I am more familiar with the countries than the schools. Singapore offers the best standard of living but with the associated costs. Bangkok, would be my prefered option and at the bottom of the pile would come Indonesia, and specifically Jakarta, where I currently reside. Traffic, corruption, government interference in the running of international schools and less well documented, climate and mosquitoes (dengue fever is common here) make this a true hardship posting. Not to mention the fact that the two major international schools, one of which is JIS, are both experiencing considerable internal difficulties, leading to very high staff turnover.

I agree: we have to keep a sense of perspective about this whole issue. There are far more hideous crimes committed than posting controversial responses to questions, probably with good intentions.

Stay well away is my advice. 40 members of staff are leaving one of the better schools in terms of pay (and as in most countries, the schools which pay well and where you would want to work are in a small minority). The traffic congestion,which could quite possiblity be the worst in the world, places severe restrictions on your mobility and quality of life. Indonesian international schools are also facing difficulties due to government legislation and there is the infamous abuse case which provides a dark underbelly to teaching here. On a positive note, the Indonesian people are wonderful, or at least the ones who are not corrupt!

A relatively new secondary school who have recently received IB accreditation. Good facilities and a descent package.

I worked for one year in Shanghai and would tend to agree with most of your posting here. China is not for everyone and I feel you will either love or hate it, that said some people can live happily there for several years so it depends on the individual at the end of the day.

I am currently 'privileged' to be living in Jakarta, Indonesia. British International School is now called the British School of Jakarta, not the British School. Other than the political and social upheaval taking place here, linked largely to economic factors (e.g.fuel prices were recently increased by 30 percent leading to large protests), the horrendous traffic and poor infrastructure, make living here very difficult. Not surprisingly, staff turnover, even at the better schools, is very high with many staff targeting what are considered to be more desirable locations such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Obtaining work visas is also becoming a big issue, even for the well connected schools and nobody really knows how the proposed changes, referred to in earlier posts, will manifest themselves leading to a culture of uncertainty.

'Any other' : British International School, Jakarta.
Excellent terms and conditions.

I've lived and worked overseas for fifteen years and never regretted it for a single moment. In fact, each year away from home has strengthened my resolve to stay abroad and all of this despite the fact that I've been stationed in the Middle East during those fifteen years! I'm about to embark on a new adventure to SE Asia; let the next chapter begin.

Good news: you are eminently employable. I've just received ten offers of employment, offering the above combination of subjects(Economics/Business Studies and History). A BA in Economics is especially desirable - more so than Business Studies.

What you now need, more than anything else, is IB and History teaching experience. What you don't need is an MA in History or any other subject for that matter; they can always come later.

Agree with much of what PsyGuy said, but I had to laugh at the use of the word 'reminisce' instead of remiss :o

A lot of nonsense spoken on this thread by people who are eminently unqualified to have an informed opinion on the Middle East (PsyGuy being the best example - I’ve lived and worked here for fifteen years and still don’t consider myself to be an expert,by any stretch of the imagination). I like noseyparker’s contribution and particularly the sentence [quote] It is easy to sneer at Arabic culture, heaven knows I have moaned about it enough myself, but it is an inescapable fact that it is very different to many other places.â€

I've lived and worked in the Middle East for fifteen years now, so I suppose I should make a brief contribution. Kuwait, if you can secure employment at one of the better schools, it is by no means as bad as some people would have you believe, especially if you are into sports. I would argue the same applies to the other Gulf Countries but the problem is that there is a real dearth of good international schools. Oman and Jordan have more to offer in terms of lifestyle but even fewer good schools.

It is quite possible to teach abroad and provide for your retirement: the two are not mutually exclusive. If you are from the UK, you can continue to make national insurance contributions which will entitle you to a state pension (currently, 35 years will entitle you to a full pension). I've been teaching abroad for fifteen years; unequivocally, the best decision I ever made. I aim to retire at 55, at the latest, something I probably wouldn't have been able to do if I had stayed in the UK.

I've recently accepted a position at what many would consider a 'top tier' school (a contentious term - I know). Since I have been the beneficiary of many previous postings, I would like to share with you the following experiences/conclusions :

References seem to have become even more important; I had a number of schools who took up my reference who didn't invite me to interview. I think this was due to the fact that one reference wasn't considered to be positive enough (often it is what isn't said, rather than what is said).

I attended a Search Fair and was made four offers of employment : so much for them being a waste of time, as some posters would try and make you believe. Preparation is everything. Having said that, two schools literally tried to coerce me into signing a contract there and then, despite the fact that I hadn't completed my interviews. Employers are meant to give you at least 24 hours to make a decision.

The Search Database is useful for making comparisons and direct applications, but some of the information relating to terms and conditions is inaccurate.

Having spent five hundred pounds on attending an interview and having been unsuccessful, I resolved never to do this again; I resolved that for me it would be Skype or the Fairs. I incurred a similar cost for attending the Search Fair but at least here you should be able to arrange a minimum of four or five interviews, thus increasing your chances immeasurably.

CV - two pages maximum, with the focus on achievements.

Interview technique: I spent a lot of time on this and it was a worth while exercise; however, I found that there is ultimately no substitute for being relaxed, positive and genuine (easier said that done, I know).

Always look for opportunities during the interview to demonstrate your knowledge of the school and the ways they can benefit from your knowledge, skills, experience. What is your USP?

IB experience is now critical. Do everything possible to get some experience if you haven't already (summer school, training courses etc).

TES is still the best source for job advertisements and this website has proven to be invaluable in enabling me to carry out background research on schools, although you need to more than a little skeptical about many of the reviews.

I'm certain there are still numerous vacancies, for reasons that have already been alluded to by previous posters. Best of luck to those who haven't already found a suitable position.