enigma48's Journal: Teachers College

Alternate title: When rejection is good news.

I applied to several Teachers Colleges in Ontario last December and got all my notices today - all rejections. With average-ish grades and below-average experience, there was a slim chance of finding a spot. Especially when the demand for teachers is going up but no (ok, ONE) Teachers Colleges being built or expanded in Ontario. Very competitive.

The good news? A few months back, I started looking into attending Teachers College in another country. (British) Commonwealth countries have very similar standards for Teachers College so it doesn't much matter where I get my Bachelor of Education, nor where I use it.

I think I've settled on Australia. England is way too expensive, the US is simply too much like Ontario but nearly as expensive as England, New Zealand... hmm, never thought about it much.

I'm not the travelling type. The idea of living in Australia scares me a bit - I've moved 10 times in my life, all within 20 km. (7 times within 5km, once down the same street...) This is completely out of character for me.

On the other hand, I think this is an amazing chance. A decade ago, I was pretty much in the top percentiles of shyness; I'm no where near the same person I was before but I still have a lot of room to grow. Living in the same area, same friends, etc helped stabilize my very rocky life. This sort of massive shock to my life may be the best thing I ever do.

It'll certainly be the most expensive :). But on a working-life-income scale, still a drop in the bucket. My other option is to work for a year in low-paying teaching jobs, hoping the experience helps me look better for applying next year within Ontario.

I'm not in a rush to get on with life, but I'm turning 25 soon. I can't think of any single exceptional reason to delay things further - as is, I'll be close to 27 just after finishing Teachers College.

I know I don't have much of a readership here, but if anyone wants to add some words of wisdom (teaching, life, **living in australia**, moving to a new continent, travel concerts regarding moving to a new continent...) I'd love to hear it.

I've been in survival mode for about 10 weeks now; I'm *so* glad I get to take some time now to reflect a little. Just hope this cold I'm developing doesn't go much further. One gland was pretty swollen but is feeling much smaller today.