“Whenever I had questions or felt overwhelmed, I was met with support and mentorship from my manager, co-teachers and Bilingual colleagues who had been here for longer.”
Moving to Hungary to teach has simultaneously been one of the best and hardest experiences of my life. I started working for Bilingual in January 2019, and I haven’t looked back since.
As a small-town girl from sunny South Africa, arriving in a big European city in the middle of winter was certainly a huge shock. Bilingual’s support upon arrival was a cornerstone in helping me settle into a new work and living environment. Moving abroad can be very daunting, so not having to worry about tackling the huge tasks such as immigration and looking for accommodation on my own was something that really drew me to Bilingual. Stepping into a teaching position midyear proved to have its own set of challenges. I would say that the first six months were particularly difficult; finding your feet in a foreign country takes time, but I am so glad I was patient with myself and pushed through. There is something about hitting the ground running that forces you to learn and grow infinite amounts within a short time. Whenever I had questions or felt overwhelmed, I was met with support and mentorship from my manager, co-teachers and Bilingual colleagues who had been here for longer. What really solidified the key components of the Bilingual program for me was going through orientation and training in August. I found it very helpful and it’s also a great opportunity to form friendships with other teachers before the school year begins.
The best part of my experience and also the main reason I have chosen to return each year thus far is most definitely my students and my co-teachers. They fill each day with so much joy and have taught me more than anyone else during my time here. I find my job extremely rewarding and moving up with my class each year has allowed me to form a tight classroom community and build solid relationships with each of them over the years. Life in Budapest is wonderful; I always say that there is something for everyone here and that it's hard not to feel a sense of belonging – no matter how far you are from home!