I'll gladly talk the ME up to you as there really is a lot to like about it.

- easy lifestyle
- def. fascinating culture
- amazing money!! it isn't so much the salary - which CAN be fabulous on its own - but the opportunities for tutoring at very high rates
- climate (except in extreme heat and sand storms)
- travel opportunities for long breaks (you can travel within the ME, or rather easily to Europe or Asia)
- good P.D. at the better schools
- the collegiality of people working in the ME can be really tight (I think it is the homemade booze, myself, or the fact that people do a lot more "at home" entertaining and socializing)

Kuwait has a couple of good schools: American International School of Kuwait and American School of Kuwait. Don't dismiss those but avoid all others.

I personally hated Kuwait because there real;y isn't much "to do" on the weekends except hang out in Starbucks or the mall. I am an adventurer and wanted more: I did everything there was to do in Kuwait on the weekends. By November of my first year there, I had exhausted the list. Then it was just a lot of shopping. I think the same can be said for other places in the ME: KSA, Dubai, Abu Dhabi.

Having said that, I know many "homebody" types that absolutely love the ME and have been there for years. Some of them have tutored, even a couple of hours extra a night, and now have amazing retirement funds. They are easy going types who like the $ and the easy lifestyle, travel on the long breaks, and are content living a low-key lifestyle. If that sounds like you, I say go for it.

The best bet about any school, but especially in the ME, is to talk to someone who is current at the school or has been at that school recently or knows someone reliable at that school. Don't rely on ISR reports that can be old or, as is plain to see, folks with an axe to grind. And definitely avoid the schools with large percentage of local kids.

Being easy going is most important in the ME. It is a little like the wild west, but if you have your wits about you and don't let the little things bug you, the big things won't bug you as much. If you are at a half decent school, you have won half (or more) of the battle.

I have not been on here for a long time. I know that this thread has been discussed in the past but 1) I cannot find it and 2) I want more current information.

I am looking at (next year) either reactivating my Search files or venturing into ISS land. My teaching spouse and I will attend one of the big job fairs. I know that Cambridge is the big fair for Search. Where is the big fair for ISS stateside?

Does anyone know which option (ISS or Search) has more (and better) schools registered with them? We are both qualified, 10 years international experience (three different schools/countries) plus 5 years experience in the US. We are ready to move from a mediocre school to a second or top tier school. The last two jobs we got were not through either agency, but our first jobs overseas were through one of the smaller Search fairs.

I feel like Search is the better of the two options, but that is because I am more familiar with them. However, upon looking at the ISS page it seems like their applicant files are more thorough and potential employers might prefer that.

Current information and experience with regards to this is much appreciated.

anappleaday, my email address is raphael1999@hotmail.com - thanks in advance for the contact information.

Thanks everyone.

I wanted to know if that (much) bigger salary at ISM would mean longer hours, oodles of meetings, and really having to "work" for that extra $. Perhaps that was a misconception. I like hearing that ISM is family friendly and while extras are compensated, it is not expected. I knew about the leadership issues but also understood those were cleared up, glad to have that confirmed, too. I am not all that fussy about the religious aspect of Brent, but could overcome it if it were subtle.

Thanks, I have checked out the ISR reviews and got the same sort of impressions.

I am hoping someone who is actually in Manila or who knows someone in Manila can give me more insider information, other than what I can glean on the web sites of the school and the ISR reviews. The salary differences are obvious but I guess I am trying to get an opinion from people closer to the situation about whether that significant pay increase is really worth it. I know the answer to this is very subjective but still...

ISM has an amazing "package", is it that much better paying than Brent? Is it "worth it"?

