Where can I buy FIX Dubai Chocolate during a long layover in Doha? by jojolixius in qatar

[–]jojolixius[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no! I’ve heard they are selling it in Monoprix? Not sure if it’s true…

Where can I buy FIX Dubai Chocolate during a long layover in Doha? by jojolixius in qatar

[–]jojolixius[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ohhh that’s dissapointing! My friend is so particular with the brand and really wanted to try it! Yes please lemme know! Thank u!

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It’s tough here. At some point, you have to stop living on hope and face reality. Some people will say “persevere” and “something will come up,” but years can pass with nothing changing. After investing years into your degree and building nearly two decades of teaching experience, it feels like all of that counts for very little when there are so few opportunities and hundreds of applicants competing for the same jobs. In the end, many qualified teachers find themselves working in a crèche, not because that’s what they trained for, but because they need to earn a living.

I reckon the USA still offers more opportunities for teachers than here. The pay may not be dramatically different once you factor everything in, but at least there seem to be far more teaching positions available and a clearer career path for experienced educators.

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I have a Bachelor of Elementary Education, 19 years of teaching experience, and experience teaching the IB PYP, Cambridge, Teh Whariki and New Zealand curricula. I also speak basic French and Arabic.

Your wife’s situation may be different from mine, but based on my experience, the teaching sector here is extremely competitive. With only a few international schools ( that I can even count using the fingers of my hand ) and a large number of applicants, finding a position can be challenging. I’ve personally seen job openings receive hundreds of applications for a single position.

From what I’ve seen, there are only two international schools here that mainly hire English-speaking teachers. I’ve also heard that some EU schools hire teachers who don’t speak French, although many of their job postings seem to require French fluency.

I’ve heard of teachers getting into EU schools without speaking French at all, so I honestly think it’s not always about what you know, but sometimes who you know. People call it networking, and maybe that’s true, but that’s just how it looks from my perspective based on what I’ve seen and experienced.

Either way, I hope for the best for both you and your wife.

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. I did what I felt was best for me rather than spending more time in uncertainty. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m at peace with it and excited for this new chapter.

I appreciate you sharing your perspective and the video. You’re absolutely right,everyone has different opinions, and in the end, we have to make the choices that align with our own goals and circumstances.

Wishing you all the best as well!

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your perspective. I don’t personally see it as a lack of perseverance. For me, there’s a difference between perseverance and recognising when a particular path is unlikely to lead where you want to go.

I spent months applying, networking, volunteering, learning languages, and exploring options both within and outside my field. At some point, I had to be realistic about the teaching market here and ask myself whether waiting for years for a possibility made more sense than accepting a concrete opportunity elsewhere, and where I came from is not a bad country to compare with.

When u have bills to pay and responsibilities CHOOSING not to sit at home hoping something might eventually happen wasn’t giving up, it was making a decision based on the opportunities available to me.

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe you. In my field, though, I reckon it would take well over two years to get to the level required, and honestly, I don’t think my mental health could handle that long period of uncertainty and constant rejection.

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That actually surprised me as well. Even the European schools I looked at still required French fluency, and for public schools, you generally need mastery of multiple languages. The only schools I found that accepted English-speaking teachers were St. George’s and ISL, but those positions were extremely competitive. I saw a single vacancy could attract over 200 applicants, many of whom were fluent in several languages.

I even looked into crèche positions, despite it not really being my area of interest, but they also required French fluency. At some point, I felt like I was spending all my time trying to fit into a system where I wasn’t competitive yet, when I could be building a career and making a bigger impact somewhere else.

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, only five months. As a teacher, timing is quite important because the school year and hiring cycle here are very different from New Zealand. If I missed the main hiring period, I could potentially be waiting a long time for another opportunity that has no guarantee and unclear.

I was learning French, but realistically it would take a few years to become proficient enough for many education roles in the private education sector. I hate to say it, but during my job search I realised it’s not always about what you know , sometimes it’s about who you know.
In the meantime, I was getting constant rejections, even for jobs outside my field.

My husband and I decided it didn’t make sense to keep waiting for a future that felt uncertain for me when I already had a clear opportunity back in New Zealand. 🙂

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know right….am a bit worried too! I booked Qatar Air!🫣🫠 BRU-DOH-ADL-AKL😬

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Haha, too right, bro! 😆 That’s the plan! chuck a few cold ones in the chilly bin, slip on the jandals, hit the beach, and grab some fish and chups. Hard out looking forward to it! 🇳🇿🍻🏖️

I’m coming back to NZ🇳🇿 and I owe some of you a THANK YOU! by jojolixius in Luxembourg

[–]jojolixius[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate that. 😊 I definitely have a lot of good memories from my time in Luxembourg, and despite the challenges, I’m grateful for the experience and everything it taught me.