!

So to sum it up, supply teaching is a good way to earn some money and to fund for your holiday abroad. It has also helped me regain my passion in teaching which might be because of the reduced stress from not being a full time classroom teacher?

UPDATE: A modified version of this has just been published by my recruitment agency: Protocol Education and I will get paid for it! Bonus :)

You still get drawings from students as a supply teacher!

Life in London: Update 2

I still remember that the same time last year I was in Perth focusing on work and nothing else. I never imagined that a year later I would end up living in London! Again, I can't say enough of how blessed I am to be here and that things do happen for a reason.

It has been over a month of living in England now. I am so used to living here now that it naturally feels like my second home. So much has happened over the month, both good and bad, but it has been a great learning experience for me.

It was interesting how numerous people warned me before I came to London to be prepared for the tough classrooms I will encounter. However, so far I have had a regular supply of work at different schools and have enjoyed teaching all the classes given to me. I actually feel passionate about teaching again! I guess it has helped because of not having to deal with the planning side of things and dealing with parents. I know I may eventually experience a really challenging class, but fingers crossed that the good classes will last a bit longer...
My agency has just sent in my CV for one of the schools I do supply teaching in for a 2-day-per-week support role.Hope that I might get that role!

I have made some friends here and am lucky to also have great house mates I can socialise and make jokes with. I was recently invited to a party which I thoroughly enjoyed and have constantly met new people along the way. Saying that, I do miss my friends and family back in Perth and it is such a shame that the 8 hours difference have made it so hard for me to keep in contact with them. I'm glad that there are a few friends who do make an effort to keep in touch with me, but I guess I need to do the same and make an initiative with everyone I'm close to back home.

I have started attending a Baptist church for the past two weeks and although it cannot be compared to my church back in Perth, I am glad my faith has been put back on track!

Anyway, my travel adventures will be kicking off very soon, as I have booked a six day tour to Ireland in early April, followed by a twelve day trip around Turkey in July. I had scored them through good deals from a travel expo I recently went to with my house mates. If I don't end up getting my position for two days a week as a support teacher, then I will book an eleven day trip around Europe in April. A very exciting time indeed!

There are some other exciting news as well, but I'll hold onto that till it is the right time to share with my close friends and family.
I have to say that the pessimistic and stressful Jason has taken a break. It is now replaced with the originally optimistic and happy version, and I'm sure it is here to stay for quite a while.

Can you see my excitement and optimism?

Life in London: Update 1

It has already been two weeks+ since I moved to London from Perth. I have to say that everything has fitted in really nicely with accommodation and work already sorted out within the first two weeks of being here. For the first six days, I stayed at a budget hotel near Liverpool Street which not only was in a good location, but the hotel itself was modern, clean (just a tad bit too small). Straight after checking out of the hotel last Friday, I moved into my new house-share in South Woodford with 5 other house mates. Although all my house mates are girls, they are all easy to get along with (with two of them being Aussies) so it's all good!

My bedroom

My backyard on the day I arrived! No more snow now...

 I haven't yet been around the whole suburb yet, but it is a nice suburb with tree lined streets and town houses stuck side by side. My house is only 10 minutes by foot to the nearest tube and takes around 25 minutes to the city.

So what have I been doing for the last couple of weeks? Well, for the first two weeks I did some sight seeing (as tourists would usually do) mostly by foot. I usually like having my headphones plugged in my iphone with music such as "Falling away" by Big Scary and "Boston" by Augustana and discovering new sights as I walk. Here is a quick snapshot of some places I have been:

A must see landmark if you are a tourist: Big Ben

Guess who lives behind these gates? 

Tower bridge- A really unique bridge matched with beautiful surroundings

The scenic town of Richmond, only 75 minutes from where I live

I promised my kids (ex students) that I will go on the London eye but have
yet to find  someone to go on with me yet...

A royal park in Richmond with my friend Christos in the background

The weather is a bit of a bummer though. I guess getting used to an average 30+ degree heat in Perth and coming to an average of 4 degrees in London, I do need time to adjust to it right? However, seeing snow twice since I have arrived in England is all worth it! The whole landscape and atmosphere changes when it snows!

I started my relief teaching job today and am fully booked for the rest of this week! I actually don't mind relief teaching as most teachers have everything prepared for you, and you basically go in and take over their class for the day. I'm glad that my first relief teaching today actually went well and the students I had in my grade two class were really adorable! Still trying to get used to the younger kids being so clingy though... (not good for a male teacher). Hopefully the jobs will keep coming through!

I know some people who are thinking of or will be travelling overseas. For me, I think it is the BEST decision I have ever made in my life (not exaggerating). Although I have been here for only a couple of weeks, I have seen so much and done things I would not usually do back at home. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone a couple of times and has continued to help me grow as a person. Carl if you are reading this, the message you have sent me has really gave me the courage and inspiration to do a lot! So thanks again for the encouragement :)

I'm homesick quite often, but am getting better at dealing with that as I continue to lead my life abroad. I'm thankful that having such a bad past year has helped me appreciate every single day I have now. I'll keep you all posted as time goes by. Take care!

Malaysia- Kuching

Straight after leaving Japan, I landed at my next destination: Kuching. My mission was to eat as much as possible and to attend JT and HC's wedding. Kuching was a real big contrast to Japan! Nevertheless, it was still an awesome experience especially being able to be an MC in front of 300 guests.

I remember when I first arrived, Jo and Di took me to eat something that I have been savouring for a very long time: Bak Kut Deh! What I make and what can be eaten in Perth is nothing compared to this! For those who don't know, this is a herbal soup with assorted meats. One of my favourites!

