Expat career change?
Discussion
Hi. This is my first posting in this section so i'll get straight to the point, i'm in a bit of a fix about what to do in the future!
Some background narrative is probably necessary to fill in the back story so to speak! So here goes.....
The usual life story up to age 18 then history/English degree from Exeter university followed by several years working in car sales, telesales, and admin. Then back to university to pass a PGCE and i found myself teaching in a really rough secondary school in Portsmouth. What followed was 5 years of endless verbal abuse, physical violence, and senseless paperwork designed to get teachers to jump through one hoop into another!! However, despite all that i loved being a teacher, there was something magical about inspiring kids to believe in themselves when everyone else had told them they were useless. I found that i was a 'natural teacher' i had a talent for teaching and loved teaching history and English. However, in 1997 i got married to a French girl i'd met whilst i was teaching in Portsmouth. A new life and a new direction began for me.
Well here we are 19 years down the road and a lot of water has passed under the bridge; numerous part time and full time jobs in secondary and higher education over here in France, surviving getting knocked down by a speeding motorist ( 15 fractures), learning to walk again, getting fired from my full time job the day after the accident, a horrific crash on my mountain bike ( another 4 fractures!), and most importantly 2 wonderful children ( 13 and 18 ) who are the most important people in my life. Unfortunately, got divorced last year after a really difficult split, i lost my wife, my house, all my in laws and all the family friends, and i find myself wondering where to go from here. I've spent the last 11 years teaching baccalaureat level English and history full time in a private international school and EFL part time in a local university. I've taught every possible level, every class from aged 11 to 21 and even adults. You name it i've done it, but because i never passed the French equivalent of the PGCE i don't have the same years of service i find my standard of living and therefore my quality of life has gone down. Unfortunately, after living over here for the past 19 years the gap between those employees working in the big state owned companies or as state civil servants, and those of us who don't has only widened.
So here i am now wondering what to do. Stay where i am and see my children grow up every day, but every month see my bank balance suffering more and more from the cost of living, or re -train so that i can finally live comfortably.
I've acquired a huge amount of skills in my working life, educationally and otherwise, and i'm sure a lot of teaching skills are transferable to other careers, but i'm really stuck as to where to go from here. Any ideas? I've thought about all sorts of educational/tutoring teaching to re training in media studies/e commerce or web design.
Some background narrative is probably necessary to fill in the back story so to speak! So here goes.....
The usual life story up to age 18 then history/English degree from Exeter university followed by several years working in car sales, telesales, and admin. Then back to university to pass a PGCE and i found myself teaching in a really rough secondary school in Portsmouth. What followed was 5 years of endless verbal abuse, physical violence, and senseless paperwork designed to get teachers to jump through one hoop into another!! However, despite all that i loved being a teacher, there was something magical about inspiring kids to believe in themselves when everyone else had told them they were useless. I found that i was a 'natural teacher' i had a talent for teaching and loved teaching history and English. However, in 1997 i got married to a French girl i'd met whilst i was teaching in Portsmouth. A new life and a new direction began for me.
Well here we are 19 years down the road and a lot of water has passed under the bridge; numerous part time and full time jobs in secondary and higher education over here in France, surviving getting knocked down by a speeding motorist ( 15 fractures), learning to walk again, getting fired from my full time job the day after the accident, a horrific crash on my mountain bike ( another 4 fractures!), and most importantly 2 wonderful children ( 13 and 18 ) who are the most important people in my life. Unfortunately, got divorced last year after a really difficult split, i lost my wife, my house, all my in laws and all the family friends, and i find myself wondering where to go from here. I've spent the last 11 years teaching baccalaureat level English and history full time in a private international school and EFL part time in a local university. I've taught every possible level, every class from aged 11 to 21 and even adults. You name it i've done it, but because i never passed the French equivalent of the PGCE i don't have the same years of service i find my standard of living and therefore my quality of life has gone down. Unfortunately, after living over here for the past 19 years the gap between those employees working in the big state owned companies or as state civil servants, and those of us who don't has only widened.
So here i am now wondering what to do. Stay where i am and see my children grow up every day, but every month see my bank balance suffering more and more from the cost of living, or re -train so that i can finally live comfortably.
