For those of you that have experienced your children moving off to university while you have stayed in a different country, potentially far away from where your children are going to school, what are your top tips to navigate this phase of life?

Living and working overseas has provided significantly more economic stability to our family than working in our home countries. The cost is that our family has to travel about 25-30 hours and spend about $10K USD on flights every time we want to visit family and friends in our home countries. While our school does cover some of this, by the time we add the flights, the rental car, potential accommodations and general travel expenses for summer months, it really starts to add up.

As a result, even though we are in a great region and at an excellent school that we and are children our happy at, we have wondered about moving closer to home due to this long and expensive annual travel home. If we did move closer to home, this definitely would mean less pay as the schools in these general regions do not cover housing etc.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, and did you decide to stay in the good economic conditions, or move closer to home and give up some of the economic benefits?

For many years I worked in public schools, and I will absolutely go back to public schools one day for a variety of reasons.

One tip is to find the RIGHT public school for you. Depending on the state you are in, you'll have different options. Certain states have amazing public school systems. I was not in one of those states, but I found the right school with a vision and mission I was aligned with. There are a variety of charter and magnet schools that run as public schools. IB Americas has numerous regional organizations that you can join and find jobs through if you are interested in IB schools.

I think it is more about finding the right public school fit than comparing the caliber of students of international and public schools. I had amazing students in public schools, and I have amazing students in high performing international schools. The key was that I was at the right type of public school with excellent administrators that fully supported their teachers.

Living in new countries and regions, with perhaps new and exciting activities and languages, affords many of us to pick up new ways to spend our time.

What new activities/hobbies/languages have you picked up as a result of living in a new country/culture/region?

@buffalofan - I really like your point about the 4 categories you mentioned: job itself, country, travel opportunities and savings potential. I was in a 3/4 job and now I am feeling like I am in a 4/4 so it reminds me to have gratitude and just appreciate the time. I was seeking balance and simply liking my job.

@psychguy - Great point about, "Don't confuse what you do with being who you are." Taking ourselves too seriously and getting too wrapped up in work becoming our identity can be detrimental.

@ThamesPirate - The 4 categories you mention are nice frames. And I see what you mean about sometimes advancing your career means a change in how great some of those categories are.

@popgirl - It is interesting isn't it?! Sometimes, in some cases, top tier simply means the school has been around awhile, but it does not always necessarily mean things are more "cutting-edge" at the top tiers than the younger, less well known places.

It would be interesting to hear stories of success of educators who have moved from less desirable schools/situations to more desirable schools/situations that they are thriving in. Any of the following might be interesting to share about:

- What do you not miss about your old school/situation?
- What is your favorite thing about your new school/situation?
- What advice would you give to colleagues who might be not sure about moving on, but know it is probably better for their emotional/mental health?

While much is dependent upon the particular context and school, I have only MYP experience and have worked in three tier 1 schools. Just one situation out of thousands of teachers out there...

Teachers who I have seen thrive in the MYP have a certain creative spark, and tend to appreciate and value the entire IB continuum - PYP, MYP and DP.

Thanks PsyGuy. Yes, your D seems probable.

If a job has been posted for the past 4 weeks, and the school just extended the posting for one more week, what do you think that might mean?

A) There are no suitable candidates in the pool so they need more to apply.

B) It was the holiday break, they are busy and do not have time to review stuff so just extended it.

C) They extended the process because more people are leaving the school and they are reshuffling etc.

D) (Insert what you think)

While I do think they mean well, they really do not have time for me. They even forget to do the yearly observations. Weeks go by without an authentic conversation. I know they are busy and all, but I am use to having really good bosses, so I am use to a higher standard and much better relationship. It is what I bring as well, and unfortunately when I am not treated that well, it is a real challenge to show up authentically.

They have cut me out of the bigger picture, even though we are supposedly on the same team. I am not sure what to think anymore. They have lied to me, and I did need to address it. Ever since then I have been cut out of the picture.

Regardless, I am learning some interesting skills in terms of emotional management, so I guess I am technically still learning something!

What traits do you look for in a boss?

What are indications that they are helping you grow as a professional?

What are indications that they not concerned with your professional growth?

Thanks for the tip PsyGuy.

If you plan to explore job options, when is a good time to ask your boss for a ISS/Search reference?

Do you ask at the start of the year, or wait until the contract signing time comes around and then explain you are exploring options for growth?

The bosses have access to ISS/Search profiles so it seems better to ask at the start of the year since they may see your profile open. However too early can have potential downsides as well.

Thank you so much for sharing all of your thoughts. I relate to everything you all wrote.

Yes, some of it is definitely Covid induced, and the problems were there pre-Covid as well.

What are some of the signs that it is time to move on from your current position and to a new school?

At what point is it a good idea to share with with your boss?