ITP - 33: From Budapest to Bangkok

Greg: All right, welcome everybody to our episode. I think you're going to totally enjoy this. First of all, I do have Kent the Cat Guy with me. Say hi, Kent.

Kent: Hi.

Greg: And I'm Greg, the single guy, and we're coming to you with the International Teacher Podcast today with our guest all the way from Budapest. This is Lindsay. How are you doing, Lindsay?

Lindsay: I'm good. Thanks for having me.

Greg: Kent, what do you think? Is this going to be exciting? Have you ever been to Budapest?

Kent: I went to the capital, Budapest, and I went to a little resort town called Eger.

Greg: Yeah, you know I'm a big bath guy. I like the fountains and the spas and all those things. I could spend days doing that. Well, he likes to talk really fast. This is about Lindsay, though. Kent, it's not about you.

Greg: Lindsay, can you start us off with a little bit of history of how you got into international teaching?

Lindsay: Yeah, so I've been teaching internationally since 2010. I think the way I got into it was I started out teaching English with a TEFL certificate in Florence, Italy. Then from there I was in Sardinia and not making any money, really poor, saving my cash in an envelope.

Lindsay: I had heard there was an international school in Florence, but I knew you needed to be properly certified. So I thought, what if I get this certification and then I can do the same thing properly?

Lindsay: While I was living in Sardinia, I applied to Teach for America, which was a two-year teaching program. I ended up getting sent to New York City, which was really where I wanted to go. Then it was hard to leave after only two years, so I ended up staying there five years.

Lindsay: What really pushed me to finally go abroad and teach was that I did a summer trip to Syria and Lebanon to study some Arabic, and I completely fell in love with Beirut.

Lindsay: I knew there were two international schools there, so I went straight home, started researching job fairs, and by January I had my job in Beirut.

Greg: Which job fair did you go to? This is one of my favorite questions.

Lindsay: I went to the Search job fair.

Greg: Can you tell us which city that Search was in?

Lindsay: Cambridge.

Greg: Okay, that's one of the big three. And I do have to plug my book. Lindsay, I published a book called Finding the Right Fit, and everybody can find it on Amazon and other places. I'm going to send you a copy just because you're one of our listeners and now a guest.

Greg: It's all about recruiting fairs and in general. I mention Search as one of the big three along with UNI and ISS. They all have their databases and everything.

Greg: I've been to probably six job fairs. I wrote the book to help people when they get there, because your first job fair is a roller coaster of emotion. What do I do next, right?

Lindsay: Yeah, I would have liked to have your book for that. I did cobble together a bunch of different articles and blog posts, so I felt pretty prepared. But it probably could have all been done in one book.

Greg: That's exactly what I wanted to do. If you read it, feel free to review it and give feedback. I love that.

Greg: So you ended up in Beirut, which was your top choice. I do have a question about that. You studied Italian, spent time in Italy, and then made a big jump to the Middle East. What prompted that?

Lindsay: That's a bit of a story. When I lived in Florence, I met a lot of Arab people, especially in the leather market where I worked one summer. I had a lot of Arab friends, particularly Lebanese and Jordanian.

Lindsay: I started reading books about the Middle East and learning more about Arab culture. In my last semester at Arizona State, I saw a poster for Arabic 101 and it fit my schedule, so I took it.

Lindsay: I kept studying Arabic in different places—New York, community college, wherever I could. I originally wanted to go to Yemen to study because a friend recommended it.

Lindsay: But a Jordanian friend convinced me to go to Syria instead. I planned to study there for two months and take a short trip to Beirut.

Lindsay: In my second week in Damascus, I took that trip to Beirut and completely fell in love with it. Syria was amazing, but Beirut just felt right.

Lindsay: I ended up spending one month in Syria and one month in Beirut.

Greg: So when you told your friends and family you were heading to Beirut to teach, what was their reaction?

Lindsay: They're kind of used to me by now. There was an initial “what?” and then I had to reassure them that it's not like what you see on the news.

Lindsay: My parents aren't super worldly, so they kind of trusted me when I explained it.

Greg: When did you realize you were interested in the wider world?

Lindsay: My aunt studied abroad in Florence when I was born. She always told me she'd take me to Italy when I turned 16, and she did.

Lindsay: That trip changed everything. I met people who had studied abroad and I just loved it. That connection with my aunt really started it.

