Can anyone share any personal experiences or advice related to: choosing a position based on savings potential versus choosing a position based on a school that you're very excited about (but that doesn't pay as much)?

Let me know if this has been covered extensively somewhere else.

I am wondering personally, but I think it might be a topic of interest to others new to international teaching. I recognize that this is a decision each teacher must make individually, but did anyone choose a school for money or for love of the school and end up incredibly satisfied or unsatisfied? Any advice about what to consider?

This is my first experience with international school recruiting/teaching/education. I've been lucky enough to receive three job offers (although not necessarily in the most desirable areas), and am attending the SFO fair this weekend (I know posters think this is a dump fair, I'm going anyway, I like San Francisco). I have an offer from Saudi Arabia which would probably be fine, the school would be fine, the pay and savings potential would be fantastic (and I could stand living there, having lived in the ME previously though not as a teacher), and an offer from a very small school in Nigeria where the pay and savings potential are lower, but the school and community would be fantastic. The third offer, Kuwait, I already declined.

Has anyone faced this type of choice? What did you consider? What did you choose and were you satisfied?

Thanks for any insights.

REMOVED BY FORUM MODERATOR

We ask that you not post school review type material to this forum. We invite you to visit the Member Forum (in the Member Area of the site). The Member Forum is specifically for asking for and posting school-review type comments.

Here is a link to the ISR Member Forum. You will need to log in as an ISR Member at the next screen.

https://www.internationalschoolsreview. ... ers/forum/

Thanks very much for your cooperation.

Ben @ ISR

PsyGuy-

Thanks for a long post with valuable information. You're correct of course- he is writing his dissertation. I've updated my SA profile to make sure I sound more professional and informed. I have managed an invitation to the SFO fair, and was told Cambridge is full, but I'm still hopeful I'll be told last minute that it isn't. Again, thank you. I'm still digesting everything you wrote.

admin-

Thank you! I am still exploring all your website has to offer and I hadn't yet seen that resource.

wrltdrvlr123-

You're right. Now I'm on it. It's a fine balance between being proactive and being a pest... All part of my professional growth I suppose.

Hopefully it all pans out!

Thanks wrldtrvlr123! I am very grateful for the feedback. I'm concerned too because I requested an invitation to Cambridge via my associate and have not heard back for over a week. Can I contact the organizer or... Any other suggestions?? I definitely feel a bit better reading this. I look forward to getting more experience so I can contribute!

Hi all- I'm new to the international school scene and looking for some advice and information. I've tried to read through many previous posts but am still curious about specifics to my situation.

I am an elementary and middle school art teacher with four years of experience, though two of those years were as a third grade classroom teacher. I'm fully certified of course, and have a BA in Art and an MEd in elementary education.

I have a trailing husband who will be writing up his PhD, which means he will be very busy no matter where we are. I also have a trailing dog.

We are very open in terms of location, just looking for a foot in the door! I would prefer to teach art (and seem to have found quite a few openings) but would also teach lower elementary. I've signed up with Search Associates and have contacted MANY schools either via their website or directly (depending on the instructions on the school website). I was only activated last week so I know I'm a bit late to the game.

Questions:

1. Do I have any chance of finding a position? I see a lot of elementary art jobs in the SA database but I assume that also means there are a lot of candidates.
2. How long is average for a school to get back to you to set up a Skype interview? Weeks? Months? Give me some hope here...
3. I requested an invite to an SA fair but haven't heard back from my associate since I was activated. Is it too late to get to a fair for this cycle?
4. I was contacted by a school that I'm not really interested in to have a Skype interview. The school seems pretty new and I just don't think our philosophies will be a good fit. Is being contacted a good sign? I agreed to interview to see what's out there and for practice, but I can't decide if it is a promising sign or disappointing.
5. Any other advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance