When I left Australia in 1996 to now

I taught an English for Academic Purposes course at the Australian Centre for Education, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from late 1996 to mid 1998. My job was to help the students acquire a 7 IELTS standard as a part of their pre-departure training for Australian universities. Back then, Cambodia was just establishing itself after the UN-organized elections. It was a relatively dangerous place, but a wonderful country to explore and live in. I very much enjoyed my time there and made many international and local friends. It changed my life in many ways.

Apsara Dances, Angor Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Then Shanghai, China

In 1998, I started working for the Shanghai American School in Shanghai, China. What an amazing city. Dynamic, bustling, and intriguing. The food was wonderful, though I put on 6 kilos in 2 years. SAS was a brand new school and full of talented people. I learned a great deal there. I still remember the first year: no carpets, no field, and no theatre. Today it is one of the biggest schools in Asia and hosts 21th century facilities.

Japan

My dreams, however, lay elsewhere. I always had a fascination with Japan. I guess I saw too many Kimba cartoons as a boy; I knew that I was destined to live and work in Japan.

My first teaching placement in Japan was at the Canadian Academy, Kobe. Situated on an artificial island, the school was very well-run and I met many talented teachers. My HOD, Mary Opalenik, was an inspiration and mentored me.

The big smoke beckoned though and I bullet-trained it north to Tokyo in 2002.  Seisen International School is my home now, well kind of, as it is where I teach IB DP, HS, MS English and HS / MS Drama. I have had the opportunity to grow as a teacher here and develop my skills. I have also had the opportunity to expand my teaching skills into the drama program which I am very happy about. During my time in Tokyo, I got married and we had our first child, Sebastian. After 10 years in Japan though, my wife and I think that it is now time to move on. It's good to relocate when you are still very happy.