Seasons In The Sun Part 1: Camilla

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[00:00:22] So the rubbish trucks here play music to let you know that the rubbish trucks are coming in the streets to put your rubbish in.

[00:00:29] So when we go back home, they think it's not the ice cream van, they think it's the rubbish truck.

[00:00:33] Oh right, well that's, you've got to be careful haven't you? That's quite a difference.

[00:00:38] It's a big difference that one, but it's quite nice to hear it in the heavy heavy heavy heavy.

[00:00:41] What sort of music is it? Is it kind of like jolly music that they play there?

[00:00:44] No, it's fair release is the common one. So that's the common one you hear around the streets.

[00:00:50] That's brilliant.

[00:00:51] Music

[00:01:16] Hello and welcome to the Exam Man podcast. I'm your host John Gaston and I am here with my co-host Sophie Gaston.

[00:01:23] So for what we're talking about today, remind me? Did you just forget my surname?

[00:01:26] No, no, not a chance.

[00:01:29] Today is a pretty, well actually it's really really really exciting one.

[00:01:34] We are having the first installment of a two-parter on exams internationally

[00:01:42] and we're going to have a really exciting guest all the way from Taiwan, which is unbelievably exciting.

[00:01:48] And we're going to basically just be bringing everyone a dose of sunshine and exams.

[00:01:53] Sounds very exotic. I mean not the exams bit but the Taiwan bit sounds exotic.

[00:01:59] Music

[00:02:06] John, we've had quite a lot of contact from exams offices this week.

[00:02:09] Haven't they told us all about their speaking exams?

[00:02:12] So is that mainly what you've been doing, isn't it?

[00:02:14] Yeah, yeah. So we got cracking this week.

[00:02:16] First day back actually was a bit of a kind of rude awakening.

[00:02:19] We started, we're doing our, I spoke in an earlier episode about how we do a lot of students who sit home language speaking exams.

[00:02:28] So we've already done Polish and Arabic and we've got Russian tomorrow.

[00:02:33] So yeah, so we've been fully into it. It's quite a nice kind of way to get started.

[00:02:38] It's not too, we don't have too many candidates so it's quite a nice pace.

[00:02:44] We have spoken about speaking exams before but I think I sort of missed something out when we talked about those

[00:02:51] and that was the student experience of doing those exams because I do think that they are very different to the other kinds of exams that students do.

[00:03:01] Terrifying. Yeah, really terrifying.

[00:03:03] And I thought it was good to just sort of explore why they're so terrifying because I think when you do a written exam,

[00:03:11] obviously you go in there, you're often in a big room with maybe 100 other candidates.

[00:03:16] You're very anonymous in there. It's just you and the exam paper and nobody else in there knows how you've done in that exam.

[00:03:24] And in fact the only person really who will ever see that exam paper is the examiner

[00:03:29] and obviously you won't know who they are or have any contact with them ever.

[00:03:33] So it's a very personal or kind of very private thing doing a written exam

[00:03:40] but the speaking exams kind of yeah, very public isn't it?

[00:03:45] It's very confronting experience because you've got to sit there in front of someone who's examining you

[00:03:52] who will often be the person who's taught you for the last two years

[00:03:56] and the pressure to perform under those circumstances I think is much greater.

[00:04:03] And we see students a lot more nervous I think for the speaking exams than for other written exams.

[00:04:11] You can't really do practice because practice doesn't really prepare, I think, as much without the nerves on the day of doing the actual speaking exam.

[00:04:19] That's hard to prepare for.

[00:04:20] Yeah, it's another thing we've talked about isn't it? It's trying to replicate the environment of doing exams

[00:04:25] and again I think you're right, I think that's much harder to replicate that kind of pressure

[00:04:30] and that kind of feeling with the speaking exams than it is with the written exams.

[00:04:37] I think there are other exams that are also kind of similar to the speaking exams

[00:04:41] so I went and observed a bit of our food practical exam

[00:04:48] and that's obviously another thing.

[00:04:50] A lot more fun because you've got cake at the end.

[00:04:52] Yeah, a lot more fun, a lot more fun but also it has that same dynamic whereby you've got a bunch of your...

[00:04:59] And in this case actually it's a bunch of your peers observing what you're doing

[00:05:04] and then your final product is there for everybody to see.

[00:05:07] But they watch you make your cake?

[00:05:09] Well yeah because there'll be sort of seven or eight students at one time.