I've acquired a huge amount of skills in my working life, educationally and otherwise, and i'm sure a lot of teaching skills are transferable to other careers, but i'm really stuck as to where to go from here. Any ideas? I've thought about all sorts of educational/tutoring teaching to re training in media studies/e commerce or web design.
Edited by rosbif77 on Monday 28th March 15:03
Hi. Thanks for replying. To answer your question, yes i would love to relocate. I'm 'only' 49 and feel full of life despite the last 2 years being hell.
My only concern is my children. My son is off to university in September in Paris, but my daughter is 13 and in the equivalent of year 8 over here.
I gave myself one year to get over the divorce and it's toxic fallout and another year to sort out my future.
I've got no roots here now since they were all ripped out by the divorce! Therefore moving on to something else shouldn't be a problem.
I'm open to suggestions.
My only concern is my children. My son is off to university in September in Paris, but my daughter is 13 and in the equivalent of year 8 over here.
I gave myself one year to get over the divorce and it's toxic fallout and another year to sort out my future.
I've got no roots here now since they were all ripped out by the divorce! Therefore moving on to something else shouldn't be a problem.
I'm open to suggestions.
Edited by rosbif77 on Saturday 2nd April 07:12
Moving to another city/country to teach in an International school sounds interesting.
There are 3 things which i'm concerned about:
1. My daughter's welfare. She's getting à fantastic education in the school where i teach, and i because i have joint custody i see her everyday.
2. I love teaching but have no chance of career progession where i am. Passing the French teaching degree would take 2 years, and the staying pay is dreadful. It's incredibly frustrating!
3. Salary: i'd love a job where i could use my skills/experience and earn a comfortable wage!!!
There are 3 things which i'm concerned about:
1. My daughter's welfare. She's getting à fantastic education in the school where i teach, and i because i have joint custody i see her everyday.
2. I love teaching but have no chance of career progession where i am. Passing the French teaching degree would take 2 years, and the staying pay is dreadful. It's incredibly frustrating!
3. Salary: i'd love a job where i could use my skills/experience and earn a comfortable wage!!!
Has anyone on this forum experienced/know an expat who found themselves divorced/broke/isolated in a foreign country?Some of my work colleagues have even suggested i give up my children and put my future first! They reckon i've wasted nearly 20 years of my life!
Comments such as, ' you shouldn't have moved to France in the first place', or 'you put all your eggs in one basket and depended too much on your French inlaws', even 'you have to be French to get on in France'.
During the past 18 years in France i've discovered that the way to get on here is to go from lycée to university, sit the 'concours' (compétitive entrance exam), then do your 9-5 job ( more like 8h30 to 3h30 for state teachers) in the same company for the next 40 years.
Anyone thinking of changing careers, showing creativity/initiative is suffocated by the atmosphere of beaurocracy/dullness and general lack of urgency.
Teachers with previous professional non educational experience are as rare as English natives teaching in the state sector!!
You wouldn't believe the number of teachers i've seen over the years here who teach methodically chapter by chapter from a mouldy old textbook and give class tests every week based on memorising facts!!! Their students are bored to tears!
They teach 18 h a week and have taught the same stale lessons for 10 years! They go up the teaching scale since they have X years of teaching, and know the inspector!!!!!
I decided a long time ago 'to do like the French do', so i integrated, learnt to speak/read the language, tried 3 times to enter the state sector, took all the part time teaching jobs i could get, paid for extra French pedagogical training out of my own pocket, got replacement teaching posts even in the toughest schools, but to no avail!
I arranged a meeting with a senior official at the 'rectorat' ( French state educational governing body) to get some advice. His answer was 'make sure i'm born in France, pass the French baccalauréat, sit the concours at age 21 then work in the same school till i retire at 65!'
He told me bluntly that the English only come to France to buy second houses, retire to a cottage, or drink beer at a rugby match. They definitly don't come to work in the French educational system!!!!!
Comments such as, ' you shouldn't have moved to France in the first place', or 'you put all your eggs in one basket and depended too much on your French inlaws', even 'you have to be French to get on in France'.