Can someone out there outline the major differences between these schools? (Housing, morale, size, workload, etc)

Thanks

My husband and I are looking for a school in Southeast Asia or another warm location. Here is our "ideal" school:

- We would like to work at a place with a "manageable" work load. To clarify, we are fairly hard working teachers but we are not the sort of people that want to work late or attend oodles of meetings. We want to be given some flexibility in what we teach, have smallish class sizes and not have a lot of pressure from administration. An ideal school for us is a place where we can get most of our work done at school, participate in an after school activity we like, and have the weekends and evenings free to spend with our family.
- Obviously the first point means we are not gunning for a top tier school. We want a place that is a little laid back. This obviously means it won't be the best paying school. We don't expect top notch salary, but want to be able to travel and save *a bit* of money. We want to be able to enjoy our jobs for the most part (recognizing that no school is perfect). We are easy going people who can handle a bit of disorganization, but the school needs to function...
- We have a child in preschool. Ideally the pre-K/elementary program is housed on the same campus or close to the high school or middle school where we will be working.
- Ideal housing for us is close to the school, but we don't really want to live in school housing ghetto (i.e. a fish bowl where you have to socialize with everyone you work with).
- A small to mid sized school is ideal for us and we don't care if the school is for profit or non-profit.
- Culture shock is not an issue and we don't need a school that holds our hands.
- Climate is important to us: we like warm weather!

Now, that is our IDEAL. Any suggestions out there?

Thanks for any advice we can get...

ADMIN NOTE: Also see the ISR blog: Going International with Pets.
http://www.internationalschoolsreviewdi ... with-pets/

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pet owners who want to go overseas - PLEASE READ

1. who will look after your pet when you travel for spring break, long weekends, etc?

2. will your neighbours / colleagues appreciate a barking dog in the apartment next door?

3. if you are going to a third world country - can you feed a pet in good conscience when there are people starving in the ghetto next to your housing complex?

being overseas is different than "regular life" in the united states - there are many things you just have to give up in order to live a life overseas. public libraries and pets are just two of them.

ESOL has a really bad reputation, mostly because of claims of unethical business practices by the owner, Walid Abushakra. I was hired at an ESOL school (my first overseas experience) and after signing the contract, kept hearing international teachers say "Oh God you're working at a WALID school"? Like I was supposed to know all about this guy and his schools.

As it turned out, it ended up being a good experience. He had little to do with that particular school (at that particular time). I think that he has cleaned his act up somewhat - many of the "horror" stories I have heard are from 10 years ago or so. However, I continue to hear "hilarious" (and let's face it TYPICAL OF ANY FOR PROFIT SCHOOL) stories about his FOR PROFIT techniques of running a school. He is a business man supremo, so keep that in mind! It is all about the bucks at his school.

I know people working in his schools now, and the reports are varied: I hear people say they love a school and others hate it. I think it really matters who is the superintendent / director and whether or not they are able to keep it all together. I would consult teachers CURRENTLY on the ground at ANY ESOL school before signing on the dotted line.

to clarify - joy jobs is not a place to look for current availablities, just a place to get general information about hunting for jobs overseas and to get a listing of international schools in the world.

TIE is a place to look for specifically posted jobs.

a TIE account puts your professional information into the data base where schools can access your information and search for you. TIE posts current jobs and gives you current contact information for international school seeking teachers so you can contact schools listing positions. you can search specific jobs or countries and get a list of openings on TIE. only schools registered with TIE are on the website.

as we all know (or should know if you are worldly regarding job hunting)not all jobs are posted. and of course not all schools use TIE.

joyjobs lists ALL international schools by their country and name, gives a profile of the school and website information. i have used joyjobs to look up schools or locations that interest me and "cold call" the school with my resume. the profile of the school on joyjobs is more detailed even that the search associates school profiles.

joy jobs is not meant to be used for the same purpose as TIE.

someone mentioned that the joy jobs people did not reply to their email. weird, i usually get an answer within a couple of hours...

no, i don't work for joyjobs. i am just a satisfied customer. if i had not looked at joyjobs my first time out as an international teacher, i would not have done as well as i have. great tips for the whole process.

