We got a job with no shipping allowance, which we're taking as a blessing in disguise. We're bringing one large suitcase each, and one additional box each. If it doesn't fit in those, it doesn't come with us. We're storing a few boxes of our most prized possessions (and yes, really being brutal about everything-- mostly saving unusual pieces or artwork) in basements of friends and family and estate-selling everything else.

I can't wait. The hardest part of it is making the decision to do it, really.

wntriscoming wrote:
> No, Sweetie, the hard part IS behind you. I think the hardest part of IT
> is the time and stress in getting a good job. Now you can sit back and
> enjoy the ride. All the schools I've worked for have had awesome
> orientations, from arranging all the visas and shipping help to greeting us
> at the airport and getting us settled in.
>
> SE Asia is amazing.

Thank you. Wow, that is very kind. I am going to come back and read that post several times a day. And the stress of job-hunting, particularly the long months with no word at all, was horrendous. It actually affected me physically.

PsyGuy, thank you for your good advice too!

Aaaaaaaand, we just accepted the job. WHEW!! Hot, wet and buggy, here we come! (I'm kidding, this is our dream location.)

As exhausting as this job search has been, I can't believe the hard part is actually ahead of us.

I'm not worried about myself, as I am actually a sickle-cell carrier... I just worry about our kids. They're still little, you know? But man, if they offer, we are IN. Totally in.

All fantastic advice, thank you! The mosquito comments reminded me of visiting Ghana. I remember thinking the bugs there were a small fraction of what there is in Maine! And the biggest spiders I've ever seen in my life were in Germany of all places.

We'll probably take this job if it's offered, I just wanted to get the full story and be mentally prepared. Thanks everyone!

We're talking to a small school that looks great for us. I have some questions about living in SE Asia, though:

1. How bad are the bugs? The houses in this town look beautiful, and it looks like there's a nice outdoor cafe scene, but is sitting outside impossible due to constant bites, ear-buzzing and dive bombs? Ear buzzing gives me The Rage. How about spiders, snakes, scorpions? We'd be in a small city around the same latitude as Hanoi.

2. How bad is the heat? I'm a thick-blooded New England girl, but I did live in east Texas for a few years.

3. The rainy season. It doesn't sound that bad, I don't mind rain... but then, I don't mind snow either, and the last two months of being suffocated under four feet of it made me want to gouge my eyes out. I learned my limits. Level with me. Can you just not go outside for months on end?

4. Tropical diseases. There are malaria shots, of course, but plenty of other diseases like Dengue. How common?

Thanks Shad! Got an offer today, an hour after one of our top choices expressed interest... Stalling the offer until Top Choice gets back to us. When it rains, it pours. (Missy, I will respond to your PM, I promise! I just always write and then get that "can't post now" message, then I forget.) My point is, experienced teachers may huff at "lesser" schools that would still be amazing compared to where we are now (in the US). For example, we're considering a lot of places that don't pay much. Enough to travel but not enough to save. Right now, we don't make enough to travel OR save. You think we're going to pass up these opportunities?! But those schools wouldn't necessarily be recommended here because of the money.

PsyGuy wrote:
>
> Not having
> to spend 8 weeks a year on test prep, and having to deal with disruptive
> students who dont want to learn, parents that believe their child does no
> wrong, or that the parents have no control over their children, with
> admin/management that are constantly in meetings and have no opportunity or
> resources to support their staff, IE is an Eden and Nirvanna. Id take MANY
> third tier schools over returning to a domestic school. Id go to the ME,
> even the Kingdom over returning to a title 1 inner city, at risk domestic
> school.

I wish I had read this sentiment when we first started looking for IE jobs! We laugh at how picky we were a year ago, based on what's been said here and in other reviews, and thinking we'd hold out for better countries. But now that it's later in the game? Oh man. We currently are in a blue-collar school where students are proudly rude, stubbornly apathetic, and "I'll just take the zero" is commonly heard. I'm used to it, but MAN. Just not having to deal with that anymore, regardless of tier, will be a huge breath of fresh air! And I am DONE listening to this country $h*t all over its teachers and blame us for all ills of society. /rant

I took Senator's advice and told them that our passports are up to date, but I don't feel comfortable sending a picture of it just now, but I would do so if they would like to take this further. Thanks guys!

I've seen a few places asking for a picture of your passport along with your CV. I feel kind of weird about doing that in this age of identity theft. It would be different if I was already hired. Is this a common practice? Is there a way to politely decline until we're further down the hiring road, should it go that way?

Thanks so much for the excellent information, sitka! We've had one interview with a school in Egypt, which I thought went really well, so I'm currently combing the internet for anything positive. 99% of what I've read is "dirty, noisy, dirty." Surely there has to be something else-- I've watched all the YouTube videos from the neighborhood we'd likely be living in, and got a lot more out of them. I gather your post wasn't about Egypt, but again, I'm grasping. Also, trying to just break in to IE and wondering if we should take what we're offered or wait another year for something better.

There was a post about SIS HK, but does the same apply for the BKK school? There are zero reviews online, which is a little disconcerting.

Bumping this because I have the same question.

No, I totally understand that. Our school's offer is our backup plan.

I'm hesitant, but there are jobs. I'd be thrilled to go to Ecuador, but my main concerns are:
1. The money looks pretty dismal.
2. 90% host country students. Would my kids be alienated?

Anyone?