Teaching abroad with epilepsy: Ellie’s story

Hey, travellers and future teachers out there! I’m Ellie, a TEFL Org graduate who has taught for 5 years in China and 1 year in South Korea. Oh yes, and I have a long-term medical condition. 

When I was 10 years old, I was diagnosed with epilepsy .

In the doctor's office, my parents glanced sideways at each other, both mentally asking one another the question: “What’s epilepsy?” By the end of the consultation, we all had a better understanding of my condition and later that week my Nintendo DS mysteriously disappeared. 

For anyone who doesn’t know what epilepsy is - I’ll quickly give you a brief overview (so simple that my neurologist would probably tut in exasperation if he were reading this):

Epilepsy is a neurological condition (that basically means it’s a condition which impacts the brain). The result is suffering from seizures, and needing to take medication daily to keep these under control. 

Now, I can guess the kind of seizure you’ve seen in the movies or on TV - the kind when a person is unconscious on the floor and jerking uncontrollably. Well, that’s just one type of seizure. There are actually a bunch of others like muscle rigidity, blank stares, and entire limbs feeling numb - just to name a few.

Epileptics have different triggers too. Some of my triggers, like flashing lights, stress, and tiredness may not affect another epileptic. 

Why I decided to study for a TEFL qualification and teach abroad

I can guess what you’re thinking. Something along the lines of: “this person has a medical condition where she has seizures without warning, and she wants to teach in front of a class of students. Is that a good idea?”

It’s a question I’ve been asked a few times before. I guess a simple answer to why I still pursued a career in teaching was partly because of my character. 

I’m not particularly stubborn, but I dislike being told what I can’t do and that happens a lot with epilepsy. You’re told that you can’t drive, that you can’t scuba dive, that you can’t drink alcohol with certain medication. I didn’t want teaching to be added to the list of things that I couldn’t do. 

My mum is a teacher and I often went into school with her to help out. From a young age, I knew that I enjoyed teaching and that it would be one of the many things that I would like to do when I was older. 

After graduating from university, I completed my TEFL course and within the year, accepted a job in Kunming, China. 

What are the struggles of teaching with epilepsy? 

There are struggles with teaching abroad and living abroad. With epilepsy (or any other medical condition), there are a few more obstacles to consider.

1. The stigma or prejudice surrounding epilepsy 

In Chinese, the word for epilepsy is dian xian which translates to ‘madness’. In Korean, it’s gan-jil which translates to ‘mad sickness’. In Malay , gila babi means ‘mad pig disease’. You get the idea. There’s still a stigma in some countries when it comes to a condition like epilepsy. 

I’ve been on the receiving end of some comments. They’ve never been malicious or cruel, just born from ignorance. 

It’s an adjustment. One day I was living in a country where epilepsy was a recognised incurable condition, the next I lived in a country where my condition was supposedly the result of a bad diet and something that I could just “work through”.

2. The anxiety of having a seizure in class

Having a seizure while teaching a class of 3-year-olds was my biggest fear. Seizures aren’t fun to have, and they can be pretty terrifying to watch (think the Exorcist but minus the 360-degree head turn). 

Luckily for me, it never happened during my teaching career. Part of that is thanks to my wonderful co-teachers that I’ve had over the years, and the other is my awareness about what triggers my epilepsy. 

In the case of my coworkers, they knew all the ins and outs of my condition. If they saw any tell-tale signs that could lead to a seizure then they would let me know at once, and cover my class.

In the case of my own awareness - I know that certain lights will trigger my condition. Before accepting a contract, I asked if the school would be able to provide me with a classroom with a lot of natural light, so I wouldn’t have to teach in that artificial hospital-vibe type of lighting. 

One thing I’d add is that kids, especially the younger ones, have selective memory spans . If I had a seizure in the class, I doubt they’d remember it a few months later - simply because it’s not interesting, and doesn’t feature in the orbit of their ego. 

Plus, on the whole, kids are kind. Yes, we can have the odd student with behavioural issues, but I’ve yet to meet a cruel child. When I think about all the classes I’ve taught over the years with students aged from as young as 3 to as old as 18, I cannot think of one student who would’ve been unkind if I were to have had a seizure in front of them  

3. The need to explain to co-workers about your condition 

I don’t mind talking about my epilepsy. I don’t take enjoyment in it, but I also don’t squirm with self-consciousness. I wasn’t always like this. When I was a teenager my condition was a source of shame and embarrassment for me. 