i have never been all that impressed with TIE, frankly. the only people i know who have actually gotten a job through TIE are those who are not going to job fairs, are not picky about where they go, and have the luxury of waiting around for schools to interview everyone else and THEN get serious about hiring people who have not attended the fairs.

seriously, folks - especially first timers: joy jobs is a great resource!

is AWESOME for first timers. i would highly highly recommend that you spend the measely $40. not for the job posting, but for the website they will create for you and the very very informative packet they have published. also, they list all the international schools by country so you can check them out from there. i pay my $40 fee EVERYTIME i am back on the job hunt. it is worth it!

glad you found my reply informative, but do keep in mind that it is just my opinion and based on what we have seen here at my school and what i have heard from some other teachers.

sadly, i am not sure things are going to change regarding salary in central american "international" schools. it seems to me that education is not as highly valued as it is in other parts of the world, or in true international schools. parents here certainly want an "american diploma" but as we know, you can call a school "americana" but that doesn't really mean much. most of the parents don't seem to care where the teachers come from, and seem content to have the majority of the teachers at an "american" school be local faculty. as long as their son or daughter gets good grades and can apply to schools in north america, that's what they want. teachers are often seen as little more than the hired help. american / canadian teachers get more respect than the local teachers, but it is all relative. definitely at my school it seems like with each passing year there are even less international teachers than before.

i would love to hear from any international teachers currently teaching in central america that are reading this forum. it would be interesting to hear if my conclusions can be confirmed or refuted...

i just also noticed you said you have bills in north america. yah, we couldn't live here on our salaries (and still enjoy the kind of lifestyle we have come to love and <ahem> expect) if we had to send money back to north america. the money here will NOT go far in the states.

i am currently living in central america. we moved here thinking "salary is low, but hey, it is central america, so the cost of living will be really low." wrong! the cost of living is NOT really low like you would think it is.

okay, well, if you only bought basic groceries at the local markets, your grocery bill could be low. however, most north americans like me like to buy things at the real grocery stores and the prices of things keeps getting higher and higher. other than food, the price of other basics goes from the sublime to the ridiculous. cars, furniture, etc can be ridiculously high. of course, you can purchase really cheap (and cheaply made) things, too. but you might not WANT to.

having said all that, i can get a fresh pineapple all year long for $1.25, i can go see a hollywood movie in a brand new cinema for $3, i can get a pedicure for 10$ and a weekly massage for 15$.

bottom line, though, in our experience and the experience of our friends here and elsewhere in the region, the cost of living per se is not LOW.

as for the question about what schools might pay well....there aren't any central american schools that "pay well". i have a few theories about this.

1. almost all the international schools in central america are not really international schools. they have a HIGH percentage of local rich kids and staffed by locals. the parents want quasi north american schooling but do not demand true international teachers like you would see in a school with more ex-pats looking for continuity and standards in line with north america.

2. as a result of the above (for economic reasons) there really does seem to be many more local teachers in the faculty than in the other international schools i have worked in / visited. since the locals are paid very very little, the school boards refuse to pay international teachers a whole lot more. the housing packages and all the other perks of course mean we make a LOT more than the locals, but the bottom line figures all added up certainly cannot compete with other regions of the world.

3. the schools in central america tend to hire international teachers with less experience and / or less desire to be far away from the united states or canada. so they are not drawing in the kind of international staff that demand higher salaries, frankly.

i think this will have to change as it is my understanding that every year it gets harder and harder to recruit teachers to come down here to teach, especially when the packages at other schools are so much better. even to go to south america is a better economical deal. if it doesn't change, i guess the schools will just continue to higher fewer and fewer international teachers.

having said all that, i did not come to central america for the money. i actually left a rather high paying job in the middle east to come here and have been very happy. i love central america for the people, the climate, and the traveling. it is NOT the place to come to make money, though. all depends on your priorities. if money is one of them then i say (sadly) that you should stay away from central america as a locale to LIVE.