Teachers in the Educational Overseas: Stress, Burnout, and Resilience During and After COVID-19

Abstract

As expected, teaching abroad is a life changing experience for teachers (Cross and Dunn, 2016; Celik, 2017). There is no doubt that it will be a new experience and an eye-opening moment for them which can shape their future lives too. However, it can also be a challenge for them as they are in a place where the culture is totally different from their home countries. It got even worse when the Covid-19 pandemic occurred and affected many aspects. In this study, there were 8 teachers in educational overseas contexts who have been awarded Fulbright scholarships and taught in their host countries (both from US to other countries and from other countries to the US). By using semi-constructed interviews, they have shared their bittersweet experiences, from adaptation to stress, and burnout to resilience during and after COVID-19 or “the new normal”. However, this unique condition did not reduce the fundamental values of the exchange program itself which is still noteworthy for deepening mutual understanding between their homes and host countries.