I don't know anyone at Branksome, nor have I been to Jeju, but I have lived in Korea and can speak to the fact that it has a good reputation and Jeju is an interesting place that offers a lot of outdoor activities. It's not supposed to be the most happening place in the world, so if you're single and looking for a wide array of options, it may not be the best. But it's supposed to be a really nice island and flights to mainland Korea are pretty cheap.

Japan is truly the friendliest country I've ever visited.

A couple things:

1. Even with Tie, you aren't landing a job without references. Your principal is going to get contacted, and it's in your best interest to make him aware beforehand if you want to have any chance of landing a position.

2. Any respectable administrator isn't going to stand in your way of perusing a dream. Talk to your principal, be honest with him, tell him you love your current job but that your lifelong dream is to teach internationally. Be upfront about the fact that signing with a recruiting agency doesn't guarantee you a job and that you aren't just looking to jump at the first opportunity.

I absolutely loved my previous administrator. I taught her daughter and was a close family friend. The last thing I wanted to do was tell her I was leaving. When I finally mustered up the courage to do it, she was incredibly supportive. She didn't want me to go at all. I had great test scores, was a coach, etc. But she was completely supportive and wrote me a great reference in spite of it, because in her own words she said she never wanted to hold someone back from fulfilling their dream.

Granted, maybe your principal won't be as understanding, but if he's worth catering to he will be. Honestly will take you a long way in this world. If it angers him enough to the extent that he writes you a bad reference or holds it against you, he isn't the kind of principal you need to work for to begin with.

The key, at least in my mind, is letting him know that you're trying to fulfill a life dream, not run away from your current situation, and that nothing is certain, so he won't assume that you're more or less quitting. You don't want him thinking you have a foot out of the door, but you do want him to know that you're open to a great opportunity and that your future is uncertain.

Best of luck.

Why is she taking the TOEFL? That doesn't really carry much weight in the US, especially in public education. Not sure it will benefit her much at all.

The main prerequisites are certification and experience. If you have both, you are employable. The question is, which schools would disqualify you because of your degree? The answer to that will vary. Many schools like to tout teacher credentials on their website. Odds are, you wouldn't be an attractive hire for one of those schools. However, you do have a number of things going for you. One, you can teach math, which puts you in high demand. Second, you have a masters in something meaningful in the field of education. Those two things will carry you a long way, and will be weighed more heavily by a number of employers who aren't preoccupied with degrees.

The biggest complication will be countries that require you to have a degree in the field you teach. That will be difficult to overcome.

Agree with what has already been posted. Don't come off as desperate, come off as incredibly ambitious and enthusiastic. Don't sell yourself as a business proposition, sell yourself as an undervalued asset. One that they won't regret taking a chance on. Then when you get the job, prove them right at every opportunity.

Best of luck.

Personally, I agree with those who believe it's best policy to limit the burden placed on references. I went with Search and intend to use them again next time around. That required my references to only fill out one online recommendation, which will remain stored in Search. When I apply to schools outside of the Search umbrella, I simply leave the names and contact information of those references, but I would be hesitant to ask them to fill out multiple forms. My employment shouldn't become a burdensome activity for those people. I don't think they'd hesitate to fill out more, but it's common curtesy not to ask.

The only way I'd consider "nagging" them for more, is if I felt I had a really strong opportunity to work at a great school in a place I really want to live. Otherwise, I'll stick with Search and my CV/cover letter to schools who aren't affiliated with Search. There aren't many schools who aren't affiliated with Search that I'd want to work for anyway.

Good stuff, EUExplorer. I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, nikkor. That's the part that's unnerving to me -- the idea that it seems completely unattainable, but then it isn't. :)

Thanks.

Migratingbird pretty much summed up IB in a nutshell when he used the word "lingo". It's essentially an approach to learning that requires multiple focuses which generally all lead you to a similar result to what you get at other reputable non-IB schools. Lots of schools focus on well-roundedness and developing the whole child, they just don't require as much paperwork and planning to achieve a similar result. There are some benefits to IB, but I'm just not sure they're worth the costs, which are exorbitant. IB makes an absolute killing and I would argue the benefit to students is negligible in the long-run when compared to any other well-implemented curriculum. I would actually like to see the data on IB schools vs those that provide AP, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions! Any others?

What are some of the better under the radar schools in Central and Eastern Europe? Everyone knows about the tier 1s, but what about some of the schools that don't get as much attention as the International School of Bucharest, the American School of Warsaw, etc. I'm looking at Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Estonia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, etc. Literally the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. Thanks.

I definitely agree that the "tier" system is pretty silly. There are tier 1 schools that I would never want to work at and there are tier 3 schools which I would love to work at. Depends on what you're looking for. Everyone thinks they want to work at a tier 1 because the reputation of most of those schools are so great, but the pressures and demands of lots of tier 1's make them undesirable to many.

Ultimately it comes down to what kind of teacher you are and what you're willing to accept as a teacher. I wouldn't want to work at a school with a rigid curriculum, where pedagogy gets pushed on you by admins and curriculum heads, or where I feel like I'm being evaluated on a daily basis. That to me just isn't an enjoyable work environment. I want to be treated like a professional and I want to be able to enjoy my students. Fortunately I've found that at my current school, which is considered a high tier 2.

Point is, there are great schools in every tier. A lot of times the tier system is about perception more than anything. Anyone looking at jobs shouldn't be preoccupied by tier. Obviously you want to work somewhere reputable, but fit and comfort level with the school's admin and philosophy are key, because ultimately that, along with the location, will ultimately determine whether or not you enjoy your post. Tier, on the other hand, guarantees nothing.

To me, preps are the number of classes you have to prepare for on a daily basis. So if I teach four different courses, those are four different preps. If two are the same and two are different, that would be three different preps, even though I would differentiate within the two courses that are the same.

The time(s) within a day where I have the opportunity to prep for those classes are what I call planning periods.