ITP - 100: 100 Episodes Later – Stories, Summer, and What’s Next

Greg: All right. Well, welcome again to another episode of the International Teacher Podcast. This is a very special episode for our listeners because we are at number 100—over the last three and a half years, 100 episodes.

Greg: I am Greg the Single Guy. I've got Kent the Cat Guy. How you doing, Kent?

Kent: Hey, I'm great. Thanks for having me. Happy 100.

Greg: Yeah, and JP Mint is here. How you doing, Jacqueline?

JP: I'm doing fantastic. I can't believe we're at 100. We don’t look a day over 99.

Greg: The centennial episode, right? I washed my hair for this episode.

Kent: You did? So did I. Two hairs.

Greg: This is really special, especially for our listeners. We're not just going to do a recap or anything—we’re just going to have some fun. The three of us are talking without Matt the Family Guy.

Greg: He’s with his family—it’s summertime as we record this—but I just wanted to reach out and say thank you, Matt, for starting this with me. We are carrying it through. We’re at 100 now.

Greg: Centennial, Kent. Can you believe that?

Kent: Nope, I can’t believe it. I’m happy to be here at 100.

Greg: And here’s to the next 100.

Kent: No kidding. Wish we had some champagne.

Greg: Hey JP, when did we start this podcast? You're our favorite listener. You're our number one listener besides my mom. Do you remember when we started this?

JP: April 2nd… I think 2021? Maybe 2022? I know the date, but not the exact year.

Greg: I think it was 2021, but that’s definitely over three years now.

Greg: So what do you guys want to talk about today? Let’s bring it on.

JP: Well, I want to catch up with you guys. For those of us that are real ITP fans checking every week, it’s been a while since we recorded.

JP: We haven’t seen each other for probably a month, maybe a month and a half. So I want to catch up—and hopefully listeners want to hear what we’ve been up to.

JP: Maybe we can talk about favorite episodes too. It’s fun to look back.

Kent: Yeah, and I think we should also talk about the future—what our fans can expect. Let’s get caught up on our summer and congratulate teachers getting ready for a new year.

Kent: I’d also love an update on jpmintconsulting.com—another year of the consulting business.

Greg: All right, we’ve got a full agenda.

Greg: Let’s start with summer. Kent, you’re heading back soon—what did you do? Where’d you go? What’d you see?

Kent: Well, I’ll probably be the shortest. Miss Cat and I had another garage party this summer.

Kent: Faithful listeners will know about the Cat’s Garage Party—and this year we had a total of zero people show up.

Greg: Zero?

Kent: Zero. Three years running and the numbers have gone down each year.

Kent: So if you’re in the Pacific Northwest of the US, please come next year so someone shows up.

Greg: That’s brutal.

Kent: I do have some sad news, though. When we left town for vacation—about three to four weeks—our cat Nunu went on a hunger strike.

Kent: About six days into our trip, she passed away.

JP: Oh no.

Greg: I’m really sorry to hear that.

Kent: Yeah. Cat owners know—they tend to hide away and kind of fade off. She lived a good life, though.

Kent: I’m still the Cat Guy, but right now I don’t actually have a cat.

Greg: Condolences.

JP: Yeah, really sorry.

Kent: Thank you. It’s part of having pets—you just have to accept that their lives are shorter than ours.

Kent: We’ll have more cats in the future, but for now we’re taking a break.

JP: They really become part of your family.

Kent: They do. And for international teachers, it’s tough—we travel a lot, and pets feel that separation.

Greg: How old was Nunu?

Kent: She was about 14. She came with us from Seattle to Saudi and lived most of her life here.

Greg: That’s a good run.

Kent: Yeah, she was a great cat.

Greg: Maybe we can put a picture of her on the website.

Kent: Let’s do that.

Greg: All right—any happier highlights from the summer?

Kent: Yeah, actually. Pickleball. It’s everywhere.

Kent: We went to the park and there were about 20 people—lines of people waiting to play in the middle of the day.

Kent: It’s very social, very friendly. People just invited us to join right away.

Kent: That was a highlight—seeing people out, being active, meeting neighbors.

Greg: I’ve never played. Do you need all new equipment?

Kent: Not really. A paddle is maybe 30–50 dollars and a ball. That’s it.

Kent: When I was a kid, we’d make courts ourselves—paint lines, use saw horses for nets.

Kent: It’s very low barrier to entry.

Greg: Is it like ping pong and tennis had a baby?

Kent: That’s a fair way to put it.

JP: I’ve heard it’s exploding in Canada too.

Kent: It really is. Courts are even being converted from tennis.

Greg: That’s controversial.

Kent: Yeah, mixed feelings. But tennis courts often sit unused.

Greg: I’ve changed, by the way. I’m a new Greg.

JP: Oh boy.

Greg: The new Greg wants listeners to email us. We don’t get enough emails.

Greg: [internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com](mailto:internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com)

Greg: Tell us—pickleball, tennis, paddle—what’s happening where you live?

JP: I actually had a full-circle moment this week. I met a client who’s one of our biggest fans.

JP: He listened to 10 hours of the podcast while driving from Sydney to Melbourne.

Greg: That’s commitment.

JP: He said he didn’t even notice the drive because he was so into it.

Greg: That’s amazing.

JP: He’s now a client—so the podcast is working.

Greg: If you’re a binge listener, email us your story. We’ll shout you out.

Greg: We might call you Pepe.

JP: No, Pepe is taken.

Greg: We’ll go alphabetically.

JP: Like hurricanes.

