Coming Home From Teaching Abroad

Just as living abroad required you to make a number of life adjustments, so does returning home. After all, you are no longer the same person you were when you went abroad - you have lived in an entirely different culture that has allowed you to absorb new knowledge and attitudes that have likely changed you in many ways. This is why many teachers feel that returning home is the most difficult period of the whole experience.

Reverse Culture Shock

As odd as it may sound, you should prepare yourself for a period of cultural adjustment, or reverse culture shock, when you return home. This may include experiencing similar physical and emotional upheavals as you did when you first arrived in your host country. In fact, many returning teachers are caught off guard at just how difficult adjusting to life back home can be after living abroad. While it is easy to understand that teaching abroad was a life-changing experience, many people are not immediately aware of how their outlook on life has changed until after they have returned home.

There are any number of emotions you may feel that are associated with reverse culture shock, but commonly returning teachers experience a sense of loss after leaving new friends and the life they led abroad. The time you spend teaching abroad may also cause unintended relationship problems between old friends and family, who may express only a polite interest in the experiences that you found so fascinating. You might experience boredom, a lack of direction, or return to find that problems that were on hold while you were abroad, personal issues or career questions, are still waiting for you.

For these reasons you may want to give yourself ample time to re-adjust to life back home before pursuing a new career or returning to school (if possible).

What Should You Do?

Keep that sense of adventure alive and explore your own backyard! After returning home try seeking out new experiences (restaurants, clubs, activities) and social events to take part in. Perhaps you took up a new activity while teaching abroad, so take this opportunity to find like-minded people in your area and forge new friendships. Keep active and explore your local surroundings, you may be surprised at how much of your community is a complete mystery to you!

Perhaps most importantly, concentrate on building a new life and new friendships back home. It's OK to reflect on your teaching experience and to remember it fondly, but don't lose your new ability to be open to new things by getting lost trying to live in the past.

Career Planning

Your experience teaching abroad may propel you to begin searching for an international career as soon as you return home. Here are a couple tips that might help you get there:

• Start by researching publications on working abroad and pay attention to immigration policies in the countries that interest you.
• Be sure to stay in contact with people you met abroad. Once home write to them to let them know if you are interested in returning and working with them, or just stay in touch if you think you may be interested in going back at some point in the future.
• Prepare your resume and be sure to include your relevant teaching experience, language skills and cross-cultural adaptation ability.
• Look for job-hunters' workshops or career fairs that are relevant to your career goals.
• Investigate jobs in your area that have an international focus.
• If the job you want requires an advanced degree, consider going back to school!

Do you have anything to add from your teaching abroad experience about re-adjusting to life back at home? Share it in the comments!

Photo Credit: eflon on Flickr