After 25 years of teaching in the United States, Lisa Kling was ready to walk away from the profession. Then, at just the right moment, she came across a Facebook post about a Teach Abroad program through Phoenix Sister Cities in Himeji, Japan. The timing proved transformative.
Lisa was hired as Assistant Supervisor of English at Himeji Municipal High School in Himeji, Japan. During her two rewarding years there, she gained clarity on two things: it was time for her next step, and returning to the U.S. was no longer part of her plan. That realization led her to Search Associates (SEARCH).
That is where my relationship with Search Associates began… I first found them through Google Sensei, as they say in Japan. When I did a Google search on ‘international school placements,’ Search Associates was the first company to pop up. My Senior Associate, Gary MacPhie, was phenomenal. was phenomenal. He was transparent about expectations, very communicative, and lent a hand in any way I needed.
Once registered with SEARCH, Lisa approached the process with focus and intention. She logged into the platform daily and kept a detailed notebook tracking the schools she applied to, financial packages, benefits, and application timelines. “Everything else” went in her notes too, she says with a smile. “I loved being able to sort by location and grade level.”
Lisa never made it to a SEARCH job fair. She was “lucky enough” to receive an offer in November, which allowed her to enjoy her final months in Japan “without the stress of job searching.”
Knowing she wanted to move to Europe, Lisa accepted a position at NOVA International School in Skopje, North Macedonia. Despite her extensive experience, she initially worried that her lack of experience with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme might limit her options. Still, the opportunity felt right.
Admittedly, I had to look at where North Macedonia was on a map. But I knew it was the right place for me after my initial interview. I was most impressed with the principal, and I was proven correct. North Macedonia has a fascinating history, and the fact that I can drive to Greece in 2½ hours was a big factor in my decision.
Now in her fourth year teaching internationally—and her second year at NOVA—Lisa continues to do what she has loved since “the ripe old age of five,” back in South San Francisco, California, when her kindergarten teacher Ms. Johnson, inspired her. What she treasures most about teaching remains unchanged:
“…besides the hugs from my students, is building those relationships so that students are brave enough to make mistakes to learn and grow.”
Teaching overseas has been “a dream,” Lisa says. With 17 students in her class and a full-time Support Instructor, she feels supported and energized. She values the international community of families around her and calls it “an absolute gift” that some of her students speak three to five languages. Just as meaningful is the improved work-life balance, which has brought her far less stress than she experienced teaching stateside. For Lisa, teaching abroad was not just a career change—it was a renewal. She offers others the following advice to those considering this path:
DO IT! I wish I had done it sooner, so that my daughter could have experienced living abroad (she was already an adult when I left the USA).
