Teaching Abroad in Grand Cayman

February 7, 2020

Teaching abroad has been a fantastic experience. I have absolutely loved getting to know a new place, new culture, and new school. But I remember what it was like when we were clueless and first starting out. We had absolutely no idea what we were getting into and how to begin. Which is why we created Teachers on a Trip. We want to help others, like yourself, find their dream job traveling and teaching. Curious what teaching abroad in Grand Cayman looks like? Read our story to find out more!

How we Started

Living and teaching in Oklahoma, we always knew we weren’t meant to stay there forever. We had no resources to care for our students, no money to sustain ourselves, and no government support for anything that we did. It was physically exhausting and emotionally draining. So we decided to search around and find jobs that would allow us to travel, teach, and support ourselves financially. Teaching abroad was something that we both decided we wanted to do, so we started researching.

The Job Search

I only had 2 years of experience and thought I would be cast aside immediately. Luckily, there were so many jobs available for new teachers like myself. Although most were available in Asia and the Middle East, we found other options that fit our description and ended up applying for a lot of jobs. Our current mindset was a “treat yo self” one. We wanted to live in a location that would boost our quality of life, so we applied to the schools in Europe and the Caribbean.

We found Asia and the Middle East not only paid way more that other countries, but also had the best benefits. They would pay for housing expenses, year round flights, and had great insurance coverage. However, jobs in Europe and the Caribbean can get away with not paying as much due to the highly desired location.

The Interview

Our interview process was a weird one. We received countless emails about setting up an interview with schools that we never applied to. It was super flattering, but we weren’t in the mindset to go where they wanted us. So we held out a bit longer and eventually had an offer that peaked our interests. We ended up interviewing with a school in China because their benefits were too good to turn down. We almost signed our contracts when a school in Grand Cayman reached out to us about wanting to interview as well. It took us about 3 seconds to decide we were going to confirm for this interview and give it our all. A few weeks later we received an offer in Grand Cayman and accepted it. Our school in China was not happy about this, in fact, they were pretty angry and the principal’s email sounded extremely unprofessional. But we knew we did what was best for us and, as I mentioned before, we hadn’t actually signed a contract with them yet. All is well that ends well, and it has been so nice teaching abroad in Grand Cayman.

Moving to Grand Cayman

Moving to a new country is never easy. We sold most of our belongings and shipped the rest to the island. We used a shipping company, and although I’m glad we did, the company we used was so difficult to talk to. If you’re really interested in who we used, you can read all about that drama here.

Finding a house was a bit more difficult that we expected, as well. The housing market flips extremely fast here, so when people are looking to rent they are expected to move within the month. This made searching for a place incredibly difficult from the US. Luckily, we found an agent who looked around for us and I’m so glad we did because we are the only teachers I know that live in a stand-alone house.

The island life was extremely easy to adjust to. It is an English-speaking island, and most residents have moved from Canada or the United States. The most difficult part was learning to drive on the left side of the road. After a few tries, it came naturally. Now it’s more difficult for us when we go home because we automatically want to drive on the left. (No wrecks, though!)

Our School

We work for an accredited American-International School in Grand Cayman. Although our curriculum is American-based, our students come from all over the world. My current classroom has ties to the United States, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Grand Cayman, and Spain. All of them speak English, and if not, we put them on an ELL (English Language Learners) plan to help them academically.

It was never a stress to learn a new language. Although part of me is thankful, I sometimes think about moving to a place that is drastically different from where I grew up. Grand Cayman has rich culture and history, but it is not a huge “culture shock.”

We loved starting our career teaching abroad in Grand Cayman. Curious how you can start your journey? Download our Free Ultimate Guide to Teaching Abroad below!