Pre-Shanghai

These are the events that have happened leading up to my move to Shanghai, China.

Thursday, 27th of June, 2019

Final Day at School

Today was my final day at school. I got to say bye to some truely amazing colleagues, have a few more moments of laughter and a couple of private tears with one or two special people as well as saying goodbye to some awesome kids.

However, I do need to send out a huge THANK YOU to Angie, Karen, Jackie and the other helpers for their creative and thoughtful present…..

Another Big THANK YOU needs to also go to Mei and Aman for their thoughtful present……..

Both presents mean a lot to me and I am grateful and humbled by your friendships. Thank you 🙏

Tuesday, 25th of June, 2019

Morning Tea

Another big milestone is happening this week. I say goodbye to my school. Well it isn’t really goodbye, it is more of a I will see you in two years when I return type farewell. I have started to pack up my things from my classroom, return my key, laptop, iPad and photocopy card as well as saying good bye to students past and present and work colleagues. There is definitely a number of people from work who I will miss very much. They are truely amazing people that I have shared many laughs and giggles with as well as the odd conspiracy and cynicisms. I have learnt much from them along the way and I am thankful for that.

I am truely grateful for my amazing work friends Paula, Rachel and Nick who organised a morning tea to farewell me. It was great to see and catch up with a lot of friendly faces that I have worked with over the past 8 years and thank you to Nick for his speech that was full of kind words which was so nice coming from a colleague who I have the upmost respect for. However, it was unfortunate and sad to see that nobody from admin was available at the time to come and join us all for the incredible yummy morning tea.

I received a massive surprise from my 2018 grade 4 class when a majority of students from that class visited me, so that they could bring me a hand made farewell card signed by the whole 2018 class. It was a touching moment that left me with a couple of tears in the eyes. I am so proud to been apart of the team of people who have helped those students become amazing respectful, caring and thoughtful citizens. I really believe and feel that some adults could learn something from these kids.

So on Thursday afternoon, as I slip out the backdoor of school quietly for the last time for the next 2 years, I feel proud that I have had the privilege of working with a great group of teachers who make a difference everyday to the life of their students. It will be interesting to see how the school changes and develops in the time that I am away.

Sunday, 2nd of June, 2019

Paper work completed

Well, it is 64 days to go and finally I can say all the paper work, Visa, and organising is now completed from the Australian side of things. The only thing I can do now is wait. I strongly suspect that as time gets closer to the leave date, my nerves about the whole thing will increase as well. However, luckily at the moment I am kept busy by my other school work as it is coming up to one of the busy parts of the year. Nothing like assessment and report card time.

Wednesday, 22nd of May, 2019

Looking for a Hotel

It is definitely starting to feel like the things that I can organise from the Australian side is starting to come to a wrap up. Over the past 24 houses, I have been researching hotels that are nearby a metro station, close to the city centre, close to street food centres and most of all within my budget range. The other part I was trying to keep in my mind when looking was that I would be trying to find the hotel at about 9 pm in a city that I do not know. So the hotel also had to be easy to find and easy to get to using the metro.

Thankfully I have found a hotel that ticked pretty much all the boxes. From the airport, it is just a quick ride on Maglev train to LongYang Station then change to Line 2 (Lime Green Line) and head to People’s Square Station. Once there, it is a short walk northwards to Jiu Jing Road turn right and walk approx 4 mins to the hotel.

Although the school and the area that I will be searching for an apartment is a little further away from the city centre, I felt that it would also be a good opportunity to also explore the city area and take in some sights in the first week.

Tuesday, 21st of May, 2019

A Relief Day

The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre called today to advise me that my work Visa has been approved and ready to be collected on Friday. Yay!!!!! 🥳 🎉 I am feeling very relieved that it all went smoothly.

After a bit of a stuff up with the leave application process at my current work position, it seems like everything is mostly sorted now…. I think. There still could be an issue with the three student free days at the start of the year as the online leave application does not recognise the first three days as work days but sees them as a part of the summer holiday period.

