There just seems to be so many schools in Shanghai that choosing where to apply is far from easy.

I'd really appreciate any perspectives on Shanghai's top 5?

Also, any thoughts on best PYP schools there?

Finally, what's the money really like there? I often hear about how China is booming and that's the place to be, but for money is it really all that? What's the minimum that an experienced teacher should be aiming for in a relatively decent school there?

It's quite a few years since I was in Beijing and I hadn't really thought of applying to China again, but I heard a lot of good things about Shanghai and have opened my mind to it.

Regards,

Inman
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PsyGuy



Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 2665
Location: Northern Europe
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 5:45 pm Post subject: Comment
Shanghai American School
British International School
Dulwich
Shanghai Community International School
Yew Chung

WIS (Western International School of Shanghai) is pretty new, there a clone attempt of WAB.



So, In october, psy guy lists Yew Chung as one of the best 5 in Shanghai.... and in january he changes his mind? Or is the real truth that he simply doesn't know what he's talking about and can't even keep his own stories straight?

You decide!

I was contacted through TIE. But other teachers here were recruited at fairs,through Search and also by directly applying on the foundation website

@life.....

Yes, I can see that now. Thanks!!

Yes helen, that is true.

When one cannot support ones argument with facts, the only option is to resort to personal attacks. Higgs, you are a despicable human being with an axe to grind apparently. I have shared my experience truthfully, you on the other hand are using falsehoods and halftruths to further whatever real or imagined slight you believe you have suffered.

Either give the honest information or shut up. People read these threads, as I did last year, to decide on whether to take employment. Not only are your posts dishonest, they are damaging. People might read the tripe you publish and make career decisions based on that.

If you want to know about the conditions at a school, ask someone who works there. Not someone who has either 2nd or 3rd hand info.

I didn't address this in my previous post, so here goes.

YCIS has hosted a number of PD events this year, one was for IB teachers another was for learning support. In addition, a number of our teachers have attended workshops in KL, HK, Beijing and other locations, all paid for by the foundation. Th PD allowance quoted is not a hard and fast figure. The foundation frequently sponsors teachers to attend trainings that exceed this amount. I know this from first hand experience.

Just to be crystal clear..... I am a first year teacher at YCIS in Shanghai.

The amount of untruths and misinformation being posted by so-called knowledgeable professionals on this thread is scary.
Here are some facts:
Health insurance
Ycis does provide complete medical cover through MSH, I was hospitalized earlier this year and the coverage was 100%. I had no out of pocket expenses. It is true that dependents are not covered by the school policy and that it is expensive to add them, most teachers with dependents group together and obtain cover for them with an outside company.

Flight costs
The school reimbursed me for my flight and visa expenses within 3 weeks of my arrival in China. Dependent flights and visa costs are the responsibility of the teacher.

Salary
From talking to other teachers in Shanghai, I can tell you that salaries at YCIS are higher than most intl schools in Shanghai although there are some that pay a little more. Payment has always been on time. The salary I was quoted in my contract was after tax, and that amount is what I have been paid each month.

Housing
The housing provided by the school is of good quality. Problems such as repairs have been handled promptly.

School Admin.
This is much more a matter of opinion than of fact. In my experience, the leadership of the school has been effective. I especially have been aided by my immediate supervisors in making the transition to my new school. Of course my experience is unique, and I have no idea if the admin in the other school locations is the same.

I can only post from my own limited personal experience. I am in my first year at a good International school in Shanghai. While on my job search I had signed up for the job fair in Virginia in June (last chance fair!!!) as it was the only one that logistically would work out for me with my family commitments. I have a non teaching wife (well, she teaches piano lessons, but not a certified music teacher) and 3 kids, 2 school age and a 2 year old. I signed up with Search and TIE, i also checked the TES for international positions. Without attending the fair I was interviewed via Skype with about 8 or 9 schools and ended up with 3 offers. I accepted my present position in March so ended up not attending the fair. I also deactivated my search and tie profile, so I am not sure how many other interview requests would have come in. My advice would be to look to China and the Far east, as spouses can get work here (esp if they have a degree). I avoided the Mid east, simply because the offer was from a school (great school!) in Egypt. A caveat I would like to add though. The teachers at my school who do have non teaching spouses and kids, all are very experienced. I had 15 years experience stateside. So I think they are willing to hire with dependents if you are experienced, but they prefer singles and couples if you have less than 5 yrs or so........just my views, others may have a different take. I would definitely say go for it. My wife and kids love it here, the kids love their school and have gotten very involved in all sorts of activities that honestly just wouldn't be feasible where we were before. We are basically living(and saving!!) on one salary plus my wife's piano lessons give a small amount of extra income.

For what it's worth, I think you should try both search and TIE. I will be starting in Shanghai in two weeks and bringing a non-teaching spouse and kids. My own experience is that having a trailing spouse and children restricted my choices, but from these two agencies I had 10 or so interviews and was offered 3 jobs. In addittion, since accepting the job in China I was offered a few more interviews before I de-activated my profile.

So if you are not too picky as to location I think you may find an opening.

Good Luck!!!

Well.... I will be on the other side of the river in YCIS Pudong. Maybe we'll run into each other tho.... best of luck

any one else headed to shanghai soon?

It may make more sense to look for a science teaching post.

Just adding my two cents worth....I will be starting a job in china this fall and my package includes full tuition for my two children, but I have to pay their flights myself.... Hope this helps.

I think it depends on what your career goals are. If you don't like school admin then head to brazil. If you want to run a school , head to china.

Personally, you couldn't pay me enough to be an admin type. Dealing with students is hard enough, but add dealing with teachers!.... No way!

What school did you end up at CGUY?