[00:05:13] Well that's how it works at our school as well, seven or eight students at one time doing their exam together.

[00:05:20] So watching...they're all sort of doing their thing but also kind of observing each other as well.

[00:05:25] Why is that? Do they huckle each other?

[00:05:27] No, they don't. They're all very focused on what they're doing.

[00:05:29] It's a great exercise in many ways.

[00:05:31] I mean one of my invigilators kind of always sort of plays a sort of official role in those exams

[00:05:41] He gives it the kind of the stump of a significant event by being there

[00:05:48] but he's also a photographer so he takes the pictures of the students' food.

[00:05:52] And he always says to me that the students feel incredibly proud at the end of that exam.

[00:05:57] They've got something really tangible to show off.

[00:06:00] Yeah they can show off, they've got my joys.

[00:06:02] But also there is a flip side of it as well which is that if it goes badly you're there amongst your peers

[00:06:08] with your teacher there and that kind of thing.

[00:06:10] So if you're too flat to flat, yeah.

[00:06:13] I imagine that's quite stressful.

[00:06:15] That would be more stressful than French speaking exams.

[00:06:18] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:06:20] Yeah, Greg wouldn't be happy with that.

[00:06:33] Right John, let's stop talking about food because we're getting hungry.

[00:06:37] So as we said at the start this episode is mainly focusing on international exams.

[00:06:46] This is going to be the first of a two-parter where we are speaking to exams officers who are based abroad

[00:06:54] about their role and their experience of living abroad.

[00:06:57] Now obviously the main point of these episodes was to talk in depth about exams which we did with both of them.

[00:07:05] However we did get quite sidetracked in this episode didn't we John?

[00:07:10] Just when we were talking to Camilla Harris at Taipei European School

[00:07:15] because basically it was just so interesting hearing her talk about her life in Taiwan.

[00:07:21] A country that I clearly knew very little about before we spoke to her.

[00:07:26] We had lots of questions for her and she had lots of really funny little things to us about her life over there.

[00:07:33] So there is quite a lot about exams in it but there's lots of other things as well

[00:07:37] that hopefully you'll find is entertaining as we did.

[00:07:46] If you could tell us a little bit about the school and your role Camilla.

[00:07:49] Yeah, lovely to have you on.

[00:07:52] Thanks for having me. It's very exciting.

[00:07:54] Obviously the Brighton Connection is really nice to getting contact with people from back home.

[00:07:59] But yeah, Taiwan is just a beautiful country.

[00:08:03] If I ever get a chance to come out here I'd really recommend it.

[00:08:06] So I came out here eight years ago.

[00:08:09] I came as first of all as a music teacher while I was interviewed for a music teacher

[00:08:14] and then about four or five months after I was given the job

[00:08:20] opportunity to come up for operations manager.

[00:08:24] So which was to do with exams, timetabling.

[00:08:30] So we got the teacher's covers when they're sick every day or trips and things.

[00:08:34] So I went for it and got the job.

[00:08:38] So it was all very new.

[00:08:41] Well I'll say all very new.

[00:08:43] I was director of music back in the UK before I came here

[00:08:47] and I dealt with exams in terms of music side of things

[00:08:50] and timetabling through music lessons and blah blah blah.

[00:08:54] So it was a much smaller scale.

[00:08:57] And then I came here and it was a much bigger scale.

[00:09:00] So are you still a music teacher now, Camilla?

[00:09:03] I am, yeah.

[00:09:04] So yeah, I'm technically a full-time music teacher

[00:09:06] but with the operations as my second half of my job.

[00:09:10] Okay, okay.

[00:09:11] And do you, are you still doing all of those things as well that you applied for

[00:09:15] within that job?

[00:09:16] You're still multitasking like mad?

[00:09:19] Yes, that's me. I have got many hats.

[00:09:22] That's impressive.

[00:09:24] Really impressive.

[00:09:25] So what drew you to Taiwan in the first place?

[00:09:29] What caused you to go?

[00:09:32] Nothing particular really.

[00:09:33] I mean we went to, myself and my husband went to the job fair in London

[00:09:38] because his sister is actually an international school teacher as well.

[00:09:41] I thought, oh we'll give it a go.

[00:09:42] We were very happy at our previous school

[00:09:44] and weren't inclined to leave.

[00:09:46] We just thought, oh we'll just see what's happening, you know, what's going on.

[00:09:49] And the head teacher from Taipei was interested in our CVs

[00:09:54] so we thought, oh well there's no harm in going along.

