Ok thanks very much for the info, quite interested in the school as I've heard it is pretty solid with good new admin, but the reviews are terrible. Of course, links to the prime minister are good if administrators are fair and you're on the good side of the school, but very bad if not. Anyone have any other ideas?

Hi guys any recent info to share on this school? Paid side reviews and recent forum posts suggest the school has a lot of issues but it seems to have divided into a bilingual school and an international school and the principals may have changed. It is apparently on the way to IB but not IB yet. Are things better there or is it a school to be avoided?

Please share your knowledge, o wise (but sometimes disgruntled) ones.

Thanks for all of the info. I'm focusing more on Search now and will try to post up any interesting results. Best of luck to everyone!

Thanks for your ideas wrldtrvlr123. I suppose in that case it is best to apply through Search, unless the school asks otherwise. I have no desire to be screwy or bypass people, but have just been wondering if some schools may ignore Search emails, for this or other reasons. Its a good point that those that sign up with Search and then try to duck out on fees would likely be bad to work for. I have been applying through my email address but mentioning my Search profile, and have done many through Search too. I guess this whole process will act as a sort of test of what works, and maybe I can share how things went for me with others in the future.

I mean by short-listed that schools have told me that they will be contacting me about interviews in the coming days but haven't scheduled or given me one. It's a good way to feel like I haven't been turned down yet, but really it means nothing.

Any ideas at all?

Hey guys, first of all, good luck to all of us who do not yet have a position this year.

I have some questions. I am using Search Associates and TIE, mostly for the databases, but will also attend a couple of fairs. I have many years of teaching experience internationally but not at certified international schools. I am graduating with a BEd now and applying for next year, which is obviously a bit challenging, so I'm trying everything.

I am debating the merits of contacting schools through Search or their own websites. In some cases I've done one or the other, in some cases both. Obviously the confidential references in Search offer an advantage and the Search database is awesome, but also some schools listed on Search are asking applicants not to email through Search. Some are unclear. I'd like opinions on this beyond what I've found by searching this forum, but have more focused questions too.

Does the Search payment structure offer any reasons for employers to avoid responding to Search emails (commission-related)? How do schools access your Search profile if you contact them from outside Search? Is it easy or complicated? What are the specific downsides to either approach? Obviously if schools have a proprietary system or use something like Schrole, the application process should be through that, but what about otherwise?

In general, I've been finding schools through Search and contacting them through the emails provided after researching them. I started by emailing through Search, but then noticed that some schools don't like it.

So far, I have no interviews and many short-lists. However, most of the emails where I have been short-listed are responses to emails sent within Search.

Any constructive help is appreciated, friends. I sure could use it!

Anyone have any ideas or info about this school? Very little online, although Wendy McArthur, who seems to be the principal, gets good feedback for her time at International School of Panama.

I don't see this on the paid side. Is it in Kota Kinabalu? If so, I still know nothing about the school but have visited KK. It's very pretty with a lot of nature but not much of a city.