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Great care is required when teaching in a foreign country as new teachers need to consider local customs, cultural do and don’ts and common gestures. By doing so they can make the transition easier for themselves, make a good impression on others and explore the things they researched about. By not doing this research teachers can struggle with the unfamiliar change, be unaware of what is acceptable in the society and may give the wrong or rude impressions without realizing it. For example teachers who are from the UK may not think that it would be a problem to wear clothes which show their shoulders or knee in a school setting, but in Arab countries this would be considered culturally insensitive. This is why it is important for new teachers to do research before teaching in a foreign country. The last thing a new teacher would want to do is offend their new principle or parents. In some countries there may not be a second chance! In addition, new teachers need to understand about the local culture or regions as they may differ from the cities. For example, in conservative areas of the U.A.E it is not socially acceptable for boys to dance like westerns do as it can be considered as feminine. However local traditional dancing is accepted if not praised upon. In some cases new teachers might need to learn a bit more about the main religions in the country they will be teaching for understanding the culture better and to avoid upsetting people. For example eating pork is forbidden for Muslims so it would be highly inappropriate to talk about eating pork or bringing in pork into the school setting. Another example is if teachers were working in India, it would be high offensive if they brought in beef or spoke about eating beef to locals as Hindus consider the cow to be a sacred animal. Care needs to given about what can and cannot be spoken about in the classroom setting. In some countries having open discussions about politics with students may not be appropriate compared to countries like the UK where it is encouraged in schools. These misshapes can all be avoided if new teachers do some research, maybe looking at expat sites online, learning through travel books or speaking to others who have been or are living in the new country. This can also help new teachers gain confidence about moving to a new country which can be very nerve-wracking. Luckily in some countries the local people are used to seeing foreigners visiting and have become aware of their differences, in my opinion slowly become more tolerant of their ways. In the school setting local teachers can gently reminding foreign teaches about their behavior or actions which may not be appropriate in their culture rather than being offended in anger. Nevertheless cultural awareness from new teachers needs to be given in order for them to adapt well to their new environment, make a good impression on their peers and represent their school in a positive manner.
