Burma/Myanmar

The beautiful game

Cruising from the Pitch to the Classroom with Aaron Leaver With the World Cup finally kicked off, Chris and Rob are diving into that strange, post-exam twilight zone of the school year—you know, the two weeks where there's nothing left to do but we all still have to show up! But the real treat this week is our very first guest, Aaron Leaver. Aaron didn't take the traditional path into overseas teaching. He breaks down his incredible 12-year journey as a football coach, sharing what it’s really like to scout for Valencia CF in India, work with European giants like Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, and navigate the sheer madness of moving to Beijing right in the middle of pandemic restrictions. We chat about the massive culture shocks of teaching PE online, the hilarious contrast between the "joked-around" persona of a locker room coach versus the decorum of an international school, and we put Aaron in the hot seat with some rapid-fire questions. Plus, Rob and Aaron bond over their shared love for field hockey (or tarmac hockey, depending on your surface), and Chris successfully avoids talking about football for as long as humanly possible. Connect with the Show: * Facebook: Search "Mad Dogs and English Teachers" * Email: maddogsandenglishteachers@proton.me Next week: Rob's mum, Elizabeth Alderton, joins the show to discuss the parent's perspective of raising kids who live halfway across the world!

A light at the end of the tunnel?

Episode 13: The Light at the End of the Tunnel? Are long terms wearing you down, or are you just desperately counting down the days until the final school bell rings? This week on Mad Dogs and English Teachers, Chris and Rob are diving headfirst into the chaotic "limbo period" of the international school year. As exam season winds down, they navigate the bizarre world of shifting schedules, lunar calendars, and the absolute headache that is the mysterious "Lent Day Debacle". Plus, the guys get real about the highs and lows of global travel. From the exhausting stress of airport connections to the post-Brexit visa struggles (thanks, Boris!), they debate whether the grass is actually greener overseas—or if it's just a different shade of tropical sun. In this episode: * Exam Limbo: Late-night IGCSEs and managing "unruly" students post-finals. * The Travel Fatigue: Why sometimes a staycation sounds better than another flight. * The Great Country Count: Rob totals up his staggering list of 91 visited countries. * Blast from the Past: A lesson in simple math courtesy of some frustrating "chuffin' pigeons". Grab a cold beer, kick back, and join the conversation about what it's really like to live and teach overseas! Connect with us: * 👥 Facebook: Search "Mad Dogs and English Teachers" * 📧 Email: maddogsandenglishteachers@proton.me Don't forget to follow and leave us a review if you enjoy the banter!

AI - Taking our jobs?

Join Chris and Rob for another lighthearted look at the trials and tribulations of teaching overseas. This week, the boys are diving deep into the school year's finish line and the looming robotic takeover of the classroom. * The Participation Award Debate: Rob is drowning in a sea of "Phoenix" and "Excelsior" certificates so that every student gets a prize, prompting a chat about whether everyone really deserves a trophy. * Teachers vs. AI: From grading essays in two minutes flat to planning history lessons on the Blitz, discover how Chris and Rob are using AI to slash their workloads—and whether it makes them massive hypocrites. * The Next Generation of Cheating: Chris catches students using suspiciously fancy vocabulary, while Rob details a 10-year-old who effortlessly generated an entire podcast script using AI. * University Confessions: The guys look back at their own hilarious university hacks, including Rob's infamous "white font" word count trick and a legendary story of a student accidentally plagiarizing a professor's own book. * Strange Encounters: Rob kicks off a brand new segment by explaining how he accidentally punched a bat in the face mid-air. * Face-to-Face Summer: Chris shares his plans to head over to Myanmar this July for a long-awaited, in-person podcast meetup. * Facebook: Search for Mad Dogs and English Teachers * Email: maddogsandenglishteachers@proton.me

PD or not PD?

Are you a "tired teacher" in the UK exhausted by the relentless cycle of "new" educational strategies that feel like the same old ideas in a shiny new wrapper? You aren't alone. This week on Mad Dogs and English Teachers, Chris and Rob dive into a listener email that strikes a chord with educators everywhere: the feeling that professional development has become a game of "snake oil" pedagogy. We discuss whether moving to an international school actually solves the problem or if "initiative fatigue" is a global phenomenon. In this episode, we discuss: * The Innovation Cycle: Why so many educational "revolutions" are just foundational theories with a new price tag. * School Accreditation: Rob breaks down the process of getting accredited by the Consortium of International Schools (CIS) in Burma and the "hoops" teachers have to jump through. * Teacher Appraisals & Portfolios: The reality of proving your worth through paperwork and "portfolios of evidence." * AI in the Classroom: How we are using tools like Gemini to streamline end-of-year reports and why prompt engineering might be the next big skill for teachers. Whether you're teaching in the Midlands or Mandalay, join us for a light-hearted look at the trials and tribulations of life in the staffroom. Connect with the show: * Email: maddogsandenglishteachers@proton.me * Facebook: Search "Mad Dogs and English Teachers" Don't forget to follow us on Spotify and leave a review if you're enjoying the pod!

Burma/Myanmar

In this episode of Mad Dogs and English Teachers, hosts Chris and Robin dive into the complexities of living and teaching in Myanmar (Burma). The conversation strikes a balance between the lighthearted tone the show is known for and the more cynical realities of working in a region currently facing significant political unrest. * The Naming Debate: Robin and Chris discuss the linguistic and political nuances behind the names Burma and Myanmar, noting how locals often prefer the former despite official changes. * Listener Mail from Halifax: The hosts address an email from Heather, a teacher in Halifax, Canada, who has been offered a position in Myanmar but is terrified by international headlines. * Boots on the Ground Reality: Robin provides a first-hand account from Mandalay, describing a "frozen in time" atmosphere where, despite the presence of soldiers and roadblocks, daily life remains surprisingly "chill" for expats. * The Healthcare Hurdle: Chris reflects on his own time in the country with his family, explaining that the primary reason for his departure was the "dearth of healthcare" rather than direct safety concerns. * The Ethics of Education: A candid discussion on the morality of teaching children of the ruling elite, with the hosts arguing that all children deserve an education regardless of their background. * The Nightclub Lock-in: A look at the unique social scene created by strict curfews, where going out for the night often means being stuck in a venue until the early morning hours. "Whatever is going on in the country, it is not the fault of the children you are teaching, and they deserve the best chance they can have." The episode concludes with a word of encouragement for Heather: while the environment is vastly different from the quiet predictability of Halifax, the professional and personal rewards of teaching in Myanmar often outweigh the risks portrayed in the news.