I live in Saaremaa, the largest western island of Estonia. It
has a silky sea breeze, silence and long, empty beaches. Kuressaare Regional Training Centre is a government-maintained vocational school for students aged 16-plus. I can walk there in 10 minutes and lessons start at 8.30am.

Lifelong learning is encouraged in Estonia - we have many students who keep coming back, to study new things or to pass on their skills as teachers. There’s no limit on the amount of times you can study at a vocational school. You get a stipend, your transport cost is refunded and you can live in a school hostel.

This culture of constant learning means that sometimes my teaching days are 12 hours long, as my evenings are filled with teaching evening courses to adults.

In the spring, I take a six-hour bus to the mainland, to teach at Tartu Art School for a few days once a month. The two female school leaders in Kuressaare and Tartu are the main reason I’ve stayed in education. They are true enablers and facilitators, leading with empathy and emotional intelligence. We need more female leaders, and not only in education.

Merit Karise is a teacher of creativity at Kuressaare Regional Training Centre, Saaremaa, Estonia