We put up the trampoline, hauled out the patio furniture, got seeds for the garden, and thought about attracting the regular visits from humming birds and summer songbirds. Hummingbirds… I wondered if they would come back after a year away?

It was one of those funny little realizations, a moment of clarity: the way we experience our space here is  going to be very different than our partner. They aren’t here to feed the birds and tend the garden. They probably won’t set up the pool and trampoline. And while the deck and patio will be welcoming spaces after a work day, weekends will likely be spent out exploring, road trips, and excursions. Our home may simply be a roof and bed while they experience their new surroundings. I tended to imagine exchanging with a family just like us with the same values and interests, but I know that is very unlikely to be the case and we’re ok with that.

The places we want to go, things we want to see, excursions we want to take will have us out and about more often than not, I suspect. Each person’s exchange is their own to make. An Australian exchange teacher here in Canada, for example, planned a two month summer holiday to Europe to capitalize on the extended time off while others stayed close to their exchange home taking in local culture and exploring local geography.

Part of me really wants to play host and set up an amazing space for our partners but I realize too that their interests and plans will not necessarily revolve around my own family’s life experience here. Likewise when we’re there. If there is a roof overhead and a warm bed to sleep in, we’ll manage the rest. Weekend excursions, trips away on term breaks, etc. will mean the extra amenities are probably less of a concern. We’ll be traveling more than nesting and hibernating.

The seasonal ebb and flow of belongings is routine for us: trading the lawn mower for the snow blower, turning off the outside water supply, storing patio chairs and umbrellas and pulling out the skis and toboggans. For the exchange partner and ourselves, we may just have other priorities.

Have you been on exchange? What did you find about the extra amenities and comforts of the exchange home?

Earlier in the year we received notice of a possible match. The e-mail from the exchange coordinator indicated a possible match and included the exchange’s application package. These packages have information about the location, the teaching role, and the accommodations. It was very exciting to finally receive a match possibility after 18 months since first applying.

Reading through the package and looking up what we could online and with Google Maps, we got a sense of what was on the table. The grade levels were just outside the range I was hoping for and the location was challenging. I worked in similar places early in my career and could have taken on the challenges of that unique location, but travelling with my wife and son, there was more to consider. What social and recreational opportunities exit for her when I’m at work. What current activities can he maintain from home and what new possibilities are there in this new location? For myself, I had to consider whether it was really the kind of challenge I wanted for the year.

In the end we declined the offer knowing, as late in the year as it was, that it might be our only offer, yet not wanting to take an exchange just for the sake of the exchange. It was hard to say no, but we knew it was just too different from what we were hoping.

July brought notice that matching processes were complete for the year and the unmatched start to reach out seeking a suitable exchange on their own. It is  short window as they need to be made in time for the official paperwork and visas to be processed. That is where we find ourselves at the time of this post.

Fingers crossed…

It is not too late for Canadians to apply for an international teaching exchange, but you do need to act quickly. Find your local program in this blog roll. Most Canadian and Australian programs are listed.

Applications require aproval from your school administrator and your superintendent which may also require approval at a school board meeting.

Canadian application deadlines are typically at the end of November. PLEASE CHECK THE ACTUAL DEADLINES FOR YOUR PROVINCAL PROGRAM.

Australian teachers have a bit longer – your applications are typically due mid December. CHECK THE SPECIFIC DATES FOR YOUR PROGRAM.

Canadian applications are sent to the Australian state specified by the applicant. There they are matched according to desired location, teaching responsibilities, and suitability of accommodations. If a suitable match is made, participants, administrators, and school boards receive the packages. Each examines the match suitability. It the match is not suitable, another match is sought out.

Have a look at our timeline documenting our own experience with the application process.

On the surface a teaching exchange is about the travel. We imagine the shape of the continent, kangaroos, sunshine, beaches and barbecues, iconic landmarks from an aerial point of view. It is a third-person perspective, the forest view.

This past summer we were in contact with an Australian teacher who was also not matched. Our qualifications matched, but living situations didn’t. During our correspondence, we spent considerable time in first-person exploration of an exchange; street-view thinking, so to speak, and literally in Google Earth.

Having a specific place to consider broughtour thinking to the ground – considering the minutiae of an exchange. Where to get groceries, the commute to school, how garbage and recycling is collected, looking for a piano teacher, where is the closest sport fencing club, etc,

The continent view turns into a specific classroom with individual students and their families. The staff list become your colleagues, the policy manual and handbook guiding moment to moment decision making. It really is an enormous undertaking: professional challenge and social upheaval. But challenge is rewarding too. Exchange bloggers comment on the challenge, but none regrets the experience.

The problem so far is….everything here takes me so much longer!!  I could tell you where almost every item in all of Clandonald School is located but couldn’t find a hole punch here.  Little things like different sized paper, 2 ring binders, none of my personal teacher resources and not being able to understand my own timetable were setting me off!   I have a binder of great Math and COGS plans left for me but couldn’t understand them or find the resources to teach them.   Between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night, my culture shock was sky rocketing!
http://jackson6adventuresdownunder.weebly.com/2/previous/2.html

People ask me what I miss most from Canada.  I tell them “ my reputation from school.”   Having 20+ years of experience and having to start again like a first year teacher is not something I can say I enjoy.

 I have been teaching for 4 weeks now and finally feel as though I am settling in.  The first two weeks I definitely felt like a new teacher.  I was arriving an hour before work, staying an hour after work, getting home and spending an hour or two doing additional school work.  Thankfully things have settled down a bit now.  Hopefully it lasts!

http://mattandalysonsaussiewalkabout.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/teaching-upside-down/

As much as I am eager for the beaches and barbecues, I am excited for the professional change.  An exchange year promises challenge, growth, new experiences and a lifetime of personal and professional memories. It is said that change is as good as a holiday. How much more invigorating is change AND a holiday? We are hopeful to find out.

[edit: I realize this reads like a personals ad. My apologies.]

I am a grade 8 teacher of all subjects living with my wife and son on an acreage just outside Winnipeg, capital city of Manitoba in Canada. My school is in Winnipeg. A 20 minute commute takes us from our rural home to our urban workplace.

I’d like to exchange with a middle years teacher reasonably close to, or in an Australian city with accommodations for the three of us. We will consider any state in Australia.

Tapping the power of my PLN to find a 2014 teaching exchange partner to come to Canada.  I applied for an Australian exchange with my wife and 9 year old son through our government program last year but no suitable match was available. Our application is in the system again and we are optimistic that this year something will come up.

Optimism  is generally more fruitful with action, so we’re “beating the bushes” for potential partners. Perhaps you, or someone you know is ready for an adventure, a break from routine, a chance to explore and grow in another part of the world?

Read about other Aussie teachers and families that have exchanged to Canada. Talk it up with colleagues and check out your own state exchange program.

Please drop a line via e-mail or DM on twitter, or post a response here if you want to talk about what is involved or are just curious!

miles@teacherexchange.ca

@milesmac on Twitter