[00:09:57] Had an interview on the Saturday, this over weekend, so Saturday night

[00:10:01] and then by the Sunday we had to make a decision

[00:10:03] if we're gonna be moving to Taiwan or not

[00:10:05] and we thought, why not?

[00:10:07] It's a two-year contract.

[00:10:09] I love that.

[00:10:10] If you hate it, we can always come back home.

[00:10:12] There's not a problem.

[00:10:13] And eight years later we are still here.

[00:10:15] How much did you know about Taiwan before?

[00:10:17] Did you know much?

[00:10:19] Not a lot to be honest.

[00:10:20] I mean it was typical being born in the 80s,

[00:10:22] it was more like made in Taiwan.

[00:10:24] So things were made in Taiwan.

[00:10:26] But it was, we did a lot of research in those 24 hours

[00:10:31] from having the interview and receiving the job

[00:10:34] and then having to make a decision.

[00:10:36] So yeah, we couldn't find anything bad about it to be honest.

[00:10:42] We researched it and now living here for this long

[00:10:45] there isn't that many negative.

[00:10:47] No, did you have a period where it was, you were adapting

[00:10:50] and you found it difficult or was it fairly straightforward to move?

[00:10:55] It was really straightforward and within the first two, three weeks of living here

[00:10:59] we're like yep, this could be home pretty quickly.

[00:11:03] Yeah.

[00:11:04] Do you think you'll stay then?

[00:11:06] Do you think that you sort of set up home forever there?

[00:11:09] Yeah I think so yeah.

[00:11:11] We've actually put our kids into local school as well.

[00:11:14] I was going to ask you about your children, what language they speak.

[00:11:18] Yeah so they're speaking Mandarin, obviously I hardly speak English

[00:11:21] so my eldest is nearly 10 and he's basically like his Chinese is better than his English.

[00:11:27] Wow, incredible.

[00:11:36] So the rubbish trucks here play music to let you know

[00:11:40] that the rubbish trucks are coming in the streets to put your rubbish in.

[00:11:43] So when we go back home they think it's not the ice cream van,

[00:11:46] they think it's the rubbish truck.

[00:11:47] Oh right, well you've got to be careful having that.

[00:11:50] Easy.

[00:11:51] That's quite different.

[00:11:52] It's a big difference that one but it's quite nice to hear it in every single game.

[00:11:55] What sort of music is it?

[00:11:56] Is it kind of like jolly music that they play then?

[00:11:58] No, it's fairly least, it's the common one.

[00:12:01] So that's the common one you hear around the streets.

[00:12:04] And that's like nice right rather than annoying?

[00:12:07] Yeah, yeah it's okay.

[00:12:09] You can't look it out after a while but you know it's there.

[00:12:13] On the way to school sometimes we see monkeys on the road.

[00:12:17] Ah okay, do you have to like make sure you're not carrying food and stuff like that then?

[00:12:23] No I contact you though.

[00:12:25] Sorry, John that question was coming from a place of quite deep trauma for John.

[00:12:31] I was once attacked by a monkey Camilla.

[00:12:35] Oh well okay.

[00:12:36] Yeah, yeah I was, this was in India and I was walking with like a bottle of Fanta

[00:12:42] and the monkey ran at me from a distance and stole the Fanta out my hand

[00:12:48] and then took it away, unscrewed the top and started drinking it.

[00:12:52] And I was just frozen in total terror.

[00:12:54] It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[00:12:56] It's like a runway to the start.

[00:13:06] So obviously you've had a really interesting route to finding a role as an exams officer.

[00:13:12] And what do you like most about it?

[00:13:18] I think it's the puzzles, like puzzling the time table together or puzzling the admin.

[00:13:24] It sounds really weird but it's really satisfying as well.

[00:13:28] It is obviously look, I do get quite stressed by it, well everyone does in this role.

[00:13:34] But is that satisfaction at the end?

[00:13:36] Like yeah I've done the job, I've completed what I need to complete

[00:13:40] and it's helping the students go for that journey as well.

[00:13:44] I teach mainly year 789 students.

[00:13:48] So it's actually nice to still see those older ones by doing the exams

[00:13:52] and they know me through doing music 789 and then nice to see them when they're in there.

[00:13:56] That's nice then because you have a relationship with the students then

[00:14:00] as you take them through the exam.

[00:14:02] So do all students do music in 789? Do you get to know all of them?

