So, I got an email from the head today, who said he'd sort the shipping situation. They will certainly pay for any teaching materials to be shipped and up my allowance as I'm not coming from another international post, and therefore have no extra funding from another school.
Chris spoke to his mum about us leaving, and she was quite resigned - even (vaguely) suggesting that she might come out and visit at some point.
We told Kojo, who's only 3, that we were moving to Malaysia and he asked if Nanny, Loola and Chrissy (aunties) were coming too. Hopefully, he's young enough to adjust quickly but we do feel a bit nervous about taking him away from everyone he knows and loves.
Our neighbour has found out that her cousin may be moving to Malaysia at the same time as us, though going to work for Alice Smith, so we might make contact before heading out. All depends on if interview was successful or not, which they'll find out soon...
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Monday, 25 January 2010
Shipping
Myself and the kids just had a weekend up in the Lakes with Mum, Fionnuala and Chrissie. Stayed in Pine Lake resort and it was really nice. As for the job - just negotiating the shipping allowance at the mo as it's well short of what we'd need. We'll pay if we have to because there are a few items we really don't want to part with and we need to take lots of clothes for the kids, as they are apparently expensive and not that great to buy in Malaysia. After the weekend away, I'm really looking forward to some nice holidays in the sun!
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Success!
I got the job! Really looking forward to it as only gonna be me and the Head of Department, and we're introducing GCSEs this year and IB in the following years, so exciting time to join. I am sure it's gonna be super-stressful as we try and figure things out, but I like a bit of a challenge.
From talking to the principal (he) and HoD (she), they live slightly northeast of you and commute every day. He said 25-30 mins, she said 35, so I guess we'll see when we get there. They both said that many teachers live in Putrajaya and love it, but she said it's in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do, and I think I'd probably be of that mind, though I'll see when we arrive. I have recently taken up Capoeira and there are places in KL that do it, so I think I'd rather be closer to the city. Also, Chris does martial arts and I'm sure he'd want to be nearby, as well as having job opps on the doorstep.
I think we have the choice of sending Kojo to Nexus or Garden, so again we'll have to figure that one out. Would be nice to have him near me all day, but then again if he ever finishes early or whatever, might be easier for him to be near Chris so he can pick him up. Also means I don't have to worry about keeping him in school in case I have to stay back for meetings etc.
Time to start the Malay lessons I guess. Looks like a fairly straightforward language and I'd like to get a headstart before we arrive.
Oh, I'm so excited!
From talking to the principal (he) and HoD (she), they live slightly northeast of you and commute every day. He said 25-30 mins, she said 35, so I guess we'll see when we get there. They both said that many teachers live in Putrajaya and love it, but she said it's in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do, and I think I'd probably be of that mind, though I'll see when we arrive. I have recently taken up Capoeira and there are places in KL that do it, so I think I'd rather be closer to the city. Also, Chris does martial arts and I'm sure he'd want to be nearby, as well as having job opps on the doorstep.
I think we have the choice of sending Kojo to Nexus or Garden, so again we'll have to figure that one out. Would be nice to have him near me all day, but then again if he ever finishes early or whatever, might be easier for him to be near Chris so he can pick him up. Also means I don't have to worry about keeping him in school in case I have to stay back for meetings etc.
Time to start the Malay lessons I guess. Looks like a fairly straightforward language and I'd like to get a headstart before we arrive.
Oh, I'm so excited!
Monday, 18 January 2010
The 2nd interview
Had a call from the head of department - Kerry. She seems really nice - Scottish and friendly. Just as well as Fynn (8-weeks-old) was feeding while we were talking - thankfully he fell asleep pretty quickly though. Asked about ICT, EAL and Drama - nothing out of the ordinary. She'll speak with the principal tomorrow, call on my references and get back to me in next couple of days. Oh, the waiting game - not my forte!
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Info on KL
I've been trawling the net to get info about KL and the school, which is managed by Garden International School - one of the top players in the city.The TES forums is a good place to start and ESLCafe gives a bit more info. There's also the expat forums, alloexpat and expatKL.
The interview
This blog is to stand in the stead of my memory, which is pretty awful. Kojo is 3 and Fynn is 8 weeks and we've decided to move abroad for many reasons, but mostly to give the kids (and ourselves) a better lifestyle in terms of work/life balance, weather, travel opportunities etc. Our current first choice is Malaysia (KL). I had an interview for Nexus earlier today and it seemed to go well. I just need to speak with the Head of Department in the next couple of days and then I'll know if I'm successful or not. Pretty standard questions about my reasons for leaving my current job, my thoughts on AfL and EAL etc. Nothing too unexpected. Watch this space!
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