1) Uluru – OISE student teachers and other Leading Out teachers just returned from a great 4 day camping trip to the Outback and they have said it was incredible!

2) Great Barrier Reef – don’t miss one of the 7 wonders of the world.

3) Tasmania – a secret haven not to be missed (although cold this time of year so may want to consider a summer visit!).

4) Fraser Island, Whitsundays – Warm, so many fun outdoor activities!

5) Vietnam – beautiful country, affordable and warm!

6) Thailand – relaxing, beautiful people, great shopping!

7) Japan – unbelievable country and although going through a hard time, really is worth a visit!

8) New Zealand – incredible and one of the islands can definitely be done in 2 weeks; fantastic skiing!

9) China – history, unique, worth a visit!

The post It’s that Time of Year Again to Travel out of Melbourne! appeared first on Leading Out.

In July it is Winter in Australia which actually means great things when it comes to travel. Not only as teachers do you have 2 weeks off at the beginning of July, but you have so many places to choose from to visit.

In this series of blogs we will discuss a number of good places to visit in July. If you are interested in any of the places or tours, then contact us and we can help you arrange a memorable trip!

Trips in Australia

1) Uluru (Ayers Rock)

2) Fraser Island

3) Whitsundays

4) Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast

5) Kakadu National Park

Watch here for details on each of the July holiday trips in Australia.

The post July Holiday Ideas – Blog Series appeared first on Leading Out.

Hey, Teacher: What are you Doing with your Life?

Are you tired and overworked? Do you feel drained in January? Do you look forward one week off in March to return in March and feel exhausted? Has a 20-week term got you down? Here’s the answer: MOVE TO AUSTRALIA!

WARNING: this is not a sales pitch, this is pure enthusiasm. I used to teach in Ontario, and then I got out of there! No jobs? There’s lots of teaching jobs in Australia. Insufficient recovery time? It’s sufficient in Australia.

What’s ‘the Catch’?

The first thing on your mind is salary: yes! It’s the same (pretty much)! And, it’s not so different with the exchange rate that you will feel hard-done-by. So now that we’ve got that settled, I would
MOVE TO AUSTRALIA!

The School year starts in January—no more of that “2005-2006” split school year crap. The year starts in the same calendar year as it finishes – this makes perfect sense. And even better, the school year starts at the end of January! This means that since you finished before Christmas (and usually in the first couple of weeks of December!) that you have had at least a 6-week break over summer. (Remember the seasons are opposite to North America!)

Are you worried a 6-week break is not long enough?

I used to believe that six weeks paled in comparison to the treat of two months off from school.

Let’s be frank: we are talking about a two-week difference. Furthermore, if you still aren’t feeling rested enough—and this is not the experience of any of my colleagues—never-the-less, if you feel it is not enough: let me point out that in Victoria, you receive the students on February 1st and wave goodbye at the end of Term 1 eight weeks later.

“Terms” are far more intelligent than semesters.

Let’s face it, teaching is freaking exhausting. I worked three jobs in university, going to school full-time and that was so easy and fun in comparison to the absolute exhaustion I feel in teaching. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done!

Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching, but after leaking knowledge all day, you need time to recover so that you don’t turn into that screaming ‘educator’ who hates the world and blackens the hearts of innocent young children just from their sheer exhaustion.

School Holiday Schedule:

April holidays last two weeks, and then you will have a longer term of just twelve weeks until June. Mind you, it is a term filled with many phone calls to home as the honeymoon is over; all of our work habits are

starting to exude their areas of improvement! However, July’s two week holiday can see you up in Noosa relaxing on the beach or skiing up in ‘the snow’ in north-west Victoria.

The nine weeks that last until the end of term can be a challenge for sure, but you will still have a two-week break in September to recuperate once again, ensuring that you return to school with a genuine smile on your face, ready to face the year ahead.

The official school year usually winds down in November too, allowing December a time for transition and excitement for the year ahead. You have a few weeks to do some pre-planning for the new year. It all just–works.

So, seriously, MOVE TO AUSTRALIA.

Post-Script:

A final note, education research is always comparing Victorian education with Ontario curriculum like some sibling rivalry—but on this one note I happen to concur that the Aussies do it better.

The post Thinking of Moving to Australia? RE: Teaching Holidays appeared first on Leading Out.

Although there is plenty to visit every holiday within Australia, I have been “keen” (Aussie, for ‘excited’) to see Asia since so many of my ESL students are from this continent.

I currently don’t teach any Vietnamese students, but in our language class, we are always sharing the words we know in other languages, so I’m excited to return and show the kids my ability to count to 10 and to ask for the bill!

Learning a new language is a big “plus” on my list when you travel.

The Vietnamese that I have met so far are great language teachers, and everytime I try out a few words from my Lonely Planet Vietnamese phrase book (an awesome purchase!) I get huge smiles. Of course, I learned yesterday that it’s probably because everytime I try to say “hello” (“sin jao”) we are saying “rice wine”–sort of an odd greeting…!

I’m stll working on the whole “6 tones thing”, but I love the way my phrase book sorts out the pronunciation…I just get a bit confused because of how Aussies would say some vowel combinations vs. my inner Canadian self.

Of course, my phrasebook fits in my pocket, so I can keep checking where the tone marker is meant to happen. I was first sold on the phrasebook when we travelled around Italy for 5 weeks. We met a girl who kept it on her constantly, and by the end of her trip, her Italian had become so good, we didn’t know how we would survive without her language ability (in the south).

Like Italian, Vietnamese “makes sense” as a language. Once you work out a few rules, you can have great success. And as I’ve already said, the locals are realy appreciative and patient so you can get plenty of practice speaking.

The other reason I really wanted to see Vietnam, was the photos my sister-in-law showed after her trip. The colours on the streets, let along the ocean are way better than even the National Geographic cliche will hold.

We’ve just come back from the Mekong River. Tonight we head to Mui Ne for some ocean resort love.

Better run to catch my bus! I love being a teacher today!!!

The post Teaching in Aus? Don’t Miss Vietnam! appeared first on Leading Out.