Monday, 20th of May, 201

Being Polite Costs Nothing

Another surprise today. I received an email from another International School in Singapore for a year 5 classroom teacher. I thanked the school for considering me, however, I explained to them that unfortunately I had already accepted an offer in China for the next 2 years. Surprisingly they replied back thanking me for a quick response. They were also extremely keen for me to contact them once my contract was near completion. This provides me another option for later on but I will see what happens.

Friday, 17th of May, 2019

Documents to Visa

After finally collecting all the paperwork and documents that I needed, I can now head to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre to submit my work visa application. The application will take about four days to process.

I had a bit of a surprise today at the C.V.A.S.C. Apparently, my visa will be ready to collect in 1 or 2 work days, instead of the normal four day period.

It was explained to me that my work visa will allow me to enter China for a single visit then I will need to take all my documentation to the government authorities in China. I will then be issued with a work-type residence permit which will then allow me to come and go out of China for the next two years. Probably best if I add this job to the list of things to do in the first week in Shanghai as it might take a week or two for the residence permit to come through. This will give me some time to find my bearings.

Wednesday, 15th of May, 2019

The Arrival of more Documents

Today I received an email from the H.R. people in Shanghai. They have sent me an email which contained the English version and Chinese version of my work permit. It seems like everything went through pretty smoothly 🎉 🎉 . This just means that I am now one step closer to having all the paper work sorted to be able to work in China. I really didn’t think that there would be so much paper work involved. However, I feel like I am over half way through everything.

The next step in the process now is that I will submit the work permit with my visa application form and my passport to the Chinese Visa Consulate in Brisbane. This should take 4 work days to process the z visa (work Visa)

I will need to make sure I take all my documents with me to China, as I have 30 days once I enter the country to show the local public security authorities to apply for work-type residence permit.

The other document the arrived today was my International Drivers Permit (IDP). However, I still won’t be able to drive in China because the I.D.P. is not recognised by the Chinese Government. My permit is more for when I am driving in Europe.

Monday 13th of May, 2019

Apartment Hunting #1

Tonight I was pleasantly surprised when I received a message via WeChat from the accommodation agency in Shanghai. Using some of the information about what I am looking for in an apartment, they suggested an apartment for me to look at. Here are some of the photos of the apartment.

There are some definite positives that I like about this place. For example, I really like the look of the lounge area and the size of the bed. However, a part from the lounge area, the rest of the house feels very uninviting and lacks warmth.

While I am after a fully furnished apartment that has pretty much everything I will need including a washing machine, It must have a certain feel to it that will help me keep my sanity as well as being a pick me up for when I am suffering from my low and depressed days that I know I will have from being homesick.

The apartment should be a place where you look forward to coming home to after a long day at work or on the tennis court. The type of place that is warm and inviting because it is a great place curl up under a blanket either in bed or on the lounge room chair on those snowy days. It has to be clean and large enough (82 m2 or larger) for me to think that I am not living in a broom cupboard. Plus it will need to be in a location that is close to facilities such as a train station, shops, a gym, tennis courts and the school.

If I can find a place like this, it will definitely help make life a little more easier and less stressful dealing with the loneliness by keeping my head in a good frame if mind when I move there. So I will pass on this place.

Wednesday 8th of May, 2019.

That’s the Ticket

Another important milestone has been reached today……The search for a Brisbane to Shanghai flight is OVER!!!! This means I have purchased my ticket to Shanghai. While the search for my flight felt like any other time I have looked for a ticket online, there was just a moment when I was about to click the button to pay, when everything became real. An OMG 😱 moment. It made me hesitate when I realized that I was about to buy a one-way ticket…… OMG!!! A ONE-WAY TICKET!!!

This was the very first time I have ever bought a one-way plane ticket to anywhere. Usually, when buying my plane tickets, I know that I will be returning because there are a return flight ticket and an end date on it. But because I was about to purchase a one-way ticket and not knowing when my exact end date return will be, it felt like buying a ticket into a dark unknown abyss.

