Because Ichiro I believe in international education, I believe in international mindedness, I believe in intercultural understanding, I believe in tolerance, I'm a TCK. The question could also be asked of you, because some of your posts have been rude, intolerant, and just plain unhelpful.

Specialed I'd be grateful if you'd point out any other website or forum where international teachers can get an honest, no-cover up opinion of administrators in international schools.

You seem to have missed my point about teacher appraisals. Many/most (?) international schools have some sort of appraisal system in place, so 'bad' teaching (or poor teaching performance - there's an interesting value-laden term) can be identified and worked on. Peer review is another way of identifying 'bad' practice or aspects of professional practice that need improving. If all administrators were required to undergo the same process this website might not be needed.

Thanks for the good advice about working internationally, actually I find it a little patronising, but hey that's what friends are for. I've seen all you've said in the interesting places that I've worked in. What I find ironic is that you're full of good advice about honouring contracts and not exposing schools that wouldn't last 5 minutes in the US or UK, when you clearly have no experience of being trapped in a situation that leaves you feeling exposed, helpless, degraded, unvalued, unsupported etc. etc. etc. Do you think the Katherine Phillips situation was some sort of fantasy she dreamed up after smoking something strong?

The really great thing about this website is that people are free to air their views, and if schools or administrators are criticised unfairly other people can set the record straight.

Unfortunately, in view of some of Ichiro's other posts his 'Top 10 Red Flags for Administrators' isn't quite as humorous as it might seem.

Don't be mislead by his claim that what you see on this board is a 'small slice of reality'. I used to think that until I joined an IB World School a couple of years ago. The Primary Head was a certified IB Trainer, was pretty 'in' with the IB Asia Pacific crowd and was probably the most mean spirited, nasty piece of work I've come across in 22 years of teaching, nationally and internationally. Sure, one individual doesn't make the school a bad school and in 22 years of teaching I haven't met many like this individual, but one bad administrator can have a huge impact on the lives of many teachers for as long as s/he is in that position, especially because teachers are expected to complete their 2 year contract.

It is no consolation knowing that there are lots of good schools out there, and I know there are, because unlike teachers who are annually appraised there is a lack of enthusiasm amongst international school administrators to undergo the same process. As has been pointed out on this Board bad administrators just keep getting recycled from one school to the next, climbing higher and higher. So, the idea that you could apply for a teaching position at an IB World School, accredited by COIS and/or various US accreditation agencies and end up with Mr/s. administrator from Hell makes the prospect of job hunting in the international school circuit somewhat scary.

Loved this post. I'd nominate it for post of the year! :)

It would be great if QSI was interested in all qualified teachers, but they aren't. They only want married couples or singles. So all you good, stable, happy, committed professionals, that have a non-teaching spouse and possibly a kid (you know, a stable family unit), well I'm sorry to tell you, you're just too expensive for QSI. Don't waste your time speaking to them because as the man says, there's only room for 10 or 12 interviews.

Miski, the 'soap opera' will continue as long as private schools in Kuwait continue to hire foreigners who don't understand Arabic culture and values or until the schools and their owners hold to western standards of accountability.

The problem is not exclusively a Kuwaiti problem, it happens in Central and East Asia, South America, Africa and is widespread in the Middle East. It often happens when someone (often wealthy or powerful) decides that owning a private school with western teachers is a good way to make money. Unless they know what they're doing conflict is inevitable.

Unless you have taught in a context that is totally unfamiliar to you, say in Russia, Benin or Bolivia and you are on the wrong end of what seems to be bureacratic bungling or dishonesty, you won't understand why the recent issues raised by ISR draw such widespread criticism from the international teaching community.

At the moment Kuwait is in the news, but before that it was Thailand and in two months time it could be Colombia. Hopefully the upside of it all, and you should view this in a positive light, is that people thinking of working in Kuwait will be more aware of the issues before accepting a job there.

There are a number of ways to do this:

- Look on the COIS website under teacher recruitment - teacher vacancies.
cois.org

- You could also register for a job fair with ISS, COIS or Search. You have to register with the organisation first - need references etc.
search-associates.com

- Register with TieOnline - and then search Job Ads. It will cost about $36 for a year.
tieonline.com

- TES is also a possibility. TESjobs.co.uk. Click on International job search.

- You could also write to schools directly but don't expect too many replies unless they are looking for teachers at the time you write.

Note:
- European schools have lots of applicants for each vacancy, so you'll usually be part of a long queue.
- Schools in Italy and Spain don't usually pay too well, you're not going to get rich working there.
- Europe is expensive and many schools don't provide you with accommodation or a flight home, and you may have to pay tax.
- You stand a better chance if you are able to apply for a position now - the rush for jobs is over and most people are already tied into a contract.
- If you're interested think about Eastern Europe. Much lower cost of living, sometimes no tax, usually housing is provided and flights home included. Also all the European centres are a short low-cost flight away.

Hope this helps.

I don't know how the money issue affects teaching resources.

I think quite a few of their teachers are leaving this year, they are advertising for about 6 positions on TIE.

