The management of this school is abysmal. There is no educational integrity from the school owners or school management. The "leadership" of this school is quite willing to do anything to keep their positions and collect their Rials.

The management of this school revolves around the rugby club crowd, who leave much to be desired. These people rule the school and are allowed to get away with anything. This school is a joke! Stay away from it! Teachers are exploited and mistreated and this will never change. RUN!

If you are flying out of the US, the maximum weight is 75 pounds and they are pretty lenient if you go over the amount, or at least they used to be. U-Haul boxes are great. Find out the dimensions allowed by your airline; I used to get the biggest boxes allowed, which were huge and pack my suitcases inside them. It was by far the cheapest way to ship as I was allowed 2 for checked baggage and then could pay excess baggage if needed. There is no waiting around or making a 2nd trip to collect cargo baggage, either!

If you are flying out of the UK or Europe, cargo would be a better option as they are very restrictive on checked pieces.

It seems that this thread has gone way beyond the situation this teacher is in and the concern I have for her safety...

I hope everyone saw the message from the assistant principal at the Al-Bayan Bilingual School in Kuwait who is being detained and fears her safety. I pray that she will be able to leave the country.

I wonder what Brian Mccauley, the Director of this school has done to help her?

Hi,
I tried to find that thread, but I couldn't access it.
What is the low down on the school?

Thank you!

Just curious:
What bad things did you hear about this school?
Any other comments?

Hi again,

Another option is to pool together with other teachers and send an overnight express to a recipient in your home country who will then put their bank deposits in the mail. This can be considerably cheaper than wiring via a bank.

I have found it to be a big indicator of the quality of the school whether or not they transfer your salary to a bank in your home country. I know some countries do not allow this, but it is such a pain in many countries to transfer money and take care of other expenses. I think it is a good indicator of the school's commitment and concern for foreign hire teachers.

Consider this issue before signing a contract.

Seoul Foreign School is a very good school and they treat their teachers very well. Harlan Lyso is a class act and is honest and professional.
He has always been the standard I have held other international directors to and no one has come close to his leadership and integrity.

The school is not without challenges and it can be dificult living on campus and in Seoul, but the teaching conditions are excellent.

Do not go to MUSCAT PRIVATE SCHOOL!

I am glad I left when I did, although I miss Egypt and living in Cairo.

Just as a second thought, you could get a 2nd passport for protection, if you wanted the protection or needed to escape without school officials knowing. The only problem is that it would not have your entry/exit visas stamped.

I was in a miserable situation in Oman (Muscat Private School) where the first day our passports were taken and then shortly after we had our first faculty meeting and we were given a whole list of offenses and the fines would be taken out of our salary. It was a very inspiring meeting for the new arrival teachers!

I swore that if they "fined" me, I would leave and sure enough I did!

It is very naive to think that if you "ask" a question like this before you are hired, they will actually tell you the truth or honor that when you arrive. There are many very dishonest and unethical "for profit" schools ou there but once again, the good schools and school leaders want you to be happy and will treat you well.

Personally, I would never take a job in a school which holds my passport or in any "for profit" school in the Middle East!

Ichiro, you are the one that sounds naive!

Many unscrupulous schools confiscate your passport and hold it against the law of the host country. Schools who do this are often schools which impose "fines" on teachers for petty offenses or hold your salary until you return from a holiday.

I would Run from any school like that!

Of course some schools take your passport for processing visa and et cetera but they usually return it back quickly.

So, what kind of music does Thomas Oden like?

I have been in other poor countries, but Lesotho is the poorest. It is not a tourist destination so there are not those ammenities; when I was there, there were some attempts to develop tourism. I would describe Maseru as a backwater town. There were two major hotels with oudoor pools and keep iin mind the climate can get very cold. The hotel that might have a fitness center is on the other side of town and you would need a car. I was there 5 years ago, so things could have changed. I have walked in countries all over the world and I felt very unsafe in Maseru, even in broad daylight, near the school and there were many muggings, rapes, et cetera to warrant caution. Carrying money is very risky and make sure you find out if the school deposits it automatically, ours did not. The boarder is a real pain and if you don't have a pass, the crossing can be very frustrating. If I didn't cross with a friend with a car, I would walk accross to take a shared taxi/van which was not for the faint hearted; I enjoyed it though.
I met many wonderful people from Lesotho and the students were great. If it wasn't for the very unethical school and the safety situation, I would have loved it. It's tough when you can't get out and walk or take public transportation. As for a gym/fitness center, I don't think that is unreasonable and it can be a great escape and outlet. The physical education facilities in our school and most schools were very poor and I doubt any of the schools have a fitness center/weight room.
I would have liked to have stayed longer to see more of S Africa; I did make it to Capetown, though.
Good luck with your decision.