Greg: I spent a lot of time in Italy too. I love Italian. I have a quick story—my friends told me there was a phrase I needed to learn, “she tomato.” I thought it was a real word.

Greg: Turns out it was just something we thought we heard on the subway. It wasn’t even a real word. I was trying to record it and everything.

Greg: Anyway, have you learned Hungarian while living in Budapest?

Lindsay: No, and as a language teacher I feel guilty about that. I had the best intentions. I even started classes before I moved here.

Lindsay: But people discouraged me right away. They said it was too hard. Even my coach at the gym said he’d been there three years and couldn’t learn it.

Lindsay: To be honest, I don’t really like the sound of it. But I’ve focused more on improving my Arabic and Italian instead.

Lindsay: I use a site called italki and work with a teacher regularly for Arabic. It’s been really helpful.

Greg: That’s great. A lot of international teachers think they need another language, but you really don’t. English is the lingua franca in most schools.

Greg: Kent’s learning Japanese and we’re nowhere near Japan.

Greg: Now I know something about you that the listeners may not know. What’s next for you?

Lindsay: I don't know if I'm going to study this language, but hopefully at least get an introduction. This is my last year in Budapest. I've been here eight years now, and I am soon on my way to Bangkok, Thailand.

Greg: Nice segue. I'm so excited for you. Do you want to say which school you're going to?

Lindsay: Yeah, I'm going to NIST. That was my top choice of location and school, so I couldn't be happier.

Greg: How did you get recruited for that? Did you reach out over email, since there wasn't much face-to-face this year?

Lindsay: Yeah, I got my resume together over the summer and made a little online website. I registered with Search again so I could access their database, and I started applying only to schools I was really interested in.

Lindsay: I think I applied to about 14 schools. I had a couple of interviews. The first one was at the end of September for ISB in Bangkok, which I was also really interested in.

Lindsay: I interviewed with several other schools over the next couple of months. Then just before Christmas break, after I had already given my resignation, three schools I was interested in popped up.

Lindsay: One of them was NIST. It was in my division, so I applied. They were trying to wrap things up before the break, so we had back-to-back interviews, and I found out I got the job on the last day of school before Christmas.

Greg: What was it like giving your resignation without having a job secured yet, especially after being there eight years?

Lindsay: It was definitely something I debated. Ideally, you find the perfect job before resigning. It almost happened for me with another school, but it didn’t.

Lindsay: I thought about waiting another year, but I’d already been there eight years. I didn’t want to delay again.

Lindsay: So I decided to go for it. The plan was to keep applying independently and attend a job fair if needed. I actually like job fairs—they’re exciting, even though I’m an introvert.

Lindsay: This was the first time I had to resign without having a job lined up, though. It was a bit stressful, but seeing those new job postings helped ease that feeling.

Greg: That’s a really good point. When you first go to a job fair, you don’t have international experience. Once you do, it changes everything.

Greg: Your network grows, and that helps a lot with finding jobs.

Greg: Let’s take a quick moment—if you want to reach out to us, you can email us at [internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com](mailto:internationalteacherpodcast@gmail.com). We’re also on Instagram at ITP Expats.

Lindsay: Your network really grows once you’re overseas. You see teachers come and go, and connections matter.

Lindsay: The job I got in Budapest came through a connection. My former head of school in Beirut encouraged me to apply and put in a good word.

Lindsay: And for this new job, my current head of school is connected to the school I’m going to, so that helped too.

Greg: That’s exactly how it works. Recruiters talk to each other at job fairs. They’re helping each other fill positions.

Greg: If you’re on good terms with your school, they’ll advocate for you.

Greg: I’ve had heads of school recommend me to others directly. It’s a small world.

Greg: In Beirut, I think you got the job because you genuinely loved the place.

Lindsay: I think so. I spent most of the interview talking about how much I loved Beirut.

Lindsay: They probably felt confident I would stay and be committed.

Greg: That makes a huge difference.

Kent: Lindsay, it’s been a while since you were the new teacher. How does it feel going somewhere new again?

Lindsay: It’s exciting, but I know I’ll have to prove myself again. It’s a new environment, and the school has high expectations.

Lindsay: But I’m really looking forward to it.

Kent: Are you thinking about how to meet new people again, like you wrote about before?

Lindsay: Yeah, I think that advice still applies. But Budapest has been different from Beirut. People here are less outwardly friendly, and language can be a barrier.

Lindsay: In Beirut, people were very welcoming and multilingual. Here, many events aren’t in English, which makes it harder to connect sometimes.