All these thoughts went flooding through my mind. I paused for a moment, thought about it, acknowledged how I felt, took another moment to breathe… CLICK. It was done and paid for. A second later I took a minute to embrace the moment and think to myself…. ”The journey and adventure continues”

Wednesday 24th of April, 2019.

An Emotional Day

Today was a bit of an emotional day for me. This was due to 3 main reasons. The first being Karma finally returning home. Even thou I knew that his time was coming because of his age, I still just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him. His passing has definitely hit me harder than I expected. When I saw him at home today I hugged him so tight and shed a few tears.

The 2nd reason was because today I was able to complete my work visa application for China. It has taken about 5 days so far with a lot of communication back and forth with the my school in China to complete this paper work. However, I still am unable to submit the application form just yet. I have to wait for forms and documents that my school has submitted to the Chinese Government to process. In return the Chinese Government will issue me a letter of invite that has to be submitted with my visa application to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre located in the city. It is expected that the letter of invite will arrive to me in the first week of June.

The 3rd reason is that at school today, we held our ANZAC Day Assembly. The assembly made me think about both my cousin Peter who served in the Australian Army and my brother, Drew, who is currently on a 6 month deployment in the Australian Navy, somewhere out in the ocean.

I was lucky enough last year to be invited to travel from Brisbane to Sydney with my brother on the HMAS CANBERRA to gain a better understanding of what he and his fellow crew members do and how they live when on deployment. It really gave me a huge understanding into my brother’s life on the ship. This insight made me feel extremely proud of my brother

I greatly appreciate what they do and have done to protect our nation but also what they give up in order to keep us safe. This also goes for anyone else who serves in our armed forces. So, from my heart I thank you for everything you do for us.

Have a great and safe ANZAC Day tomorrow – “Lest we forget”

Tuesday 23rd of April, 2019.

START OF TERM 2

It the start of Term 2 of school in Australia, which means that I have 66 days left at my current school. I am definitely having mixed feelings about this term.  The feelings range from pure dread to relief to pure excitement.

The feeling of pure dread comes from knowing that I have so much to do in such a little time in relation to school and moving to Shanghai. My year 3 class has a big list of things that has to be completed before the end of the term. The jobs are;

• Pre and post testing
• NAPLAN preparation
• NAPLAN test
• Mayfest (School fete)
• SWST test
• Pat M and Pat R Testing
• F ‘n’ P reading tests (approx. 25mins per child)
• Testing for each of the subjects
• Writing of report cards

The excitement extends from the journey and adventure that I know is coming ahead. I always love a good adventure and I am praying that my amazing and loving partner is able to join me for at least the first part of the journey due to her work commitments. Will have to wait and see what happens with this. As I have said before, this journey and adventure just would not be possible at all without her understanding. love and her support. LOVE YOU HONEY!!!

I am also working on completing my Visa Application for China. Thankfully it is almost complete. I am just waiting for so information from VKBS so I can complete my paper work. With any luck, I should have my Work Visa for China by the 5th of June. Once I have that then I will be able to start organising my arrival for the first week in Shanghai (flights and accommodation).

Not only am I back to work at school but it is also back to work for tennis coach for me. I really have enjoyed teaching my orange ball classes and my private lessons over the past 2 years. Watching these kids develop and improve their tennis skills as their enjoyment and love for the sport continues to grow has been the most rewarding part of coaching for me. I am sure that they will continue working hard, so when I return and visit them I will see how much they have progressed. But for now, I want to enjoy every lesson I have with them.

Bring on the next 66 days!!!

Thursday 18th of April, 2019.

Started to fill in my application forms to gain my work visa (z visa) for Shanghai. The more paper work I do, the more I realise my world is changing for this adventure. Most of the changes are for the better I feel. However, there are some changes which I will struggle with and scare me every time I think about it.

At times when I think about these changes, I feel like taking the easier option and staying in the position I am now because it is safer and what I know. When I do have those types of thoughts, I have to remind myself to have the courage, belief and faith in what I am doing as this will create a more secure financial future for my partner and me. (I could not do this without her support. Love you honey). Plus it will provide me some time for things to hopefully settle down and get back to some sort of normality at my Australian job.

