I am not sure if declining the position was such a wise decision as that alone could have been looked at as a " golden opportunity " to get into Japan. It's not always about the money and to be quite honest, you could have easily saved being that there are some properties in Kobe that are quite affordable. However, it seems that you thought about it enough and good luck on your future decisions.

Ewww. Just reading the posts from people about this school's administrators would be enough to turn anyone off. Why would anyone want to suffer under a rude, condescending, combative administrator who will not support you in a difficult, crime-ridden place?!

Teaching in your home country for 2 years ( esp. the Native reserves ) would look REALLY good on a resume. However, can you handle teaching 2 yeas at the Native reserves? The situation will be as dire as working in a horrible school in the Middle East.

I definitely agree with TEACHERGUY : A master's will make you look attractive but having no experience will not make you as marketable as let's say someone with a B.Ed with a few years' experience and interviews well. Ultimately, someone can have a line of beautiful degrees without having the practical knowledge and this would definitely cause disaster in the classroom.
You know of the " professor who doesn't know how to teach ?" I'm sure we have had a few of those in our years of schooling where you're bored out of you mind in the lecture seat....and even more so if we think about the bad primary or highschool teachers we may have had over the years ( and THEY have years of experience ).

My advice is to skip the Master's for now. Go out into the world and get your 2 - 6 years of teaching experience. A lot can happen during that time. You have to think about the following before getting your Masters :

What if I invest some more time and money into a Master's only to find out later after 1 year of teaching that I actually don't like the profession and don't want to be in the profession much longer?

A few years of international school teaching can make you change a lot of your views, beliefs and practices in the profession.

Also I cannot stress this enough : THE POWER OF INTERVIEWING WELL.

Around 7 years ago, I was a young teacher, freshly out of college. However, I had been working in the corporate world for a major corporation for 4 years before that with an M.Sc under my belt. In fact, with my position and money that I was making at the company, people were surprised at my decision to go into teaching. I did not have any teaching experience whatsoever. I only had my B.Ed, my MSc and my ability to interview well. I got multiple offers and landed my first post at a top tier school in Tokyo. I am at my 2nd school now in Tokyo, which is considered to be the premier school in Japan. Yes, I work hard. Yes, I have good ideas. Yes, I have good skills. But the heads did not truly know this just by looking at my resume alone. I don't even think they read resumes in great detail during fairs or when they're looking! So it all comes down to the interview.

Mr. Cake : I suppose we are both wrong in the words " practice " and " practise ". The verb is " to practise ". The noun is " practice ". While you thought that the word " practice " is the American version while " practise " is the British version, I used it erroneously.

English did come from England. I like to stick to the most original form of English....hence, the " British system " of spelling is what I practice.

As far as nationality goes, I thought you were going to write about your ethnicity as being the problem ( Mexican by ethnicity but American by citizenship )....and not the American public system. So what of the American public system? How do you defend it?

I think that she has 300, 000 yen to start with every month. Rent, taxes are not even taken out of that amount yet. So let's say that rent is around 70, 000 - 120, 000 yen ( depending on where she lives in Kobe ), then she might not be able to survive on the rest...but of course, all dependent on her spending habits, lifestyle etc.

I would think of the opportunity as more like getting her foot in the door in Japan. Kobe is not exactly the place of " international schools ". There is one or two that stand out but in comparison to Tokyo, she would have had better luck at the salary...even with the exorbitant rent prices in Tokyo bc housing allowance and rent are usually subsidized.

Let's look at it this way : You got your foot in the door in Japan....ahead of all the others in the line. This in itself is a good thing. Yes, the salary you will get at Kobe is low ( esp. without the housing allowance ). But you will survive...hopefully.

My dream is to settle forever in Tokyo, Japan. However, I have a friend who is very lucky. She is now in Tokyo, Japan ( same as me with 7 years experience ) and is moving to Singapore to get a position at UWC. She is planning to be there for a few years and then return to Tokyo, Japan to make Japan her " home ". I find the 2 tigers ( Tokyo, Singapore ) the ideal places to live...safe, clean, transportation hub, filled with expats, great capital cities, LOTS OF MONEY, great IB opportunities, great highly renowned international schools.

Calipro : Math, 4 - 6 years experience, definitely attractive....but that is if any of the high school math teachers leave their posts in Japan.

Yes...it's Japan. But honestly, it's not just in Japan. It's also the case in Singapore and Hong Kong. Hence, I have no desire to go back to N. America to teach...even with the pension. There are heaps of investments abroad and with clearing that type of salary ( net ), I don't mind not having the pension.

Clarification needed : 150,000 yen SETTLING IN ALLOWANCE is a one-time payment, not a monthly payment right? If so, this is obviously NOT a housing allowance. Housing is the most important part of a salary package in Japan bc rent is extremely high. In places like Tokyo, expect a small apt for around $ 1500 USD - $ 2500 / month. Kobe is also a " high end " place ( not so much as Tokyo ), but Kobe has really nice, high properties. So, if you don't have housing allowance on top of this 300, 000 yen a month, you could have a tough time in saving.

