Every so often International School Community is looking to highlight one of our members in our Member Spotlight blog category.  This month we interviewed Carl Gavin:

Tell us about your background.  Where are you from?

I was born in Sussex in the UK but at three months of Age my family moved to Yemen and my globetrotting began! I actually left school at 16 and joined the RAF where I had 10 great years ending up flying Chinook and Puma helicopters in air tests around the South of England but then reality bit and I needed to make my mind up as to whether to sign on for the full 22 years or to leave and get a “proper” job. I decided upon the latter and was lucky enough to find a 2 year teaching degree which took into account my RAF qualifications. After I graduated I found a job teaching at the John Lyon School in Harrow which was great. I was trained as a cricket coach as well as an Outward Bound and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award leader, things which have helped me later on in my career.

How did you get started in the international teaching community?

In 1998 my then girlfriend, now wife, and I decided to travel further afield that normal for our summer break. We had 8 weeks holiday and jetted off to Bangkok to discover South East Asia. One evening in a bar on Koh Samui we met a couple who were teachers in Hong Kong at an ESF school and our futures were sealed. We had no idea that we could teach our subjects overseas to the same exam standards as in the UK but after we returned we spent the next year scouring the pages, yes pages, no online apps in those days, of the TES looking for jobs in Thailand. As it turned out there were no suitable ones for DT and Geography teachers but we managed to pick ones up at Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur. We were on our way.

Which international schools have you worked at?  Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.

We have now been overseas for 26 years and have worked at quite a few schools. Garden in KL, Bangkok Patana, St Christophers in Bahrain, Dulwich College in China and now a few more franchise schools back in Bangkok where we also saw the birth of our two children. They all had their quirks and as with all schools good points and not so good. One of the things that I have always treasured is the people that we have met along the way. People from many countries and walks of life but who seem to be of a common mindset to get out and to explore the countries that we have chosen to live in. We are still in touch with many and have visited them in Australia, South Africa and other parts of the world. In my first year I led a group of Y-7 to 10 kids in a climb of Mount Kinabalu, one of the highest mountains in Asia. Bangkok Patana was notable for the wonderful year group trips that we went on as well as the Duke of Edinburgh’s award trips to the likes of Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket and Sam Roi Yot. We weren’t at St Christopher’s very long but we did manage some interesting D of E trips in the rocky desert, weekend trips to Qatar and Oman as well as a wonderful ski trip to Switzerland. China was a wonderful time, the school was new and exciting but travelling to Tibet, The Great Wall, Chengdu to see the pandas as well as -30 degree Harbin for the ice festival will live with me for ever, we also travelled to Switzerland and Russia, Hong Kong and the Philippines on school trips. Back now in Bangkok and with a family times are a little different to our first time here but we actually had a good time during covid when travel outside the country was barred but not internal so we had two eight week summer breaks on Koh Samui when it was almost empty except for other international teachers and the locals as well as a wonderful Christmas break driving around the hilly and beautiful North of the country. We have an almost full bingo card with 2 coups, A tsunami, our home being flooded to 4 feet, Covid, SARS and just this March our first proper earthquake. No one can ever say that things have been dull.

Describe your latest cultural encounter (or reverse cultural encounter) in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.

Before flying to the UK for the summer I flew up to Sukhothai about an hour North of Bangkok. It is an ex Thai capital city from the 12th and 13th centuries as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage site and is full of architectural wonders from a bygone age. I spent a week riding around on a bike taking in the sites and taking endless photographs. Thailand never ceases to surprise with its beauty and wealth of ancient monuments.

What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?

Because I have been around the block a few times one of the first things that I will do is to see if I know anyone who works there. First hand experience trumps website blather every time.

If I can visit the school I will for the same reason as above.

I look at the website to see how professional the place looks and also to look at the facilities if I am unable to visit.

If it were to be in a country I had not lived in before I would look at the package and then try to work out the type of lifestyle that it would afford me.

Exam results, I have a family and want what is best for them

The health insurance is important not just because I am getting older but because if a school does not look after its employees health then what other ways does it skimp?

I always look at the websites where real teachers tell their stories. Many can be taken with a pinch of salt but if there is a pattern over 20 or so reviews then there is probably some truth to them.

In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?

Exhilarating, Enlightening, Entertaining, Eclectic but above all Enjoyable!

Thanks, Carl!

If you are a member of International School Community and would like to be our next member spotlight, contact us here.  After we highlight you, you will receive one year free of premium access to our website!

Interested in comparing the schools and comments in Bangkok. Check out our blog post here.