ITP - 008: Teaching Abroad as a Couple with Kids

Greg: Welcome to episode eight of ITP, the International Teacher Podcast. We are joined by a teaching couple that’s been overseas for over 10 years. They have taught in Venezuela at two different schools at different times and are now sharing stories from Maine about their current position in Mexico City. We’d like to welcome Scotty and Tara.

Greg: Welcome to the International Teacher Podcast with your host Greg, the single guy, and Matt, the family guy. We’re recording episodes from around the globe to tell you about the best-kept secret in education. That’s right, it’s teaching overseas. We’re glad to have you.

Greg: It’s good to be back. And we are coming to you today with a dynamic duo, a couple of great friends of ours, the Munros, that we were lucky enough to work with and teach with in Venezuela for—well, let’s see—at least four years. I believe it was three years. Like I said, it was three solid years. So Scott and Tara joining us from the great state of Maine for this one.

Greg: Scott and Tara, how come you guys are in Maine?

Tara: So we came up here—we have this house. This is our summer house usually, but with the pandemic and being online all year, we’ve spent a bulk of our time working and living up here.

Greg: I probably should have started with this question, but I thought it was a good segue. Anyway, why don’t you tell our listeners a little bit about where you’re presently at? We worked with you in Venezuela, had a great time down there, but where are you guys now?

Scott: We’re working in Mexico City. We’re working at the American School Foundation.

Greg: American School Foundation. Scott, what are you doing there?

Scott: I’m teaching.

Greg: And Tara, how about you?

Tara: I’m teaching as well.

Greg: All right. And if it wasn’t evident already, we all know Tara’s the reason you guys got hired in the first place, as it usually goes.

Greg: Let me start with this then. Scott, I know you’ve traveled a ton. Tara, have you traveled as much as Scott had prior to the point where you two went overseas?

Tara: Not even close. I had maybe gotten to a few places, but definitely not like him. I was much more close to home. It wasn’t really anything on my radar to go abroad or go overseas. It was definitely a question, but not something I ever imagined.

Greg: So how did this even come up? How did you two decide you wanted to go overseas?

Scott: I’ll tell my version. I started dating Tara my last year in college while I was doing my practicum. Before we really made it official, one of the things I brought up was that I wanted to go abroad.

Scott: I remember sitting in my dorm room as a senior and emailing an administrator in Bolivia because I randomly saw there was an opening at a school. I just wrote them and said, “Do I have enough experience for this?” And they wrote back and were super honest. They said, “No, typically we’re looking for at least five years.”

Scott: So I said, okay, after five years, I’m going abroad. This is something I want to do. I don’t know if it was an ultimatum, like you come with me or we go our separate ways, but I definitely pushed that this is what I wanted to do.

Scott: And Tara kind of said yes, but probably thought I wouldn’t actually go through with it.

Tara: I did.

Scott: So year five comes around, and we start talking about it again. Hiring season starts in November, so I brought it up again in September. I said, “Okay, this is happening.” We started looking at schools and signing up for fairs.

Scott: We went to the fair, and I remember going in thinking I’d kind of blow it so Tara wouldn’t want to go. But once we got there, the energy was high. You get wrapped up in it. You want to sell yourself, you’re proud of what you do, and it kind of takes over.

Scott: And here we are, still abroad 11 years later.

Greg: Do you remember what countries you interviewed for at that fair?

Scott: Yeah, we interviewed for some schools in Brazil and also other schools in Venezuela.

Greg: When you went to the fair, were you targeting South America specifically?

Scott: At the beginning, yes, because we liked the idea of being able to get back to the U.S. without it being too complicated. What really sold us on Venezuela was the Spanish as well. We felt like that would be valuable.

Tara: Yeah, we wanted Latin America. That’s where most of Scott’s travel had been, and he loved it.

Greg: So after your stint at our school, you stayed in Venezuela but moved to a different school. Where did you go?

Scott: We went to another school in Caracas. There are a few international schools there. One of them serves more of the diplomatic community.

