Serving South African Teachers, At Home & Abroad
THE EDUPLACE JOURNAL
Cape Town, winter 2026 — while some of you were marking, some of you were 6,000 miles away.
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The holidays feel like they were three days ago. That's not a complaint. That's just what term three does — no natural break in the middle, reports due before you've caught your breath, the year suddenly closing in. You had that week, maybe two, where you actually slept in. Where the lesson plans stayed closed. Where you saw people who aren't your colleagues. And then the alarm went off again, and you were back in a staffroom that smelled exactly the way you left it. |
So if you're reading this at 9pm with a cup of something warm, still in your school clothes, wondering how it's already this busy again — you're not behind. You're just in term three, like everyone else, everywhere. "Rest properly where you can find it. Term three runs on exhaustion, if you let it."
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United Arab Emirates
"Here's how I actually found Eduplace," from a teacher who just got the call.
Name: Aaliyah Abid
Placement: Teaching position, UAE — secured this month
"It's actually quite funny how I found Eduplace. One evening I was searching for international teaching recruitment agencies, and I asked ChatGPT for a list of reputable agencies. Eduplace was one of the agencies it recommended, so I decided to send through my documents and give it a shot. Looking back now, I'm really glad I did because here we are!"
"The interview process was well organised, and I especially liked the Loom introduction video — it gives schools a chance to get to know candidates beyond just a CV. From start to finish, the process was professional, simple to follow, and I'd definitely recommend it to other teachers looking for international opportunities." — Aaliyah Abid
Here's what's standing between you and that countdown hitting zero.
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Right now — Women's Month Already underway. Expect the marches, the wellness events, the "women who built this country" retrospectives — and, if your staffroom is anything like most, at least one colleague organising something for it. 25 August — a marker for the UAE Prophet Muhammad's Birthday, a quiet and respectful public holiday, lands right after — worth planning the term around if that's where you're teaching. 31 August — a whole new year, for some of you While the rest of us are counting down Term 3, the UAE's 2026-27 academic year is just beginning. If you're one of ours starting fresh over there — first day nerves and all — we're thinking of you. |
Then comes the good part Once the flag's down from Heritage Day, keep your camera ready — Namaqualand is next. Exceptional winter rains mean it's shaping up for one of its strongest wildflower seasons in years. It's really the first sign of colour returning to the Cape, right as the countdown ticks toward zero. Send us a picture. Your classroom's first spring flowers, a student's drawing of one, whatever spring looks like where you are. Submit yours → |
Heritage Day, 24 September: braai broodjies, or tjops?
Every SA staffroom starts arguing about whose braai is happening where by early September — so we're making it official. Cast your vote. We'll report the results (and whatever dissent rolls in) in next month's issue, before we pose Issue No. 2.
Our vote: braai broodjies, no contest. Cast your vote →
Curious exactly how many days, hours, and minutes stand between now and that finish line? We built a live, ticking countdown clock for it. Watch it tick down here →
So You've Been Hired To Teach In The Middle East
Whether you're packing already or just curious what it's actually like, here's the practical stuff nobody mentions in the interview.
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Missing home already? Good news. Mrs Ball's chutney is genuinely stocked on the shelves at Waitrose, Carrefour, and Spinneys in the UAE — no need to pack a jar in your suitcase. Sweets and other SA favourites turn up too, especially at the bigger supermarkets. Worth a scout around before you assume you'll be going without. |
Sending money home — what you'll need Your South African bank's SWIFT/BIC code and your account number (or IBAN, if you have one) — that's the core of it. Services like Wise or Remitly are the usual route rather than a straight bank-to-bank wire, generally cheaper and faster. Sort this out before you need it, not the week your first paycheck lands. |
The one nobody wants to think about
Not to be morbid, but: do you have a will? Have you left certified copies of your ID, passport, and any important documents with someone at home? These are exactly the kind of things easy to keep putting off — worth sorting properly with an attorney before you go, not something we can advise on here.
One thing that is simple and free: register with the South African embassy or consulate in the country you're moving to (DIRCO's Registration of South Africans Abroad). It means someone official knows you're there if anything ever goes wrong. Takes ten minutes, costs nothing.
Term 3 Countdown
57 days
Until the spring holidays. Not that anyone's counting.
Watch it tick down →SA Phrase of the Month
"Ag shame man"
Untranslatable. Gulf colleagues will ask. You won't be able to explain it either.
"What do you want to read about next month?"
Stories from teachers abroad. What nobody tells you before you get on the plane. Advice you actually asked for. Reply to this email and tell us.
Write to us →
That's August from us. Get through this week, then the next one.
If this was worth ten minutes of your time, know someone who'd feel the same way? A teacher weighing up a move, a colleague who'd enjoy the read — forward this on, or point them to eduplace.co.za to sign up themselves.
— The Eduplace Journal