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Living and teaching in Medway, Kent

Medway, or Medway Towns, is a collection of towns, villages and a city, all located along the beautiful River Medway in the Home County of Kent.

If you’re looking for a charmed lifestyle, this is your place.

With excellent transport links to London (and to continental Europe via the Eurostar), the Medway region is a fantastic choice for teachers keen to live in idyllic rural settings, or well preserved, charming and historic towns, whilst still having the buzz of the capital or the continent within easy reach. If you love festivals then this part of the world is for you – there are over 600 festival days a year – ranging from music to sport to history to food to art and all things in between, often in jaw-dropping settings of striking historic or natural beauty.

teach in Medway, teach in Kent

Medway River, Kent

Medway is made up of the towns of Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, and Strood, and the historic city of Rochester. There are numerous quaint villages within easy commute of Medway Towns, or you could even live in the outskirts of London or Greenwich and ‘reverse commute’ (i.e. go the opposite way to the commuter crowd) if that would better suit your lifestyle.

Top things to do in Medway Towns

  • Explore the delightful city of Rochester, beloved by novelist Charles Dickens, and home to the massive 800-year-old Rochester Castle. A visit to Rochester is a ‘must do’ every December with its carol singers, market stalls and lamp lit parades.
  • Visit the architecturally stunning Rochester Cathedral, a site of spiritual significance for over 1000 years
  • Enjoy an outstanding dining experience at The Barn – a must-do for foodies.
  • Soak up hundreds of years of fascinating maritime history at Chatham Dockyards.
  • Enjoy picturesque country walks in the garden of England.
  • Hone your skiing and snowboarding skills at the Chatham Ski Slope and Snowboard Centre.
  • Golfers will enjoy the range of three beautiful courses in the area, Gillingham Golf Club, Deansgate Ridge and Cobham Park Golf Club
  • Literature buffs will enjoy Restoration House. This fascinating hidden gem was the inspiration for Miss Havisham’s house in Dickens’s Great Expectations. Hard-core Dickens fans will enjoy Dickens World, and the Dickens exhibits at the free Guildhall Museum.
  • Walk or cycle the Saxon Shore Way – Kent’s ancient coastline which is now miles inland in many sections of the route. Pass by Iron Age hill forts, magnificent castle and churches, and through two areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
  • Head to Baggins Book Bazaar, one of England’s largest second hand bookshops, and a charming olde worlde shopping experience.

Useful links for life in Medway

Download our FAQs about living and working in Medway

Historic UK – discover the evolution of Rochester since the Romans first inhabited the site in 43AD

visitMedway.org – Medway Tourist Office

Medway Council’s teaching jobs portal

Kent Tourist Office – discover where the tourist office thinks you should go

South Eastern Railway – Kent’s rail links

Kent’s Best Beaches – plan a day trip to the seaside

Bluewater Shopping Centre – when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping


Interview with a Medway Hiring Principal – Australia, October / November 2016

Australian based teachers have a unique opportunity to interview in person with a Hiring Principal (Headteacher) from the district of Medway , this October and November. Interviews will be held in all major Australian capital cities, and teaching jobs will be offered in all subjects, at all year levels.

Find out more about our Medway Hiring Principal interviews here

Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle