Leaving, pt. 1
I’m moving to Shanghai, China in the fall. I’ve accepted a year long position teaching with the EF English First program. I’ve been with EF for almost 3 years. I’ll teach for one year with the intention of moving into recruitment and management of new teaching staff the year after. This is a pretty scary but really exciting move. There’s a lot going on, and lots to do, so I hope this helps me keep on track and organized. I’m told when you move like, 3,000 miles away that organization is critical. Have you seen me lately? That’s not a strong suit of mine. So here we go.
TEFL: 80% finished with a 93% in the class. I will be in a hotel in Providence this weekend helping two exchange students catch their flight on Sunday morning, so hopefully I will finish my class Saturday night. The class was supposed to be a 60 hour course. Saturday night will be my 5th day of study, so it’s a real cram session.
Visa: Tons of requirements. I don’t know about the shots yet, but I know that the swine flu has everyone in a heightened state in Shanghai:
This one is pretty well out of my control. By the end of the month I’ll have assembled a series of complicated documents and then the program and team in Shanghai already will secure the visa for me.
Flight: I’m in a really lucky position. Flying one way is pretty cheap. My current employer is giving me $300 toward my flight and my father is giving me 30,000 frequent flyer miles to bump me into first class. When I land and begin teaching, the total cost of my flight will be paid back to me over a series of pay checks.
Moving: I haven’t even started to think about this. Should I? Once my license is renewed, I’ll start donating as much of my stuff as possible, ideally selling off the expensive stuff. Ideally I’d like to raise around $1,000 to have as buffer for expenses.
That’s all for now. I’ll update more as this continues to barf unfold in my lap.
