PsyGuy wrote:
> @Doctor
>
> Those were douche questions from someone who drank their IB koolaid that morning
> instead of coffee/tea.

I have to agree with PsyGuy on that. I would be wary of a school that overemphasizes IB jargon. Then again, I teach at an MYP school and I think all the money the school dumps for an empty program with fancy jargon is ridiculous.

I assume that if you are at a big school in Asia then you are in a city with a sizeable expat population. I highly suggest finding groups (expat, local or mixed) that cater to your interests/hobbies. Meetup or Internations can be good. I don't drink a ton and I have found reaching out and making friends through mutual interests the best way to meet people. And... I sound like my mother. Sigh.

Also, is there any reason you can't hang out with drinking people? I am often sober, and drunk people don't tend to notice.

Heh... Most of the admin in my school have less teaching experience than I do, so I wonder what that says about the quality of the institution. I was thinking of transitioning in around the 8-year mark - would something magical happen with those extra two years? But I see your point and it's something to think about.

Hello all,

I was wondering if those of your who have experience on both sides could chime in: should I think of going into admin? I'm in my 6th year of teaching, and I have had various teacher leadership roles. I've been encouraged by many people (not just admin) to go into admin. I would like to make more money and I do like pushing myself into bigger and bigger challenges. I don't like the idea of stagnating. However, I think I would miss being in the classroom a lot as I do love teaching. I don't like the idea of becoming one of those admin who have lost touch with the realities of teaching. Those of you that have done both, what do you think the pros and cons are of going into admin? Are you happy you did it?

Ugh... shudder. Then I would be worried.

Why not apply to one of the more established schools? There may be positions still open.

This is also the end of the school year - check the school's calendar. Is it the last week of school? Things might be a little crazy.

Also, a week isn't that long in Latin American time. Also, if you got offered a job from the head of school, it might take awhile for things to move up through the ranks. (Read again: Latin American time.)

That said, there are schools to run from in Mexico, and schools that are great. It might be worth going to the member's forum to ask questions about which your school is! (Although as a rule of thumb: if it's one of the big name schools it's probably fine.)

Happened to me - turned down a job one year, and then got the same job another year at the same school.

I agree with shadowjack. If I had an admin with little to now teaching experience, I would roll my eyes and ignore almost everything they said.

I have to admit - the pants thing really distracted me from the rest of the post.

Besides that, I agree with sid. Most of the teachers I know who have been canned and/or threatened were doing kind of half-assed jobs by the end. You might not think that, but it might be what other people see from the outside. Kick it into high gear for the next two months, and then you're done.

Usually, they only care about you being credentialed by the time teaching starts, so you probably should have applied already. I received three job offers from middling-to-okay international schools the last year of my teacher training program, with the expectation that my credential would go through in the summer.

So... mistakes were made, I guess.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Then as one might say to the Goblin King, "they have no power over you".

Excellent reference.

That's interesting, shadylane, what do you think made the difference between the successful and unsuccessful ones?

I wonder how the divorce rates would compare for couples who MET overseas versus couples who MOVED overseas together.

shadowjack wrote:
> Um, because post-secondary is financially selective and intrinsically screens out
> those not interested in being educated? And secondary and primary don't? That could
> be a huge component.

That's a great point. I have a friend that is a university instructor. He's a great teacher at the university level, where students choose to take his courses. He's thought about switching to secondary... but I'm afraid the students will eat him alive!

Expecting teachers to know how to teach is not sad, it means that "the system" wants good teachers.

My content knowledges ranges from excellent to just okay, depending on what class I'm teaching. I'm always trying to improve my content knowledge BUT I am still a good teacher in all my classes because my mastery of pedagogy is sound.