My school in Chile starts the school year in July and ends in June with a long summer break from late December to early February. There haven't been too many difficulties with the change of hemispheres, other than finding it hard to get in the Christmas spirit with all this beautiful summer weather!

AAS St. Petersburg is a lovely small school in the better city. I am biased since I spent four years there. The city is very walkable and beautiful. It is true that winters can be tough. My first winter there was brutal with bitter cold and snow snow snow. At that time we were in the older smaller building with few modes of transportation other than walking. The new school can be reached by metro and/or bus and a short walk. St. Petersburg would be a wonderful place to have a family.

I recently finished up a stint in New Delhi and never had issues with the locals. In general, they were quite friendly. Now, would you like to hear about the air quality?
That being said, AES is stellar and I am quite missing it.

Also, American Embassy School, New Delhi, India

In the past AAS was able to hire Brits, Canadians, and Americans. They had some recent significant visa issues with Canadians and are no longer able to hire them.

Delhi can be tough:
- pollution - air (worst in world), water, and on the ground all around you
- mosquitoes carrying dengue
- traffic traffic traffic

That being said, I believe the hardship pay is actually to offset transportation costs to school for those housed away from campus. The school is a wonderful place to work.

What is the school? I have not taught in Malawi but have spent time there. It is a beautiful country with friendly people. It is my dream to live there someday. Of course, it is Africa, so you need to be prepared for all that comes with that, both good and bad. Good luck on your decision!

India is definitely not for everybody and you should definitely do your research. The Chennai, Bombay, and Delhi schools are good and will take care of you, but India can still wear you down. I have embraced India and am enjoying it for the most part. My school takes really good care of me, but there are definitely "not loving India" days. Good luck on your job hunt!

It was not a boarding school in 2011 when I visited and I am guessing it is still not.

I have had success with Search Associates both times I was hunting for a job. I made sure all my references were in to Search and my file was active on the first day in August. I had interviews with three school in October and November and an accepted offer in early December. It is definitely better to start early rather than late. Best of luck!

Are you signed up with Search or ISS? If so, you have access to that information and should at least have an idea of the salary range. I had a good idea of the salary/package of each of the schools with whom I interviewed. I agree that it is not a good idea to ask about salary during the first interview. Though we all know it is important, the interviewer wants to hear about your passion for the students/teaching and not you asking about the money. Good luck!

My current school has a new hire Facebook page and all the newbies have been asking questions. My new school has a new hire google+ page for the same reason. The HR director of my new school says things will really start rolling in March.

The new Facebook page for international school teacher singles is two days old and already over 180 members.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/410354899098928/

I am curious about this as well. Has anyone been hired by good schools in South America (Nido, Graded, etc.) via Skype or do they hire exclusively through the Atlanta fair? I didn't receive even a nibble from any school in South America and ended up accepting a job at a great school in Asia. I am still curious about South America for future reference.

I have had three interviews for and two of them came from emailing the principal directly, including the job I accepted. Like Bellarux, I wait about a week. In the email, I introduce myself and let them know I have officially applied for the position. I also attach my CV.
Good luck!