I am not the most organized person. I would not even consider myself type A or anal about certain things. However when moving I need things to make sense and I need it to as stress-free as possible.
When I moved from America to Kuwait it was a smooth enough process that I was not stressed and I knew what to expect. It also helped that I made a connection with someone at the school I was going to.
When I moved from Kuwait to China it was beautiful. It made sense. It was very organized. If you have ever lived in an Arabic country you learn to appreciate organization and having questions answered or at least sent in the direction of an answer.
See my previous post Organization=Smooth Transition
When I moved from Maryland to Egypt. I had a checklist of what I needed to do but I was also in America so it wasn’t that complicated. Now when I arrived there was a lot left to be desired. It was not that smooth nor organized. It is an Arabic country so it comes with the territory. Issue is: IT WILL WEAR ON YOUR NERVES at some point.
I am not a fan clear as mud answers. At this point just tell me you don’t know and point me in the direction of the person who does.
So of course when I receive emails from my new school in China with step by step instructions, it is breath of fresh air. When I get email reminders, I am like YES THANK YOU!!!
Now this is China and even they know the process is PAINSTAKING!!! Even with the checklist things can go wrong. This is not even the same steps as last time and I have worked in THREE countries. I need documents from all three.
Lucky for me the new school works with third party agents to help with the process.
Someone is helping with getting my Kuwaiti and Chinese documents.
Someone else is helping with the getting documents authenticated. However I put them on pause because they don’t complete all the steps for me. Listen I am not in America to complete not one step. I need you to notarize and authenticate. I reached out to a very reliable authentication service that I have used before.
SIDEBAR:
Let me tell you, you are going to shell out at least a grand getting documents authenticated. The more documents. The more it will cost. The more steps your documents require the more it will cost.
In a normal country you just have to get the documents authenticated by the state department and the embassy.
China you gotta get that document notarized proving it is not a fake document to begin with. So my school has to notarize it saying yep she went here and this is real and I am real so BAM. Then it goes to the state where the school is located. Then they send it me. I then send it the third party person and they finish the rest of the steps. US state department then the Chinese embassy. Like all these people are needed to prove that your documents are not false. It is a pain in the ass.
If I were in the states it might have cost me a total of 300 dollars with stamps. Paying someone else means it is costly but it is done right the first time.
For my daughter’s birth certificate I have to write a letter giving them permission to authenticate and state that I am her parent and I didn’t kidnap her.
Dear scammers: you make my booty itch because I know this started because of you. Sincerely this is annoying.
This process alone is why I will not move again. I just can’t anymore. Thank goodness my school will reimburse me for this. I might not get all the money I kick out but I will get something back. Listen not all schools reimburse these fees. Let’s not forget I still have to be approved for the visa once I go through all this.
I have already received my work email. Elise is almost registered for school.
Let me pause and talk about how my daughter is being taken care of as well.
Now when I came to Egypt they tried but most of the communication happened AFTER we arrived. She didn’t take the assessment until we got here. She didn’t register for class until AFTER we got here. It was just one more thing to worry about. I could have purchased school supplies PRIOR to coming if I knew what to purchase or what I COULD NOT find here. Anyways.
Beijing. Email us if you need help with admissions. Let’s set up a video chat anyways. Make an appointment. Chat with the admissions lady. Upload the documents. She will register in June with the rest of kids and get her schedule in August with everyone else. It is not a first come first serve situation. What are her interests because we will group her a mentor so they can get to know each prior to coming and will help her transition in to the school. We will video chat with her once everything is uploaded and ready. Mom you will also get a group like a PTA type thing to be involved and meet other parents. Wonderful bonus they will have a food science course Elise can take next year so she will get a culinary arts type course as her science. Sports…she has a ton to choose from. Theater arts…yep. After school activities pick one of the billion. Literally whatever she wants to be involved there is an option for it. If not she can start something. There is a balance between academics and other stuff. Academics is not just testing…nope IB and we want to know what you know. More open-ended projects. She will have a mentor group for 10th grade, as a new student, and her interests. Pretty sure there is something for foreigners as well.
Q&A for new hires
Listen I love this idea. So BAM I received an email for new hires to join a video chat to discuss everything and ask all the questions. This is first for me but I am excited. Like this is really happening.
Woke up to participate in the NewHire zoom call. ORGANIZATION MATTERS!!! They shared what to expect moving forward. Who to contact if you have any questions and how to make this the smoothest transition possible. They check your documents before you submit them so if anything will hinder or slow the process, they tell you how to fix it.
Again they are aware of the process and know how particular the embassy can be. They recorded the chat, shared the slides, and answered all questions with clarity.
