Hi all,

I’ve been working in an office since graduating university last year and have quickly realised that the office lifestyle, while ideal for many, just doesn’t suit me. My boyfriend of 5 years feels the same and we’ve recently been looking into completing a qualification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), enabling us to travel for a while and then set ourselves up as English teachers here in the UK – a much more exciting prospect.

At first, my mum fully supported my decision to go into TEFL, but now, it’s like she’s trying to sabotage my plans. She’s suddenly coming up with these ‘problems’ she thinks my relationship has (for instance, she kindly (ahem) pointed out to me that I have no other friends (almost true), and accused my boyfriend of making this happen), abruptly questioned the cost of the course even though she’d offered to help me fund it before, and is now trying to push me to go on holiday with her instead.

She’s been going through a separation and divorce for several years which is obviously a horrible experience. I don’t want her to feel lonely or sad – but I also want to live my own life with my boyfriend, whom she suddenly seems to dislike so much. It seems she’s trying to force issues into my relationship and put doubts in my head; she even suggested this morning that she would ‘support me through any changes I might make’, i.e. breaking up with him. (This is definitely not going to happen!)

It’s a daunting decision changing careers and planning to venture across the world to teach, and what I really need is encouragement, not questions and doubts. But I know I’d feel guilty leaving her, even though she’d still have my two brothers.

Can anyone offer any advice on what I should do? Thanks for reading.