From the Arabian Gulf to the Norwich City Classroom
At the beginning of the year, I sent my CV to three language institutions in Norwich to see if there was any teaching work around. Only one replied, and they could offer only summer holiday work — which didn’t really suit me, as I already had full-time work throughout the kids’ six-week summer holiday at the surf school in Cromer. For a while, I honestly wondered whether I would ever teach again. Then, months later and seemingly out of nowhere, a new director at one of the institutes got in touch in June with a last-minute offer of two weeks’ work in early July. I haven’t completely lost hope of returning to a life overseas, despite the clouds that melanoma has cast over some of those plans, and this opportunity felt like I was stepping back onto a road that might eventually lead me to the Gulf — or somewhere else — to resume my passion for teaching English and, perhaps, collecting a few more riyals along the way. There were, however, a few hurdles to clear before the offer could beco...