Thanks to both of you!

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are headed to E. Europe and our school has asked for an FBI clearance. I just got one last year for my teaching job in Pennsylvania and it was no problem at all, however now I went to the website to register for an FBI clearance and it is asking me which Department I need it for. Since I am doing my fingerprints at a Pennsylvania site, the only choices for me to select are the Pennsylvania Dept. of Ed, the PA Transportation Dept. etc. etc. If you don't select a Department, you can't register.
What do we select if we are getting an FBI clearance on behalf of an international school?
Thank you!!

Thanks everyone for your help!
Should I: superimpose my picture into the resume (at the top? at the end?), attach a separate file of the pic, or does either work? Thanks for the feedback on CV vs. Resume. I "thought" the term was interchangeable, but you know what they say about assumptions.....
Happy weekend!

Thanks Sid and wrldtravlr123.
I didn't realize it was commonplace for head shots to be on CVs. We are submitting resumes rather than CVs...I wonder if that is a mistake. The school is IB and IGCSE, but the staff is U.K., US, Canadian, Aussie etc. Would a resume offend if a CV is requested? We submitted resumes to the school we were hired at in the U.K. in years past and I didn't think too much about it. Thoughts?
Thanks again for your feedback.

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are applying to a school that does not attend hiring fairs and so initially everything is done through email.
Should we include a small picture of our family on the cover letter? I have read conflicting advice about this online.
The school is predominantly British - we are American but have experience teaching in the U.K. for 4 years.
Walter- is a picture a no no?
Thank you!!!!!

Could anyone give feedback on how competitive these jobs are? Are people lined up for schools like Concordia and Seoul Foreign at the various job fairs just like they line up for their secular counterparts?

I taught with this agency for 3 years in Eastern Europe. I am not sure what info you are looking for, but here are some basics:
1. You will not be happy with this organization if you are not a practicing Christian.
2. You live on the local economy. You get paid what a national teacher makes in your host country. This is enough to live on, but not extravagantly. Teach overseas will not lead you into a lush expat lifestyle.
3. You will not save any money, but you won't accrue debt either. Your housing is paid for and furnished, but think "local" and not expat. I lived in a "commie condo" as they call them for 3 years. I could hear the man next door sneezing every morning, but our flat was enough for our needs. (Even considering that no more than two thin people could fit in the kitchen at one time.)
4. There is a huge emphasis on team. You will be assigned a teammate that you will live with and most likely work with. I made some of the best friends of my life with Teach Overseas, but there were occasionally some pairs that just had a tough go of things. The 30 people from Teach Overseas that were assigned to my country in Eastern Europe became like family to me. We would rent cars together for a quick trip to Vienna, we spent Thanksgiving together at a retreat center ( this was required attendance) and we did Christmas gatherings, birthdays, etc. etc. If you prefer to be a lone wolf then there would be other agencies that would suit you better.
I loved my experience with Teach Overseas. My next overseas placement in the UK was totally the opposite as I got my job at a recruitment fair. My husband and I got upper tier jobs with expat salaries, but I often missed the community that I had with Teach Overseas.
If you have any other specifics questions I would be happy to reply.

Thank you, Walter! I will act upon your advice.
I appreciate your response and the time that you invest into this forum.

I have taught overseas twice- three years in Eastern Europe and 4 years with my husband in the UK.
Our last experience in the UK was amazing, but after working with many military and state department high schoolers who had been "dragged around" by their parents I determined that it would be best for my family to make the decision to go overseas again as a unit.
I am well aware of TCK issues -the book is like my Bible when I work with transient students, so I know that later in life they will learn from their experiences etc. etc. BUT.... I would rather have my kids invested in our experience rather than being dragged along.
So here is my question: would it put a school off if we asked to be interviewed on their own campus? We have a limited list of schools in Asia (two actually) where we want to go because we are looking at high tier schools with a Christian ethos. The two schools we are interested in post their vacancies in October. Would it be out of line to ask for an interview at their school in say November if some of their postings match our qualifications? I know that an initial Skype to determine real interest would be prudent as a first step.
I know this is a financial investment on our part, but it is one we are willing to make since we are looking to stay at the school hopefully long term.
Walter- - I would certainly value your feedback on this. I left out a lot of details so that I could cut to the chase, but could answer questions if necessary.
Thank you!!

I taught in England for four years and loved it. I made 34,000 pounds but keep in mind my housing and utilities were provided. Had my husband not been working, we wouldn't have saved a single dime. (We returned to the States in Aug. 2011) England is very, very expensive - - but it is very, very worth it.
I would go again in a heartbeat even if I wasn't able to save anything because the quality of life is superb. I had two children whilst there and although the healthcare wasn't amazing it was adequate and free.
The London airports are wonderful for getting cheap tickets all over Europe. We flew to Bergamo, Italy roundtrip for 50 pounds - 2 adults and one baby. If you watch the value airlines then your holidays can be done on a reasonable budget.
My boss interviewed with ASL for a principal position in 2010. She returned to our school and said she just wouldn't be able to make the salary stretch since her husband was a trailing spouse. She said the facilities at ASL were the best she had seen at an international school, and since she frequently traveled to other schools across Europe and Asia for their accreditation visits I certainly trust her perspective.
You won't make any money, but you will enjoy the quality of life. Had we not needed to return to the States because of family health issues at home, we would still be there.

Thanks Danda! I appreciate the feedback. Could you tell me how "flexible" QSI is with location requests for newbies? Is it majorly frowned upon if you make it known you don't want to work in a stan country?

Micki - keep us posted will you? I hope the interview goes well!

It appears that the majority of QSI schools are small and therefore a guidance counselor would be unnecessary. Are there large schools in the network that have positions for a 7-12th grade certified guidance counselor?
I would appreciate information from current QSI employees.
Thank you!!

Thank you for adding another perspective johnny! I appreciate that feedback!

Thank you so much everyone! That information helped me a lot!

Thanks Alexandru! I appreciate your experience. I have about three more questions for you and I am grateful for your time.
As far as the warning about sharing salaries went, did you feel like there was a "big brother" atmosphere amongst the staff?
Frankfurt Int'l School - a tier one school I suppose - will pay a teacher with a masters 54,000 their first year at the school. Without revealing your salary, does Sabis even get in the same ballpark?

My husband is a guidance counselor here in the States and when I look at job postings for Sabis schools here in the US there are plenty of student support roles that his qualifications would fit. Is the same true for Sabis Germany? Are there student support positions (not paraprofessionals) that a guidance counselor would be suited for? How many guidance counselors do they employ?

How would you describe the community amongst staff members? Do you teach, leave on Friday and then see them Monday morning - or is there a lot of fellowship and community that goes on? Regarding the curriculum that Sabis has I can imagine that there are a lot of single, new-ish teachers, or would you say there is a good balance of young, families with kids and post kid couples?

We want to return to Europe to teach but we need to make sure our budget can manage it and we would like to teach at a school where there is a high level of camaraderie.
Thanks for your help! First hand knowledge is so valuable when making big moves like this.