I know some people who feel like this as an adult. Not just epileptics, but people who suffer from anxiety, depression or any other invisible illness. 

You’ll need to explain your medical condition when you start teaching at a new school. It wouldn’t be a smart idea to keep it private. The more people who know, the more support you can get. 

4. The ‘hushing up’ of my condition 

Like I said, in some places, there’s a stigma about epilepsy, and it’s not exclusive to this invisible illness. Anxiety, depression, ADHD, Lyme disease - these are just a few examples of conditions where sufferers will have to deal with some bigoted comments. 

With that in mind, it may not come as a shock that some of the schools I’ve taught at have wanted to ‘hush up’ my condition. 

The grounds for doing this usually run along the lines of: ‘the parents may complain/worry/ask to change teachers.’ 

When I hear this, I often have to bite back some expletives which would make a sailor blush. 

The result? An agreed-upon cover story. If I ever had a seizure in class, then it would be explained away with a: ‘Ellie teacher had low blood sugar levels that day’ or ‘Ellie teacher hasn’t been eating well recently’.  

Yep. My epileptic seizures were dismissed as some dietary negligence (more expletives from me). 

It may sound bad to say, but it was a practice that I started to get used to. This kind of thing happened a few times at different schools. At the end of the day, they’re a business and the satisfaction of the customer (the parents) is paramount. I get it. 

Some things you have to be mindful of when moving abroad with a medical condition 

This was my list of things that I had to think about, but it will vary depending on the person and the condition. 

1. Can I get my epilepsy medication in *insert country that I’m moving to here*

I take epilepsy medication every day. If I skip for a few days then I will have seizures with the same frequency that Taylor Swift has hit songs (in other words - a lot).

My medication manages my condition. After getting my qualification, I had to spend some time looking at countries and whether or not my medication was available there. For some countries which had a question mark next to it, I then went to my doctor and asked them to consult their VIP doctor database for the answer. 

2.  Where’s the nearest hospital? 

It makes sense for everyone to know where the nearest hospital is regardless of whether or not they have a medical condition. Once I had the school address, I’d then ask my employer about the nearest hospital, whether or not they had an English-speaking department, or if they had a neurological department too. 

As long as there was a hospital within a 20 km radius and a couple of English-speaking doctors then I was good to go. 

I also had a screenshot of some notes on my phone which I could show to the doctor in the worst-case scenario - a translation of my condition explaining each detail . 

3. Making sure I had enough money to cover medication costs 

I’m from England which means I have the wonderful NHS . Fortunately for me, I don’t pay a penny for my medication. I get them for free. The idea of having to pay for medication that I was entirely dependent on was completely alien to me. 

So you can imagine my shock when I started making plans to move to China and my mum asked, in an offhand kind of way, ‘Do you know how much your epilepsy meds will cost you?’ 

Anyone who’s planning to teach abroad should bring some extra cash to cover them until the first pay cheque. This will cover the cost of the first month of rent, utility bills - that kind of thing. 

With my epilepsy, I had to bring more money with me, and I also had to make sure that I always set aside money from my salary to cover the cost of medication. 

Why you shouldn’t let a medical condition deter you from teaching abroad

If this post puts you off teaching abroad then I have failed miserably. 

That’s definitely not my intention. Teaching English abroad is nothing short of rewarding, stimulating, and crammed with memories that you will look back on in years to come (which is exactly what I do). 

It’s a job that I recommend to anyone who has an enthusiasm for teaching, invisible condition or not. 

Being a teacher with epilepsy has added a few bumps along the road but that’s precisely what they are - bumps, not insurmountable mountains that can’t be crossed.

Teaching with epilepsy hasn’t worked against me. The only difference between myself and my co-workers was that I would have a few more things to think about when it came to moving abroad and doing the job. It didn’t debilitate me in any way, nor did it set me at a disadvantage. 

If you have a manageable condition and a passion for teaching then TEFL should feature in your plans. 

A bit about Ellie 

Ellie is a Brit abroad. She left the UK in 2017 to start a career teaching in China, and what was supposed to be 1 year has now turned into 6 years of living abroad. She’s also taught in South Korea , and is now living in Bulgaria. 

You can follow her travels via Instagram @epileptic.ab r oad or her website epilepticabroad.com

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