During the past 18 years in France i've discovered that the way to get on here is to go from lycée to university, sit the 'concours' (compétitive entrance exam), then do your 9-5 job ( more like 8h30 to 3h30 for state teachers) in the same company for the next 40 years.
Anyone thinking of changing careers, showing creativity/initiative is suffocated by the atmosphere of beaurocracy/dullness and general lack of urgency.
Teachers with previous professional non educational experience are as rare as English natives teaching in the state sector!!
You wouldn't believe the number of teachers i've seen over the years here who teach methodically chapter by chapter from a mouldy old textbook and give class tests every week based on memorising facts!!! Their students are bored to tears!
They teach 18 h a week and have taught the same stale lessons for 10 years! They go up the teaching scale since they have X years of teaching, and know the inspector!!!!!
I decided a long time ago 'to do like the French do', so i integrated, learnt to speak/read the language, tried 3 times to enter the state sector, took all the part time teaching jobs i could get, paid for extra French pedagogical training out of my own pocket, got replacement teaching posts even in the toughest schools, but to no avail!
I arranged a meeting with a senior official at the 'rectorat' ( French state educational governing body) to get some advice. His answer was 'make sure i'm born in France, pass the French baccalauréat, sit the concours at age 21 then work in the same school till i retire at 65!'
He told me bluntly that the English only come to France to buy second houses, retire to a cottage, or drink beer at a rugby match. They definitly don't come to work in the French educational system!!!!!
Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 10th April 08:53
Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 10th April 08:55
You're hit the mark with your analysis.
My children are absolutely my number one priority and i want to be there to see them both grew up. However, i'm worried that once they're both grown up and left home ( in 5 years time), I'll be stuck in a poor financial situation with no house/pension and virtually no chance to move on.
I'm also increasingly fed up with the daily behaviour/attitude of French people: pushing and shoving past in shops/supermarkets, never a thankyou when you open a door, driving like lunatics/total disrespect for other road users, and a general 'me first sod you' attitude.
Maybe i'm a bit old fashioned but everytime i go back to England i'm struck by people's politeness/self discipline and general respect for others. The community spirit is still important whereas round where i live no one bothers about poor/elderly neighbours.
I'm feeling incredibly isolated with even the guys at the local cycling club i joined socialising in their own groups. I signed up to the local gym but find it full of body builders/teenage show offs/aggresive single professionals pumping iron and popping diet pills!
To sum up my whole life has revolved around giving my children the best possible life/education and all the love and support they need. How do single parent expats manage to balance family/personal and professional needs?
My children are absolutely my number one priority and i want to be there to see them both grew up. However, i'm worried that once they're both grown up and left home ( in 5 years time), I'll be stuck in a poor financial situation with no house/pension and virtually no chance to move on.
I'm also increasingly fed up with the daily behaviour/attitude of French people: pushing and shoving past in shops/supermarkets, never a thankyou when you open a door, driving like lunatics/total disrespect for other road users, and a general 'me first sod you' attitude.
Maybe i'm a bit old fashioned but everytime i go back to England i'm struck by people's politeness/self discipline and general respect for others. The community spirit is still important whereas round where i live no one bothers about poor/elderly neighbours.
I'm feeling incredibly isolated with even the guys at the local cycling club i joined socialising in their own groups. I signed up to the local gym but find it full of body builders/teenage show offs/aggresive single professionals pumping iron and popping diet pills!
To sum up my whole life has revolved around giving my children the best possible life/education and all the love and support they need. How do single parent expats manage to balance family/personal and professional needs?
Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 17th April 14:17
Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 17th April 14:19
jjones said:
Find a fit new french woman to shack up with. A problem (bill) shared is a problem halved. Stay put doing what you are doing but happier/more financially secure.
I've 'met' a few French women and none of them are interested in a middle aged divorced father of two ( even the divorced ones !). They're just after 'financial stability' ( translation: a well off guy to pay for their comfortable future life).Loads of people i've met over here always mention my unique British accent, sense of humour and making people feel at ease. However, when it comes down to giving professional advice they nearly always tell me not to bother with trying to get on in France since it just doesn't work for anglo-Saxons! You have to be born here to really integrate or marry a well off Frenchman!