Anyway, the paperwork continues on and it is a little slow going as I am continually checking with the H.R. people at my new school to make sure that there are no mistakes, as I don’t wish to repeat a process step later on. The slowness is caused by a number of factors.

1. Time zones – There is a 2 hour time difference between Brisbane and Shanghai.

2. Language – Both sides speak English, however, it takes a little bit to clearly understand what we are asking each other to do.

3. Technology – Internet issues always makes things interesting when communicating with each other.

4. Work – I am not the only person that H.R. are supporting and working with. So response time can be slow.

In saying all this, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer.

Wednesday 17th of April, 2019. 

The past few days have been really difficult. The pain of losing my boy, even though I knew it was coming, has hit me harder than I imagined it would. I have tried to keep myself busy at home by cleaning up Karma’s stuff.  Karma is currently being looked after by Pets in Peace. They have been very considerate, and extremely helpful throughout this difficult time. Karma will finally come back home on the 24th. No doubt that will be another difficult day.

Today my plan was to work on fixing up the steps on the side of the house and some more cleaning around the house. I needed to go to Bunnings to collect some premix concrete so I could create a foundation to set the steps on. However, as I was sliding one of the 20kg bags of concrete out of the car, my felt a massive twinge followed by great pain in my lower back area. It literally dropped me to the ground and I was stuck on the ground for about 5 minutes. I slowly forced myself off the ground so I could go inside the house to lay down. I was able to take some medicine before laying on the bed. I stayed there for the next few hours before deciding that I needed to get myself to the doctors. The doctor has provided with stronger pain relief and suggested a few days rest, which I feel would be well advised for me.

They say things happen in 3’s. Karma and my back is two so far, so I wonder what will be the third thing.   I guess it will be a wait and see.

Monday 15th of April, 2019.

This is one of the toughest days in my life. Saying goodbye to my 17 year old boy while crying my eyes out, holding him tightly as he slipped gently away to sleep to cross the great rainbow 🌈 bridge in the sky. You filled us with love, laughter, silliness and joy. The house will never be the same without you. You helped Ally overcome her fear of dogs. You were our meant to be puppy. I will miss our morning big boy cuddles before work, our food sharing, your wiggling and struggling as well as your crazy bouncing running with your big floppy ears and your 80’s hair fringe. Karma the world was so much better for having you in it and so much emptier now that you are gone. You will always be in our hearts and never forgotten. 😭 Love you my boy ♥️

 

Thursday 4th of April, 2019.

Back on the train again, heading into the city for Chinese General – Consulate. Looking forward to picking up my AFP non-criminal check. After I have collected it, I will send it straight away to VKBS. They will in turn send all my paperwork and documents into the Chinese Government. I didn’t think that I would be able to complete this part of the process until I was back from Singapore. I feeling somewhat relieved to have it all done before I leave.

While in the city, I will get myself a few power point adapters for overseas. The one that I do have at home is broken. I always finding myself trying to remember if I have packed everything, only to pull my luggage all apart to find that I had already pack that particular item.

As much as I love travelling, I always find the small things are the things that worry me the most. An example of this is what to do with the rubbish. In Ireland it became a bit of an issue as where I was staying in Dublin, the rubbish collection had been stopped. The fun part of the problem was trying to come up with creative ways to dispose of the rubbish from the house without attracting attention from the locals 🤪 . However I really did like the system the Irish had in disposing the glass bottles. It was simple, easy and located in the shopping centre car parks. So it will be interesting to see how it works in Shanghai.

Wednesday 3rd of April, 2019.

Today will be a fairly busy day. I woke up at 5am expecting a beautiful day in sunny Brisbane, however, what I got was overcast drizzly morning. Over the past week, the weather here has been rather wet. This has made it rather difficult to get out on the tennis court to train.

Anyway not to matter because instead I have two other important events on today. Today, I off to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the the city, for the next stage of the world’s most expensive A4 piece of paper. (The saga continues 😂). The other is 21 parent / teacher interviews that happen later this afternoon. Each interview is 10 minutes long. I always feel like this amount of time for interviews really doesn’t allow for a positive productive conference time with the parents to help their child.

