A Journey To Teach Abroad

Bureaucracy And Even More Bureaucracy So, just when you think it's all over, out comes another issue with good old immigration.  For those of you who have been following my blog since the start, you will know that my departure from the UK was delayed by the joy of the Malaysian immigration services deciding to change the way they process foreign workers. It used to be the case that you could simply enter the country on a tourist visa whilst your work permit was processing. They decided that for some reason this was a bad idea and now you have to gain your permit approval letter prior to coming over.  Immigration is a nightmare So, what's the problem, I hear you cry? I already have my permit and my shiny new ID card. The problems comes from the need to get my family here. We were under the impression that those who were going to claim dependent status would still be able to come over on a simple tourist visa and then apply once here, thus giving us plenty of t...

Firstly I guess it's probably a good idea to explain the absence of posts over the last few weeks. Since the end of the academic term everything has been a little crazy and time has just slipped by. I have very selfishly spent the time with my family, trying to make the most of the sort holiday whilst also selling, packing and generally trying to sort everything. You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff that you have to do even when it's only you going to the other side of the world.   Life Laundry You know, it has to be said there is something quite therapeutic about being put in a position where you have to get rid of the majority of your possessions. You really are in a unique position to look at your life and take stock of what's important. It also turns out that you wouldn't believe the amount of utter rubbish that can be crammed into a small house. I say that but those who know me will be sat there and probably saying "I told you so!" (I...

The joys of Vaccinations, Visas and Finances So, As of this morning I've had the first part of the official paperwork through, I have a sneaky feeling this is going to be a long process, I'll explain more in a minute. Vaccines For the moment I'm going to talk about the joy that is Vaccines. The very thought of having someone repeatedly stab me with a needle is not what you might call my favorite past time. If your not sure of what vaccines you need, have a look at the following link: http://www.londonvaccinationclinic.co.uk/travel-vaccinations-for/asia-pacific/malaysia/ As soon as I had confirmation that I would be going and a rough idea of the date for my travel I contacted my local GP (Yesterday). I'm not going to name names, but suffice to say I was not overly surprised when they told me there would be a long wait for an appointment, my surgery is renowned for that. What i was surprised about was the fact that I needed to have a telephone appointment wit...