Thanks for the info chilagrina. May I ask how you went about your search? Did you attend any of the hiring fairs or join any of the fee recruiting agencies, or did you just search on your own? I'm flexible about location - my main focus is to be at the right school and be able to save some money.

Thanks for the additional info buffalofan and PsyGuy.

I'll think about SA. PsyGuy, of the 3 big SA fairs, I could attend BKK or Boston. In your opinion, are either of those worth it for my candidacy level? I've also considered the HK fair... I'll definitely use TIE. I'm not expecting a miracle, but I do want an upgrade and may apply for some "reach" schools. Thanks again, everyone!

Thanks for the suggestions, @shadowjack.

I know social studies isn't a DP subject - I teach Group 3 subjects and used social studies as more of a general term to describe the courses I teach. I didn't want to be too specific about the courses so that I could remain somewhat anonymous haha. Really appreciate the response though. I'll be sure to update should I be successful at upgrading from bottom of the barrel.

To the OP, I teach in an international division of one currently. Pros and cons, although overall it can be a very frustrating experience. I'd say that the students are actually quite good, from my experience. Motivated and outgoing, once you set the appropriate framework to get them that way. I really enjoy classroom time and there's a lot of academic freedom in terms of what I'm allowed to do in the classroom. There isn't much concrete direction, so if that's something that will be necessary, then your wife should avoid. Salary is ok. Cons are that management is inefficient and disorganized, constant schedule changes and not receiving important information until the last minute. Also, there is very little direction and lack of communication. My school is IB and provides IB training for teachers, so that was my main draw to the school. Not sure if it would be worth it otherwise.

Hello everyone. Long time lurker; finally decided to create an account. I’m posting this because I’d like advice or thoughts on a plan of action for the 2016-17 school year.

I’m currently about to start my 2nd year of a 2 year contract at what I guess would be a third tier IS in Asia. Actually, I work in an international department of a local school in China (which I’ve read is comparable to lower tier ISs). The school is an IB World School for the DP. I have attended two IB workshops last school year and currently teach two IB subjects, my main being a social studies course (Group 3 DP), so this job has been good on that front. Additionally I hold a teacher certification from a state in the US and hold a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) with a specialty in social studies from a top 10 university.

This is my first full-time teaching position in my certification field (high school social studies). Prior to this position, I substitute taught for a short while in the US, as the job market was pretty bad for my certificate subject. Other than that, I have my student teaching experiences, as well as some previous ESL teaching from before I pursued my MAT and a proper teaching certification (which I know doesn’t really matter as far as IS administrators are concerned).

Ideally, I’d like an upgrade to a proper international school next year. While I do have a teaching certification from the US, a Masters degree and novice experience with IB (2 years by the time 2016-17 rolls around), I'll only really have 2 years of relevant experience. Top tier schools would be a reach for me, but they’re actually not my priority. I mainly just want to move on to a proper international school (high percentage of expat students) with a good salary package and/or savings potential and some professional development opportunities. Tier 2 schools ideally but even a tier 3 with a good package. An IB school isn’t a necessity, as I do have knowledge and experience with AP and common core from when I was in the US. But, since I do have the training and I’m currently gaining experience teaching IB, an IB school would probably be preferable if given the choice (and it also largely aligns with my own philosophy of teaching). Open to region, although SE Asia would probably be top choice if I had ability to choose. I should mention I’m single, with no kids or spouse.

Would ISS be a good agency to register with? Would I have a decent shot at being somewhat competitive at ISS? I've heard that with less experienced candidates, they can be somewhat dismissive and unhelpful. I’ve looked into Search Associates but ISS appeals to me more for a couple reasons. I also plan to apply to schools directly and use other resources, like TIE, to help my search, but I do want to join at least one of the big agencies if there’s a good chance I could land a decent position that way. I also want to attend a fair and joining is only way to attend these fairs, from my understanding?

Any thoughts or advice about my competitiveness and/or best course of action to take would be greatly appreciated. I already have a game plan, but thoughts from those who've been in this position never hurts. Thanks in advance!