The Principal, Frank Cullison, seems a nice guy so I don't know if people are leaving because of the school, the contract, the city or the climate.

Because its a brand new school there will be organisational teething problems, but the building is new, they have a nice gym and a small indoor pool.

Staff accommodation is on the school grounds, 1 minute from the school building - which is a huge advantage in winter when the temperatures can drop to minus 40. It also means you don't have to rely on public transport or the school bus to get to or from school.

I think the greatest challenge at the ASU is probably the level of English of the students, and the contract. They were only starting to recruit in March/April this year, which tells me that either the Consultant in Canada feels that the kind of teachers he's looking for are best found later in the year or that he doesn't have a good sense of the hurdles facing international schools in Mongolia. I suspect the latter.

I was keen to work ASU but because of the package and that they were only looking at recruiting in March I accepted a position elsewhere. A great pity.

ASU is currently in its first year and is owned by Mongolian business people, some of whom may be parents.

The Principal has to refer certain decisions to a consultant in Canada who then consults with the Board. This can slow the decision making process down somewhat.

Because the school is new, money seems to be an issue and the package doesn't compare to other schools in the region - eg 11 month contract.

Many of their staff have little international experience, which is also true of ISU.

Most of their students are Mongolian, from Upper Middle class to Wealthy families. Maybe about 10% Korean students.

It is very much an ESL environment, if you have little experience in this area consider it a great learning opportunity.

The Mongolian people are great, although the country is still coming to terms with its post Soviet life. Consequently there are a range of social issues which will take a long time to resolve.

> Thank you for your reply. Did you teach overthere ?

Yes.

> Do you know someone who's teaching?

Yes.

Would I go back there? Yes, absolutely.

If you can cope with Africa Botswana is brilliant.

It must be one of the safest countries in Africa, they have proper elections every 4 years, in the '90s they had a credit of 4 billion USD with the World Bank, a population of 1 million people in country the size of France.

The best game viewing in the world, the whole Northern third of the country is game park and wild area.

Westwood is the premier IS in Botswana, and is an IB World School. However there are other International Schools there.

The biggest drawback to teaching in Botswana are the salaries. Quality of life is outstanding.

You don't want to work for a school that holds your passport (unless they can give you a very, very good reason). You will have to hand your passport in to get visas and residence permits etc. but I would demand my passport back once those were issued. If the school wouldn't return my passport I'd get a temporary travel document from my embassy and leave the country. Our friend ichiro appears to have worked at some very questionable schools in his quarter century overseas.

Getting into the IB/PYP system is really difficult. It's rather like a closed club.

Why?
Although the IB does provide training, schools would rather not incur the expense training you. It also takes time to get to grips with the PYP which means as a newbie its difficult to make an effective contribution until you know your way around. The PYP is a very planning intensive system so your planning partners will be 'carrying you' for much of your first year.

In my experience you stand a better chance of getting in by joining a school thats in the process of becoming accredited, especially if they haven't even started the process because then everyone has to get training, or apply to PYP schools in locations that have difficulty recruiting any staff, let alone PYP trained staff. Colombia and Bangladesh come to mind.

Hi Taurus

I have a non-teaching spouse (a wife) but no kids. I've been teaching 'overseas' for 13 years.

In my experience (2 job fairs and too many e.mail enquiries/ applications to count) many, many international schools would prefer not to hire me because of the cost factor - extra airfare, larger accommodation and extra medical cover. For many Directors it's simply a question of Bottom Line, nothing less, nothing more.

However, if you 'box clever' you'll find a job overseas. There are several key issues that determine where you work:
1a] If you're applying for a job at this time of the year (Dec to Apr) you'll be up against stiff competition from married couples and singles. So if you're hoping to get into a 'recognised' international school in London, Paris, Moscow etc you might be disappointed.
1b] It depends on where you're happy to work - your application will be more competitive if you're willing to go to less popular places.

2] You stand a better chance of finding the job of your dreams if you are able and willing to wait until May. Schools tend become less picky later in the recruiting season because they have teaching positions to fill.

3] Your application is also stronger if you target schools that use the curriculum that you've trained in. That's not to say you can't cross over but British schools have a preference for teachers who are trained and experienced with the UK Nat. Curr. Same goes for US and Canadian. I've worked in schools using UK, US and IB currcula, but I wasn't first choice candidate.

Finally, if you approach the process with your eyes open, do your homework, target the areas where your application will be strongest, and are realistic, you should have no difficulty finding a job.

European international schools are very popular and don't have a high staff turnover. Competition for teaching positions is intense and salaries in countries around the Mediterranean are poor. The response you received was standard.

However, there are jobs going, its just a question of finding a school that wants exactly what you have to offer. If you're wanting to have an interview outside of a job fair I would say you're better off contacting schools later in the year when they have positions that they haven't filled and the year is drawing to a close.

Colombo Britanico and Bolivar are the best two schools in Cali from a package point of view.

The Brits I worked with really struggled with culture issues in the school - CCB. They loved the laid back atmosphere of the place but couldn't cope with the laid back attitude of the school administration.

mtncelt has it quite right about South America, its not for everybody.

Carol Morgan has its own thread on Forum 1.