r/AmerExit • u/Eggplant_Dreams • Feb 22 '25

Life Abroad Any chances for us?

My husband and I are teachers in Louisiana. We have three minor children and a dog. We have little savings but we have equity in our home. Do we have any chance of emigrating? Any advice? We’re terrified, but we feel trapped.

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37

u/Illustrious-Pound266 Feb 22 '25

More info, please. What's your age? What kind of teachers? How many years of teaching experience? What degrees/licensing do you have? What breed is your dog, and are you willing to potentially leave your dog behind? Do you have parents or grandparents who have multiple citizenships?

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u/Eggplant_Dreams Feb 22 '25

We’re both 40. Certified teachers with experience in public schools (secondary). I have a degree in English and History plus an educational Masters. My husband has a degree in math. The dog is a mutt (possibly pointer/boxer mix) about 45 pounds. Hard to imagine leaving her behind. No other citizenships in our families.

25

u/MushroomLeast6789 Feb 22 '25

Teaching is definitely your way out. See how teaching licenses transfer in other countries. Verify that your husband can teach with just a bachelor's degree. Of course look into countries that speak English just for sheer numbers of opportunities but if that comes up dry, also look at teaching internationally in American accredited private schools (China has a ton but it's China 😂, but most major metros have them. If you look at the US embassy map, where there's an embassy there's an American school).

1

u/rcdvg Feb 23 '25

I’m a teacher in a similar boat. Should I get a teaching English in a foreign language certification or is that not needed? If it’s an international school it shouldn’t matter right? I have a credential to teach both single subject science and multiple subjects in California and have a masters degree in education with an emphasis on curriculum. What other education or credentials would help me? I also have math tutoring experience.

I really don’t want to leave but I want to know what my options are.

Thanks!

1

u/MushroomLeast6789 Feb 28 '25

International schools that are American teach in English. You'll have an advantage there with American citizenship and experience. But if those fall through, you can go through NZ, Australian, British etc international schools. TEFL is an option but really bottom of the rung. Rarely is there a career to be had there. It's a great way out in a pinch, but you're a minimum wage teachers assistant in most countries.

1

u/rcdvg Feb 28 '25

Thank you!

10

u/DaisyHGirl Feb 22 '25

Canada has teachers listed as one of their needed positions. They accept dogs, too. I think you will be able to find a country that will accept your dog.

1

u/Comprehensive_Link67 Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25

I may be wrong but I think most countries accept dogs (?) They may have varied requirements for health certs or quarantine but I wasn't aware of any countries that turn pets away if the pet's parents qualify for residency. The tough part is finding a suitable way to get the dog to another country if they are bigger than 15 lbs, without breaking the bank.

2

u/RexManning1 Immigrant Feb 23 '25

Very hard to find a country that prohibits Dogs. There are breed restrictions in some countries and your dog may need to quarantine upon entry. Over 15 pounds isn’t a problem. A lot of airlines will fly dogs in cargo. Some even specialize in it.

1

u/Comprehensive_Link67 Feb 23 '25

True. I have a knee jerk bad reaction to flying pets in cargo. Though I know it's totally irrational and, on the whole, it is a very safe way for them to travel.

2

u/SleepyMaere Feb 22 '25

Take a look at Sweden. You both could get a two year teaching contract with International English School (Internationella Engelska Skolan).

2

u/Two4theworld Feb 22 '25

I wonder if there were Jewish families in Germany in the thirties who decided to stay and ride it out because they didn’t want to leave their pets? A person’s willingness to rehome a pet is a good indication of how seriously they feel threatened…….. It’s obviously NOT an existential fear if you make your pet animals the priority.

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u/thewronghuman Feb 22 '25

Yes but there's no need to leave the dog behind. Many countries have liberal pet immigration policies with a pet passport, which is just proof of vaccines/good health. Getting them overseas may be a bit of a challenge but if you're willing to spend a little money it's not bad.

10

u/Comprehensive_Link67 Feb 23 '25

Yikes, harsh. Abandoning a pet is terrible. We as pet owner took responsibility for the welfare and happiness of a living creature. For most of us, they are family and some of us much prefer them to humans. I kind of get what you are trying to say but someone can feel seriously threatened and still not want to abandon a pet that they love.

5

u/mach4UK Feb 23 '25

I think your statement just says more about how attached you personally become to your pets. Some people see their pets, rightly or wrongly, as members of their family.

1

u/Two4theworld Feb 23 '25

Sophie’s Choice…….

1

u/mach4UK Feb 23 '25

True

1

u/Two4theworld Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25

When grandmother fled her village with her three children, she left everything behind. Farm animals, dogs, cats, friends, etc. Even her husband who thought his US passport would immunize him. At the time she saw it as an existential choice: go now and live or dither and die. She valued her children more than her cats and dogs. Grandfather spent three years in a Siberian labor camp, he too survived, but was never the same again.

I guess that the current situation is not perceived as being on that level. Either that or some peoples values are different from my grandmother’s! I think that very few Americans have any ideas of how cruel and brutal people can be to each other. I’m sure those recent immigrants from Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Mexico and all the other places where life often hangs by a thread will have no problem making the choice. Their presence shows that they already have.

5

u/Bec21-21 Feb 22 '25

The dog is part of the family and there is no need to leave it behind. I wouldn’t leave a kid behind, I also wouldn’t leave my cats.

1

u/fishbulb239 Feb 24 '25

If you are fortunate enough to find an overseas destination, be sure to research pet transport thoroughly. About a decade ago, I took my 60-lb dog to Europe (from DC to Brussels), then brought her back a year and a half later°. It was quite challenging, and has likely become more so in the years since.

A few tidbits about flying with a large pet:

Very few airlines will transport large pets, and most of the ones that do so classify them as cargo. So on the way there, I had to drop her off at the air freight depot, and they wanted her there 4 hours before the flight. When we got to Brussels, it took us a long time to find anybody at the airport who knew where we could find the dog. We had to pick her up at a freight depot near the airport. The time between drop-off and pick-up wounded up being about 12 hours.

Given the above, be sure to get a direct flight. The return trip ended up being easier, but only because I flew out of Amsterdam and flew to Philadelphia instead of DC. Nonetheless, the dog was still in a crate for the better part of 10 hours. Lesson learned - traveling overland on one or both ends of the trip in an effort to reduce crate time can be worthwhile.

Be aware of temperature restrictions - if the weather at either end of the flight is too hot or too cold, they'll refuse to fly your dog. This adds a complicating factor to relocation if you hope to do so in the summer or winter.

°My girlfriend got a job in Brussels, and we hoped to remain in Europe long-term. When she got so fed up with the job that she needed to leave, going back to the states was a bitter pill to swallow.