Going Home
Well, I think most of you have already been told, but for those who don't already know, we are headed back to the US, and in all likelihood, back to NH.
It looks right now like we'll be back in the US sometime around June 1st. That's our tentative date, though it doesn't seem likely to move too much in either direction.
Debi's been talking to her former employer--for whom she's been working as a contractor--about returning to the office. I'll be applying for education jobs in the area too, since I've got many contacts there.
The reasons for going back are as complex as the reasons for coming here in the first place. Going into it, we knew it was an adventure and an experiment. The original plan was to give it a go for 2-3 years, then decide what our next step would be.
Unfortunately, that hasn't proven to be realistic.
First of all, I haven't found a job. One phrase sums up the advice I've received since I've been here: start again. Without going into too much detail, there have been some changes here that has made hiring over-seas trained teachers both easier and more difficult. Unfortunately, since I'm not a math or science or technology teacher, I've been told I'm pretty much looking at 1-2 years before I could expect to find a teaching job.
I could probably find work in another field, but one thing that I've realized over the past six months is that I don't really want to do anything else. I liked what I was doing back at Epping, and dealing with not being engaged in the work that I left behind has been difficult.
Secondly, the long-term economics of the move aren't proving to be viable. Obviously, not having a job is not helping, but real estate prices are through the roof here, interest rates are going up, inflation is high ... Yeah, NZ is on the precipice of the same problems the US is facing. I'm much more confident in our ability to deal with a recession back in the US than our ability to deal with it here in NZ.
That's the tip of the iceberg ... as I said, the reasons for returning are pretty complex and I'll probably get into them more in the future.
It looks right now like we'll be back in the US sometime around June 1st. That's our tentative date, though it doesn't seem likely to move too much in either direction.
Debi's been talking to her former employer--for whom she's been working as a contractor--about returning to the office. I'll be applying for education jobs in the area too, since I've got many contacts there.
The reasons for going back are as complex as the reasons for coming here in the first place. Going into it, we knew it was an adventure and an experiment. The original plan was to give it a go for 2-3 years, then decide what our next step would be.
Unfortunately, that hasn't proven to be realistic.
First of all, I haven't found a job. One phrase sums up the advice I've received since I've been here: start again. Without going into too much detail, there have been some changes here that has made hiring over-seas trained teachers both easier and more difficult. Unfortunately, since I'm not a math or science or technology teacher, I've been told I'm pretty much looking at 1-2 years before I could expect to find a teaching job.
I could probably find work in another field, but one thing that I've realized over the past six months is that I don't really want to do anything else. I liked what I was doing back at Epping, and dealing with not being engaged in the work that I left behind has been difficult.
Secondly, the long-term economics of the move aren't proving to be viable. Obviously, not having a job is not helping, but real estate prices are through the roof here, interest rates are going up, inflation is high ... Yeah, NZ is on the precipice of the same problems the US is facing. I'm much more confident in our ability to deal with a recession back in the US than our ability to deal with it here in NZ.
That's the tip of the iceberg ... as I said, the reasons for returning are pretty complex and I'll probably get into them more in the future.
posted by Jon A at
8:49 AM
6 Comments:
oh wow. well, you know we'll all welcome you back. indeed, i'm sure the issues you describe in your post are just the tip of the ol' iceberg. regardless, and needless to say, you guys have done and are doing an awesome thing, something that most wouldn't dare to do. never mind with two little kids!
Thanks! :)
On balance, it's been a good experience in that it's helped us to clarify some issues and appreciate some aspects of American life and our life back home that we took for granted. As someone who has had the opportunity to live overseas, I'm sure you appreciate how that works.
Before we left, I thought 'the only regret would be not doing it.' I stand by that statement. No regrets at all!
We're really going to miss you guys. You've been one of the bright spots of coming here.
Yes, I know what you mean. Of course, I don't pretend that my semester in Paris as a college student (on scholarship, no less) was in any way the same as moving to a country without the support of major universities (Columbia and Penn, in my program's case) and all that comes with 'em. But yes, whether it was romanticized or not, or "authentic" or not, the time away definitely made me realize what I like about the US.
Hey, Jon. . . If there's anything I can do to help out on this end, please let me know. I commend you all on walking your talk and trying something new and exciting. It is what it is and I'm sure that you will come away with so much more than if you stayed with the status quo here. Blessings.
That last comment was me - Maryann.
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