With each of these differences comes the opportunity to grow and develop as a teacher. Here’s what our Aussie teachers in London had to say;
The average classroom size is the first notable difference. London classes having roughly 30 students compared to 25 in Australia. Almost every classroom within the UK has a teaching assistant supporting academia or working one to one with a student who requires the extra help. This means that although the class size may be larger, the child to adult ratio is still at roughly 15:1.
In Australia the new school year starts at the end of January and finishes early-to-mid December, depending on the state you are in and whether its a private or public school. If you’re thinking of moving to London, plan your arrival date around the UK’s academic year which starts in September and ends in July. English holidays are based around 3 terms and include 6 holiday breaks. An adjustment from our usual 4 terms and 4 holiday’s. Read my article from last month if you’re pondering what you would do with all that time off!
Being part of the EU for so many years means the percentage of international pupils within schools are a lot higher compared to Australian schools. UK schools accommodate by providing extra resources and employing multilingual support staff to assist students with English as a second language. Who knows, you may be inspired to learn a new language yourself!
Outdoor activities such as soccer, touch footy and rugby aren’t as common in the UK due to schools simply not having the land area for sporting fields like Australia. Instead you will find yourselves playing a game of rounder’s, basketball or lacrosse – possibly indoors!
All the teachers that assisted me in the writing of this piece remained adamant that moving to the UK was the highlight of their teaching career. Register with us today on our website and your local consultant will be in touch with all the information you need to find a suitable school placement.