{"id":8458,"date":"2021-08-16T17:22:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T17:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=8458"},"modified":"2025-09-18T10:57:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:57:46","slug":"member-spotlight-41-jess-gosling-an-international-teacher-working-in-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlight-41-jess-gosling-an-international-teacher-working-in-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"Member Spotlight #41: Jess Gosling (An international teacher working in Taiwan)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every so often International School Community<\/a><\/strong> is looking to highlight one of our members in our Member Spotlight<\/a> blog category.  This month we interviewed Jess Gosling<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Tell us about your background.  Where are you from?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hi,\nmy name is Jess Gosling and I\u2019ve been living and working abroad for more than\n10 years. I am from England, originally born in the South-East. I moved to the\nNorth of England when I started university and I consider the North-East my\nhome. Travel has always interested me and my first overseas trip backpacking\nwas when I was just 16, with a best friend. We took the ferry from Wales and\ntoured Ireland staying with relatives. I didn\u2019t think this was especially\nunusual at the time, but now I realise this was pretty adventurous! My next\ntrip abroad was at 19. I saved for a year to pay for a five-month trip around\nSouth East Asia. I meticulously planned it, reading the Lonely Planet from\ncover to cover. Once in Thailand, I loved almost every moment. I was crushed\nwhen it came to the end of the trip. I have always been interested in other\ncultures, and feel most connected and alive when abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nI returned to the UK to study for a degree in History and Race and Ethnic\nStudies. During the degree, I spent one semester in California and travelled in\nCentral and South America. After completing the degree, I worked again for a\nyear to save to fund beginning my first overseas job in Japan. I knew I would\nneed money for the first weeks and furnishing a new home. I was very keen to\nsee what teaching would be like. I joined a programme that offered teachers\nwith degrees the opportunity to become Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs).\nThere was nothing \u2018assisting\u2019 in the role. In reality, I planned, created\nresources, and taught independently. I taught in fourteen local primary schools\nthroughout Niigata, a city with almost no expats. This placement was\nfascinating, a city nestled between mountains and a beach. In the evening,\nafter work, I\u2019d go for a swim in the sea. At the weekends I\u2019d drive through the\nsurrounding mountains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\na year in Niigata, I transferred to an area just outside Tokyo where I worked\nin ten primary schools. There was a fantastic expat community here and I made\nfriends for life! The work was fun but exhausting. I knew I loved teaching,\nespecially in the younger years. Living in Japan was eye-opening and a first\ntaste of living outside of the UK. Working in local Primary schools was\nrewarding and interesting, but I felt that I didn\u2019t know enough about my\nprofession to do it justice. Hence, I decided to return to the UK to train to\nbecome a qualified teacher and move abroad again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you get started in the international teaching community?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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I\ndecided to return home to qualify to teach, through the Post Graduate\nCertificate in Education (PGCE) route. Before beginning the PGCE, I worked as a\nteaching assistant within Year 2 and Reception classes in a state-maintained\nschool, which was a brilliant experience. I was able to observe teachers closely\nand I learnt a lot about classroom management. I completed the PGCE and worked\ntwo further years in the UK and gained QTS. After a total of three and a half\nyears at home, I married and moved with my teacher husband to Egypt for our\nfirst experience teaching abroad in international schools. Whilst in Egypt, I\nexperienced the H1N1 panic (akin to the pandemic we experience now) and\nresulting school closures, in addition to the Arab Revolution, it certainly was\na baptism of fire!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which intern<\/strong>ational schools have you worked at?  Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My first school was Cairo English School<\/a>. It was a great place to work. I worked in Foundation Stage, which was the largest intake of the school, with 16 classes in Nursery and Reception! However, although it was a huge cohort, it felt like a community and the staff were close. The second school I worked at was in Vietnam, the ABC International School<\/a>. This school was smaller, with approximately three classes per year group, on separate campuses for infants and juniors. One Headteacher I worked for there made it his mission to have \u2018fun\u2019 experience days for the children, which included a circus day and on Chinese New Year, dragons and performers came to the playground. He was such a lively spirit, I remember seeing him trying to outdo the children waiting for their bus by standing on one leg. It\u2019s lovely to see management with a sense of fun and interacting with children on their level. In Taipei, I have loved working within Reception. We have developed our activities to be hands-on and experiential. We developed language through the five senses, which included bringing in animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Describe your latest cultural encounter (or reverse cultural encounter) in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The\nTaiwanese take hiking very seriously. They are always fully kitted out with\nwalking sticks, expensive sporting wear, and large hats. I usually meet them\njust wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, sunscreen too if I remember it. When our\npaths meet (literally) they are always exceptionally friendly and