Hi everyone! Bernice here. Welcome back to another bulletin highlight post, but this time it’s a little different – instead of updates and promotions, I wanted to take you with me on a little trip down memory lane, reflecting on my time in the international education industry. 

Beginning my journey 

Earlier today, I was invited to give a short talk at FELTOM’s Annual General Meeting. While there, I bumped into my very first boss from when I started in this field. It dawned on me that 23 years ago to the day was when I first joined the wonderful world of international education. It was the day I achieved my TEFL qualification, and I vividly remember being given the opportunity to teach my very first English class shortly after. As a brand new teacher of only 17 years old, I was incredibly nervous – my first class consisted of 14 boys and just 1 girl, which felt very intimidating at the time! However, I also remember calling my best friend later that day and telling them that I had ‘fallen in love’ with the job. Looking back, those words were quite prophetic.

Making lifelong connections

From then, I went on to complete my CELTA certification and join a different school where I took on various academic positions. One such role was in the marketing team, which is how I started dealing with international agents. Amazingly, some of those agents I first worked with over two decades ago are still valued partners on our Schools & Agents platform today! I feel immensely proud and honoured to still be collaborating with these long-standing colleagues and friends after all these years. That is the true beauty of our industry – the connections we form and how we all grow and learn together over time.

As I reflect on my 23 years in the industry, I am excited about the future. There are going to be some new developments for Schools & Agents over the coming weeks that I can’t wait to share with all of you. Thank you all for being a part of this journey with me! 

Written by Stephanie Clark