In Kobe, the 150, 000 yen housing allowance is generous. You will have a small, shoe box of an apartment but it will cover it ( depending on how deep you are in the city ). If you live a little bit outside the city ( around 20 - 30 mins commute ) and into the countryside, that will definitely cover the apt. However, remember though that you might have to pay key money ( which is usually 1 month's worth of advanced rent + another $ 1000 - $ 2000 or so for " gratuity " ).

The 300, 000 yen is enough IF this is AFTER taxes. If this is before taxes, expect around 70, 000 yen ( $ 700 ) taken out for the city tax and national health. So basically, you are looking at around $ 240, 000 yen NET.

Depending on your lifestyle, this is decent.

Right now, with me, at 7 years experience, I am getting around 9.0 million yen ( pre-tax ). With tax deducted and everything, I am getting around 8.2 million yen a year ( net ) ( so $ 80, 000 USD net ). Housing allowance is fabulous. I only have to pay utilities. This is in Tokyo.

The IB should definitely consider a school's prolonged / continuous adherence to protecting " global citizenry " - something that the curriculum espouses to shape children into. Judging from Dorje Gurung's profile, he seems to be a good example of a " global citizen " that was just at the wrong place ( BUT NOT THE WRONG TIME ). This is the 21st century, Qatar Academy.

I definitely agree that the students in Qatar Academy will think that it's ok to do whatever they want.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Theres always some kind of nonsense going on in the ME, ME=craphole. Why bother with a region and location with these problems. Youd never have such a thing happen in EU or Japan. Though i know one teacher who was jailed briefly in Thailand for insulting the crown. His confinement was for a weekend and they used the kid gloves on him. The only reason the ME even gets teachers at all is the money, offer enough money and admin and the schools can do anything they want. They just up the salary until they get people to apply.[/quote]

This is the only time that I wholeheartedly agree with Psyguy. The ME is a hellhole. Just look at the very generic, basic differences between recruitment. Japan = ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INTO. The Middle East = BEGGING FOR TEACHERS AT JOB FAIRS.

You two are really good candidates for Bangkok for the following obvious reasons :

1. Certified teaching couple.
2. Both of you teach sought after subjects : Math and Sciences.
3. Years of professional experience.

You don't need a master's or the MYP experience or any introductory course to be considered " attractive ". I believe that it would be a bonus but the subjects that you teach alone would be enough to get you both considered.

As I mentioned in another thread here, there are great benefits ( mostly outweighing the bad ) in getting a position at an international school in Japan.

PROS

1. Heads and directors assume that you are a " very hard working " person to have beat out the line of long candidates for a position in Japan. Also, the Japanese culture is a workaholic one and to be considered for a position means that you either showed all these wonderful qualities in your previous position to have even landed a position here.

2. Lots of money to be made...no matter how expensive Japan is. I was lucky to have been here for the last 7 years where the yen consistently beat out the dollar. It is now on par with each other ( with the yen only slightly higher ) and I still make heaps of money.

3. Japan is an AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING country to be in as an expatriate : You've got the glitz, glamour and excitement of the cities ( especially Tokyo ). You've got the adventurous, outdoorsy stuff to do in the countryside that surround the major cities. The seasons are extremely beautiful and stark in differences to the point that people celebrate it and view it at every turn. The culture is very rich. The people ( although can be inherently racist by virtues of their isolationist stance for centuries ) are ultimately VERY conscientious, nice, accommodating, non-confrontational, quiet and polite. There are so many things to do ( cultural festivals that have been carried out for centuries, museums, galleries, outdoor events, major concerts ). I don't think the public transportation can be beaten by any other public transportation around the world. It really is the lifeline of the country. The country is highly safe ( people return your wallet to you, even if it has heaps of money in it! ), highly efficient and convenient. You will find that when you live here, EVERY LITTLE THING that people do is for your convenience ( e.g. the first shopping basket on top of a pile of shopping baskets at a supermarket is ALWAYS tilted for your convenience to pick up when you enter or the tip of the toilet roll is always folded in a triangular point to show to customers using the bathroom that it has already been cleaned for their convenience.....all these are little things, but they are for your convenience ).

CONS

1. Language barrier : English ( no matter how long the Japanese have implemented it in their educational system ) is not easy for the Japanese. Even in highly international places like Tokyo, the majority of the Japanese people will NOT speak English ( except if you are young, educated abroad and have lived abroad for many years ).

2. Rent : If your school does not subsidize or give you a housing allowance, it will be difficult to live. Rent is extremely high but not as high as in Singapore ( in Singapore, you could expect to pay around $ 3000 - $ 5000 for a condo apt. In Tokyo, you're paying at around $ 1500 - $ 2500...and that's the average price for a tiny apt ).