[00:14:06] Yeah, generally yeah.

[00:14:08] It's actually quite nice.

[00:14:10] The other day I had one of my year 11s speaking about the exams

[00:14:14] and he's coming up to his IGCCs and he said

[00:14:18] oh I remember when you knew right when you said oh you do the exams

[00:14:22] and blah blah blah blah I was like oh now you're actually doing it with us

[00:14:24] and I'm like yep, I told you this is my other job that I do apart from music.

[00:14:28] So they remember that from those three years back

[00:14:30] and actually now in the process of doing it.

[00:14:32] Do you think other students sort of surprised to see you doing these different types of roles?

[00:14:38] Do you find like it confuses them that you're sort of on the one hand

[00:14:42] you're like doing a kind of art subject as a teacher

[00:14:44] and on the other hand you're doing these sort of very logistical kind of jobs?

[00:14:48] Sometimes, yeah sometimes some students thinking

[00:14:52] like they wonder like hang on a minute you're in music

[00:14:54] and so you can go and now you're in the exam hall

[00:14:56] and they're like because sometimes they don't expect it

[00:14:58] they don't really know my other part of my role.

[00:15:00] Also I'm quite involved, heavily involved with the house system in the school as well

[00:15:04] so I'm like standing there with my green 2-2-1

[00:15:08] and whatever they're like huh what's going on

[00:15:10] you know because my serious hat on with my exams

[00:15:12] and the fun side of things like the house or the music

[00:15:16] but it's nice to have that mix as well.

[00:15:18] Yeah yeah cool.

[00:15:20] Can you Camilla tell us a little bit about the school

[00:15:23] so about where the students are coming from

[00:15:25] and a bit about the sort of the curriculum that they get there and that sort of thing?

[00:15:29] Sure we're actually quite unusual school

[00:15:31] being called the European School

[00:15:33] we actually have three main sections

[00:15:35] so we have the British section, French section and German section

[00:15:39] so we have three curriculums in a way

[00:15:43] so in the British section we're actually just starting the NYP course

[00:15:47] so we've just done two into two years now

[00:15:49] so year seven and eight completing their first two years of NYP

[00:15:55] What is that Camilla?

[00:15:57] Middle Years Programme.

[00:15:59] Oh right NYP I thought NYP.

[00:16:01] Sorry NYP, yes NYP

[00:16:03] So it's all very new to a lot of us teachers

[00:16:07] and obviously to the students

[00:16:09] but it's been an interesting road shall we say

[00:16:11] it's been difficult at times to get a head round of differently way of teaching

[00:16:15] and I think it's from the students as well

[00:16:17] the way they have to think as well

[00:16:19] so that's been interesting

[00:16:21] and then we've got the French section

[00:16:23] who follow the French Government rules

[00:16:25] and German section as well

[00:16:27] so even though we are one school

[00:16:29] but we've got three sub sections as well within that one school

[00:16:33] so can I get your high interest?

[00:16:35] Yeah it's really interesting.

[00:16:37] Do students in the French and German sections

[00:16:39] do they follow IB at all

[00:16:41] or are they just doing their national curriculum?

[00:16:44] When they get to year 10

[00:16:48] so well we have integrated lessons as well

[00:16:52] so our French and German students actually get taught

[00:16:54] in some of our British section lessons

[00:16:57] so they have music taught by us

[00:16:59] or they have Chinese

[00:17:02] it's often being Taiwan

[00:17:04] we all learn Mandarin

[00:17:06] so they have the Chinese lessons

[00:17:08] PE lessons are integrated as well

[00:17:10] and then we get to year 10

[00:17:12] and then we have the IB as well

[00:17:14] so they get involved in that way

[00:17:16] and then the IB Diploma as well

[00:17:18] the German section join us

[00:17:20] British section quite fully

[00:17:22] and French sections will do half French curriculum

[00:17:25] and half British curriculum

[00:17:27] What sort of backgrounds are the kids coming from?

[00:17:30] I'm guessing it's all an expat community

[00:17:33] is it all based around the school

[00:17:37] or are there people all over Taipei

[00:17:39] coming to you

[00:17:41] how does it work?