Greg: All right, we’re getting weird.

Greg: My summer—landed in Miami mid-June. My friend from Venezuela picked me up.

Greg: Then my buddy from Green Bay arrived, and the three of us hung out—worlds colliding.

Greg: Venezuelan friend meets Green Bay friend—stories flying everywhere.

Greg: Then I went on a five-day cruise with Royal Caribbean.

Greg: I ate nonstop. I drank nonstop.

Greg: From 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.—every day.

Greg: You pay about $80 a day for unlimited drinks—and I made sure I got my money’s worth.

Greg: Breakfast included beer and Bloody Marys.

Greg: I might need a clinic after that.

JP: I’m not a big fan of cruises, but it’s really about who you’re with.

Greg: Exactly. Our best day was just sitting on the balcony, drinking and telling stories all day.

Greg: Then I went to see my parents—shout out to Mom and Dad. My mom is our number one listener.

Greg: Dad turned 81, and they’re coming up on their 60th anniversary.

JP: That’s amazing.

Greg: Then I went to Branson, Missouri—visited friends I used to work with.

Greg: And here’s another collision moment—my sister-in-law and nephew were there at the same time for a dance competition.

Greg: So I had friends from Saudi, family from the US, and connections from Switzerland all meeting in one place.

JP: That’s very international teacher life.

Greg: Exactly. Worlds colliding everywhere.

Greg: Then I went to Green Bay for the Fourth of July, saw more family, then Chicago to see friends.

Greg: While in Chicago, we were sitting by the pool when suddenly—tornado warning.

Greg: Five tornadoes touched down nearby. We had to run inside and hide in the basement.

JP: That escalated quickly.

Greg: Yeah, from poolside drinks to emergency shelter.

JP: Meanwhile, my summer highlight was… getting a laptop from Greg.

Greg: Ah yes, the great laptop saga.

JP: My old computer was 12 years old. Greg offered to send me one.

JP: But shipping to Mexico or Canada would cause customs issues.

JP: So we sent it to a UPS store in upstate New York.

JP: It got lost for a few days—marked as damaged—but eventually turned up.

Greg: Minor heart attack there.

JP: Then I had to cross the border to pick it up. And I needed a reason for a short visit.

JP: So I said I was going for Mexican food.

Greg: Naturally.

JP: I found a place called The Dirty Gringo and had lunch.

JP: Then at the border, when asked what I had to declare, I said, “Just a full tummy.”

Greg: That’s incredible.

JP: I also had a bag of US coins my mom gave me. Canadians hoard US coins and use them on trips.

JP: So I was that person counting pennies in line for 20 minutes.

JP: The woman behind me thought I couldn’t afford groceries and offered to help.

JP: I said, “No, I’m just Canadian.”

Greg: That checks out.

JP: Eventually made it back—with the laptop.

Greg: Without a charger.

JP: Yes—no charger.

Greg: I told her to buy one online. It’s just a USB brick.

JP: A learning moment.

Greg: Exactly.

Greg: All right, let’s take a moment for how to contact us.

Greg: You can find us at itpexpat.com or email us at [internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com](mailto:internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com).

Greg: We also have a Facebook group and Instagram at ITPExpat.

Greg: We’ve got listeners in over 100 countries, and we appreciate all of you.

Kent: All right, let’s bring it back. JP, what’s been going on with JP Mint Consulting this year?

JP: It’s been a big year. I’ve been working with a lot of teachers trying to break into international schools, and I’m seeing more competition than ever.

JP: But at the same time, there are still tons of opportunities. It’s just about positioning yourself well.

Greg: What does that mean exactly?

JP: Your CV, your experience, how you present yourself. Schools are being more selective, but they’re still hiring.

JP: I’m also seeing a lot of teachers making the jump later in their careers, which is interesting.

Kent: That’s good to hear. It’s not just for the early 20s crowd.

JP: Not at all. And honestly, sometimes those later-career teachers bring a lot of value.

Greg: What about regions? Where are people going right now?

JP: Asia is still huge. The Middle East continues to be strong. Europe is always competitive.

JP: And there’s growing interest in places like Central and South America.

Greg: That makes sense.

Kent: Any advice for someone listening right now who’s thinking about making the jump?

JP: Start early. Don’t wait until the last minute.

JP: And don’t self-select out. A lot of people think they’re not qualified when they actually are.

Greg: That’s a big one.

JP: Also, be flexible. Your first job might not be your dream location, but it gets your foot in the door.

Kent: That’s the gateway.

JP: Exactly.

Greg: Let’s talk about favorite episodes. We’re at 100—there have been a lot.

Kent: I always like the ones where we hear real stories—people getting into trouble, funny travel mishaps.

Greg: The police stories.

Kent: Exactly.

JP: I like the ones where we break things down practically—how to get a job, what to expect.

Greg: Those are helpful.

JP: And I think listeners appreciate that balance—stories and practical advice.

Greg: For me, it’s the connections. Hearing from people all over the world, different paths into international teaching.

Greg: It reminds me why we started this.

Kent: And the emails—we need more emails.

Greg: Always more emails.

JP: Always.

Greg: Let’s wrap with the future. What’s next for ITP?

Kent: More episodes, obviously.

JP: Maybe more video content.

Greg: Definitely more engagement with listeners.

Kent: And maybe a live event someday.

JP: That would be amazing.

Greg: All right, final thoughts?

JP: Just gratitude. 100 episodes is huge.

Kent: Agreed. Thanks to everyone who’s listened.

Greg: And here’s to the next 100.

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