The city train was pretty crowded by Brisbane standards. I think it will be a very different crowded story when travelling on the train in China. On the train there are children / teenagers heading to school, adults of all ages heading to work for the day. Almost everyone on the train are in their own little world listening to music and their eyes locked on to their phones, including me 😂. As I glance up from my phone and look out the window of the train as we cross over the river, to see a number of homeless people with everything they own scattered close by them as they hide under a bridge trying to stay out of the wet weather. Seeing this type of thing makes me appreciate what I have. I love how in the Singapore hawker centres, customers are also able to buy a meal for the homeless. This idea of community spirit really appeals to me.

On the way to DFAT, I made an impromptu stop at St. Stephens Church on Elizabeth street. It is definitely no Christchurch Cathedral (Dublin) but still a very pretty sandstone church, with wonderful stain glass windows. Although I am not a very religious person, I took a moment in the peacefulness from the busy city streets outside to remember the family members that I have passed away over the past few years.

Wow!!!! 10 minutes to get the authentication done by DFAT. I was not expecting that at all. That means that I can now move on to the next step of the process, which is the authentication by the Chinese General-Consulate. I will be able to collect the document tomorrow and send them straight away to the school, in order to get my invitation from the Chinese Government to apply for the work visa. 🥳

 

Wednesday 27th of March, 2019.

Another box tick on the world’s most expensive A4 piece of paper. The Notary Public part of the process has now been completed. TICK!!!! The next step in the process is to take the AFP non-criminal check to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for authentication. The earliest appointment that I can get for DFAT is in the middle of next week.

Monday 25th of March, 2019.

It has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster of a day for me. After receiving the translated police check yesterday, I was super excited about being able to finally start the Notary Public process today. I think that this piece of A4 paper could become the most expensive page that I have spent money on. So far it has been $42 for the police check, $40 for the translation, $170.50 for the Notary Public, $83 for the authentication by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, $80 for the Chinese Consulate authentication. in total $415.50.

On the sad side of things, it was also the day that I said goodbye to my trusty little Lancer that I had owned for about 12 years. I felt sad and like a part of me was missing, leaving the car behind at the caryard. It was also a strange feeling arriving home and seeing it gone. The current running joke at home is that because my car is not there, neither am I. But honestly, I know it was for the best and less worries for me while I am away overseas.

Sunday 24th of March, 2019.

Yay!!!! My Chinese translation for the AFP criminal check is ready and sent to me via email. (Insert happy dance here) Now the Notary Public process can start.

Saturday 23rd of March, 2019.

Over the past few weeks, my head has been worrying about the amount of things that I have to do before leaving for Shanghai. One of the big things on the list was trying to sell my car as it would be an senseless expense to have while I was overseas. But thankfully, that decision has been sorted out today. I feel that I got a fair deal for my car and that money can be used towards the bond for my apartment in Shanghai. Win / Win !!!! I will miss my little Lancer. It was definitely the best car that I have ever had and have had so many memories with it.

I have always thought of myself as not really a materialistic type person. However, I guess everybody at some point of time, find themselves attached to certain items due to memories. As I have started to sorting out stuff to throw away or to store away, the memories that are attached with certain items have come flooding back to me. Sadly, as much as I have wanted to keep some of these items, I had to throw them away.

One such item was a well worn out polo shirt from my swimming coaching days. It was from the National Age Swimming Championships in Tasmania, where I proudly watched my little brother Keith compete at it. But like most things there is a time to say good bye to it but I will always cherish the memories.

Thursday 21st of March, 2019.

Wow!!!!! Who would have thought that organising some simple paper work for my work visa could go from “Easy peezy” to “Mt Everest”. My new school in Shanghai requested from me a more recent police check from the Australian Federal Police, which is holding up the last step in the process for my work visa. My thoughts were …..”Yep this is easy.” OH, HOW WRONG I WAS!!!!! haha.

