Comments: I
have worked at the International School of Brussels for two
years and am beginning my third year here. In those two plus
years, I have worked harder than ever before, learned a tremendous
amount about teaching - despite ten years of experience, traveled
extensively, made a lot of friends, and saved some money.
The school offers an
excellent education to its students, yet is continually
seeking improvement. The administration has a good vision
for where the school is going, though not all teachers buy
into it. The combination of the ongoing efforts at improvement
and uneven acceptance of those efforts does, at times, create
inequity in workload in my opinion. In general, both workload
and expectations are high. However, the compensation package
is very good for a western European school. Extra-curricular
involvement is not expected and reasonable compensation
is provided if you choose to do so.
The school has approximately
1500 students. They are incredible and diverse. I believe
that there were 63 nations represented in the graduating
class of 2005. The largest group is North Americans, with
significant numbers of British and Belgian students as well.
The teaching staff is similarly distributed. The students
tend to be very thoughtful and mature. The climate of the
school is one that promotes this attitude and new students
are usually easily integrated into this.
The school facilities and available resources are outstanding,
though space is an issue at times. Each of the four divisions
is physically separated on a large 40 hectare campus. There are
plenty of athletic facilities that teachers can utilize, including
a workout room, climbing wall, track, indoor tennis courts, and
so on. The school has extensive technological facilities as well
with at least one computer in every classroom and lots of computer
labs, including specialized ones for graphics, etc.
The campus is located in a commune that is officially part of Brussels,
but is actually quite a way from the center and not particularly
urban. Many teachers choose to live in this area for the easy
commute and relative quiet. However, an equal number live in
the communes between the center and the school, where there is
a huge concentration of restaurants, bars, and clubs. The commute
by public transportation is about 30 minutes from these areas.
The highlights of the country, to me, are the food and the beer.
The cheeses and chocolates and cuisine in general are really
exceptional. My one disappointment in regards to the food is
that the Asian food does not seem to have the same standards
as I am accustomed to in North America (or Asia). Belgium is
rightly famous for its beers and we have enjoyed very much
trying the many unique varieties of well-crafted brews. In
general, living in Belgium seems to be typical of northern
Europe.
Travel opportunities abound with efficient transport connections
and a calendar that is conducive to taking advantage of them. The
weather/climate is awful for most of the year and can be downright
depressing in the short days of winter, when you go and return
from school in the dark (and the sun doesn’t break through
the clouds once it is light). Integration into the culture is a
challenge, but there is a huge expatriate community here and it
is a large enough school that there are lots of social possibilities
among the teachers. Speaking French helps outside of the school,
as it is in the predominantly French-speaking part of Belgium,
but is certainly not necessary as English is widely spoken. The
other two official languages in Belgium are Flemish and German.
There is a lot to like at this school and in this country. However,
I did not leave the US to stay in one place and the combination
of the workload, the climate, and my desire for a more exotic location
compel me to move on…
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