it\u2019s nice to\nget a greeting, often with an excellent English accent! Out and about in Taipei\ncity, this never happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This\nis a great question and one I discuss in-depth in my book. A good management\nteam is very important to me, representative of gender and diversity. This team\nshould listen to their staff and take on suggestions and feedback. They should\nnot be afraid to share their power and celebrate their staff\u2019s strengths. Then,\nI would look at the school ethos and how they work in practice. I like schools\nthat work on developing the whole child and have a family feel. Furthermore, I\nlove when schools embrace becoming \u2018eco\u2019 schools with gardens and working\nwithin the local and wider community. Then, I would consider the environment in\nwhich I would live. At this age and stage of my life, I would like to live near\nother families, so my daughter can have a social life close by outside of\nschool. These priorities are very different from when I first started teaching.\nThen, my focus was on location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exciting,\ninteresting, mind-opening experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks, Jess!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jess Gosling is an international teacher who has recently authored, \u2018Becoming a Successful International Teacher: A Step-by-Step Concise Guide to International Teaching\u2019<\/a>. She can be contacted via her website<\/a> and regularly tweets at JessGosling2<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Interested in comparing the schools and comments in Thailand. Check out our blog post here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every so often International School Community is looking to highlight one of our members in our Member Spotlight blog category.  This month we interviewed Jess Gosling: Tell us about your background.  Where are you from? Hi, my name is Jess Gosling and I\u2019ve been living and working abroad for more than 10 years. I am from England, originally born in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8460,"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":[1917,434,30,187,186,32,2720,530,267,2912,189],"class_list":["post-8458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-member-spotlights","tag-cairo-english-school","tag-international-education","tag-international-school-community","tag-international-school-educator","tag-international-school-teacher","tag-international-schools","tag-international-schools-in-egypt","tag-life-as-an-expat","tag-member-spotlight","tag-the-abc-international-school-in-vietnma","tag-veteran-international-school-teachers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Photo-1.jpeg?fit=631%2C820&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-2cq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1616,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-21-eugenia-papadaki-an-intl-school-director-currently-working-at-the-bilingual-school-of-monza\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":0},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #21: Eugenia Papadaki (An int\u2019l school director currently working at The Bilingual School of Monza)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"February 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Eugenia Papadaki: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am from Greece, have carried out all my higher education studies in England where I gained a BA in Foreign Modern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013-01-27 at 1.59.40 PM","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/01\/screen-shot-2013-01-27-at-1-59-40-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5993,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlight-36-cassandra-anthony-teacher-stamford-american-international-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":1},"title":"Member Spotlight #36: Cassandra Anthony (A teacher at Stamford American International School)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often\u00a0International School Community\u00a0is looking to\u00a0highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0blog category.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Cassandra White: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I'm originally from Sydney, Australia however as a child I lived in both Germany and the UK for various amounts\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\/2017\/03\/deepavali.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/deepavali.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/deepavali.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/deepavali.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1773,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-23-kerry-tyler-pascoe-an-intl-school-teacher-working-at-the-british-school-quito\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":2},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #23: Kerry Tyler Pascoe (An int\u2019l school director working at The British School Quito)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every 1-2 months\u00a0International School Community\u00a0will highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0feature.\u00a0 This month we interviewed\u00a0Kerry Tyler Pascoe: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am an Australian who calls Brisbane her hometown but I currently resides in Quito, Ecuador where I am the Director of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013-03-29 at 10.03.39 AM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Screen-Shot-2013-03-29-at-10.03.39-AM.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":755,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-member-spotlight-13-anne-llewellyn-an-international-teacher-working-in-peru\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":3},"title":"International School Community Member Spotlight #13: Anne Llewellyn (An international teacher working in Peru)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"May 31, 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 Anne Llewellyn: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? 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