I'm confused. It seems like you should be paid for coverage. A shame you even have to ask much less be ostracized for it

It depends. If you are building something from scratch to fit a new curriculum, it's a lot more work (e.g. a school that does MYP but has no materials for you). But if you are walking into a fully developed yearlong course that follows a new curriculum . . not that challenging. At the end of the day the objectives are going to be mostly the same just maybe organized differently and called something else.

Also depends how important following the curriculum is to your job. For example I spent a few years teaching students in preparation for MYP eAssessment, which required strict fidelity to the MYP objectives. All of my lessons that built towards those objectives specifically were not easily adapted to something like Common Core, especially if the Common Core school was monitoring my teaching and very strict that I was teaching some specific standard on any given day. It's not impossible to adapt it just does take more effort to match up the lessons and adapt them a bit and change the instructional language to fit etc. If your school isn't watching closely . . teaching is teaching and the objectives are mostly the same at a high level, at least for my subject, so there isn't much need to change things even if you are faking it a bit.

[quote=traveler76 post_id=63849 time=1683068562 user_id=244754]
My husband and I taught abroad for 15 years in great IB schools. We moved to the US in 2020 as an experiment, and originally had plans to do some other work besides teaching. That did not pan out so I am teaching in a public school.
[/quote]

I sympathize so much, that is very similar to my experience including going home in 2020 and considering other careers. I quit teaching after returning home for a year. Found another career. Now debating whether I should get back in the game abroad . . whether it was my love for teaching that had left me or if it was just the U.S. schools that beat it out of me.

I lived in a city where teachers were paid pretty well, decent pension etc. so it seemed like a no-brainer to work and move up the salary scale. Especially what I had experienced in my last year abroad with covid, not being paid, and in other years having to move apartments on the whim of a school director, just generally not being in control of my life.

It was refreshing to come home and choose my own apartment, take advantage of investment options, buy a house, own a car, etc. . things that in my life abroad had not been options. If you can handle teaching in a U.S. school and you move to the right place I think it is clearly the better decision financially. My neighbor is a teacher and makes over $100k and owns a house that has doubled in value since he bought it . . compare that to an IT who has been maybe squirreling away $20-$30k/year if they're lucky. Not to mention setting down roots and not upending your life every several years or seeing friends come and go. Obviously teaching in a place like Florida and making $45k or whatever is just not on the table so you have to be strategic in where you go.

But yes it is a vastly different experience. It's a different job really. Public school teachers are more like prison guards, needing to have thick skin and pay no mind to the bureaucracy and insanity of it all e.g. unfunded mandates over your time (do 100 hours of work in 40, and if you don't here is a written warning). That's not to say I didn't see fantastic teachers in the U.S. But even with the insanity sometimes present in international schools, I felt that generally my classroom was mine and that's where I spent most of my time. My focus on the quality of instruction was respected and needed, whereas public schools priority generally revolves around satisfying byzantine requirements for funding (butts in seats, slapping an IB logo on the door, testing).

@secondplace

I think it's not fair for you to expect an average, unremarkable teacher like me to meet the high and honorable standard you've set. You are a shining example for us all

At the risk of beating this topic to death I'd just say that, in addition to finding your characterization of 'cheating and lying' as about as reductive as can be of my arguments, I welcome schools to take action in response to this behavior. Like I said I recognize a contract for what it is and don't think we should read into it things it isn't. Search already does this with its payment penalty for backing out. Schools could also respond by offering more competitive packages that dissuade teachers backing out, or by otherwise having a good reputation as a place to work.

Isn't that a sad state of affairs that you think you don't even have the right to apply for a position because a cabal of administrators might conspire to lock you out of two places that have yet to pay you a dime. And how you see yourself as honorable for playing along.

Ultimately I think we all have our own calculus but I tried to argue that there is a calculus for everyone and it isn't an absolute right or wrong. OP is trying to figure out theirs.

To your point about another teacher's dream job, for me it is hard to factor in a hypothetical that in all likelihood isn't true and for its randomness could swing in the other direction (your taking a job could lead that second choice teacher to end up in a better place).

It's worth noting that at least through Search there are consequences to reneging so I would go back to my argument that a contract is not a moral obligation . . consequences for reneging are clearly spelled out and enforced. To the extent one feels using that option is beneficial to them, it is available following the letter of the agreement that was signed. Yes the school will need to conduct another round of interviews but such is the nature of their business..

