As some of you may know by now I have taken the very difficult decision to leave Eastbourne School of English and move to Australia.  It has been a dream of mine since I was very young and seeing as I’ll be thirty in a few years, it really is now or never!

I can’t express how much I have loved working here. It’s been a constant pleasure to wake up every morning and look forward to coming to work. I don’t think many people are lucky enough to have that.

I think this gives you an idea of what sort of place Eastbourne School of English is. It’s a place where people come not just to learn English but to enrich their lives. Passionate teachers and staff that will do anything for students create an environment where students come first, always. Another wonderful thing about ESOE is that it is a charity! Not many people know this but every penny that we make in profit is re-invested in new equipment, staff training and also scholarships for less fortunate students and teachers.

So you might be wondering what sort of activities I organised during my time at ESOE.  Well I won’t tell you everything but here goes my top ten all-time favourite ones:

1. Camping

2. Paintballing

3. Powerboat adventure

4. Parties (so many parties!)

5. Amsterdam and Bruges Weekend

6. International food events

7. Disneyland Weekend

8. Scotland Trip

9. Castles and gardens

10. Beachy Head – I must have been up there 100 times but it never gets boring, it’s timeless-beautiful and breath-taking.

The worst thing about the job is saying goodbye when students leave... I’ve met some great people over the years. Tai and Jee when I first arrived looked after me like brothers. Later on the Colombians (you know who you are) came and in them I found kindred spirits. I was even lucky enough to visit some of them in Colombia. Other legends Mert and Mert, Soo, Simon, Sasa, Martina, Felix and so many more – I hope one day to see you again.

I’d like to thank two people who believed in me from the very start – ESOE Manager, Rebecca Willis and Chief Executive, Phil Hopkins. Without your constant support and encouragement I wouldn’t be where I am today jobless and moving to Oz, haha! But joking aside, thank you so much for everything.

Before things get too emotional and introspective let me tell you; ESOE is like one big family, all you’ve got to do to be part of it is to turn up on a Monday morning and you’re in…for life!

All the very best to my NEW, AMAZING, and ATTRACTIVE (boys calm down please) replacement: ASHLEIGH FOSTER!