Jamie

Home: Kent, UK

University: Brighton

Subject Area” Physical Education

What Leading Out support and services have you enjoyed, or have assisted you, the most?

The airport pick-up was a great service to have.  Especially since before my trip I didn’t know anyone in Australia, having Leading Out there at the airport lifting a huge worry off my shoulders. Also, Leading Out helped me find a host family to stay with.  Again, I didn’t have to worry about finding my own accommodations, everything was taken care of for me, even before I arrived in Australia.

The best place traveled within Australia:

It is a tie between Ayers Rock and Cairns.  They are two totally different trips and both were fantastic.  The Ayers Rock trip gave a totally Australian Outback experience: sleeping under a night sky of stars/constellations I had never seen before, hearing dingoes howling in the night.  The hikes on the trip were also fabulous.  Walking on top of and through red canyons, and hearing the dream time stories about the Aboriginals’ history was wonderful.

Cairns was totally different.  Instead of walking through deserts, it was scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.  I loved telling my friends that I have been on the ocean floor of the Great Barrier Reef and I have seen the real fish that inspired “Finding Nemo”.

Both Cairns and Ayers Rock were once in a lifetime trips.

Tips for International Teachers?

First off… save up for the trip.  Why? Because secondly you want to experience as much as you can.  The internship goes by so quickly that if you don’t do as much as you can, all of a sudden, before you realize it, it will be time to go home.  Thirdly, enjoy every moment!  Again, time goes by so quickly that you need to appreciate everything around you.  Lastly, try and sleep on the plane ride, it helps with jet lag (and making the long flight seem shorter).

What did you enjoy most about completing your student teaching internship in Melbourne?

I loved getting to know the students.  I was working at a primary school in Melbourne, however all of my teaching experience in Canada was in the secondary stream.  It was great being able to experience both types of environments.  It was very interesting to see the different types of technologies being used in the classroom to help teach students math and reading/writing.