Wow, thank you for all the information!

Thanks for your response.

You raise a good point about wanting the best education for our kids, and also wanting them to be able to fit in.

Thanks for your response! Yes, I know you're right. I think my question is probably coming out of a need to dream about the possibilities rather than real, solid, practical considerations right now. I don't mean to waste anyone's time. I would just like to have a way to browse the possible schools and get a sense for what they are all about, where they are, etc., in anticipation of next year, when we may be ready to start seriously applying. We're pretty open about where we'll go, with a few exceptions (with our two little boys in tow, we want to avoid areas known to be more dangerous).

Where is your school located?

I don't really see why people ding a school for primarily serving the local population, unless that population has a specific issue. I've read, for instance, that very wealthy kids in the ME tend to be very entitled and difficult (though please correct me if that's not true). I could see where that population would be unpleasant to serve. But if there's no such issue, what's the problem? A language barrier?

PsyGuy wrote:
>
> So there are 3 tiers, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and then a sub group of the 1st tier
> the elite tier. The third tier is actually pretty big and there is a lot of
> difference in quality. Usually when we say "bottom tier" we mean
> those ISs that are really at the bottom of the 3rd tier. Some of the third
> tier ISs can be really rewarding experiences (floaters), and depending
> where you are (such as Switzerland) a third tier IS would still be
> wondrously glorious compared to what you would find a domestic
> public/regulated school.

Is there some way of getting a list of schools that would be considered "floaters" by most ITs? I'd like to look into these more.

sid wrote:
> Often, yes, but it's not a foregone conclusion. Some schools provide
> housing which does not allow pets. It's best to discuss this as part of the
> interview process.
> In any event, you would be responsible for all costs and logistics
> associated with moving your pets; I have not yet seen a school willing to
> assist, and costs and logistics should not be underestimated.
> It can be done, and often is. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply. I would be really nervous about bringing up my pets in an interview. I gather having two kids is already a ding against us. I imagine if I start asking about whether the housing would accommodate two cats and a dog, before I've even got an offer, I might really sink us. Wouldn't it be better to get an offer and then ask about it? Of course I'd like to be able to be picky and only go with a placement that would allow us to keep our pets, but if it comes down to it, I'll find good homes for them. I'll miss them terribly, but when we're ready to go forward with our plans, we may have to make sacrifices.

Hi everyone,

I'm sure this has been asked before, though I went through about five pages of posts and didn't see anything. If there's a thread someone can link to, I'd be glad to just go and read that.

Here's the question:
Everyone talks about the different tiers of schools. Is there a list somewhere?

I read a post where someone was talking about third tier schools, and making a distinction between upper third tier schools and bottom third tier schools. I think when my husband and I (both teachers, plus we have 2 boys) are ready to move forward with applying for international teaching jobs (in probably 2-3 years, depending on some factors that should become clear in about 6-7 months), it's likely we'll be looking at second and third tier schools in order to "pay our dues." Not that we won't apply to top tier schools, too, but honestly we're not as concerned with prestige as finding a situation that would suit our needs as professionals and as a family. The description I read of the upper third tier schools sounded like it might be a pretty good fit for us, actually. So now I want to figure out what schools qualify as upper third tier, so I can look at where they are located, etc.

Also, I've seen people on here refer to QSI schools in a way that seems to indicate that they are not top tier...? I apologize if I've misinterpreted, it's sometimes hard to gauge tone. It does sound like they tend to be friendly toward families, so I thought they might be a good fit for us. Can anyone tell me more about their reputation?

Thanks for any and all responses.

I've actually worried a fair amount about what we'd do with our dog and two cats if and when we get teaching jobs overseas (it's all theoretical for the time being). I assumed we'd have to rehome them, but it sounds like folks have been able to take their pets with them?

I understood that often schools provide housing--do they accommodate pets, then?