Greg: So for listeners, we’re on video right now, and behind Scott, Tara, one of the kids keeps running down the stairs like a monkey. It’s like being at Matt’s house—there’s always something going on.

Greg: So when you got hired in Mexico, which job fair did you go to?

Scott: We didn’t go to a fair. We signed up for Search Associates and contacted some schools, but we ended up writing directly to the American School Foundation.

Scott: There was a French teacher at my school who was talking to a principal in Mexico City and mentioned it. I had heard it was a great city, so it caught my interest. I went to their website, saw they had positions for both of us, and it’s a really large school—around 2,000 students—which appealed to us.

Scott: Coming from smaller schools, we were ready for a larger community.

Greg: How big is the school community now?

Scott: Around 2,100 students total. Each section has around 700.

Greg: And what about class sizes in elementary?

Tara: In elementary, we’re close to 900 to 1,000 students total. Each grade level has multiple classes, with several English teachers and Spanish teachers per grade.

Greg: What kind of student population do you have in terms of nationalities?

Tara: We have a high population of local Mexican students, but it’s becoming more international. We have students from all over the world.

Scott: Probably around 70 percent local and 30 percent international.

Greg: So not fully host national, but still diverse.

Scott: Exactly.

Greg: What do you guys like about living in Mexico City?

Scott: Food is number one.

Tara: Food, definitely.

Scott: The tacos are incredible. Street food, restaurants—it doesn’t matter. It’s all amazing. It’s actually hard not to go out all the time.

Tara: It’s also a great city with kids. There are a lot of parks, and each neighborhood has its own feel. It’s very family-friendly.

Scott: It’s clean, too. You can walk around, take the kids on scooters and bikes, go to restaurants—it’s very livable.

Scott: There’s also a ton to do—concerts, events, biking, everything. There’s always something happening.

Greg: That sounds like a great transition city for people coming abroad. You get the foreign experience but still have some comforts from back home.

Scott: Exactly. You still have access to things like Costco and other familiar stores, but you’re definitely in a different country.

Greg: Exactly. You still have access to things like Costco and other familiar stores, but you’re definitely in a different country.

Greg: Since we’re talking about housing and where you live in Mexico City, it’s a massive city with a huge population. Your school has been there a long time and is well established. When you landed, how did the housing process work?

Tara: When we first arrived, the school put us up in a hotel for several nights. That’s where they do the initial induction—talking about the city, what to expect, and all the legal paperwork.

Tara: During the day, there’s also a group of teachers who volunteer to help new hires. They pair you with someone, and that person helps you figure out what you’re looking for in an apartment.

Tara: They go with you to look at places, help communicate with landlords or agents, and show you around the neighborhood—markets, shops, everything.

Tara: You find your own apartment, though. The school gives you a housing stipend, and it’s up to you to manage that.

Scott: Yeah, and since both of us are working, we each get a stipend, so that helps. But there’s definitely pressure to find a place quickly—usually within a week.

Scott: It can be stressful, especially with contracts and paperwork, so we ended up staying at the hotel a little longer. The school extended it for us, which was really helpful.

Scott: We actually moved once because our first place wasn’t a good fit.

Greg: That’s pretty common. I had a similar experience in Cambodia—hotel first, then time to explore and find your own place.

Greg: Do most teachers live near the school?

Scott: Not really. The school is in a bit of an in-between area. Teachers tend to live in a few specific neighborhoods that are known as expat areas.

Scott: There are a few neighborhoods where most teachers cluster, and they’re not right next to the school.

Greg: Does the school help with paperwork and leases?

Scott: Yes. They provide something called a fiador, which is basically a co-signer. The school backs you financially because you can’t just show up as a foreigner and rent an apartment without that support.

Greg: That makes sense.

Greg: What about transportation? Did you get a car right away?

Scott: We thought about it, but it’s so easy to get around that we didn’t initially. The metro system is extensive, and Uber is cheap and reliable.

