They Ask Me Why I Teach

They ask me why I teach,

And I reply,

"Where could I find more splendid company?

There sits a statesman,

Strong, unbiased, wise,

Another later Webster,

Silver-tongued,

And there a doctor

Whose quick, steady hand

Can mend a bone,

Or stem the lifeblood’s flow.

A builder sits beside him-

Upward rise

The arches of a church he builds, wherein

That minister will speak the word of God,

And lead a stumbling soul to touch the Christ.

And all about

A lesser gathering

Of farmer, merchants, teachers,

Labourers, men

Who work and vote and build

And plan and pray

Into a great tomorrow

And I say,

I may not see the church,

Or hear the word,

Or eat the food their hands will grow.

And yet – I may.

And later I may say,

“I knew the lad,

And he was strong,

Or weak, or kind, or proud,

Or bold, or gay.

I knew him once,

But then he was a boy.

They ask me why I teach, and I reply,

Where could I find more splendid company?"

Why do you teach?

Please share your inspiring stories with Tulip Canada. You inspire students from the days before today, and those in your classroom, gazing attentively as you teach, engage and share a bit of yourself, your knowledge and hope for tomorrow.

They Ask Me Why I Teach,” by poet Glennice L. Harmon, in National Education Association (NAE), Journal 37, no. 1 (September 1948). The image provided is the depiction of the teacher who inspired the poet was also provided by the NAE.

Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada, offering a boutique of recruitment services to support both the education community and the profession. Follow her on twitter at @tulipcanada or Facebook.

It's September! Welcome Back!

As the summer season draws to a close, the energy from play to work mode is in the air.   Some may be entering a classroom as a student or teacher, some may grab hold of a school door either as a parent or administrator. September represents a fresh start.  It may be a time of change, hope and new directions and even, new adventures.

Students of life, we are! This month, we can consider how our goals are on track, with the possibility of redefining them or refocusing our efforts to see results.   It’s time to bring balance to the carefree days of summer. Savour them and find a way to be in the moment while working hard to achieve those goals and dreams.

Mistakes are part of life,  Be in acceptance of these mistakes. Embrace these lessons and experiences! It helps gain insight, grow and courage personal development.   Stay true to yourself. Don’t give up and enjoy each day with its blessings, achievements and laughter!  Buckle down with peace in your heart. Embrace the beauty of each day, remembering:

No doubt.  Only dreams.

See the Potential Within.

Be Real.

Small Acts.  Daily Achievements.

Smile!

Work Hard!

Do Your Best.

Be Kind.

Appreciate Time!

Believe You Can Do It!

Love Yourself!

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If you wish Tulip Canada to support your recruitment goals, join us.  We will work together to achieve a common goal to educate with dedication, compassion and respect.   If you wish Tulip Canada to help you find your next teaching adventure, we are here to help! We coach! We cheer!

Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada, offering a boutique of recruitment services to support both the education community and the profession. Follow her on twitter at @tulipcanada or Facebook.

Safe travels! Enjoy!

Looking to Teach Abroad? Don't Work Alone.

Find a Recruiter to Work for You & With You

Recruiters work for us and with us when we are exploring new career opportunities. Their role is no different in the international education arena. 

Their business depends on you.

Scan the international teaching advertisements on the Internet. Make note of the firm and the contact person. Avoid applying for job advertisements.   You want to stand out and first impressions come from a connection and not, through an application process.

Never be an applicant, but rather a person they will invest time to understand you, your goals and career plan.

Do your research and explore the rooster of international recruiters.  Email the recruiters and ask to speak to them via telephone, Skype, or another other social media channel, which brings the world into our backyard and make communication easier. There are no excuses for them not to reach out and make connection. They should set aside 15 to 30 minutes of their time to speak to you. If they cannot, move onto the next recruiter as it surely is a sign they are not willing to work for you.

Have a set of interview questions to ask them and evaluate their abilities to encourage and protect your interests as you explore options to teach abroad.  The recruiter needs to project confidence in their ability to safeguard a positive and transition as you consider an expat life. Be reflective on these questions, and the responses they provide as the decision you make as to who you will work with could be for only a few months, a school year, or the beginning of a positive working relationship build on trust and respect which last the next decade or your entire career.

Here’s a set of general questions to ask, which focuses on the recruiter’s ability to provide advice, mentor or coach and advocate as well as mediate, if needed. Give thought as to what is important to you – as the decision is yours to work with them as much as it is their decision to work with you.  Make the decision a good one. Your life depends on it.