Thank you both for your replies!
ETA: Thank you, cjrv12, for the links. I've just read those threads and it's given me a lot to think about!

eion_padraig wrote:
> There will be schools that will consider you, but some that will
> immediately rule you out as costing too much. As you may be aware, you'd
> have a much easier time getting hired if both you and your husband were
> looking for jobs. Even when both of you are looking you probably will start
> with lower tier schools since you don't have IB experience and your
> experience teaching are not in high need fields. To find a position you
> will probably won't be able to be too picky at first. Your search for a job
> may not succeed even if you're open to lots of different places. I'd
> suggest trying to find somewhere that you (and later your husband) can get
> IB experience, which will make you more competitive in the future.

Thanks for the advice! Is there a good way to go about finding a list of schools that are "second tier"?
Is there a way to find a list of schools that will train people who need it for IB?

Why are we more expensive? Because of the airfare? Or do they generally allot some sort of support to families with dependents?

My only experience is with jobs in America. They pay you what they pay you regardless of whether you're single or married with children.

Is it possible to negotiate with schools to make ourselves less expensive in some way?

fine dude wrote:
> How about looking at Tier 2 schools in Korea, Japan, China or tier 1
> schools in Vietnam? Email the schools directly.
> You can find a few here:
> http://www.internations.org/seoul-expat ... -schools-2

Thanks for the pointer! Do these countries qualify as being in a less competitive location? I thought Japan especially was highly sought after.

What about South America? Is it too competitive there for us to have a chance?

Hi all,
This year my husband and I have decided it's time to aggressively pursue our dream to go abroad. We are both teachers, though the plan would be for only one of us (probably me) to teach for at least the first year (though probably more like the first two) as we are having a baby in January. So, one teacher, a trailing spouse who is certified and experienced but would prefer to stay home, and two kids (one will be almost four next September, the other an infant). I've heard a lot of people say that having dependents and a trailing spouse *really* limits your options. We don't mind having a couple of tight years financially (this would be nothing new, actually), but will schools even consider us?

I'm certified in English, Drama, US and World History, Government, Psychology, Economics, Geography, and French. I have 9 years experience in and out of school teaching Drama, 3 years of teaching English, 3 of teaching US history, 2 of teaching World History and Gov. I have little real experience teaching Psych (though I did attend an AP training) and have done some special classes at my current school, and very little teaching Econ, Geog, or French.

I have a masters in American History. I am bilingual in French and English. Both of us have a little Spanish, as well.

My husband has seven years experience teaching history (mainly US) and five teaching PE, though he doesn't want to teach PE again because of an injury, so you should probably discount that.

All of our teaching experience has been at public schools in California.

So...
Are we even going to be considered?
Are there areas of the world that are "less desirable" which might give us a better chance of getting our foot in the door?
Should we wait another three years for our second son to be preschool age so my husband can apply at the same time as me? (We really don't want to wait, but I need the truth.)
Any advice for us?

Thanks, PsyGuy. I was afraid of that.

Hi all,

In May 2013 I will have earned my master's in history. I was wondering whether that would qualify me to teach abroad, or if I need a teaching credential.

Thanks for any and all responses! :D

Thanks, PsyGuy. I thought I read that you can't teach IB without certification, but you don't need to be licensed as a teacher to get the certification...? Well, I'm sure you know better than I do and since it's good news for me if you don't have to be certified, I won't argue.

Thanks, wrldtrvlr123! I read the thread. It was amusing and informative, and I think I have a better handle on ToK because of it. So that was very helpful.

Is there a link to the standards for ToK or some kind of overview of the curriculum? Or even the guidelines for the presentation? And there's an examination piece, right?

I don't suppose you have any advice for me about my lack of IB certification/experience? I'm wondering if I should offer to take an online IB workshop, for instance, although I'm not clear on whether that would certify me to teach IB or if you have to do one of these IB level 1 teacher award programs at a university.

I wonder whether I should just assume that if hired the school would pay for the certification--I'm concerned that it would be too costly for them since they'd have to put me up unless I can do it online.