Email for Professional Buddy:
Listen I get a get buddy to help me transition as a professional in my position. Then another zoom call will be held for Elementary staff only. They are going on Spring Break next week but it was so amazing to have all this set up prior to arrival.
WeChat/Teams/Padlet
There is a WeChat group ready to go
Teams group is set up and ready to go
Padlet was created for us to introduce ourselves
When moving abroad the more connections you make it better and tolerable.
Email for Mentor:
The mentor is more for social life and getting settled into Beijing. I got a nice visual aid to help explain the difference between the professional buddy and the mentor.
Visa and travel updates:
There were two zooms for this. They wanted to know if we had any questions and where we are in the process. They wanted to reassure us and let us that everything is okay.
Family zoom:
This was great to have. For those families we met to have options. Not everyone wants to move twice with kids especially younger kids. Remember new staff will be in a service apartment for two months while we get settled and decide where in Beijing we want to live in relation to the school. They provided the option to find an apartment before arrival. This is tricky because unless you are in China and can visit the properties, you are trusting the process. They shared the realtors info and the ball got rolling if you wanted to find housing prior to arrival. I have a teenager so I don’t mind moving and I just could not be bothered. Moving is stressful and I prefer to be in person looking at apartments.
Moving/shipping:
I reached out one of the recommended companies and they came to my apartment to see what I wanted shipped. Nothing but personal goods. They are going to pack everything up and ship it right on over to China.
Received the shipping quote and I asked are the able to directly bill the school. They say yes and share the person to contact and what to do. One less thing to worry about.
Flight:
I contacted the travel agent, she provided me three options. I picked based on airlines and layovers. I am picky and Middle Eastern Airlines have me spoiled. I am not a fan of Asian airlines. They are not bad, just once you fly with Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad, you kinda don’t want to fly with anyone else and you compare every other airline to them. We will fly American Airlines and Korean Air. I have flown Korean Air before and I don’t mind them. They are nice and the planes are spacious enough. I will sign up for Priority Pass again. I might look into a credit card but the way my credit is set up, I won’t hold my breath. Another thing not to worry about.
Students:
I can’t stress the importance of including my child in the process. They setup a call for her with the high school principal and some other people. They asked about her likes and dislikes. How does she learn best and what she doesn’t like about school or a class/teacher. They asked what would her perfect school/class/teacher look like. They shared what a typical day and class looks like. They will have an 8 day rotation with inquiry based/project learning. Loads of support. Elise feels better about it all. She even has her email ready to go.
When you are moving the more a school does to ease your concerns and mind, the better you feel about the transition. When you move countries the more the school does to lessen your financial burden the better you feel about it. I keep checking things off my list, things I didn’t even know about or think about. I feel better and better about this decision.
I am not expecting sunshine and rainbows, every school and country comes with its challenges but for where I am in life and my goals, this is a good move.
Pre-arrival prep:
Okay this has been the best email so far. They created a spreadsheet and asked us to share how many bags we will arrive with. You know so they can plan accordingly. Preventive measures and whatnot. In addition to asking about luggage, what items who you like already in your flat for the first 24 hours until we take you shopping. A whole list to choose from…usually they just kinda guess and create a welcome basket if you are lucky. I tend to come over with specific snacks, coffee, and tea until I can get my bank card and order what I need. They also shared a spreadsheet of Ayis (nanny/housekeeper) of current staff who are leaving and have been with the school staff for years. When I tell you that spreadsheet was detailed down to who cooks, who helps with pets, who is flexible, part time, full time, how long they have been with the families what they love about her, best way to communicate and salary. Listen I know I would like to hire an Ayi but I want to let those with younger kids hire first but honey what Melissa will not be doing is cleaning her flat but if you gonna cook and clean why yes.
End of the year email:
This one was optional. I get offered a PD for my department so we are all on the same page and using similar vocabulary. I can use my PD funds.
I will have insurance starting July 1. This is a lifesaver but lucky enough I have insurance from my current position until July 31.
We are excited to meet you in August enjoy your summer but if you want here is some information about what to expect. Pre-arrival new staff orientation. Basically how familiar are you with Microsoft 365. (I am coming from Google so this will be a fun switch said no person ever but Google is blocked in China so I kinda expected this to happen. Schools have worked around the block for years but China officially said yeah no. Microsoft it is) The school uses UbD (understanding by design where you lesson plan with the end in mind and you plan your assessment before you plan your instruction) The school is also focusing on SEL. They share different learning platforms and websites/apps they use and I will have access to. The email also informs us that what technology we will receive. I will get a MacBook Air and so will Elise because she is high school.
Needless to say all systems are go. Elise is all registered for school. I will be working with grade 4 next year. I am ready for the next chapter in my life.
elizabeth8199 