Scott: Most teachers don’t have cars. Parking is difficult, and you really don’t need one for daily life.

Scott: We eventually got a car once I transitioned into a different role and we knew we were staying longer. It makes it easier for day trips outside the city.

Greg: Mexico City has woods though, right? You mentioned that earlier.

Scott: Yeah, that surprises people. About 45 minutes outside the city, you’re in forests, hiking, mountain biking—it’s pretty amazing.

Greg: I can’t get over that. I always picture desert and tequila.

Scott: That’s there too.

Greg: All right, let’s shift to travel. You guys have done a lot. What would you consider your craziest travel story?

Scott: There are a few, but one that stands out is a trip we took with you, Greg, to Guyana and Suriname when LC was just a few months old.

Scott: We drove about 10 hours to get to the border, waited forever for a ferry, and just sat out in the elements—rain, sun, everything—with a three-month-old baby.

Scott: That was just the beginning. The whole trip was pretty rough in terms of accommodations and travel conditions.

Greg: I remember that. At one point, Tara and I looked at each other and said, “We’re getting a hotel tonight with hot water,” no matter what.

Tara: Yes, that definitely happened.

Scott: There was also a Jeep ride we took through rough terrain to see some waterfalls. It was completely off-road, and there were moments we weren’t sure we’d make it.

Scott: At one point, another vehicle was coming down while we were going up, and there was barely room to pass. Cliff on one side, trees on the other.

Scott: It was intense.

Greg: And I remember the driver wasn’t even using four-wheel drive at first.

Scott: Right. Then he turned it on, and suddenly everything was easy.

Greg: That guy knew what he was doing.

Scott: He did.

Scott: Another moment that stuck with me was seeing a guy on the side of the road with a baby anteater. He was waiting for the mother to come back so he could catch it too.

Tara: That was heartbreaking, especially holding our own baby at the time.

Greg: That trip really showed us how different infrastructure can be depending on the country.

Scott: Absolutely.

Scott: Absolutely.

Greg: Let’s talk a little bit about teaching as a couple overseas. A lot of people listening are either single or wondering how that dynamic works. What are some of the benefits and challenges?

Tara: I think one of the biggest benefits is having that built-in support system. You’re going through the same experiences at the same time, adjusting to a new culture, new job, new environment.

Tara: At the same time, it can be challenging because you’re both tied to the same school. If something isn’t working, it affects both of you.

Scott: Yeah, you don’t really have that separation. Work comes home with you because you’re both in it. But the upside is huge. You always have someone to talk things through with.

Scott: And financially, it can be a big advantage. Two incomes, two housing stipends in some cases, makes it easier to live comfortably and travel more.

Greg: That’s a good point. A lot of single teachers don’t realize how different that setup can be.

Greg: What about with kids? How has that changed things for you?

Tara: It definitely changes how you travel and how you live day to day. You’re not just picking up and going somewhere on a whim anymore.

Tara: But at the same time, it’s been amazing for them. They’re growing up exposed to different cultures, languages, and experiences that most kids don’t get.

Scott: Yeah, it slows you down in some ways, but it also gives you a different perspective. You start to look for places that are family-friendly, parks, activities, things like that.

Greg: That makes sense.

Greg: If someone is listening right now and thinking about going overseas, what advice would you give them?

Scott: Just do it. If you’re even considering it, go to a job fair, sign up for Search, start talking to schools. The worst thing that happens is you decide it’s not for you.

Scott: But if you don’t try, you’ll never know. And it’s a lot easier to do earlier in your career than later.

Tara: I would say be open-minded. You might end up in a place you never expected, and it could turn out to be the best experience of your life.

Tara: And be flexible. Things don’t always go as planned, especially overseas, but that’s part of the experience.

Greg: That’s great advice.

Greg: All right, we’re going to wrap this one up. Scott and Tara, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story.

Scott: Thanks for having us.

Tara: Yeah, thank you.

Greg: This is Greg, the single guy, signing off with the International Teacher Podcast.

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