Discovering Singapore: Art, Desgin, Culture & Creativity
An Interview with Stephen Dobson, Teacher at Scotch Oakburn Collage
Can you remember why you decided to become a teacher?
My dad was a teacher and I remembered the great family time we had growing up. I enjoyed coaching and leadership roles I had at different jobs so thought I would also enjoy teaching.
How many years have you been teaching?
22 years
Can you give us three reasons why you love your job?
Seeing the positive difference you can make for a young person.
The variety of opportunities it can offer with roles, experiences and classroom teaching.
Meeting former students who come up to say hello, share what they’re doing now, and genuinely show how happy they are to see you.
As a teacher, what is the biggest challenge you face in your role and how do you deal with that?
Probably no surprise for a teacher, but time management to keep up with everything the job entails.
Do you remember why you started thinking about an international trip? What were you doing at the time and how did it pop into your head?
I was looking for a new teaching goal, which we do every year, and I wanted to do something that would benefit a broader audience. The school had never offered a Creative Art and Design experience before, so I thought this could be a good challenge for me to see if it was possible to get it up and running. The international aspect was more of a wish, as I wasn’t sure if it would be possible.
Why did you decide to go on an internationalschool trip?
I'd been on a few language trips that are amazing opportunities for those students so I thought a similar trip with a creative focus might be a possibility for students who were focused on the creative arts at our school.
How did you find Educating Adventures?
By pure luck, an email was forwarded to me from within the college, and when I read it, I thought this could be the perfect starting point to see what was possible. I had looked at other providers but had been unsuccessful.
Why did you decide to use Educating Adventuresto help you instead of organising the trip yourself?
This was my first time organising a trip from scratch, so having the support of an organisation with a huge amount of expertise in this area gave me real peace of mind. From my first contact email, I got a great feeling, as the team at EA were very positive and genuinely on board with helping to create the programme I was looking for. Organising the trip with EA’s support was the very best decision I could have made.
How long did it take you to organise the tripfrom the initial planning phase to getting on the plane?
I’d say about 18 months.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome when planning your trip away?
Probably the timing and logistics with parents and students, as it can take longer than you think to get responses and general information back. Overall, though, I’d say it was a pretty smooth process, particularly with EA helping to manage the timelines and the more challenging logistics behind the scenes.
What were the top three highlights of the trip?
The huge variety of experiences offered in Singapore and organised for our students was amazing every day. Our Singapore guide was brilliant—fun, realistic, knowledgeable, and flexible, making sure we got every bit of value out of the trip. The students absolutely loved her. I loved the food and experiences as well, but the other teachers and I also really appreciated how smoothly the trip went from day to day. It felt so organised and calm, with almost no serious hiccups.
What was the most challenging thing about travelling with a group of students?
Making sure everyone was happy and healthy and looking after themselves with food hydration and sleep.
Did your students enjoy the trip? What do you think was the biggest highlight for them?
100% — they all loved it. We’ve had so much positive feedback from students and families. The variety of experiences keeps coming up as one of the things they loved most, with every day offering something new and exciting. Oh, and the shopping!!
For you, what was the most rewarding thingabout the trip?
So many happy students. The effort was 100% worth it.
Do you think international school trips are important to a student’s education or learning experience? If so, why?
100%. Australia is an amazing place, but it can’t offer everything. An international trip offers students so much more than sightseeing. It builds confidence, knowledge, and a greater awareness of people and cultures that are so different from home. Family holidays are great, but students having to take responsibility for the little details of international travel while away from home can be a life-changing experience for young people. Every single ‘Creative’ student on this trip, which was designed specifically for them, gained something significant from the experience. It was incredibly valuable and provided lifelong learning that they will carry with them.
What would be your advice for another teacher considering a school trip abroad?
Don’t do it alone. Get help from experts as early on as possible. Without doubt, working with Education Adventures from the start was the best decision I made. They give you the direction and support to make it happen, because you don’t know what you don’t know.
Work with a budget in mind, but aim big and work backwards from there to get the maximum from the experience. Without a doubt, have a local guide! They are amazing, worth every single dollar, and remove so much stress from the minute you land.
Lastly, if you have the support of your school, then do it. The Singapore experience we took 25 students on was one of the biggest highlights of all my years of teaching. It was an amazing experience for a group of students who otherwise may never have had this Creative Art and Design opportunity.
A huge thank you from our College, and from me personally, for all the hard work the amazing team at Education Adventures put in to make this happen. Thank you.
