{"id":2418,"date":"2025-08-21T07:39:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T07:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=2418"},"modified":"2025-08-21T07:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T07:39:48","slug":"new-veteran-international-school-teachers-arrived-wont-stop-complaining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/new-veteran-international-school-teachers-arrived-wont-stop-complaining\/","title":{"rendered":"The New International Teachers Have Arrived\u2026 and They Can\u2019t Stop Comparing!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every August, it happens again. A wave of fresh faces shows up at your international school\u2014excited, energetic, and brimming with potential. They carry with them the promise of new ideas, innovation, and the kind of energy that makes everyone think, yes, this is going to be a great year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then\u2026 lunchtime hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That dreaded phrase inevitably drops, sometimes casually, sometimes with a sigh:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, at my last school\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cue the inner eye-roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guilty As Charged<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll be honest\u2014I\u2019ve been that teacher<\/em>. Twice. I know exactly what it\u2019s like to arrive in a new country and immediately compare everything: the pay, the students, the cafeteria food, even the commute. Looking back, I\u2019m amazed anyone wanted to sit with me at lunch in those early weeks. (To the colleagues who endured my endless stories about my time in Singapore\u2014you deserve medals.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when I hear the new hires now, six weeks into the school year, still holding court about how things were \u201cso much better\u201d back at their old school, I get it. Really, I do. International hires bring a wealth of experiences that can strengthen and enrich their new community. But maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014there\u2019s a better way to share those insights without turning every conversation into a round of \u201cGuess how much better it was where I used to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Top 10 Most Annoying Things New Teachers Say<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s my list of the greatest hits I\u2019ve heard from new teachers over the years. If you\u2019re a veteran, you\u2019ve heard these too. If you\u2019re new\u2014maybe consider this a gentle warning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At my last school\u2026<\/strong>
1. \u201cWe got paid more and had better benefits.\u201d
\u2013 That\u2019s too bad. Maybe next time check the package before signing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cThe students were more respectful and quieter.\u201d
\u2013 Or maybe it\u2019s time to tighten up those routines and management strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cEveryone spoke English\u2014parents and kids.\u201d
\u2013 Welcome to international education! You\u2019re here to teach English, not inherit it. As for parents, there\u2019s usually a translator a WhatsApp message away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cWe were a Mac school, with iPads for every teacher. The facilities were amazing.\u201d
\u2013 Research your next move carefully\u2014shiny tech and fancy gyms aren\u2019t always part of the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cLunch is so greasy here.\u201d
\u2013 You\u2019re complaining about free food? With unlimited salad and fruit? Come on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u201cEveryone was best friends at my last school.\u201d
\u2013 That\u2019s because they\u2019d worked together for years. Friendships don\u2019t appear during orientation week; you\u2019ve got to invest the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my last city\/country\u2026<\/strong>
7. \u201cThe commute was shorter.\u201d
\u2013 Cars, scooters, bikes, buses\u2014it\u2019s all part of the adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. \u201cHealthcare was better, and the doctors spoke English.\u201d
\u2013 Plenty do here too\u2014and yes, healthcare might even be free. Language? Give it a shot yourself.

9. \u201cThis city is dirty\/smelly\/chaotic.\u201d
\u2013 And yet, you\u2019re living in a place where mountains, beaches, and skyscrapers are often within a short drive. Not bad.

10. \u201cEveryone spoke English.\u201d
\u2013 Then why move abroad? Learning to live in another language is half the joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Remember Why You Moved<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all carry fond memories of our last schools, our favourite cities, and our previous expat lives. But it\u2019s important to remember: things weren\u2019t perfect there either, or else you wouldn\u2019t have left. There were reasons you chose to make this move. Reasons you wanted a fresh start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, new teachers\u2014share your knowledge, bring your expertise, but don\u2019t let your comparisons drown out the present. Because the best part of international teaching isn\u2019t behind you\u2014it\u2019s in the opportunities you have right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was submitted by a guest author and International School Community member.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Originally hailing from Connecticut, but a true New England-er through and through, this member was born to two fun loving Irish folks who instilled the love of culture, tradition and travel at ripe young age. They spent the majority of my childhood traveling back and forth between the US and Ireland\/England, visiting family and thus began their life abroad.  After graduating from Springfield College (Massachusetts) and with a bit of luck, a colleague recommended a job in Singapore, which in turn started their International Teaching Career. After a few years in Singapore, it was time to head somewhat closer to home and they landed a job at the American School of Barcelona<\/a>, teaching 4th and 5th Grade, where they’re currently at.  Food, traveling, reading, family\/friends and football (Gaelic) are the few things they can\u00b4t live without!)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every August, it happens again. A wave of fresh faces shows up at your international school\u2014excited, energetic, and brimming with potential. They carry with them the promise of new ideas, innovation, and the kind of energy that makes everyone think, yes, this is going to be a great year. And then\u2026 lunchtime hits. That dreaded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[29,30,187,186,32,748,60,489,1804,189,1360],"class_list":["post-2418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discussion-topics","tag-international-school","tag-international-school-community","tag-international-school-educator","tag-international-school-teacher","tag-international-schools","tag-new-teacher-orientation","tag-teaching-abroad","tag-teaching-at-international-schools","tag-tessa-mcgovern","tag-veteran-international-school-teachers","tag-working-at-an-international-school"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Screenshot-2025-08-17-at-10.20.01.png?fit=894%2C602&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-D0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1413,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/blogs-of-international-school-teachers-all-you-need-to-know-about-teaching-overseas\/","url_meta":{"origin":2418,"position":0},"title":"Blogs of international school teachers: \u201cAll you need to know about teaching overseas.\u201d","author":"ISCommunity","date":"September 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you inspired to start up a blog about your adventures living abroad? 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