Lindsay: I think Bangkok will be more international and expat-friendly.

Greg: I love being the new teacher. It’s a fresh start.

Greg: You get to reinvent yourself a bit, go through onboarding again, and meet new people.

Greg: I’m excited for you. Bangkok is amazing, and I’ve got connections there if you ever need them.

Greg: Speaking of that, do you have a police story for us?

Lindsay: Nothing too exciting, but I was always nervous about getting pulled over here.

Lindsay: I had an issue with my parking permit, and since I didn’t have the right sticker, I got pulled over a lot.

Lindsay: I didn’t speak Hungarian, and the police didn’t speak English, so it was always stressful. Usually they just waved me on once they realized that.

Lindsay: Now it’s sorted out, and I have the proper permit.

Greg: That reminds me of my time in Cambodia. I used to get pulled over all the time on my motorbike.

Greg: They would make up reasons to fine you, basically looking for money.

Greg: At first I paid, but eventually I got fed up. One time I just drove off into oncoming traffic to avoid them.

Greg: Probably not the safest move, but I was done playing that game.

Greg: Anyway, Bangkok is fantastic. You’re going to love it—the food, the culture, everything.

Greg: What made you choose Bangkok specifically?

Lindsay: I visited Thailand before, and I loved it. I always hear people say you either love Bangkok right away or you don’t, and I just did.

Lindsay: I liked the mix of old and new, traditional and modern. I’m a city person, but I also like those smaller, more intimate areas within a big city.

Lindsay: When I visited, I actually stayed on the same street as the school I’m going to work at now. I walked around the area and just loved the feel of it.

Lindsay: It felt like it had everything—modern conveniences but also things that felt new and different to me. I loved the food, the people, and just the overall atmosphere.

Kent: You mentioned your blog earlier. You’ve been writing for quite a while. Were you always interested in blogging and sharing your experiences?

Lindsay: I had a blog when I was teaching in New York. I think I started it because I had been reading other blogs while researching Teach for America and international teaching.

Lindsay: Those blogs helped me understand what I was getting into, so I wanted to do the same for others. It’s also a way to keep a record of my experiences.

Lindsay: Sometimes I wish I had written more, because it’s really nice to look back on those memories.

Lindsay: I also did a photo-a-day project for several years. I would take a photo every day and write a caption to go with it. It became like a daily journal.

Greg: I love that. I do something similar with newsletters. It’s like a diary you can look back on.

Greg: It’s also great for sharing experiences with others. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy doing this podcast.

Kent: When you started your blog, who was your audience?

Lindsay: I think I had this idea that people would read it. It was during the time when blogs were really popular.

Lindsay: When I lived in Beirut, there was a strong community on Twitter. We would have meetups, and a lot of those people had blogs.

Lindsay: Back then, I had a lot more readers and comments. Now I’m less consistent, so fewer people read it, but I still write for myself.

Greg: That’s the best reason to do it.

Greg: How can our listeners find your blog?

Lindsay: You can find it at thepresentperfect.wordpress.com. I also have a Twitter account, @missemteaches, where I post about teaching.

Greg: Awesome. What’s your next creative project?

Lindsay: I haven’t thought too much about it yet, but maybe I’ll do another photo-a-day project starting when I arrive in Bangkok.

Lindsay: It’s a big commitment, but it’s really rewarding to have that record.

Greg: That would be great. It’s so easy now with phones.

Greg: Kent, any final questions?

Kent: Lindsay, do you have any advice for teachers who are thinking about going international?

Lindsay: If you’re not already doing it, I recommend it. There’s a whole world out there where you can do what you love in a different environment.

Lindsay: It can be a really positive experience.

Greg: Have you convinced anyone to make the move?

Lindsay: A colleague from Brooklyn followed a similar path after I left, which was really cool to see.

Lindsay: When I was back in the US, I used to talk to teachers about it all the time. That’s actually what inspired me to start interviewing other international teachers for my blog.

Greg: I love that idea. I hope you keep doing those interviews.

Greg: It would be great to build a network or even an app that tracks where international teachers have worked.

Greg: It’s such a small world, and everyone is connected somehow.

Greg: Lindsay, thank you so much for being on the show. This has been a great conversation.

Kent: Yes, thank you. It’s been a pleasure.

Lindsay: Thank you for having me.

Greg: And that’s our show. Thanks for listening to the International Teacher Podcast.