North American citizens over the years have often made their way to this corner of Birmingham,
a location and setting often very different from their place of origin. British citizens in their turn have made 
the reverse journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Members of staff who have undertaken that adventure share 
their experience, discovering what makes this transatlantic encounter a special relationship.
LIVING IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
In 2023, after several wonderful USA 
holidays and with a desire to try 
something new and challenging, we 
decided to take the leap to live abroad.
Teaching jobs in British international 
schools tend to be based in major cities, 
so we started looking at vacancies in late 
2022 and by early 2023 my contract to 
work at the British International School of 
Boston was signed on the dotted line. We 
were lucky that the visa which came with 
the job allowed my husband to work too, 
as not all of them do.
Our first task was to find somewhere to 
live from across the globe. House hunting 
- online - was a new experience. We 
found ourselves hoping (with our fingers 
firmly crossed) that the apartments we 
were virtually touring were real. Luckily, 
one of the parents from the school 
reached out to help us, we video-called 
in person and we settled on a great place 
in Roslindale. This strong community and 
school support network was one of the 
many positives of our experience.
Everyone asks what international students 
are like and my experience is: they’re just 
like you. They had all moved countries 
many more times than we had and had 
fascinating stories to tell. Some stayed for 
a few months and others for many years, 
emigrating with their parents’ often high-
flying jobs. At the school, I taught KS3 
English and Geography (British curriculum, 
so just like the UK), IGCSEs in English 
(similar to GCSEs) and the International 
Baccalaureate Film Course (very different 
from A Levels, with its many practical 
elements of film analysis and production). 
The campus was beautiful, with wild 
turkeys scouting the grounds, lots of green 
space and there were lots of things to do 
in the city and beyond. Without exception, 
the people were warm and welcoming, 
inside and outside the school (although 
most of the Americans thought I was Irish).
After a time, life in Boston became too 
expensive for our budget (for example, 
we weren’t able to drive, as we would 
have had to acquire US driving licences 
from scratch and we also couldn’t have 
afforded to purchase and run a car) - 
and the call of home rang out across 
the Atlantic, so we returned to the UK. 
Nonetheless, I would say that if that 
chance to work internationally comes 
along, grab it with both hands. The more 
you know about the world, the more 
you learn about yourself and the people 
around you.
The two very best thing to come out 
of our North American journey are 
the confidence it gave us that we can 
deal with any challenge and the strong 
friendships we formed. We are regularly 
in touch with two teachers I worked with, 
one who still works in Boston, and the 
other who has just moved to her next 
international role in Hong Kong. We all 
hope to meet in the UK for the first time 
in three years in summer 2026, just as 
the World Cup kicks off, and I think we’ll 
be friends for life through our shared 
experiences.
Nothing can replace that.
Mrs Atkinson
Life across
THE POND
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