I am Head of an Upper School at an international school based in Pune, India.

It is a small school with only 250 students with no more than 18 in a class. It follows the three IB programmes and is regarded by many as one of the top schools in India.

It is a pleasure to teach here as the students are great and keen to learn. Over 26 nationalities are represented in the school.

The school day begins at 8.20a.m. I arrive by motorbike at about 7.45a.m and write a daily bulletin to staff with any news of events, cover if any staff are absent, visitors, etc. My office overlooks the main entrance so any late comers get a hard time!

Continuing professional development training is very good and staff usually get an overseas trip to a workshop every two years.

Teaching in India has changed the way I teach in that I am more open-minded to new ideas and have more freedom to try new things.

The pay is good which means I can employ a full time live-in person to help with the domestic chores and that is reason enough not to return to the UK! The cost of living is very good in India and I always have plenty of money at the end of the month.

India is a great place to live. There are few countries that I would consider as my next move as most would seem boring. It is easy to interact with the nationals which I do quite often. It will take me many years to explore the country and I am just about to head off for 10 days to central India by motorbike.

Although I return to the cold UK summer every year to see friends and family, and sometimes they even visit me, I will probably never return to the UK to work.

My top tips for you:

• Always have a contingency plan
• Don’t sell your home – rent it out while teaching abroad so that you will have an income, investment, and a home to return to if things don’t work out
• Don’t expect perfection
• Keep a UK pensions savings plan going while you teach abroad
• Do your homework before you travel abroad