I grew up in Birmingham before going to university in Bristol. They were quite similar; big, vibrant cities that were culturally diverse and full of energy.
I has always thought I would go back to Birmingham and make my life there, but while I was at university, my parents split up and my mum moved back to her home town of Canterbury.
A place in the heart
I’d always had an affinity with Canterbury and Kent because it’s where my mum came from, so we would visit most school holidays during my childhood.
After finishing university, I spent some time travelling and working a few other non-teaching jobs before taking up a role at an infant school in Whitstable. This was long before people talked about beach or forest schools, but we were always taking the children to the beach for lessons and outdoor activities. It was great.
I still had a desire to work abroad, so after three years I moved to Malaysia and taught at a British international school. There were no British children in the class but lots of Europeans with mixed parentage; it was really multicultural, which I really enjoyed.
Eventually a long-distance relationship brought me back to the South East, and I returned to Canterbury and got a job at St Stephen’s Infant School. It’s very much part of the community and you feel very invested in the area as a result.
More diversity than you think
The South East, and Canterbury in particular, isn’t known for being multicultural, but we do have a lot of different cultures here; the universities in the area bring in lots of international families.
My experience of working abroad with children from different cultures helps me now and it’s something that I really love about my school.
The teaching community here is friendly and supportive; local Teach Meets enable people to share ideas and initiatives, and schools are used to collaborating. Leaders support each other through the Kent Association of Headteachers.
Another thing I love about this region is the easy access to beaches and beautiful coastal towns. Whitstable is, of course, popular with the DFLs (down from London) and Margate is on the up again as a bit of a hipster spot.
As an owner of two large dogs, local walks such as the Saxon Shore Way are ideal. The weather is great, too, with Canterbury being the fifth sunniest city in the UK.
A house price worth paying
Property is probably the biggest issue in the South East. I’m sure we could afford somewhere a lot bigger if we lived elsewhere in the country, but we love it here.
I can be in an orchard walking my dogs or on the beach within minutes after work, while London is only about an hour away by high-speed train, which is great for meeting friends or going to conferences or days out. I also have teacher friends who commute to work in London and live further out because it is possible to do that and benefit from the salary weighting.
There are plenty of activities here, too. For the past three of those years, I’ve been ice-skating in Gillingham once a week. Another teacher at my school has a partner who is into kitesurfing and lots of people sail, too.
We also have great links to Europe as we’re so close to the ports and Eurostar, and I usually go to the Bruges Christmas markets each year.