We have a property manager that was referred to use by two other friends. Make sure you don't get a real estate agent working on the side as a property manager or a friend or family member...He rented our place within two weeks but it was in a city of about a million people...

Property managers set up everything direct deposit, leases, advertising...and dealing with clients and screening them...Good property managers know the importance of getting good clients. I tried renting my place myself and the first client tried to hustle me!!! After the second meeting I switched to a property manager...experience is worth quite a bit and so is piece of mind.

Some things to remember
Property managers don't expect to be paid until they find someone.

We wanted renters that were like us - same economic status blah blah blah but those people almost always buy and you can only snag them for a year.

IF some one wants out of a lease and they are willing to leave the premises, let them...its hard to get money from people who want to go...and if they are gone you can find a paying renter.

Don't make leases for longer than one year...something could happen overseas and you need your place back.

Our property manager made us sign a contract but also let us out of it within 30 days if we were not happy with his services...even though most expect longer periods and are legally entitled to probably the length of the lease...that kind of says something about their value ;)

I bought this book and found it helpful in convincing me into the benefits of rental properties

"Rental Houses for the Successful Small Investor" (Paperback)
by Suzanne P. Thomas

See if its in your local library or buy a used copy

Not many families leaving and all the nannies are spoken for!

I'm going to the middle east...so there won't be much in terms of local help...
other than references ;)

This is a very nerve racking experience as it will be our first time with a live-in nanny.

It would be great to hire some one's who is leaving but they are getting snatched up by people wo are already in the country...I would be best to get a 'pass down' before arrival because of visa problems and other issues...and once school starts we could be left in the dark with no help or not so good help...

Can you ship in your own? Any agencies or websites like this one that could help?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks.

I was wondering if the Directors did the recruiting agencies a favour... As I was told only 2 positions we left to be hired before the ISS and Bangkok fairs but the Search records were not updated and showed the original amounts going into the fairs in Bangkok.

Some thoughts as to before fair hiring...

There might be these 'super' fantastic educators out there with a god-like reputation (I'm not one of them) and they'll always get hired at about 99.9% of the schools (exception = UN schools, might be nice to verify) via phone and Skype as long as there is an opening for them.

There are also cases of recommendation from one of these 'super' educators which can also help before fair hiring (this happened for me)...

But we all still need the recruiting agencies for their databases for openings...and the very first fair after the Jan 1 (informal deadline) whether ISS or Search is the most important.

There are always openings after this very first fair but the likely-hood of them matching up with you get more difficult because there are so many 'great' educators that will end up with an offer by the end of fairs...('bird in hand' theory)

We also got jobs via Skype before the fairs in North America only a few positions were left after ISS & Search Bangkok at the school we were hired for.

As Senator mentioned you can save a lot in North America...but I believe its only because I went overseas first and used my savings to pay down my mortgage (only $413 a month). My wife and I can save $40,000 and do one trip during the winter in Mexico or the Carib and spend the summer travel around here. I supposedly don't have to worry about my retirement but my defined benefits pension is not able to afford all the promises that it made to the babyboomers... being in my mid 30s I will pay the price for their 55yr old retirement package.

I have worked my way through the union and put in my time and now teach some courses that are considered a specialty area so some of my class sizes are between 12 and 26...while others are capped at 30. which wouldn't happen for an English, Math or History teacher. AS for the union you are extremely well protected...I've seen teachers tell admin to F#k off, slam doors in peoples faces...you can literally do almost anything without being fired...not that I need that kind of protection so its quite useless to the average teacher.

But after seven years my wife and I have given up everything we have earned in our union here and decided to work overseas...will I regret it? As we all know it depends on why I'm leaving.

And it can't be for the money, better admin, better students...
it has to be for the lifestyle or sense of adventure...its the one major difference that every overseas package offers even at the worst profit schools...well maybe not in Kuwait ;)

And if overseas life has lost that sense of adventure and you start thinking about the how good the admin, students and pay is for every post that is available...then you might want try back home...where ever that may be because eventually you will work your way up to that job you are striving for. It just takes more time than jumping into the international circuit and once you have it no one can take it away...

I remember looking into this school a few months ago and the number of staff leaving was above 70%. My wife and I found it alarming.

Not sure if they have updated their vacancies during the recruiting season...the numbers on Search said enough for us to remove it from our list.

Maybe there is someone out there who has left ISHCMC or 'had a friend' (as there supposedly were quite a few)!?!

Good luck mnolan...

I think the point was...your working in a world where contracts are worthless, and that there is a different way of doing things than the 'American' way.

For example
A great school with a great reputation could forget to include something in a contract but as a teacher you would not have to worry they will take care of it for you even though it is not in the contract...

...on the other hand you could be at a school with a bad reputation and have the perfect contract that is written to include all your essential needs and wants, but when you show up they follow none of it.

It also works the other way for teachers too and if you get a reputation as unwilling to see through the contract you'll be blackballed!

This site is all about learning about the schools or admins that have a bad reputation with teachers allowing us to avoid them...Believe me, schools have their own systems and they work extremely well. The International Teaching circuit has an institutional memory!

I think it is important for you to check off the major problem schools before going into the fair...

They tend to be profit driven and the owner(s) play too big of a role in running the school...instead of leaving it to an experienced professional administrative team.

There are some from Kuwait, UAE, and Vietnam for instance. AS pointed out on this forum.

We could make a list? (5 or more in agreement) But its all opining after the few major ones.

I remember taking an interview with a school in Bahrain but we really didn't want to go there...but I wasn't to confident that we would get a ton of offers.

It didn't go well. The interviewer was not happy that his school was not in our top choices. As he did question our intentions and we were honest. I explained why we took the interview and he seemed to accept it...

That Search Toronto Fair is a real bummer for experienced international teachers there are a couple of great schools like IS Bangkok...but a ton of schools that are 'second choices'

You have to be careful on your approach...I would as your Search Associate how to handle it...you might get a good answer - please share their thoughts as to etiquette.

I just received a letter sent from Search Associates which explains the entire situation fairly clearly (as per sending emails and comments on this board of some people getting hired before the fairs)...

"First, please understand, with five hundred and some schools, recruiters in even greater numbers, and the variety of situations we are working with, that there are guides and tendencies, not rules or laws. So, while I believe that contacting schools months in advance of the fairs is a waste of time, there are always exceptions and "it can’t hurtâ€

The hardest thing about international teaching is that you have to quit one job in order to get another...I would say that it is a risk and normal to feel anxious until you land a job.

I'm going through the recruitment process with Search and not sure what to expect after teaching state side for the last eight years?? With rumors that schools are hiring before the fairs even happen, I'm feeling quite rejected.

I remember back in the day...there was talk of making a portfolio at the time so I did that...not one of the 10 interviewers even looked at it. They looked at my resume. I have done some hiring for teaching positions and it was my biggest resource...even though I wanted the applicants to jump all the other hurdles (websites, on-line applications...)

I have a feeling that if your friend is working (probably an administrator) at the school you want and there is an opening that matches, you are recruited before the fair.

But I could be wrong...and the only offers I'll get are from profit schools with crappy packages in dangerous locales.

Ten years ago JIS wanted (at least first year) teachers to live in housing that was one to two hours commute from the school...

Is this still the case? Is it worth the commute?

Thanks for any help on this school :)

The high school positions require that you have your masters...which you might already know.