[00:17:43] We have students travelling quite far away

[00:17:45] over an hour journey to come to school

[00:17:48] but we have a lot of local students

[00:17:50] who usually have dual passports

[00:17:52] so there could be Taiwanese American

[00:17:54] Taiwanese Canadian

[00:17:56] we have Taiwanese French and German as well

[00:17:58] but we also have a lot of expats

[00:18:00] recently we've had a lot of Scandinavian families

[00:18:03] coming from the wind farms

[00:18:05] in Taiwan so we've had that

[00:18:07] over the last three or four years

[00:18:09] and all over

[00:18:11] I mean you've got students stuff

[00:18:13] I can't remember the stats now

[00:18:15] but it's a big number of nationalities

[00:18:17] Could you explain a little bit

[00:18:19] Camilla about the international baccalaureate

[00:18:22] the Diploma

[00:18:24] and maybe how that might differ

[00:18:26] from the sorts of qualifications

[00:18:28] that students in the UK

[00:18:30] do the IB now

[00:18:32] but on the whole it's more common

[00:18:34] for them to do A-Levels still

[00:18:36] so would you be able to explain

[00:18:38] a little bit about the IB

[00:18:40] how it works and how it might be a bit different

[00:18:42] to what we're used to here

[00:18:44] Yeah so the IB programme

[00:18:46] the students choose six subjects

[00:18:48] along with two sub-subjects

[00:18:50] they have to do

[00:18:52] maths

[00:18:54] a language

[00:18:56] of some sort

[00:18:58] usually they do a science

[00:19:00] and then they have the option subjects

[00:19:02] which could be business

[00:19:04] another language if they want to as well

[00:19:06] and the arts

[00:19:08] and then within that

[00:19:10] they have to also do some extended essay

[00:19:12] which is a big project based

[00:19:14] essay on a subject of their choice

[00:19:16] which is a big chunk of their mark as well

[00:19:18] and they can also choose these

[00:19:20] to get the full diploma

[00:19:22] they have to choose

[00:19:24] three subjects at high level

[00:19:26] and three subjects at standard level

[00:19:28] so the higher level

[00:19:30] subjects they can gain

[00:19:32] higher grades

[00:19:34] like as if extended or core

[00:19:36] I guess for IGC sort of like levelling

[00:19:38] so they have to do three of each

[00:19:40] to get the full diploma

[00:19:42] some students who may not be able to do the full

[00:19:44] diploma depending on their ability

[00:19:46] or their subject choices

[00:19:48] or their future

[00:19:50] thinking can do

[00:19:52] a CP course

[00:19:54] as well which is a careers

[00:19:56] path programme course

[00:19:58] which is linked to the IB too

[00:20:00] so they can choose subjects only at standard level

[00:20:02] and then do a project based

[00:20:04] work alongside it

[00:20:06] as well

[00:20:08] but if they just do everything at standard level

[00:20:10] so they don't get the full diploma

[00:20:12] at the end of that

[00:20:14] so it's a much broader

[00:20:16] sort of suite of

[00:20:18] subjects that they're doing

[00:20:20] and do you do

[00:20:22] any international A levels

[00:20:24] or anything like that in the

[00:20:26] no, it's all IB

[00:20:28] yeah cool

[00:20:30] and in the UK there's quite a lot of talk about

[00:20:32] like digitalising exams

[00:20:34] is that something that you're

[00:20:36] sort of aware of from the point of view of the

[00:20:38] international boards

[00:20:40] yeah I mean from

[00:20:42] Cambridge I've actually surveyed recently

[00:20:44] about what my thoughts were on the

[00:20:46] digital I mean in some ways I think it'd

[00:20:48] be good but then like

[00:20:50] I mentioned before in previous podcast

[00:20:52] about the security of it

[00:20:54] I'm not sure how it will work

[00:20:56] if you've got a massive like a room

[00:20:58] of 100 students

[00:21:00] I can't get my head round how it's going to work

[00:21:02] yeah

[00:21:04] how do your students learn?

[00:21:06] are they on devices a lot of the time when they're learning

[00:21:08] yeah they have laptops

[00:21:10] laptop yeah

[00:21:12] I mean that's one big division here I think

[00:21:14] is that some schools are fully equipped with that

[00:21:16] stuff and the kids

[00:21:18] are learning like that but obviously

[00:21:20] like in the school I work in

[00:21:22] that's not the case

[00:21:24] they're using exercise books

[00:21:26] and a bit more of like a mix really

[00:21:28] I suppose

[00:21:30] of technology and not technology

[00:21:32] it's just very so much

[00:21:34] doesn't it?