My female work colleagues have lived here many decades. They're EnglishX2, American, Canadian and Irish.They all treat teaching as a part time job for extra 'pocket money' since their French husbands all earn huge salaries as a banking executive, theme park senior executive , IT company owner, management consultant and a buy to let owner with 17 (!!!) lets.
My unique American male colleague doesn't bother about his salary since he inherited $2.5 million from his parents and just teaches a bit in-between travelling.
The bottom line over here is that the majority of female teachers have partners who keep them in the standard they're accustomed to, and a man in French society is expected to earn more than his wife/partner. The male teachers i've met in state schools have a guaranteed job for life and regular promotions.
So what did i decide to do about my situation you might ask? Simple, i picked myself up and tried every possibility.
I tried setting up a tutoring business a couple of years ago and got hammered with taxes. I set up an e-learning site with a friend but again the admin killed that off. I even applied in Feb 2015 for re training in web site design, but i'm still waiting for a response for the training costs! I entered the state 'concours' to get on a state educational program but got rejected for 'unequal anglo-Saxon basis compared to other candidates'!
Finally, i asked the school where i work for more responsibilities/extra teaching hours etc. Answer, i had to have a recognized French qualification!
Despite all the above i'm still pretty positive about life. It's just so damned frustrating when hard work, determination,natural ability and experience aren't enough!
Edited by rosbif77 on Friday 22 April 14:12
Edited by rosbif77 on Friday 22 April 14:14
bulldong said:
I really don't think you need a career change, instead a location change. France is a horrific place to try and do any type of business and it is absolutely harrowing handing over so much money in tax after you have worked for it so hard, so find a place which is still relatively local to your kids but where you can earn more and have a better quality of life. Switzerland.
Unfortunately a location change is not feasible until the kids have both left home. If you put your children first, which is what most decent parents do, then professional career satisfaction comes second. Any ideas about what skills i could improve on/learn during the next 5 years?
Maybe my ideal job doesn't exist already: a passion for history, telling stories about people's lives in the past and making people laugh/cry, enjoying meeting people, communicating ideas/knowledge in an entertaining way, being my own boss in a classroom, creating new ways to share my love of the past, visiting historical places, keeping notebooks full of weird/wonderful news stories, asking questions about 'what if.....'
Even though i've got piles of books stacked up at home i love using IT. The possibilities are endless!!!!
What's exactly does a curriculum design consultant do?
I've come across quite a few 'educational consultants' during pedagogical days/open days etc and most of them simply spouted off useless educational theory! They had lots of letters after their names, but couldn't answer direct questions like 'how can this help Pierre/Sara to enjoy English and write a correct sentence? or ' if your such a dedicated teacher why didn't you stay in the classroom?'
Maybe my ideal job doesn't exist already: a passion for history, telling stories about people's lives in the past and making people laugh/cry, enjoying meeting people, communicating ideas/knowledge in an entertaining way, being my own boss in a classroom, creating new ways to share my love of the past, visiting historical places, keeping notebooks full of weird/wonderful news stories, asking questions about 'what if.....'
Even though i've got piles of books stacked up at home i love using IT. The possibilities are endless!!!!
What's exactly does a curriculum design consultant do?
I've come across quite a few 'educational consultants' during pedagogical days/open days etc and most of them simply spouted off useless educational theory! They had lots of letters after their names, but couldn't answer direct questions like 'how can this help Pierre/Sara to enjoy English and write a correct sentence? or ' if your such a dedicated teacher why didn't you stay in the classroom?'
Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 24th April 18:11
[quote=citizensm1th] I have just gotten back from France (the number one tourist destination according to the French lol) and the place is smothered with yanks,kiwi,s and Australians even this early in the season. Most of whom do not seem to be able to speak French.
How about high end historical and cultural tours?
For a socialist state you need to be quite the entrepreneur to get on, I was chatting to our hotel owner in Bayeux on downsizing ,he currently has a small supermarket, a hotel and his wife owns a beauty salon and is going to sell off one of them just so he and his wife can spend more time together. Having multiple jobs seemed to be the norm amongst his friends.
Before i went into teaching i did a fait bit of sales work. I sold second hand executive and sports cars for a luxury car dealer, and from just my second month i was in the top three for car sales (despite being totally new to sales/no previous sales training). The sales team had many vastly more experienced sales people but isold more cars to women than to men! I also came top of the monthly rankings 4/13 months!!!