Are they able to:

• provide insight on at least three of your country selections to work?
• provide feedback to your resume to refine it for greater marketability of your skills and experience?
• mentor you with encouragement, words of advice, or recommend next steps to help you reach your career goals? Have they asked you what your career goal for the next year, two or five years?
• coach you or give insight on the potential opportunity, the client, and the interview process?
• articulate your career goals?
• advocate to support your career goals?
• advocate to support you transition and relocation both in salary options, travel arrangements, settlement and transition support by employer?
• support you if wish to terminate the contract?
• support you to mediate with the employer for refine the support systems or address your issues?
• assist you both in coaching on settlement lessons, and help explore new opportunities?

It is not being an applicant from a job advertisement, it is about discussing your career goals, and how this recruiter is going to help you reach these goals. Keep in mind, if they are good, they will be honest, and advise you on your ability to attain these goals, and if you cannot, they should surely, offer some recommendation on how to build to your skill set for greater marketability. They should be realistic. They should be in contact with you with you regularly through the year, however, this working relationship is not one sided -- never think it is. The worth or value of the working relationship is based on a respect, time, a plan and communication.

Join us if you wish to discuss career goals. We are here to work with you, and for you.  If you wish Tulip Canada to support your recruitment goals, join us. We will work together to achieve a common goal to educate with dedication, compassion and respect.

Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada, offering a boutique of recruitment services to support both the education community and the profession. Follow her on twitter at @tulipcanada or Facebook.

First Impressions

Recruiters are the first step in the interview process. Offering a positive, welcoming and respectful presentation of ourselves makes it easier to evaluate both skills and personality. It’s the personality, which is the key indicator and selling feature to secure an international teaching position.   Of course, qualifications are important, however if you don’t have the right  personality (warm, flexible, respectful and open) to make a transition, it would be a poor investment choice for any employer. Make the impression last – and make it a good one.

Each of us should strive for higher standards and more specifically, a high level of service from the recruiters who we wish to work with as we explore new options in our career.    It is about loyalty.  Loyalty goes both ways in the working relationships between recruiter and applicant -- candidate or member if the firm takes the role that we are working together on the same team. When we go abroad on these adventures we surely want a recruiter to work for us. There should be some assessment on the safety of the environment, and most of all, they are able to evaluate our ability to thrive in our career development. As explorers of new teaching adventures, we should have expectations a recruiter is going to advocate for us be it – our rights as individuals, salary, benefits, housing, family needs and transition support.

Avoid applying for jobs for the sake of applying for jobs. Interview the recruiter and determine if they will be able to support you in your next career adventure.   If the reward for service is to sell you in the international education community, than be sure your career goals and needs are communicated, and the recruiter is working for you.

Candidates should never pay their travel expenses to attend an interview, nor should they wait over three hundred minutes pass their  scheduled interview time in a crowded room.   It’s disrespectful. Personally, if I am unwilling to accept such poor treatment in the interview process I would not recommend any of Tulip Canada’s members to accept such disrespect.   However, the advocacy struggle is, the empowerment of choice. We all have to decide our level of tolerance on the disrespect scale. 

There should be an expectation to protect our educators who wish to teach internationally. We may be working with clients who do not adhere to the labour standards and human rights in our homelands, however it does not excuse us from the responsibility to serve our candidates well nor help our clients adapt best practices to support the most valued resource – employees in satisfaction, retention and program delivery.  

Recruiters should be able to guide their clients both in selling themselves well and delivering a recruitment strategy, which is timely and fair, both in its accessibility, and evaluation. They are being interview by their candidates and if they are not being interviewed be assured they are being evaluated when the teacher lands, and begins their transition in their new work environment.   Again, make the impression last – and make it a good one.  

Tulip Canada is honoured to represent educators from across the global, and for us, it is the embrace of their strengths both in their qualifications and experience but also, their personality. They have the ability to manage life -- its challenges with humour and grace. They are committed educators, teachers and administrators. We are working together on their career adventure with encouragement and admiration.

 If you want to work with us, join us. If you wish Tulip Canada to support your recruitment goals, join us.  We will work together to achieve a common goal to educate with dedication, compassion and respect.

Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada, offering a boutique of recruitment services to support both the education community and the profession.  Follow her on twitter at @tulipcanada or Facebook.

Making an Expat Transition Easier

When we take an adventure and plan a relocation from our home country to a foreign land we are so excited we generally focus on positive experiences – the learnings we will have, the places we will go, the great people we will meet and the fabulous food we will savour.  However, becoming an expat does have its hardships or personal stretches, I like to call them.   Over time and reflection these stretches lift our personal growth and offer a positive change within us -- we become global citizens and see the world in a different lens.

