Considering the recent "mysterious" deaths of expats at resorts/hotels in the Dominican Republic,
can anyone who has actually lived there (or traveled there) share their experiences
with security/safety issues?

I am trying to figure this out.
When I look at YouTube videos or photos of Chiang Mai,
it looks pretty nice.
On this site, I have even read that many teachers describe it
as "paradise" or "heaven'.

But then I saw a YouTube video stating that
things have changed and that Chiang Mai has "too much pollution" and "too many tourists".

Are these latest complaints about Chiang Mai true
or false?

Hello to all,

I have been in the international school business long enough to know when I see a great, good, so-so or poor contract.

Recently I was recruited by a school that I "thought" was pretty good.
I love the location and the country's culture.
The only concern I had was that it will be the first time I am not given a baggage allowance
or a settling-in allowance.
The school does not cover attestation of documents either, which does raise a red flag in my books.
I was willing to overlook this due to location.
Two days ago,however, I was appalled to discover that the attestation fees will be VERY expensive.

Question:

I am at a point in my career where I just won't deal with bad contracts anymore.
In the past, I have worked at "some" schools where contracts were not great and signed on anyway because I was too eager to have an overseas position and I ended up having to deal with a less than stellar school.
***Therefore, am I being too picky in this case if I try to negotiate
with the current school regarding covering attestation fees?

Any advice given will be very appreciated.

Hello,

Would be curious to hear other teacher's experiences regarding living in Kuwait?
Pros and cons ?

Many thanks!

So I have been checking out the whole PYP/IB curriculum.
To be honest it seems rather daunting.....and I feel sort of stressed just thinking about it.
I have this image where instead of writing these simple lesson plans, I have to write a Unit of Enquiry
that is at least 6 pages long for each theme that I want to teach.
I can't even begin to imagine what the report card looks like.
SO my questions are for those of you who have transitioned to a PYP school:
How long did it take you to get adjusted to the PYP curriculum ?
Is it really difficult and complicated to write a Unit of Enquiry ?
What do you like about the PYP ?
What do you hate about the PYP ?

Am I being a drama queen about this ?
Just wondering.....

Hello,

I am trying to read up on the PYP curriculum as I do not have any experience with it.
Just wondering if anyone here has experience with the PYP curriculum ?
How would you explain it to someone in a simple yet concise manner ?
Any good websites I can take a look at ?

Thank you.

expatscot wrote:
> I think some countries are funny about it - if you have a degree relating
> to a subject not relevant to your teaching qualification (eg a degree in
> engineering but a teaching qualification in primary teaching) there would
> be a degree of explanation needed - I've heard about this being a problem
> for Dubai?
___________________________________________________________________

Yes, this seems to be an issue in Dubai now as the UAE Ministry of Education
has changed requirements and now wants teachers to have a BA in Education.
It seems that they will no longer take candidates with a BA (in another major) plus teacher credentials.
Crazy......

Is it just me or are more schools looking for teachers with a Bachelor in Education ?

I have a Bachelor degree (in another subject) plus my teacher certifications (which I completed by doing additional course work). Are my qualifications not as good as someone with a BA in Education in today's world of international teaching ?

Just wondering if things are changing....

@PsyGuy

Thanks for the contact information. I looked him up and saw that he works at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
I have emailed him a detailed message today explaining my situation in hopes that I can get it resolved.

I also tried out the link you posted and I was surprised at how easy it was to apply for the QTS on-line and it is free!
It takes 20 days for them to review all documents.
The only part that I wonder about is how a QTS from an American teacher will be received at international schools ?

@PsyGuy-the link you posted does not work ?

I just called the Pennsylvania Dept of Edu and they stated that they only count actual years of service.
Since I only taught in Pennsylvania 2 years out of the 6 years (the rest being overseas) that my certificate is valid....the person said that it has not expired. I asked if I could get something in writing that stated that so I could provide it to the next school overseas that wants to hire me. According to them, I do not need such document as it clearly states that on "expiration date" column there is no date as I only taught for 2 years in Pennsylvania.

I still find this confusing .....

@PsyGuy Thanks for all of this information.
Today I looked up my certificates on-line on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. It says that the CE status is "active" and that the validity status is "valid".
However, I still see that the elementary certificate has an issue date of 1998 that is valid for 6 years....to me this is confusing
so I will call the PA Dept of Ed tomorrow to figure things out.

Yes, I have several years of teaching experience (in the US and overseas) so I am leaning towards Teacher Ready (only if it turns out my elementary teacher certification has expired) as I already have the classroom experience. I just hope that the whole process will not be a waste of my money.

Again, many thanks for the time and effort in responding to my questions.

@ PsyGuy.....I do not have a Masters degree....just a BA plus 2 Pennsylvania teacher certifications. One is good for 99 years but the other certificate (elementary) is the one I am concerned about. It states that it was issued in 1998 and is valid 6 years YET
I have been taking classes (Act 48 hours) every couple of years to keep it valid. What I do not understand is why this does not show up on my certificate. ( I was able to check on line and it shows that I have been keeping up with my Act 48 hours).
I guess I will have to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

As for Teacher Ready vs Teacher Now....if I already have plenty of teaching experience in the classroom, wouldn't it be fine to do Teacher Ready as I don't really need the classroom experience ?

I am concerned that Teacher Now not only has no university/college attached to its name but that its Masters program seems to be really not worth the paper it is printed on ?

@kjbar and Dredge : Thanks for letting me know about the Missouri certificate. I will look into that.

@PsyGuy : I notice that the Teacher Ready program is via the University of West Florida where as Teach Now is not through any college/university ? Doesn't that make Teach Now less credible ?

As for my teacher certificate- it is from Pennsylvania and it is not clear if it has expired as I have kept up with my Act 48 hours.
The college I got it from is unable to figure it out and has indicated that I contact the Pennsylvania Dept of Education.

Ok.....
and what is the renewal process once you have a DC teacher certification ?

Also it looks like the NJ teacher certification reciprocity has changed ? http://www.state.nj.us/education/educat ... rocity.htm



Can I PM you ?

Thanks for the information.

I am looking to re-new my elementary certification and I am in the US right now. (I have taught overseas.)
If I understand correctly, Teach Now is better as D.C. certification (as you state) has more prestige ?

Also, what is a CE ?

I thought the PGCEi is only for UK teachers, not Americans ?