[quote="sid"]
Tidy haircut...[/quote]

Are long hair for men considered as a shortcoming?

I'm glad to hear that vettie. Do you know how common tennis courts are in IS? Probably more common in top schools or am I mistaken?

I agree wrt social skills Katherine :)

Hi guys,

I don't know how it is for you, but for me it's very important to do sports on a regular basis to keep my balance. At the school where I'm at right now (a boarding school), there are several games going on every day (volleyball, football, etc.) and some teachers join the students. Is it common at IS that teachers can use the sports facilities? And if so, is it common that teachers do some sports together (e.g. volleyball or tennis)? I imagine it might be more common at a boarding school as opposed to a regular school. How do you keep yourselves fit?

Ok mille grazie :)

Ok alright.

With the 30 I meant the number of periods for the students --> 6 subjects a 5h.

One last question if you don't mind: What are the common holiday periods at IS? Does it vary a lot? And are teachers expected to spend some of the holiday time at the school (e.g. for training or prep purposes)?

"If I had to make a best guess I'd plan on 4 teaching periods a day, with 4 preps per day. One class each for BUS I, BUS II, ECON I, ECON II."

That means each class comprises 5 periods per week? Is that the same for all subjects/groups? Hence the total number of periods for the students would average around 30?

So would it actually be likely to be one period for each class (BUS I, BUS II, ECON I, ECON II) per day? How common are double periods at IS? At my current school we have mostly double periods in 11th and 12th grade.

Ok thanks a lot PsyGuy.

@Seashell: Were your German friends able to work at private schools in Germany? In which states did they apply to get their licenses recognized for the public system?

Thanks so much for the elaboration!

With regards to the contract: In case you are offered a contract in which the teaching period is not clearly defined, would you say it is ok/common to insist to specify it?

With regards to prepared and non-prepared teaching periods: Am I correct to assume that there are very few schools that have multiple sections in the Diploma program for Econ and Business/Management and therefor all periods will most likely be prepared periods for those subjects?

You said teaching loads usually range from 16-20 hrs/wk. So in my case would I be right to expect three classes of Econ/Business of 6-7 periods/wk. each?

Hi PsyGuy,

Thanks a lot for the info!

By 16-20 hrs/wk do you mean hours in the sense of class periods or hours of 60 minutes? That raises another question: How long are the class periods usually? At my current school it's 45min, the same as in public schools in Germany, so I assume that might be the normal case?

Also, could you maybe clarify what a 'Prep' is?

And what is a "bank day" - is that an extra day off once per week or month?

Hi PsyGuy,

Thanks a lot for the info!

By 16-20 hrs/wk do you mean hours in the sense of class periods or hours of 60 minutes? That raises another question: How long are the class periods usually? At my current school it's 45min, the same as in public schools in Germany, so I assume that might be the normal case?

Also, could you maybe clarify what a 'Prep' is?

And what is a "bank day" - is that an extra day off once per week or month?

Ok so how much was the teaching load for regular teachers in 11/12th grade? You said you had 39 periods over two weeks which would be 20 periods per week. But that was a reduced teaching load since you were department head.

Hi and thanks both of you.

@heyteach

two-week cycle of 60 periods means 30 periods per week? That sounds a lot to me, is that in the normal range? Over how many classes was that distributed?


@hallier

5 different classes --> how many periods was that per class?

Hi all,

Could maybe somebody shed some light on how much the average workload is for teachers at IS (in terms of class periods per week), possibly also what's the range? Specifically I'm interested in numbers for the senior level, i.e. 11th and 12th grades.

Also do classes at IS usually take place only from Mo-Fri or do some schools also have classes on Saturdays?

Many thanks in advance.

Ok many thanks again for pointing it out.

Are you - or Seashell - by any chance familiar with the regulations in Germany with regards to teaching at private schools (both international and German schools, though I assume there shouldn't be a difference?)? Would PGCE/NQT status qualify me to teach there?

@seashell

Thanks for sharing that. That's very valuable information!

@PsyGuy

Many thanks again for your elaborate answer!

With regards to what I want:

The thing is that right now I can't tell for sure how long I want to stay in international teaching. Yes, at the moment I can see myself doing it for a long time and possibly spending my entire (professional) life doing it, but if somehow possible I'd like to keep the option open of returning to Germany at some point in the future and to teach in the public school system.

School wise I see myself more in a school following IB curriculum or A-level/IGCSE and less likely in an American curriculum school. This is mostly because of two reasons: 1) My main subject is Economics which I think is of less significance in American curriculum schools than in the other two. 2) Because I might want to settle down at an International School back in Europe at some point in the future and IB and A-level would be more suitable for that. Though that is only based on my limited insight and does not mean I wouldn't consider working at an American School.

Location wise: Yes, location and quality of life is important to me. Yes, I also want to be at good/top schools, but the location has to be right and probably comes first. For me the preferred locations at the moment would be SEA, SA/CA and Southern Europe.

As you and seashell pointed out, the qualification process in Germany is rather lengthy. That's why I'm considering to go through it now, because if I decide to come back later - let's say maybe in ten+ years - it will be even more painful. If that possibility of me returning to Germany wouldn't be there, then no doubt I would straight go for the PGCE, possibly obtain QTS and try to find a placement.

Yes, overall the Masters part (it's basically a MEd equivalent with subject specialization) incl. the additional Maths courses would take me most probably 3 years. The field work (Referendariat) will take another 18months which overall would add up to 4.5 years. A damn long time for sure!

The advantages would be:
1) I have the option of coming back to Germany and teach in the public school system.
2) I have a second qualification in Maths which I think I would be enjoying teaching and which would make me more marketable.

Disadvantages:
1) Will take very long.
2) Fact that it is a German qualification would possibly make me less marketable in IT compared to having a PGCE or other anglo-saxon qualification.

So the crucial question for me at this point really is how many options would I have/ how marketable I would be after completing the German qualification with regards to IT (IB/A-levels). I would think that the fact that it is a German qualification would be a drawback. On the other hand the additional qualification in Maths should be a plus. But which of the two would predominate?