A friend of mine told me about a recruiting agency called Teach Away. Can anyone give me any information about this agency or any other reputable agencies that help people find work abroad?

Scribe & Jamie Clifton

I tried to pm both of you, but that is not allowed on this board. I have some more questions to ask you. Can I email you?

I saw this job ad at tieonline and I'm also curious. I don't think you will get many responses because this does not sound like a popular place to go in China. It's not like Hong Kong or Shanghai. Is this a brand new international school? This could be the reason why you can't get a whole lot of information. You can try to contact the faculty and the staff to see if they can help. You can also look at travel websites to learn more about that particular area of China.

Those schools are hiring. It seems like the turnover rate is very high this year. Does anyone know if those schools are bad places to work for?

[quote="Laptop"]I am a teacher with 20 years teaching experience yet I am new to the International School scene.

I have just come back from a job fair and have been offered a teaching position in the Middle East for $30,000 no taxes, plus free housing. free school transport. Is this a good salary? I have no idea. Should I be grateful or should I throw the contract back at the Director?

I need to make a decision soon.[/quote]

I'm sorry if my opinion is too late. I want to teach overseas too. I am also a newbie. I have been doing as much research as I possibly can.
If you have 20 years of teaching experience, why are they only paying you $30,000? I know that you are a newbie, but from what I've heard, if you have a lot of experience/education/certification, that automatically raises your salary.
What about health insurance? Do you get free health care? They should offer you that as well.

I didn't want to get rid of anybody. The members of this website have been polite and helpful. I just wanted some good advice about how to deal with negative people because I know that I will have to deal with this sooner or later.

I am a newbie. I would like to make a career out of teaching overseas, so I have been doing a lot of research. I have joined a couple of websites, and I have even emailed a few people. Some people have been helpful.

Unfortunately, some people have not been helpful at all. They are condescending, self-righteous and just plain ignorant. I've heard that traveling makes people more open-minded and less judgemental, so I am surprised at this type of behavior. I don't know what's wrong with these people. They have traveled all around the world and they don't appreciate it? They also belittle and ridicule newbies. What is that all about? If you don't want to help, then just ignore us and go on with your miserable little lives.

It looks like I'll still have to put up with this mess as long as I am working overseas. Can I find a positive way to avoid these people when I finally have to work overseas?

I have heard that Search Associates is not a reputable recruiting agency. Does the Chiang Mai branch treat the teachers fairly?

I am also a newbie. I've done some research and this is what I have learned. I hope it helps.

Since you don't have experience, it might help if you were trained to teach IB. You can look on the IB website and find out if they have any workshops in your area. I don't know what the IBO link is, but I'm sure you can find it by using a search engine.

Apply for a job with a school that does not have an IB curriculum, such as a private school.

It is still early in the year, so many schools are still recruiting. If you have the time and the money, you can wait for a few months. If some schools still have vacancies during the spring/summer, they become desperate. They will be more flexible and bend the rules.

Keep asking everyone for information. If one person won't hire you, ask them "Who do you know, who is looking for someone with my qualifications?"

I have applied for a job with the JET Program. The interview is in February. I won't find out if I've been hired until April. I hate to jinx myself, but I would like to have something to fall back on in case I don't get the job.
Should I try to look for a job in the spring/summer? I'm single and don't have any dependents, so I thought that this would help me.

I'm back again and I have another question!

I've been browsing through some websites and I've heard some interesting things. I've heard somone say that you can work as a teacher's assistant and make good money. I've also heard someone say you can work as a tutor and make good money. I've also heard someone say that you can work as an intern and make good money. Of course, you don't get paid as much as a teacher, but you get decent benefits and a decent salary. Can anyone confirm or deny these statements? If I can't get a job as a teacher, I want to apply those jobs. I'm sure that it will help me get my foot in the door, then I can teach at an international school.

The last post has given me hope. I'm nervous about joining the website because I have to pay with a credit card. I'll go ahead and take the chance if I can get a decent job quickly.

Thanks once again. Since I don't have internet access, I can't record anything. I guess that I'll just have to join tieonline and take my chances. I hope it works out.

Thanks for the advice!

I have another question now.
Where can I get the microphone to complete a recording session? How much does it cost? I don't have internet access at home. I will borrow someone else's computer if I can. I would like to rent one since I can't afford to buy one. I know that some stores let you rent appliances, so why not elecronics? I would also like to rent a digital camera for my photos.