The process to order and acquire a AFP non-criminal police check certificate was pretty easy and did not take to long to get. Then I was told that I needed to take it to a Notary Public to have it authenticated. (Which I did) However I was told by the Notary Public person that I would need to have the AFP police check translated into Chinese (insert roll eyes here) before they could authenticated. So now,  after I have the certificate translated into Chinese (currently in progress), I then take the certificate and the translation of the certificate back to the Notary Public to authenticate it. It should take 24 hours. Then I take the authenticated documentation to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (along with the application form) so they can also authenticate that the AFP documentation is real. BUT WAIT!!!! THERE IS STILL MORE!!!

After DFAT has finished with the documentation, I then take all those documents to the Chinese Consulate in Brisbane City, so that they can also authenticate the documentation. The Chinese Consulate part of the process should take about 4 working days to authenticate the documents. Finally, when that is all completed then I send all the documents to my Shanghai School and they will send all my paperwork to the Chinese Government to process and in turn the Chinese Government will send me an invitation to apply for a multi-entry work visa. But this is all part of the Adventure and I am sure it will be worth it in the end.

Tuesday 19th of March, 2019.

Another step forward in the process after I received an email from Elaine in H.R. It was the Commitment letter of Physical Examination. This letter basically states that I am agreeing to have a physical examination once I have arrived in Shanghai, to prove that I am fit and healthy as well as that I don’t have any infectious diseases. I have signed both the Chinese form and the English parts. I have quickly sent the forms back to Judy by email and by WeChat to Elaine.  Another bonus today was that the AFP certificate has arrived.

Monday 18th of March, 2019.

Finally!!!!!! My passport has arrived. I will have to rush off after work to go and collect it. Now that I have a passport again, it means that I can continue with the process of:

• The letter of employment from my school
• The commitment letter of Physical Examination
• The work visa

I am also hoping that my Non-criminal police check will arrive today in the mail.

Wednesday 13th of March, 2019.

After submitting my application form for my Australia Federal Police Non-criminal Police Check, I was notified that my application has been processed and the certificate is on its way. I have notified Elaine from H.R. about the certificate. Elaine walked me through the other 3 steps that are involved in the process in regards to the non-criminal check. It seems to be a bit of a long process.

Tuesday 5th of March, 2019.

I received an email today from Elaine (H.R. Office at VKBS) asking me to supply them with some information. I need to supply:

• A recent 2 inch photo
• A copy of my University degree
• A copy of my criminal check
• A copy of signed commitment to a letter of Physical Exam
• Letter of employment from my school

Might take a little bit of time to organise some of these documents.

Monday 4th of March, 2019.

My renewal of my passport is all organised. It should take 2 – 3 weeks. I get it back just in time before going to Singapore.

Friday 1st of March, 2019.

I have received the contract from VKBS. Read through it, signed it and send it back to Judy in H.R.. Feeling super excited and nervous by it all. The excitement of a new adventure but nervous about packing up and moving to a new country. I don’t know I could do this without the support of my family and friends. Over the past few years, I have grown as a person (thanks Coach Ryan). One of the things Coach Ryan and I talk about is having courage and this adventure will take a lot of courage to do. It always amazes me how things like having courage to hit the right shot, being disciplined, having to performing no matter how you are feeling or what is happening around you and being focused in tennis, so easily translates across to everyday life.

After getting home from Tennis, I decided to check my passport. I have now realised that my passport will expire while I am in China. Think it might be wise to renew before I go to China. Before I head to China in August, I have to go to Singapore in April. So I will organize my passport before going to Singapore. Just did my online application renewal for my passport. On Monday I will take my forms to the post office for the new passport.

Thursday 28th of February, 2019.

Wow!!! Things just got interesting. Green Oasis have just sent me an offer to work in Shenzhen. However the offer is very low and disappointing. It is well under the Shanghai offer. After speaking to Green Oasis, I have decided to decline their offer. This means that I have decided to accept the offer from………..

SHANGHAI!!!!!!!!

I can’t believe it…… THE MAN IN THE PINK HAT IS HEADING TO SHANGHAI!!!!!

