February Newsletter
A TA in the UK
1st February 2008
Sassy, noisy and brash, London is an eccentric collection of diversity and entertainment. Its buildings, art and street culture have thrilled visitors for generations. Now it was my turn ...
The opportunity to obtain a UK working holiday visa, to work for one year and travel for the other, sounded rather enticing to me whilst trying to make career decisions back home in South Africa. As a recent graduate in search of good times, I took that bold step, and came to England.
Quickly settling into the fast paced lifestyle of a Londoner, I soon heard about TimePlan and joined their team. I found that working as a teaching assistant gave me the opportunity to experience a variety of schools and learning environments, opening up countless new experiences. What's more, a major plus to working in schools in the UK, was the vast amount of term breaks!
Taking full advantage of these breaks, I managed to fit in a fair amount of travelling. Among many travel destinations, I was able to celebrate St Patrick's Day in Ireland, Oktoberfest in Germany, see the pyramids in Egypt, and the beautiful Island of Ibiza. Being a teaching assistant in England seemed to be very worth my while! Thus, with my recent return from an unforgettable 2 month backpacking trip around Europe, travelling around 10 countries, only by rail and ship, I realized just how fortunate I was to be earning the powerful Pound!
However, playing hard requires you to work hard too. In addition to my teaching assistant work, I joined a promotions and events company as a part time job on weekends. Sometimes the last thing I wanted to do was get up early on a Saturday morning to work, but this proved to be great fun. I worked among the rich elite at Harrods Department Store, jived to an electrifying performance by the Rolling Stones at Twickenham Stadium, cheered for Chelsea at Fulham Cottage, waved at the Queen at the Royal Ascot Races, and was even part of a live audience for the Parkinson Show ... Ok maybe not working so hard after all ...
Looking back at all these memories, London truly has so much to offer. It's no wonder Samuel Johnson said 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'.
Written by Lucindi Ohlhoff, South African Teaching Assistant.