5 Top Tips to Help you Settle in to Kent

You’ve secured a brand new teaching opportunity in Kent, you’ve found a place to live, decorated your new classroom and met your new pupils…but when you are living in a new area sometimes it's hard to know how to kick back and relax when the teaching day has ended…

Here are Kent-Teach’s 5 top tips to help you make the most of Kent once school is out:

1)  Get out and about and see what’s around. Whilst the internet is a great tool to tell you what you can get up to in Kent, sometimes the best way of getting to know a new location is just to get lost in it. Why not take a drive round the country lanes of Tunbridge Wells? Or take the coastal route to Whitstable and enjoy their famous fish and chips on their picturesque seafront (weather permitting of course).

2)  Kent is not short of countryside and nature; after all you have decided to live in the 'Garden of England'. Whether you want to unwind after a long week of assessments and marking or just want an opportunity to get some fresh air, there are plenty of places to pick from. Why not take a wander around Bewl Water Country Park, Bedgebury Pinetum, or Groombridge Place, each fascinating places in their own right.

3)  If retail therapy is the way you like to unwind then you’re in for a treat. Kent is home to Bluewater, Fremlin Walk in Maidstone, Whitefriars in Canterbury and of course the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Ashford. That’s over one month’s worth of weekends filled up just with shopping trips!

4)  If you find yourself wanting a change of scene from Kentish life, then London is right on our doorstep, exposing you to the big bright lights of the city in no longer than an hour’s journey from most train stations in Kent. Alternatively take a trip across the channel to explore France. The channel tunnel and ferry service ensure you are there in good time and able to enjoy a day trip on the European Continent. Luxury is just a stone throw anyway too, why not hop on the Eurostar and enjoy the delights of Paris, Brussels and Bruges.

5)  Ask. Speak to your colleagues, friends, neighbours. Word of mouth gives the most honest opinion of what’s out there for you to do and is also a great way to meet new people and explore new places to socialise together.

Where is your favourite place to go in Kent? Share your favourite destinations with us!

There is plenty to do in Kent, even if you are on a tight budget. Check out this list of things to do in Kent for free to make the most of what the county has to offer.

Image courtesy of Visit Kent.