[00:21:36] I mean we know lots of schools

[00:21:38] who want to use exams

[00:21:40] and they can't do it because they haven't got a projector

[00:21:42] yeah

[00:21:44] that's quite common

[00:21:46] the variations are massive aren't they

[00:21:48] I think in terms of like facilities

[00:21:50] and stuff like that

[00:21:52] so yeah it'll be interesting to see how it goes

[00:21:54] over the next few years

[00:22:04] is it worrying at all living there

[00:22:06] because obviously it is like a

[00:22:08] you know

[00:22:10] the funny thing is people who live in Taiwan

[00:22:12] like expats and lots of the locals

[00:22:14] are not worried I think people on the outside world

[00:22:16] think it's more

[00:22:18] worrying from outside

[00:22:20] but

[00:22:22] you know we're pretty happy

[00:22:24] and we wouldn't

[00:22:26] obviously we wouldn't risk our children

[00:22:28] being here if

[00:22:30] it sounds like a magical place for the kids to grow up

[00:22:32] it is, it really is

[00:22:34] and also the weather's amazing

[00:22:36] it's

[00:22:38] pretty warm both at the time

[00:22:40] it is not so much in your hometown

[00:22:42] at the moment

[00:22:44] yeah I get updates quite a lot about that

[00:22:46] yeah

[00:22:48] the weather's not great back at home

[00:22:50] that's one thing I don't miss is the weather

[00:22:52] back at home

[00:22:56] but do miss home

[00:22:58] I said Brighton

[00:23:00] I was like you guys Brighton

[00:23:02] Brighton will be home forever

[00:23:04] and I keep saying

[00:23:06] yeah we do

[00:23:08] since Covid we've been back now last summer

[00:23:10] we came back home I was after

[00:23:12] three and a half years

[00:23:14] being home because of Covid

[00:23:16] but it is nice to come home

[00:23:18] home is always home

[00:23:20] I should point out because obviously this is just audio

[00:23:22] that Camilla

[00:23:24] is wearing a Brighton

[00:23:26] and Hovaalbian football shirt

[00:23:28] which is great because you may have noticed that

[00:23:30] in the last podcast I didn't make

[00:23:32] a football analogy because I couldn't work one out

[00:23:34] so I decided I'm going to change

[00:23:36] I'm not going to make a football analogy in every episode

[00:23:38] but I'm going to make some sort of reference to football

[00:23:40] so Camilla's managed

[00:23:42] you've saved my bacon there Camilla

[00:23:44] yeah so

[00:23:46] you're an avid Brighton supporter

[00:23:48] of course

[00:23:50] yeah kids you must be a very happy

[00:23:52] happy person from that point of view

[00:23:54] yeah they've done alright

[00:23:56] well I don't know

[00:23:58] they've done alright

[00:24:00] over the long sweep of time

[00:24:02] you must be very very happy

[00:24:04] well it's been

[00:24:06] absolutely lovely to talk to you

[00:24:08] and to finally meet because we've had loads of communication

[00:24:10] haven't we in the past

[00:24:12] so it's really

[00:24:14] lovely to meet you and to find out a bit more about

[00:24:16] time while

[00:24:18] I'm going to be really sad when the rubbish comes

[00:24:20] to be collected tomorrow and there's no music too

[00:24:22] sorry yeah

[00:24:24] thanks so much

[00:24:26] late at night talking to us too

[00:24:28] what time is it

[00:24:30] what time is it with you there

[00:24:32] it's come up to 9pm now

[00:24:34] in an exam week as well

[00:24:36] thank you

[00:24:38] it's crazy, exam brain is fully on right now

[00:24:40] yeah

[00:24:42] great we'll take care Camilla

[00:24:44] and good luck with your exams this summer

[00:24:46] thanks so much

[00:24:52] we really enjoyed

[00:24:54] talking to Camilla

[00:24:56] about her life

[00:24:58] and work in Taiwan

[00:25:00] to be honest it's not something that had ever occurred to me

[00:25:02] before

[00:25:04] about the idea that you could do my job

[00:25:06] in some kind of far flung

[00:25:08] in a robotic place

[00:25:10] and I kind of feel like I may have missed the boat

[00:25:12] somewhat on that

[00:25:14] but yeah it was really really

[00:25:16] interesting to connect with her

[00:25:18] and find out what she gets

[00:25:20] up to and how it's similar

[00:25:22] but also how it's different

[00:25:24] to what we're doing in the UK

[00:25:28] now she talked quite a lot