Everything is feeling surreal. I can’t believe I pushed the accept button and that I am doing this. It feels like a dream!

All the team from VKBS were very happy to hear that I had accepted their offer. They will send me the contract to sign in the morning. WOW!!! I AM REALLY DOING THIS!!!!

Wednesday 27th of February, 2019.

Shanghai, sent their package offer through to me. The offer was very surprising in a good way. The package includes $52,500 usd salary (approx.) per year, $10,500 usd housing allowance (approx.) per year tax free, health insurance, annual flights, moving allowance, visa, professional development allowance, and Monday – Friday Breakfast and Lunch meals. Shanghai just got very serious!!!!

Monday 25th of February, 2019.

It will be a very busy day. A part from my normal day at working at school, I also have 2 interviews with the 2 schools in China. I am feeling very nervous but extremely excited about this at the same time. I strongly believe that this could be a life changing moment for me.

Just finished my 2nd interview with Shanghai. The only question I was really asked was “Why do you want to teach in China?” I replied to Shaun that I learnt Chinese in high school as a language and that this had inspired me to visit China. So with using my teaching degree and combining it with my love of travelling, it seemed like a logical step for me. Shaun then took me on a tour of the school by skype. It looks like a very nice place to work. At the end of the interview, Shaun informed me that he would recommend me to his principal. However the only thing that I feel would stop me from choosing this school is that they are only offering $36,000 usd per year as a salary.

OMG!!! It has only been about 10 minutes after my interview with Shaun and I have just received an e-mail from the principal in Shanghai. It basically states that she had spoken to both Jaret and Shaun about me and she trusts her staffs recommendations. So there would be no need for me to have an interview with her and that she was happy to offer me the position at their school. The school would be in touch with me shortly with the package offer. WOW!!!! TOTALLY STUNNED!!!! ELATED!!!!

Just finished the interview with Green Oasis School in Shenzhen. I am feeling extremely confident about this school as well. We spoke about what type of classroom I run, my history as a teacher, my personal hobbies, sports that I can coach and what subject areas I am most comfortable teaching. We also spoke about the lifestyle of living in Shenzhen. The whole interview took just over an hour. I really feel that I am in a good position to be in. Now I just have to wait and see if Green Oasis will make an offer.

Saturday 23rd of February, 2019.

It seems that Shanghai is very keen to have me work for them. It was 10 pm, when I received a message from Jared, explaining to me that his supervisor, Shaun, was trying to contact me in order to arrange a meeting as soon as possible. After a few technical issues, Shaun and I, was able to connect to arrange a time on Monday at 11am for the 2nd interview. This seems very promising.

Friday 22nd of February, 2019.

Just finished my interview with Jaret from Shanghai. Basically the interview was discussing my philosophy of teaching and my work history as a teacher. I felt like the interview went well. At the end of the interview, Jaret said that he was recommending me to his Supervisor and that he would be in touch with me for an interview with him.

Wednesday 20th of February, 2019

I started my day off with my usual way of the past few weeks by searching on one of the websites for teachers at an oversea international school. Today I added China to my list of preferences, However I still have my heart set on Singapore. So by 7.30am , I found 2 positions that appealed to me and clicked on the send button, which sent my C.V. to both schools. These two schools were:

• Shanghai Vanke Bilingual School
• Green Oasis School in Shenzhen

Strangely, while I had high hopes for hearing back from both schools, I didn’t expect to hear from them for a couple of weeks. Around 10am, the Harry Potter message ring tone on my phone went off. When I checked the message I found a message from Vanke Bilingual asking me if they could set up a time with me for an interview. Trying to keep my excitement in check, I quickly replied to them and a time of 11.30am on Friday the 22nd of Feb. was arranged.

About 30 mins later, I received another message. But this time it was from the Green Oasis School, who also wanted to arrange a meeting with me. So a meeting was arranged  with them for Monday the 25th of Feb. at 3.30pm. I really felt like all my stars had lined up and I hit the jackpot. It seems like all of a sudden everybody saw my value in what I do and they all wanted a piece of me.