PanamaTimes

Saturday, Oct 24, 2026

Working abroad: 'The pandemic just made it harder'

Working abroad: 'The pandemic just made it harder'

When maths teacher James Prodger left the UK with his wife and toddler to work in Singapore a couple of years ago, he envisioned a stint abroad peppered with exciting holidays in Southeast Asia and regular trips home to see family. Then, of course, the pandemic put paid to those plans.

"Covid-19 really put a spanner in the works for us," he says. "We were always intending to come here with the intention of being able to go home every six months."

"We went home three times in the first year and then we had friends due to come out for a holiday in Bali, but all those things we were looking forward to just disappeared."

For many people working abroad, the pandemic has forced a rethink about how - and where - they choose to live. Those used to flights home available at the click of a button now face travel restrictions and often, costly periods in hotel quarantine.

That's changed the equation for those already working overseas, as well as for those considering a future career move outside their home country. It's also prompted questions about sustainability. Is it environmentally sound to live on the other side of the planet, if you can only make it work with regular, long-haul flights home?

Vietnam's success at controlling the spread of Covid-19 has made it a more attractive country to work in

Andrew Wigford runs Teachers International Consultancy, which recruits teachers to work in schools in 80 countries around the world.

He recently surveyed 250 British teachers who are either working abroad already or have expressed interest in doing so. He says a growing number of respondents are interested in working in countries where Covid-19 appears to be under control.

"Vietnam, Thailand have been very good at controlling the virus," he says. "They've become more of a focus. Teachers who had never thought of working in those countries started thinking about working there."

And he says, some teachers - particularly those who are new to international work - have been thinking twice about whether they want a career abroad at all.

"What we're still finding now is quite a few teachers are moving back towards the UK as a result of the pandemic. Some of our European schools have seen a rise in applications, as people look to be closer to their families."

Some countries have also tightened restrictions on working visas because of Covid

The Singapore-based consultant says the pandemic has had other unexpected consequences for the international teaching sector, with some countries tightening age restrictions on working visas.

"International teachers in Qatar used to be able to apply for jobs up until the age of 60," he said. "Now it's 50."

Australian teacher Sam Trelly recently decided to give up her job in Singapore and return home to Melbourne. She spoke to the BBC during 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine, time which she says was mostly spent playing a purpose-bought Nintendo Switch.

"If it wasn't for Covid I probably would have looked at another country," she said. "The only one that seemed a safe option was actually Vietnam.

"But in the end, the uncertainty around travel and border restrictions loomed large. "My brother had a baby back in Victoria. My grandma hadn't been very well. I definitely felt that option to go home for a visit wasn't there like it would normally be."

Australian teacher Sam Trelly recently decided to give up her job in Singapore and return home to Melbourne


For James Prodger in Singapore, the thought of being unable to get home quickly for a family emergency, fills him with dread.

"A major consideration for us is our parents. My wife's parents, they are in their 70s," he said. "What happens if one of our parents gets ill? That's always in the back of our minds."

The pandemic has also changed the way some migrants feel about living and working in the UK.

Alex Dreisin, an economist from New York, moved to London in 2008. She has since found a partner, bought a house and had a baby. Although her parents were able to visit the UK to meet their new grandchild in early 2020, the pandemic has prevented Alex and her family from taking any further trips across the Atlantic.

She says the coronavirus crisis hasn't changed her mind about living overseas but it has made it harder.

"I don't think Covid necessarily changed anything about being an expat - it's magnified the challenges that were already there," she says.

"What was a pretty straightforward seven-hour flight to New York now just feels a lot more complicated and while video chats have been good to get us through, we're all really looking forward to some hugs!"

James Prodger and his family had been looking forward to lots travel while living in Singapore

As vaccine rollouts gather pace around the world and borders start to reopen, there will be a rush to book flights - not just from holiday-makers desperate for some sun, but also from those who haven't seen their families for months or even years, outside of a screen.

James Prodger and his family will be among them.

"Singapore's great," he says. "But it's not great when you can't leave."

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Cuba’s Grid Fails Again as Fuel Crisis Deepens
Nazca Lines Flight Crash Kills Thirteen as Peru Suspends Aerodiana
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Venezuela’s Earthquake Devastation Turns U.S. Investment Opportunity Into a Thirty-Seven Billion Dollar Reconstruction Challenge
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Colombia Influencer Dies After Cosmetic Procedure at Unlicensed Bogota Salon
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
On the Island That Did Not Yield to Trump, There Is No Electricity, and 10 Million Live in Darkness
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
×