Overseas project offered teacher ‘a new challenge’

Posted 18 Jun 2009

A Bath head teacher travelled all the way to Namibia to regain some of the spark she felt for teaching at the start of her career.

In news that may interest prospective TEFL teachers, Shay Brennan, who works at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, told the BBC the African placement offered a "new challenge" which she could not turn down.

Speaking about life before the scheme, which was organised by the National College for School Leadership in collaboration with Voluntary Service Overseas, Ms Brennan said: "Work is a gift that can so easily become a chore and although I continued to enjoy my work, I felt I was beginning to lose some of the spark that I had ten years ago."

However, she credits the efforts made updating teaching methods in five primary schools in Namibia with reinvigorating her outlook on the profession.

In related news, a woman who traded in her London office job for a new career overseas has maintained she has no regrets.

Keirsten Clark told the Telegraph she grew fed up with 12-hour days for a London publishing company and took the plunge – quite literally – by signing up to be an underwater videographer off the coast of Malaysia instead.

Category: TEFL Industry