Di and her parents also took me to visit one of their family friends for Chinese New Year. Although I have celebrated CNY before, I never had the opportunity to do family visits as all our relatives are based in Hong Kong. It was interesting to see the amount of preparation one will take to make their friends and family welcome; you need to have your house decorated nicely with lanterns and other decorations, the table needs to be filled with 20 different kinds of snacks and to constantly make sure you guests are constantly eating/ drinking. I also got a bonus: my first red pocket in Malaysia!! :)

Jo and HC's wedding- This was the main reason I was in Kuching and it was definitely an unforgettable experience. The day started off with the groom and his mates having to 'play' some games so they can gain access to the bride in the house. Di has been planning for days on what sort of torture she will implement on us, but luckily we were let off easily on the day by doing things such as singing songs, drinking soy sauce and having someone doing a Korean dance move...

The second part involved a tea ceremony and lunch at both families house followed by the main reception dinner at Hilton. I have to say that the wedding reception was done really well. The decorations involved several swan ice sculptures, the entrance was beautifully done up and the whole venue was well presented. There was a band playing at the reception called "Young Once", which was made up of several men in their 50's. I have to say that  they were actually really good!

I'm not going to go in detail with my MC gig but I will say that it went well overall minus hiccups at the beginning... Thanks Jo and HC for letting me be your MC! 

Now Di, if you are reading this post, I know I still haven't covered a lot of stuff such as the amazing food I ate, the whole family (myself included) being sick and also celebrating your birthday (I felt so bad for sleeping through most of it...) but I'm gonna end it by saying that my main highlight of the trip was being able to spend time with the Ting family. They were so hospitable during my stay and I felt like I was part of their family. I'm blessed to know such great people and thanks for making my trip so memorable!

Not quite an update just yet...

I allocated myself sometime tonight to update my blog, which I haven't done for a while. To be honest, it's one of those days where there is just too much in my mind to think about. You know me, I'm a worrier/ stress-head (This is one thing that I really want to change but am struggling to). Give me a bit more time and I'll be fine.
I still need to do a post on Kuching (Even my friend Di has done all her travel posts that she has delayed for a very long time) before I'll give you a thorough update on life in London...

A Whole New Culture- Part 2

Travelling in Japan for the past two weeks have been an eye opener for me. The most prominent thing I have noticed is the friendliness of the locals. They are so courteous and respectful to everyone. I bet it must be hard to be always that well-mannered.

This was at a public onsen(hot spring) for your feet. The ladies who asked me to sit with them after seeing me burning in pain decided to join me for a photo.

I have been very lucky with having two friends who live in Japan. They were able to take me to awesome restaurants, cafes and even meeting the locals. Thanks again Carl and Sam!

I've covered Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto and Yamasaki with my two weeks in Japan. It was interesting to see how each city was different in terms of architecture, specialities and atmosphere.

My first main highlight with Japan would definitely be the food. There is such a huge variety of food to try as you can see from the pictures I have taken. I can't name half of them but the food was de-li-cious! I have to say that my favourite dish was the 'Chirashi bowl' (Thanks to Diana for giving me a name to the dish) which consisted of a variety of Sashimi on rice. Can you find it in the picture?

Another highlight for me coming to Japan would be the picturesque surroundings; both urban and natural. I'm a big fan of architecture, and Japan didn't disappoint me. When you think of architecture, people would automatically think of tall skyscrapers. However, in Japan, the quaint and distinct houses and short buildings are the standouts. I was just looking through my pictures and just realised I didn't take a lot of  the buildings but these will have to do for now...

As odd as it seems, my favourite town after all of the places I visited had to be the country town Yamasaki. Not only was I able to spend time on my own exploring this small town, it was my first time ever to experience fresh snow! I still remember standing on top of this hill looking at the whole town and when I turned around, these small white specks started floating down towards me.

I have to say that this trip will definitely be very hard to beat. I'm really blessed to see such a beautiful country and it has made me realised how big this world actually is. I will be back!

My next post will be on Kuching and it's amazing food, and of course Jo and Hieng Chiong's wedding!

A Whole New Culture- Part 1

What can I say about Japan? It's an amazing place with a very different culture and amazing people. The respect and manners shown by the locals are unbelievable!

I'm currently in Osaka at the moment and it is such an exciting and happening city. Communicating with the locals here are difficult, especially when my knowledge of the Japanese language is virtually zero.

So what have I been doing here for the past few days? Well starting off on the night I arrived, I was overwhelmed with the transport system. With only a few instructions given by my hostel, I lugged my luggage on the train and kept asking people for directions. I nearly got myself lost several times but made it to my hostel unharmed.

After I settled down at the hostel, I went about exploring the streets while waiting for Sam and Carl to arrive from Yamasaki. The landscape was just what I imagined it to be; it was very similar to Taiwan but at the same time unfamiliar to me. Short buildings on either side of the streets closely connected to each other and pedestrian areas called "Shopping Streets" are a common sight.

Look, I can keep going on with all the details about Japan but you really need to come here and explore it yourself! To sum it up, I have done so much such as going to the Aquarium, visiting several shopping streets, eating a load of food (I can publish a book on the variety of food here!!). And don't get me started about clubbing in Osaka. All I'm gonna say is that it was an eye opener!

Just before I finish off, I have to say thank you to Carl and Sam for being my tour guides. Without them, I wouldn't be able to experience Japan at a whole new level!
Alright time to fill up my belly. More to come soon!