Sky’s Story
“I’m a Teaching Assistant in the East End of London.” This is what I said to people when they asked me what I did for a living. Most responded with a facial expression that could be seen by contortionists and often reacted with “…really, wow! That must be... interesting.”
I came to England after meeting UK locals while teaching in India. I arrived to rain, driven to my accommodation while listening to the Beatles and on top of that, I was offered fish and chips for dinner. At that point, I was fairly convinced that the pilot had landed in the right country.
Within 3 weeks of that unforgettable welcome, TimePlan found me work. I strangely enjoyed the daily commute on the train and tube; it made me feel like a local.
The primary school was a wonderful mix of nationalities and academic abilities, and while the school offered more than its fair share of extra curricular and after school activities, the staff still maintained a wonderful support system, which in turn created more of a community rather than an educational facility.
Being a teaching assistant with TimePlan allowed me to save up and enjoy school holidays. I travelled with friends to New York, Morocco, Helsinki and all over Europe. I quickly developed a habit of booking a flight every time I walked past a travel agent, and even now, back at home, I suffer a slight twitch going past flight centres. Another bonus of my job was going on excursions with the kids to London tourist destinations – for free!
Thanks to my experience in London, I have now got a job teaching life skills to underprivileged youth in Sydney. I often miss the land of black cabs, telephone boxes and pints, even if they don’t have all the sunshine in the world, London was still well worth it - ‘innit!