Usually I contact schools trough my personal email, unless it is specified on the search site to contact them through their messaging service. I make sure in the email that I indicate that I am a member of search and give my reference number and associate. That way I can also attach at resume and cover letter a little more customized to the school and the position.

Yes the system is arbitrary. But there are certain things that a Tier 1 school will have, like international health coverage, retirement plan, good pay, tuition coverage for teacher's students, flights. The school will also be accredited, teach some kind of International curriculum with regulations (IB, AP), there will be technology available and academic standards, the schools are generally composed a mix of nationalities, not just students from the host country or Koreans trying to learn english. The schools are invested in there teachers and their development allowing for PD training, also they won't hirer uncertified teachers.

Now tier two schools will also have several of these things, but not all. This is where the majority of school fall.

Tier three schools are generally a giant mess, with poor pay, little allowance and are more of a money making institution than a school. However you can still have an IB school that is a tier 3.

I graduated from Ontario just a couple of years ago and went straight into the international teaching world. If you end up at a real international school and not some ESL program in Korea or China, you're school sets you up with an a place to live, they take you around, gets you settled and try to make the transition as smooth as possible.

I found it easy. Actually much easier than several friends who ended up in Northern Ontario teaching in small communities, sometimes having 3 or 4 grade levels in a single classroom.

I had also travelled a lot in the past, so I knew what overseas living was like. Most people who break contract early on and peace out, are people who have never travelled somewhere that wasn't all inclusive before, if ever, or they have never been away form their family for an extend period of time. I also imagine that for history teachers it could be a little more difficult if you are having to cover units on local history that you've never studied before, but for subject like math, science, music, drama, art, the subject matter doesn't change.

Speaking from a female perspective the chances of finding a suitable partner becomes a little more difficult when dealing with nonwestern men. Quite often you find that there are very different expectations on women and their roles when dealing with dating locals. Certain regions when looking for a potential spouse are to be avoid, like Asia, where white men want Asian women, and Asian men want to end up with Asian women. Granted there are exceptions to this.

I would suggest areas like the Middle East, where obviously you don't want to end up with a local, but where Western men are usually also basically barred for dating locals, especially in the more traditional oil countries. Or somewhere like Europe where similar values in relationships are.