‘Italy captured my heart and I fell in love with a local’

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On completing her master's in equality studies, Linda Ward decided to go abroad. The primary school teacher from Castleknock figured a career break in Italy would do her good. There she met the man who would become her husband so she decided to stay. Since then, they have lived in four countries. Now 44, she lives in Switzerland with her Italian husband and their three children Stella (11), Aisling (9) and Giorgio (7).

What did you do when you worked in Ireland?

After training at St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, I worked in a private school for two years as it was the early 1990s and jobs were hard to come by.Then I worked substituting and in temporary jobs before getting a permanent position in Rathfarnham Educate Together school in 1995. At the time there were only 14 Educate Together schools in Ireland. It was a really interesting time to be involved in the sector. I really loved the ethos of the school and the parental involvement and child-centredness.

Why did you leave?

After completing a master’s in equality studies, I decided to take a career break and go abroad. After sending CVs to various countries, including the US, Canada and Japan, I spotted an advertisement in the newspaper by a headhunter looking for teachers for northern Italy.

I ended up teaching in a new international Italian/English bilingual school in a beautiful town called Bassano Del Grappa about one hour from Venice. My initial plan was to go abroad for a year but Italy captured my heart and I fell in love with a local. We married there in 2003 with almost 50 guests flying in from Ireland for the occasion.

Why Italy?

I decided on Italy because I've always loved everything Italian: the language, the art, the food and the wine. My decision was also influenced by the fact that the school provided flights, relocation expenses and a working visa (permesso di soggiorno). The salary was very good too.

Most international schools recognise an Irish teaching degree and I didn’t have to do any additional courses. Although many international schools follow the International Baccalaureate programme, they usually provide training to new teachers working in their schools.

What do you do now?

I live in Switzerland having moved here in June last year as my husband changed jobs. We live in Mendrisio in Ticino, which is the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. We moved with our three children.

I have taken some time off to help the children settle into their new life. Previously we were living in Italy so at least there is no new language to learn. The official language in schools is Italian. From grade three the children also learn French, and then in middle school they learn German and English.

What is the education system like there?

In elementary (from age six-10) they go to school five days a week from 8am to 11.35am then home for lunch and back in the afternoon from 1.30pm to 4pm. All schools finish on Wednesdays at 11.35am.

After elementary, children go to Middle school for four years and then high school for a further four years. In the second year of Middle school children are streamed according to their grades in maths and German.

This serves to split the students into those who will go on to attend scientific or linguistic (essentially more academic) high schools and those who will go to technical high schools. Switzerland has some of the best universities in the world, with four of them ranking in the world’s top 100. Fees average about 4,000 Swiss francs a year, which is about €3,700.

State schools are free and very well resourced. The local primary school here has a swimming pool and children do swimming lessons once a week, plus two hours of gymnastics with a trained specialist. They also have an art specialist. Any extracurricular trips are funded by the school. From third grade the teachers also take the children on overnight trips which can be a skiing week away or a week in the mountains.

How did teaching in Italy compare to Ireland, or other locations?

I only worked in private schools in Italy. Hours are usually long, about 35 per week, not including meetings, and salaries vary a lot. Class sizes tend to be small.

It is difficult to work in the state system unless you speak Italian. The bureaucracy is another barrier to working there. Salaries in Italy are very low in comparison to Ireland too. A primary school teacher earns about €19,000 gross working a 24-hour week.

Do you plan to teach in Switzerland?

I am looking at working in the state education system here. The pay is very high for teachers at about 70,000 Swiss francs per year – although it depends on the Canton you live in and the German canton tends to pay the highest. As part of the process I need to submit my degrees and work experience to a committee. I also need to do an examination in Italian.

For teachers looking to work in Italy or Switzerland, the easiest route is to try to work in international schools as they tend to recruit new teachers each year. Although the pay is not high, working in an international school is a great way to see and experience a new country and culture.

How does the education system compare to Ireland?

In Switzerland the positives are that my children love their new schools. They were previously in Italian state schools, which mostly involves rote learning and lots and lots of homework. Schools in Italy are poorly resourced and the curriculum is outdated. Here the curriculum is richer, more inquiry-based. The director of my daughters’ middle school told me all materials down to pens and pencils would be supplied by them – this has turned out to be true. Teachers are well paid and job satisfaction is high. Class sizes are also small averaging at about 20 students per class. Schools are well resourced in terms of materials and staff. The only negative I see is that the school day is very long – the children are in school until 4pm but as a result have very little homework.

I still keep in touch with what goes on in Ireland as I have many friends who are teachers plus I have seven nieces and nephews who are currently going through the system. I think Ireland has an excellent education system especially in terms of our country’s size.

What is your life like now in Switzerland?

We moved here from Italy and feel that it is a great move for all our family. Unemployment is 3.5 per cent compared to 12.5 per cent in Italy. The health system is second to none (although private health insurance is compulsory and expensive). Schools are free and they are run efficiently and effectively. There is also child benefit of 200 Swiss francs per month per child. Tax rates are low. Although the cost of living is high, this is in line with the level of salaries.

Switzerland is a great place to live in terms of quality of living and future opportunities for our children. We are fortunate in that where we live we are 20 minutes from Como, one hour from the mountains for skiing, and two-and-a-half hours from the Italian seaside. France, Germany and Austria are also all nearby. We can fly to Dublin in two hours which is very important too.

What advice would you give others?

I have never regretted taking my career break and taking that first job abroad. Teaching in many different schools, I have met people from all over the world and my life is richer because of those experiences. Even if it’s just for one year, it’s a great way to see a new country, learn a new language and expose yourself to a different teaching context.

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