Teach1010 wrote:
> Was the school in zone 16 too? I would worry about having to commute
> through the less safe areas. Did you own a car? I've read that auto theft
> is an issue as well, but public transportation is also extremely dangerous.
> I guess the only option is taxi, which seems risky as well. I can see
> where it could be pretty isolating. Were there any teachers that tried
> commuting from Antigua or is it too far? I know it's somewhat close to the
> city, but I've been there and felt perfectly safe.

We own a car. We haven't had any problems. Yellow cabs are tightly monitored. The green and white ones are not and should be avoided if possible. Our schools was in zone 16. There are a couple of schools in this area. As for commuting from Antigua it would be a nightmare. It is about an hour under great conditions. Most mornings it would be three plus hours on any given day to the week. It would be awful.

@AnotherIT - When your apartment was robbed by the security guards, were you living
in housing provided by the school or was it an apartment you found on your own?
I was thinking that living in a high-rise would be reasonably safe.

The housing we are in is in Zone 16 and was provided by the school. There are 20 units in the building, 3 of them house teachers or teaching couples. The school had the landlord replace the security company and install deadbolts and we haven't had issues since. Guatemala is a roll of the dice. Semuc, Tikal, Atitlan, are all incredible. Guatemala City is awful. I saw you at staying safe by not going out after dark. Because if its location it is light approximately 6am to 6pm. Which means going out to dinner, going to the movies, etc becomes a problem. Your life becomes very confined.

Been in Guatemala for a year and a half and will be leaving in June. In my 16 months or so here. My Girlfriend has had her cellphone pick pocketed, my principal and his wife have been robbed at gun point, and I have had my apartment robbed by the security guards paid to protect it. The country itself has been an incredible adventure, Atitlan, Semuc Champey, Cela,Tikal, peredon and so much more has been a level of gorgeous which is hard to communicate. As for safety, it is better than El Salvador and Honduras, but still is accompanied by the constant feeling that it is unsafe.

vandsmith wrote:
> Nomads wrote:
> >
> > With luck I will close the deal with four teachers I met at the fair and
> > other schools were hiring two to four people as well.
> >
I used to be in sales, "with luck" does not mean much to me. Hope is not a contract, nor is looks good/promising or likely.

I was hoping to hear from the Teachers side of things. I am getting the feeling that Nomads was the exception and not the rule at this fair. I am glad that he/she was able to have a productive time there but considering in the list of schools that said they were attending the fair, I am trying to figure out how many were really ready to hire? Should I still be pursuing these schools and positions?

Is there anyone that has found a job from this fair? What was the teacher success rate like?

@sid,

I appreciate the advice, but I am currently in Guatemala and it is not the place for me.

Secondly, the school I am at is far too small and the admin here is entrenched. The school is a fine place to work, but I will not be living here another year. The high crime rate (had my wife's cell phone stolen from her backpack and our apartment robbed by a group that paid off our security guards) is something I no longer want to worry about.

Just wondering what people would recommend at the best way to navigate the move from Teaching to Administration.

I am paying for my own IB DP Coordinator Cat #1 in the spring as my current school does not offer the IB Program.
I have taught both IB History and Theory of Knowledge in the past and really enjoy the program, but it seems like the move from teacher to admin is a difficult one.

I have experience running trips, organizing CAS at my last school and MUN at my past two schools. I have taken on the faculty adviser role for Student's Council at my current school, as well as creating a debate team. I have experience chairing a re-accreditation committee on school climate.

Previous to working in education I was a project manager for 9 years in the automotive industry and have experience coordinating teams of various sizes across multiple sites. (including multiple nations)

I guess I want to know, what do suggest I do, or high light to have someone give me a chance in admin?

Thanks

Right now I am moving for the right balance between school and country/city.

I loved living in Bahrain but the school I was at was not going to a good long term fit. Very little development. Constant issues with discipline.

Currently I am in Guatemala City. I like my school. Fun students, not the most academically gifted, they are funny, quirky and respectful), I have a wonderful department head and a solid principal. Guatemala on the other hand has been an issue. Been pick pocketed for a cell phone and had my apartment robbed (by members of the security company which was tasked with keeping the bad guys out no less.)

So still looking for the right combination of school and location.

As such, my wife and I keep moving.

I am wondering then if signing up for the database was a waste of time. I liked the schools I saw on the list, but am currently located in Guatemala and could not attend the fair.

Was filling out the profile a waste of time as the schools do not seem to be responsive to those of us that could not attend.

To fill in the picture, I am a History Teacher with a masters degree and 5 years experience. I have taught both AP World History and IB DP History. I have taught two years of TOK, and was also the Faculty CAS Adviser at my previous school. On top of this I have built two successful MUN programs, a debate team and am the current faculty adviser for Students Council. (Maybe this isn't enough? Is there something else people might recommend being involved in?)