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There is a ton of information on this board to sift through.... Here are some starting points.

1. Although it is not too late, you are way behind for finding a job for next school year. International schools are in the middle of peak recruiting season. Unlike US schools, the vast majority of hiring will finish up in the next month or so. Of course there will be opening into the summer, but you need to get in gear ASAP.

2. The two most popular recruiting companies are Search Associates and ISS. You can Google either. They organize job fairs, which is where most, but not all, people get their foot in the door.

3. Another popular resource is TIE Online. It is cheap to join and most positions find their way there.

Hope this helps.

[quote="IAMBOG"]What do you mean by special/amazing? Do you mean in terms of extra-curricular activities?[/quote]

Sometimes it is school realted (coaching, service learning, club leadership, etc...). Sometimes it has nothing with school extra-curriculars. My school gets literally hundreds of applications for a very small number of openings each year. I know plenty of those resumes come from truly great classroom teachers. My point is that the admin team here looks for something else that makes the applicant something special in addition to being a great teacher, and in many cases that "something special" is not what that teacher did at their previous school. It is often more about what they do in their personal life, not their professional life.

I have to agree with Senator in terms of luck and circumstances- although I don't see young teachers hired at top schools to be a result poor administrators. Nor do think the reccomendation of a current faculty member to be "baloney." I am at one of the first tier schools, and it is my first international school. I had no IB experience; I came straight out of US public schools. I did have a masters degree and had 15+ years experience, but that is not the case with all of our hires.

Anyway, over the last five years I have found there are two factors with a vast majority of the hires at my school (including myself):

1. They know someone already here who advocates for them.
2. They do something special/amazing IN ADDITION to being a great teachers.

Fair or not, those items make all the difference.

What if the shoe were on the other foot? Say your school backed out of your contract a few weeks after settling as they stumbled upon a "better teacher." I think most of us would be pretty pissed off. To me, and this is just me, teachers should honor their word, operate above the table, and treat others the way they like to be treated. That is, after all, what we expect of our students. How can we not expect the same of ourselves?

Disclaimer- if one's current school is not keeping their end of the deal or is overly vengeful then that COULD merit breaking a contract....maybe. Issues like safety or not being paid are obviously huge concerns. If one is willing to return for another year then....you get the idea.

[quote="History Guy"]Every international school is filled with ell learners. That is the whole point of the word "international".[/quote]

Ummmmm.....no. Sorry. Not even close. E(nglish) L(anguage) L(earners) are not the point of the word "international."

Rest assured I am no fan Psyguy, but this thread is pretty much about as loopy as he is.

Can anyone offer some insight on ASIJ? The ISR reviews discuss a new contract that differs considerably from the past. I also noticed a $1600 deductable on their health insurance policy. Is ASIJ still one of the best packages in Asia?

We are very different people, Psyguy. In this day and age of easily accessed information, message boards, blogs, etc... one has very little excuse of not knowing what the school and country he/she is signing with entails.

No matter, my word does matter. Let's be realistic: IF ONE IS SAFE AND GETTING PAID AS PROMISED, it ain't a lifetime of misery...it's just a matter toughing it out a few months. It is not falling on a sword. That is dramatic even for you.

Again, if safe and paid, the rewards of completeing the contract will far outweigh cutting and running.

Your word is your word. You promised two years, so give them two years. Do your best work, even if your bosses are nightmares. As long as you are safe and being paid, be the bigger man/woman and finish your contract.

[quote="PsyGuy"] It should be no surprise that many asian countries mandate the death penalty for drug smugglers and dealers.[/quote]

Only approved smugglers, manufacturers, and growers exist in these countries. After all, the government officials and military leaders want to ensure they are all getting a piece of the action for their own off shore accounts.

[quote="PsyGuy"]I kinda had some ethical problems with the whole experience, and I suppose its all rationalization, but what it really comes down to is we were at a hotel, in a room we paid for, on tickets we paid for. Talking to people who wanted to talk to us.[/quote]

...and, by your own admission, poaching their candidates by walking into their rented meeting rooms and stuffing contact information into their mailboxes. I would "kinda" have a problem with that too.

[quote="WiseTeach"]"I don't want to wade much into this battle, and I don't know a lot about Search, but given some of the shadier sides of the agency I signed up with, I'd say Psyguy is well within his rights to go to a hotel and recruit. My first foray into this international scene and WOW what a gamut of personalities. I am personally all for eliminating the expensive middle-man connection if possible.[/quote]

Although I am not a fan of either ISS or Search, I do believe in the old adage about two wrongs.

...and now you are advertising your school engages in, at the least, very shady, sketchy, and unethical behavior. In my eyes, it is straight up theft from Search. Nice message for your students.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Its a secure forum of the IBO. Here are the links:

----://www.ibo.org/informationfor/heads/

----://www.ibo.org/heads/headnet/index.cfm

So, I guess your really loving this moment right now???

Because Ive never met anyone who REALLY loved being proven wrong.[/quote]

No, I like being shown this. Thanks. Another question, are schools that do not offer IB excluded from the dirt that may or may not fly in there?

"Head Net"!!!!!! Really?????

Can you post the URL? I don't buy it for a minute but would love to be proven wrong.