When I sat down with Ian Aird, the CEO of English Australia, I expected we’d talk mostly about the sector’s current policy turbulence, and what it’s like trying to advocate when the rules keep shifting.

We absolutely go there.

But what I didn’t expect was how quickly the conversation turned into something more personal, more human, and (weirdly) more useful for anyone trying to make sense of careers, leadership, and what “good decisions” actually look like in real life.

Because Ian’s path to the “big chair” wasn’t a neat, straight-line plan. It was part instinct, part risk, part luck, and part turning up in Spain with basically no plan at all, walking the streets with a CV, and hoping the bank account didn’t hit zero first.

And then there’s the moment that still makes me laugh: he was lined up to go to Japan… until he found out he’d have to cut his hair. Except it’s not really about the hair. It’s about the sliding-door moments, the tiny decisions that end up shaping the whole story, and what happens when you actually ask the question you’re “not supposed” to ask.

In this episode, we get into:

• What it’s really like stepping into a CEO role mid-whirlwind, including Ian’s brutally honest version of “strategy” in a small organisation (hint: triage).

• Why the last two years have felt uniquely chaotic, from visa and legislative change through to constant policy pivots.

• COVID as a career breaker and a career re-route, and the uncomfortable realisation that the world has now learned it can shut borders fast, and do it again.

• What today’s students need that they did not used to, including the hidden “life skills gap” for students who lost formative years to lockdowns, and why support needs are higher than many people realise.

• Why language is not just words, and why the “earpiece that translates everything” still misses the point of learning how humans actually communicate.

There’s a part of the conversation where we’re talking about Year 12 exams and the pressure young people feel to “get it right” right now, and Ian says something that should be printed on a sticker and slapped onto half the careers advice floating around out there: “Don’t convey that what you do now will lock you in for life.”

It’s a simple line, but it cuts straight through the panic. Yes, some decisions matter. But the myth that one choice defines you forever is, in Ian’s words, absolute garbage.

And because I can’t resist a good left turn, we also end up in Southeast Asia, the chaos of learning how to cross a road in a new country, and why being overwhelmed is sometimes exactly the point.

If you work in international education, advocacy, student experience, or you’re just trying to build a career that does not feel like a straightjacket, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets. For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au