{"id":373,"date":"2011-07-06T21:17:47","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T21:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=373"},"modified":"2012-02-26T21:18:15","modified_gmt":"2012-02-26T21:18:15","slug":"member-spotlight-5-katie-jervis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlight-5-katie-jervis\/","title":{"rendered":"Member spotlight #5: Katie Jervis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each month International School Community<\/a> will highlight one of our members.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Katie Jervis<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from?<\/strong>
\nI was born and raised in a city just outside of Toronto, Canada, but I haven\u2019t lived there since 2005.<\/p>\n

How did you get started in the international teaching community?<\/strong>
\nI first left Canada in 2005 to teach English in South Korea. Originally, I was only going to go for a year in an attempt to save enough money to pay for teachers college in the UK and get relevant teaching experience.\u00a0 Then one year turned into two because I was really enjoying life there and started to recognise all the benefits of living abroad (eg. travel, new cultures, new friends, free accommodation etc.).\u00a0 After the two years, I went to the UK to get my teaching degree as I had originally planned.\u00a0 Living in the western world again was a bit of a shock and made me appreciate my experience in Korea even more.\u00a0 It was then that I decided to look for jobs at international schools in Asia\u2026life just seemed to be more exciting and a bit easier abroad.\u00a0 After sending out applications to random schools, and going to a job fair, my boyfriend and I finally got offered jobs at the same school in Shanghai. We accepted and have been here ever since.<\/p>\n

Which international schools have you worked at?\u00a0 Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.<\/strong>
\nThe only international school that I have worked at is Shanghai Rego International School<\/a>. It is unique in that it is quite small but really has a nice mix of nationalities amongst the students. The children are really lovely there and are generally very easy to teach.<\/p>\n

Describe your latest cultural encounter in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.<\/strong>
\nAt our school, all the teaching assistants are Chinese, so I usually learn something new about the Chinese culture every day.\u00a0 There are lots of teaching assistants that always get really dolled up for work and dress to the nines every day (short skirts, high heels, hair done, lots of makeup, etc). Recently, I was very surprised to see one particularly glam T.A. come in wearing clothes that looked like pyjamas, a radiation-proof apron (supposedly), thick glasses, greasy hair, etc).\u00a0 It turns out that she had just found out that she was pregnant and the Chinese have very strong ideas on what women can and cannot do when they are pregnant, so I learned some pretty unique rules and traditions.\u00a0 For example, you can only look at beautiful things when you are pregnant if you want to have a beautiful baby. Although these traditions sound strange, they are very interesting to learn about!<\/p>\n

What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?<\/strong>
\nWhen I\u2019m searching for a new school, I look for several things. I like busy and bustling cities, so that is a must.\u00a0 I also look at the salary and if that can provide us with the lifestyle we\u2019re looking for. Health and dental care is also crucial and accommodation or living allowance is key.<\/p>\n

In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?<\/strong>
\nExciting, interesting, enlightening, educational and unique.<\/p>\n

Thanks Katie!\u00a0 If you are a member of International School Community<\/a> and would like to be our next member spotlight, contact us here<\/a>.\u00a0 If we choose to highlight you, you will get a coupon code\u00a0 to receive 6 months free of premium access to our website!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each month International School Community will highlight one of our members.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Katie Jervis: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I was born and raised in a city just outside of Toronto, Canada, but I haven\u2019t lived there since 2005. How did you get started in the international teaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19],"tags":[804,37,271,30,755,32,57,33,805,267,92,269,750,806],"class_list":["post-373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-member-spotlights","tag-canada","tag-china","tag-international-educator","tag-international-school-community","tag-international-school-review","tag-international-schools","tag-international-teacher","tag-international-teaching","tag-member-highlight","tag-member-spotlight","tag-shanghai","tag-shanghai-rego-international-school","tag-south-korea","tag-toronto"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-61","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-9-annette-harvey\/","url_meta":{"origin":373,"position":0},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #9: Annette Harvey","author":"ISCommunity","date":"January 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 monthsInternational School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Annette Harvey: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am from Cheadle, Staffordshire in England. How did you get started in the international teaching community? A long term relationship had broken up and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/screen-shot-2012-01-24-at-9-58-58-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":453,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlight-3-clare-rothwell\/","url_meta":{"origin":373,"position":1},"title":"Member spotlight #3: Clare Rothwell","author":"ISCommunity","date":"April 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Each month International School Community will highlight one of our members.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Clare Rothwell: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am from South Africa.\u00a0 I started my teaching career in Taiwan as a way to pay off my student loan. 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During my third year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Denes-Tilistyak-and-sons.jpg?fit=898%2C1100&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Denes-Tilistyak-and-sons.jpg?fit=898%2C1100&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Denes-Tilistyak-and-sons.jpg?fit=898%2C1100&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Denes-Tilistyak-and-sons.jpg?fit=898%2C1100&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":313,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-6-taylor-smith\/","url_meta":{"origin":373,"position":3},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #6: Taylor Smith","author":"ISCommunity","date":"September 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Each month International School Community will highlight one of our members.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Taylor Smith: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? 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I grew up in a beautiful beach side suburb called Mount Eliza, which is close to the Mornington Peninsula in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/11\/p1100666.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1330,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-15-tara-moore-an-international-teacher-currently-working-at-colegio-granadino\/","url_meta":{"origin":373,"position":5},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #15: Tara Moore (An international teacher currently working at Colegio Granadino)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"August 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 months International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our Member Spotlight feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Tara Moore: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? 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