[00:25:30] about the types of exams

[00:25:32] that they do there

[00:25:34] and it's clear that their main focus

[00:25:36] is on international baccalaureate

[00:25:38] yeah IB

[00:25:40] I mean, yes

[00:25:42] which as I alluded to

[00:25:44] in the interview

[00:25:46] quite a number of

[00:25:48] particularly sick form colleges

[00:25:50] now offer IB

[00:25:52] as a route through

[00:25:54] post 16 education

[00:25:56] but IB is not something I'm hugely familiar with

[00:25:58] but you know a bit about it don't you say

[00:26:00] it was actually my first job

[00:26:02] was working at

[00:26:04] the international baccalaureate

[00:26:06] headquarters which

[00:26:08] is in Cardiff

[00:26:10] another exotic location

[00:26:12] it actually was

[00:26:14] I think it still is

[00:26:16] on a roundabout

[00:26:18] kind of on the edge of Cardiff

[00:26:20] towards Newport

[00:26:22] and that's it

[00:26:24] services

[00:26:26] so it's really as glamorous as it could get

[00:26:28] well it sort of

[00:26:30] it's disappointing isn't it because it does sound quite glamorous

[00:26:32] like the international baccalaureate

[00:26:34] that sounds like it

[00:26:36] anyway I still

[00:26:38] until today

[00:26:40] when I was literally googling

[00:26:42] international baccalaureate

[00:26:44] to understand kind of a little bit more

[00:26:46] about it because as you tell

[00:26:48] I didn't actually pick up anything from my first job

[00:26:50] because it was there to like

[00:26:52] who does though

[00:26:54] for stuff that I didn't need

[00:26:56] at the time

[00:26:58] but basically what I did was

[00:27:00] I packaged up the exam papers

[00:27:02] with

[00:27:04] lots of my friends and we stood in a row

[00:27:06] and got paid

[00:27:08] a small amount of money to have quite

[00:27:10] a good laugh packing the envelopes

[00:27:12] didn't even cross my mind that it was

[00:27:14] something important

[00:27:16] it was just like one of those jobs that you do

[00:27:18] or that it might be going to Taiwan

[00:27:20] which evidently could have been

[00:27:22] yeah

[00:27:24] so I am sort of

[00:27:26] not as much as an expert on ideas

[00:27:28] so as I said I googled some facts

[00:27:30] do you want them John?

[00:27:32] give me the facts

[00:27:34] international baccalaureate

[00:27:36] so there are

[00:27:38] 1.95 million students

[00:27:40] aged 3 to 19

[00:27:42] across the globe

[00:27:44] that study

[00:27:46] four educational programs

[00:27:48] that work towards the IB

[00:27:50] and this is in

[00:27:52] 160 countries

[00:27:54] wow that's most countries

[00:27:56] I then had to look up how many countries

[00:27:58] and then I thought I can't google

[00:28:00] how many countries because if I got hit

[00:28:02] by a bus then the last thing I've googled

[00:28:04] is how many countries I'll get

[00:28:06] my age I should know

[00:28:08] anyway as of

[00:28:10] February 2024

[00:28:12] there are over 8000 programs

[00:28:14] being offered worldwide across

[00:28:16] 5700 schools

[00:28:18] in those 160 countries

[00:28:20] it's a big deal

[00:28:22] and my first job was actually really important

[00:28:24] I found out today that we should have taken it more seriously

[00:28:26] so sorry if some people

[00:28:28] didn't get their papers because they're concentrated

[00:28:30] while it's hung over

[00:28:32] so next week we're going to shift our focus a little bit

[00:28:34] and we're going to

[00:28:36] look at

[00:28:38] the experience of students

[00:28:40] and families

[00:28:42] in preparing for

[00:28:44] the upcoming exams

[00:28:46] and we're actually going to speak to someone who plays

[00:28:48] a big role

[00:28:50] in supporting students

[00:28:52] in preparing for their exams

[00:28:54] and shock horror

[00:28:56] it's not going to be an exams officer

[00:28:58] that we talked to for the first time

[00:29:00] so we're excited about doing

[00:29:02] something a little bit different next week

[00:29:04] so please tune in for that

[00:29:22] Thank you so much for tuning into this episode

[00:29:24] remember that you can get the exam man

[00:29:26] podcast on all the major podcasting platforms

[00:29:28] please give us a rating

[00:29:30] and a review and we'll see you next time

[00:29:52] you