The International Schools Review Forum

I am in a committed relationship with a non teaching partner. What kind of questions does she need to answer for herself when deciding to go with me overseas? What does she have to be willing to put up with? What are the things that you never thought would be issues that you wish you had done to make a softer landing for the two of you when you began your your teaching position?
Thanks in advance.

Some questions she might have to ask herself include:

-what will I do if I can't work,
-am I comfortable in an environment where many, if not all, of our friends are teachers and work with my partner,
-do I like to get out and explore new cities and experience new cultures, sometimes on my own,
-am I willing to volunteer my time,
-am I comfortable going without benefits (not necessarily true but a possibility)?

We have a couple of non teaching partners here and they seem to be doing just fine, some even better than fine.

I agree with the previous post.

Boredom is a huge issue, especially if you are somewhere where the language/culture etc is quite foreign. I had a friend in this position when I worked in China and she found it really hard. She began to hate hanging out with her partner and his school collegues because all the talk was about work.

I am not sure this a deal breaker, but your partner would need to be really independent and have interests (such as doing a course, or a genuine interest in the country you live in).