Bored of Britain?
Have you ever considered making a life abroad? Read the inspirational story of Laura Marshall who packed her bags over 10 years ago and hasn't looked back since.
Why I decided to leave Britain
Kashgar was the principal reason I left Britain. To stand in the ancient Chinese garrison, among blue-eyed desert people with golden peregrines on their wrists, had always been my dream.
Sounds great, but can you really get from the Scottish Highlands, where I lived, to the Silk Road without a trust fund? Answer: yes. Study for a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) qualification and you'll have a ready-made passport to a new career, plus the chance for cultural integration and unlimited travel.
Getting started on the road to Kashgar
In 1991, I already had my Sociology MA but I seriously doubted I'd get to the Gobi with it. After much investigation, I plumped for a course with Inlingua, a language school that promised a job 'somewhere' in Europe on completion of training.
Spring 1992 saw me living with my partner in a tiny Parisian flat near the infamous Pere Lachaise Cemetery. I had a sweltering daily summer commute to the Latin Quarter where I was grilled on grammar and teaching technique. At the end of three months I obtained my certificate and the world became our oyster.
Now I'm qualified, what's next?
With the qualification under my belt, we set off for the German town of Koblenz, for that promised job. Thrown in at the deep end, I had no choice but to teach business classes to 'real' students, or give up and go home. It turned out to be a fantastic learning experience.
Rhineland was wonderful but I could see Kashgar fading into a dream. Terrified by the lure of staying in Europe, I contacted 100 schools in the Far East and received positive feedback from many.
Finding my vocation in the Far East
September 1994 saw us in Japan, where it was a whirlwind of career and karaoke until we left in 1999. As long as you're willing to work hard and adapt, career development for English teachers is ridiculously fast in Japan. For the first time, I worked with children and realised I'd found my vocation.
I taught hundreds of children from toddlers to adolescent classes of 40 with a Japanese co-teacher. I lost my voice several times a year but it was worth it. In the evenings, I somehow found time to gain extra qualifications to equip me for teaching young learners. Chances also arose to co-write a fun grammar book and various kids stories, create games and work as Mother Christmas (Japanese kids being scared of the male version). I'll never forgot what a luxury it was to be highly paid for doing something I loved.
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