I could figure out what a client wanted and just had this ability to make them feel comfortable. I didn't even find it difficult to chat to prospective customers!
I left because the boss's son got the type sales job and he fired me after i told him why he couldn't sell cars to women! He was too macho!
I
Anyway, i wouldn't know where to start as an entrepreneur!
How about high end historical and cultural tours?
For a socialist state you need to be quite the entrepreneur to get on, I was chatting to our hotel owner in Bayeux on downsizing ,he currently has a small supermarket, a hotel and his wife owns a beauty salon and is going to sell off one of them just so he and his wife can spend more time together. Having multiple jobs seemed to be the norm amongst his friends.
Before i went into teaching i did a fait bit of sales work. I sold second hand executive and sports cars for a luxury car dealer, and from just my second month i was in the top three for car sales (despite being totally new to sales/no previous sales training). The sales team had many vastly more experienced sales people but isold more cars to women than to men! I also came top of the monthly rankings 4/13 months!!!
I could figure out what a client wanted and just had this ability to make them feel comfortable. I didn't even find it difficult to chat to prospective customers!
I left because the boss's son got the type sales job and he fired me after i told him why he couldn't sell cars to women! He was too macho!
I
Anyway, i wouldn't know where to start as an entrepreneur!
Edited by rosbif77 on Saturday 30th April 15:01
Edited by rosbif77 on Saturday 30th April 15:07
In fact the ex didn't get full custody. I fought tooth and nail against all odds and on m'y own,and ended up with 50/50 custody. However, because i was able to keep both of them in the private secondary school/sixth form where i teach, i see them everyday since it's me who drives them there! ( 2 h commute)
Quick update. I've had several job interviews since i last posted for 2nd jobs.
The last one was with a top Paris university. Job advert stated part time teaching 50 euros net/hour for 4H every Saturday. Excellent!
In reality at the job interview the interviewer told me 100 euros for 4h teaching net + successful candidate would be expected to log onto student forum 5 evenings/week to 'help' the 30 weak students on the course with their English essays ( 7 to 11 pm !) + prepare weekly lecture 'support' material for the established lecturers+ ' show presence and commitment' every Saturday by 'staying' behind for 3 hours after my lessons to 'chat informally' to the students,in small organized level groups ,so they could improve their conversational English.
The interviewer finished by informing me that he expected the successful candidate to 'commit to an established workload routine of unpaid overtime hours which Anglo-Saxons are used to working in a capitalist society' !!!!!
If i did that i might possibly be offered more hourly work in 2-3 years time !!!!!!
The last one was with a top Paris university. Job advert stated part time teaching 50 euros net/hour for 4H every Saturday. Excellent!
In reality at the job interview the interviewer told me 100 euros for 4h teaching net + successful candidate would be expected to log onto student forum 5 evenings/week to 'help' the 30 weak students on the course with their English essays ( 7 to 11 pm !) + prepare weekly lecture 'support' material for the established lecturers+ ' show presence and commitment' every Saturday by 'staying' behind for 3 hours after my lessons to 'chat informally' to the students,in small organized level groups ,so they could improve their conversational English.
The interviewer finished by informing me that he expected the successful candidate to 'commit to an established workload routine of unpaid overtime hours which Anglo-Saxons are used to working in a capitalist society' !!!!!
If i did that i might possibly be offered more hourly work in 2-3 years time !!!!!!
Edited by rosbif77 on Sunday 15th May 12:17
Just got reply from another Paris uni.
They can offer me 16 euros net to teach à 'flexi timetable' to groups of remedial English students.
I have to ''have on line availabilty from 8h30 to 20h30 to assist students with last minute language difficulties"
However, its not 16/ hour for 8h30-20h30 but a flat rate of 120euros/week.
Sounds weird!!!!
They can offer me 16 euros net to teach à 'flexi timetable' to groups of remedial English students.
I have to ''have on line availabilty from 8h30 to 20h30 to assist students with last minute language difficulties"
However, its not 16/ hour for 8h30-20h30 but a flat rate of 120euros/week.
Sounds weird!!!!
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