Migrant Workers

I knew for a long, long time that I was going to travel the world. Leaving England and working abroad was only a matter of time and opportunity. It's funny how these things work themselves out, but I was reminded this weekend about a different career path I could have followed.

I am currently working in Istanbul as an English teacher. Contrary to the usual response from TEFL teachers the world over, I quite enjoy my job and definitely don't see this as a short-term distraction from a "real" job. Sure, I don't consider this to be something I will do forever, but then who said we had to choose one job and stick with it? Previous jobs positions I have held include charity fundraiser, office monkey (not literally) and croupier in a casino. I have also applied for various jobs such as a clown (under-qualified), a porn star (didn't get a call back), a flight attendant (couldn't keep the shit-eating grin fixed long enough), a male escort (still would consider) and an accountant (think I was under the influence!). These, however, were only flights of fantasy. A twisted Rob Gordon-like Top 5 list of dream jobs, if you will. Travelling, was always number one on my list of things to do.

Long before teaching popped up on my radar, I had bought a book entitled "How to Work Your Way Around the World". I carried this Bible around with me for months, dreaming of all the different ways I was going to fulfill my ambitions. My first hurdle was going to be working in hostels around Europe, followed by grape and olive picking throughout Italy, Greece and Turkey. For some crazy reason, however, I believed that I needed to save up a wad of cash to help me get on my way and these dreams soon gave way to cold, hard reality. When I got my first English teaching job in China, I discovered the foolishness of youth. I left England with nothing, but a plane ticket and the promise of an advance from my school to help me settle in.

Teaching English has enabled me to travel to some great places I otherwise wouldn't have thought about visiting such as Central Asia as well as learning languages as diverse as Chinese and Russian. Ironically, last weekend also brought everything full circle as I went to a small village to visit some Turkish friends. They own a load of land upon which they grow olive trees, so I was able to carry out a long-forgotten plan all along. Luckily for me, I think I made the right choice becoming a teacher instead. Dealing with sixty-odd primary school students in China is much more preferable than the back-breaking work in a field. Either way, it just goes to show you should never rule anything out.