@nathan61 that is a fair point, and I got too far caught up in the discussion to remember the OP. I would still argue it isn't as clear cut and there are some factors to consider:

- consequences of reneging - if done 6+ months from start date, the school may be able to easily find a replacement
- degree of certainty that you will fulfill the contract - I would argue this is never 100% with anybody, something tempting could always come along

What constitutes good faith vs bad faith would then be a matter of opinion . . if I signed with 99% certainty of taking the job but then got offered $1 million to teach in Hawaii, did I sign the contract I'm reneging on in bad faith? OP would be closer to the bad faith end of the spectrum by signing while still actively interviewing elsewhere, but would be reneging fairly early on in the process. I'd argue it is a legitimate way to job search given the constraints we operate under (how many other professions need to commit to a position almost a year in advance for a commitment of 2 years, with different parts of the world operating on different timelines etc.).

My experience has been that most schools, even non-profits, operate mostly out of self-interest of the stakeholders so I am fine being more cutthroat. If you are bailing at the last minute putting Acme Non-Profit School for the Blind in a bad spot then I'd concede morals would more heavily come into play.

There are no friends in this game. A contract is not a moral obligation, nor does breaking one mean you signed it in bad faith. A contract is a legal agreement that outlines all benefits, costs, and penalties for conduct taken or not taken. It is incumbent upon the school to make plans based on the reality of these agreements, which exist in a world where teachers plans change sometimes at the last minute. That is without mentioning that probably most teacher contracts will not be dutifully honored by the school in one way or another.

Some people like to sit upon a high horse, and it costs them dearly. I would not recommend being one of those people. Do what is best for yourself. You are not an indentured servant.

To put a finer point on it, contracts are meant to cover the agreement in its entirety. If I thought the agreement meant I was duty-bound to be indentured to the school for two years, I would require a lot higher salary for what is some type of house arrest. As it stands I don't require that salary because I know I can move on.

25% pay cut all else being equal? I would not.

I definitely did get interviews due to my IB experience. But with MYP and PYP, most schools I have seen are not properly implementing the programs or even really trying. And a teacher is a teacher is a teacher, I'm sure I would have gotten interviews without the experience (look at you - you even got an offer at an IB school without any IB experience).

Having worked at several IB schools and gone through the evaluation process, I think it is really all smoke and mirrors. It is helpful to the extent that it gives teachers a conceptual framework to guide their instruction (if they so choose), but not something chase after in your career.

shteve90 wrote:
> Apologies for crashing this thread but I noticed Uni of Buckingham have a
> MEd in Leadership for £5040 in total. I am trying to weigh up the pros and
> cons of this course versus the one at Uni of Portsmouth. Does anybody have
> experience with these universities? Is Portsmouth worth the extra £3000?

Portsmouth is what you make of it. Most of the courses are like wikipedia pages then you decide what to research and write about. Sometimes some direction is given in terms of topic but there is a lot of freedom to choose. I think recently there has been some effort to beef up the offering with seminars and whatnot. I would imagine most UK unis are going to be really similar in terms of resources and experience.

Public schools are a lot more open to virtual interviews nowadays so you can just apply to wherever you want to work. California has a pretty convenient statewide application system

ExpatinAsia99 wrote:
> Tashkent International School in Uzbekistan seems to be close to some
> skiing opportunities. Any accessibility/terrain insight from skiers who
> have worked at this school?

Almaty has my vote for Central Asia. The resorts are fairly tame on their own but there are some truly spectacular backcountry/touring/mountaineering opportunities. The lifts at Shymbulak drop you off at 3,200 meters.

Given the difficulty in enforcing international school contracts, I'd like to see schools rated on adherence to contract terms and conditions. Sadly in some countries, some diversion from what's written is to be expected and the only question is how much and how often.

Speaking only in terms of career advancement, it's better to be a small fish in a Big Pond. There you are getting real experience in a school that operates to an international standard.

Having worked in lower tier 3 schools, they are very seat-of-your-pants and/or based on local norms that are not going to transfer to other places. Moreover, you are not building valuable professional contacts because tier 3 ownership/leadership are usually locals not tuned in to the international school circuit. These people either will not or can not be valuable in vouching for your skills and abilities. So your head of department position is really just in name only, which while not completely useless will not be as valuable as working your way up in a Tier 1 situation.

That said, good school =/= good job. Tier 3 can be nice for the lack of oversight and generally letting you get on with the job. Given a preference I would prefer to work at a laid back tier 3 school that paid well.

It's pretty easy to transfer to IL. That's five years (actually mine was six I think because the timing of my application in the summer). 120 hours of PD is required but presumably I could just transfer to another state when it's almost up. So if there is no perfect solution I'd just rotate different states 3-4 times til your career is done.