Many of us who have travelled, lived in foreign lands and had great adventures, have spent time coping with the challenges or immersing ourselves into a new culture.  Usually, this is one of the many times I give thanks to Canada and our culture diversity as there is little we have not experience in some form in our land either with language, food or culture.   

If we are relocating our home we want to acclimatize ourselves to the change as quickly and as graciously as possible.  We want to be out and about experiencing the glorious gifts another land, continent and people can offer us based on the simplicities of a wondrous life.     If you’re making the move from tourist to expat, read on for advice on how to make the most of your time abroad.

Plan for the Unknown

It was a hard lesson for my first relocation as I gain insight and attempt to plan for the relocation.  Lesson from the experience was we cannot plan for the unknown.  Of course, do your research on neighbourhoods to live, expat resources, cultural customs, and transportation modes in order to have some sense of what you are walking into before you land on foreign soil to begin a new expat adventure.    The most valuable step I took was to connect to social media groups and foster friendships in my new home city.  I had friends within hours of arriving at the Green Tea House Inn in Beijing, or had a network of girlfriends when walked out of King Abdulaziz International Airport in my abaya.  It was a comforting to know there were people who knew and cared about me as I ventured out into the unknown.

Having the network of friends offer a safe place to share insight, learnings and frustration, and most of all, seek advice as I made the transition and settled in my new home city both in its landscape and people.

Connect with People

Learning of a place can be found in the tourist guidebooks, however to really understand a place and its people look to locals or your new neighbours to help you settle as a resident.   

Invite a neighbour over for coffee or a glass or wine (or the appropriate customs of your new home), or take a colleague for lunch.   The more people your meet the more you will learn of the culture, social rules and customs of your new home.

Getting to know people, anywhere, takes time.  Let your new relationships develop and settle naturally and be patient. After a while, your will realize that your have established yourself in the social network, and have become part of the community – as long as you stay open and friendly, putting yourself out there to share a conversation or offer a helping hand if the opportunity arises.  We need a connection to people from home.  It helps with our emotional adjustment to our new home.  Go to the expat clubhouses, Embassy events, and restaurants and foster relationships with native speakers who share similar ideals, and values. Although they will share insight and value to your transition, the gifts will come from the unexpected.  Smile and be open to it.

Establish a Routine

Routines make us feel safe.  They are important to our adjustment as we find our way in a new home.   It’s taking small steps so people will see you.  Add to the routine each week, as it will keep you flexible and open to the opportunities, which arise to connect to the place and people.  

My favourite city in the world is Paris and for my forty and fabulous birthday I was given a flat for enjoy for a time. I loved it.  My command of French was far stronger in reading and writing, however with my regular routine of stopping into the local café for my breakfast, or picking up groceries, over time I was able to build a connection through smiling, connecting with people and building my confidence to speak French.  I wasn’t an unknown to the local retailers, and I felt comfortable by the end of the first week of my arrival.

Keep a part of your routine from home.  It will make the transition easier too. You have to be able to connect to your past life in order to move forward in your new life.    Continue your yoga or mediation or if you are a runner go explore. Take up a dance class, or enroll in a language program.  It’s a great way to learn and most of finding the connection with people and the place in order to build a new life.

Walk

Explore your new city by walking it. There are endless opportunities build the connection and savour the beauty of the landscape, streets, history and culture

If walking becomes part of your routine it will help support your transition, learning of the new city, however if you are in a place where the personal stretch is causing grief, walking helps the soul heal – walking will make you happy!    Walking my golden retriever, Maple in a compound Jeddah offer wonderful gifts both in building friendships with people around the world, as well as connect to the nature through the never-ending date trees and beautiful array of flowers.

To Be

Taking an adventure is a perfect opportunity to rid of an inner mask of what is expected, and what you really, wish to be. It is to cleanse of expectations and find your inner peace and be happy with the moment rather than planning for next year.

It is an ideal time to kick a bad habit like smoking because shifting daily patterns makes it easier, or it helps rid ourselves of other devices such as a television, which can numb us from the experience.

Follow the Customs

Embrace change as it surrounds you when you decide to be an expat for a time. Embrace the customs of your new home.  Although fitting our old customs into our new life brings immediate safety and comfort in the long term it will lead to frustration and isolation. 

If you live in a place where it is now customary to eat dinner at 10pm, eat dinner at 10pm.  Make the most of it, and incorporate local customs into your life.  It will make you happier and the experience far richer.

Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada of boutique of recruitment services to support both the education community and the profession. For advice on filling an employment role submit a job spec here. If you are interested in a teaching adventure please submit a resume here. Follow her on twitter at @tulipcanada or Facebook.