I thought the rule with China was 2 years experience OR a Masters, which the OP will have. I could be wrong about that rule since things change frequently with visa regulations.

Don't do the intern route if money is a goal of yours. It can be a great opportunity--it's how I got my foot in the door of IT with no experience, but you trade off that opportunity for little money and fewer benefits, IME.

The monthly cost in terms of electricity is pretty low. I own 2 BluAirs, which are enough for my flat, and I run them 24/7 unless the AQI outside is below 90. The big cost is the upfront cost of buying the machines, which I'm sure you've already investigated. Additionally, the replacement filters for my machine run about 550RMB each. I replace mine every 4 months rather than the recommended 6 months. To me the cost is we worth it, because when I borrowed an AQI reader, the air in my flat was excellent.

It's owned by a for-profit company, Taaleem. I can't speak to the specific ethos of the school, as the individual admins can sometimes shield their teachers from some of the parent company's shenanigans. Or conversely, they can intensify the problems if they're not looking out for their teachers. The company is not the shadiest in Dubai, to be sure, but that's faint praise indeed.

If you are truly desperate for this job, then you'd be fine for a couple if years to get some experience. Just know that the contract will always favor the company; they will be sure to twist it to make sure that it does, no matter how impossible their interpretation is. If you have any real experience in international teaching, and/or other offers on the line, don't waste your time.

For me, the tier concept is useful as a shorthand for the types of things I can expect from a school. Many of the things people mention when they talk about the characteristics of Tier 2 and Tier 1 schools are bang on about the 3 IT schools I've worked in. In my experience, most of the stereotypes about each kind of school are correct. But it doesn't necessarily mean I couldn't be happy at anything less than a Tier 1.

I started my IT career at a small Tier 2 in a fantastic location, moved to another Tier 2 in an okay location with better pay, and I'm now in an elite/Tier 1 school in another ok location with fantastic pay. Out of all 3, the first two schools were my favorite to work in for different reasons. I'm enjoying all the money I'm saving and all the fantastic PD opportunities I'm getting at my new school. But after my contract is up, and I have a nice nest egg, my plan is to move to the best, small Tier 2 I can find in the best location I can find. There are things about Tier 2 schools that I just enjoy more than my current school.

I'd say that WAB (Western Academy of Beijing) and ISB (International School of Beijing) are widely regarded as the two biggest, and the ones I know the most about. I've also heard good things about Dulwich, but I don't know their package info. The Nord Anglia British school is also big and pays decently, but it's a for-profit.

I should clarify that you could probably live fine on 25K plus housing, but I don't know that you'd save much. Personally, I wouldn't do Beijing without a larger salary. But some people love it. If you're just looking to do your 2 years, get some IB experience, and move on to better things, you could do worse.

Super low. The big schools in Beijing pay more than double that, plus provide a housing allowance.

Others might disagree, but IMO, Beijing can be a difficult place, and not one I would move to for only 25K.

In my experience, ESL teachers at international schools who have teacher certification are treated like every other foreign hire. Same pay scale and same foreign-hire benefits.

So if you want to work in international schools as an ESL teacher, certification is important. I say this as someone who's been both a classroom elementary teacher and an elementary ESL teacher in international schools, and who is certified for both areas.

It seems to me that when people say that ESL experience doesn't count, they mean when it's done by uncertified people at hagwons (or similar language institutes). It's a different game when you're certified and working in an international school.

If I remember correctly, there's a spot on the SEARCH forms to mark whether or not you have a pet, so I checked that box.

But other than that, I waited until I was offered jobs to mention my cat. My last job, I brought her up after I'd been offered the job by asking if pets were allowed in the school-owned housing. I actually don't think I brought up my cat at all during the interviewing process this last time because my current school doesn't have school-owned housing. But I always make sure to check out the laws of the country I'm considering before accepting. If the country has very restrictive import procedures/quarantine, then I won't do it. Like you, I would never consider not bringing my cat.

When I was fresh out of college with my Elementary Ed degree and cert, I went to one of the SA fairs. I was offered two jobs: one as a classroom teacher in the ME and one internship in western Europe. I chose the internship in WE mostly for the location; I was young and didn't care about money.

I've now worked at a couple other international schools as a full teacher, and I've gone to several other SA fairs. I can tell you that nobody counts that intern year as teaching experience when they calculate my step on their salary scales. However, that intern year always gets brought up in interviews. Almost inevitably the interviewer and I end up discussing a mutual acquaintance we have from that school. So I do think it counts in some ways.

I chose to go back to my home country after that intern year to pursue another degree, so I don't know what would have happened if I'd tried to go straight from that internship to a full time gig with another international school.

The GFW stands for "Great Fire Wall" and refers to the measures China has taken to block lots of sites.

So far at my school, it seems that StrongVPN, ExpressVPN, and Astrill are the best VPNs.

VPNs allow you to choose an IP based in another location, so the internet thinks you are in Seattle or New York or London or Hong Kong when you're really in mainland China. This allows you to access blocked sites like Facebook and Youtube, as well as region-locked content like Hulu.

I've had it work a couple of different ways. One school didn't provide a yearly airfare--that was WE though. Another school did the same thing where they gave us the flight money in March so we could book tickets home. The money was always adequate for me. I do know other people at that school who would get less than they thought they should. The other school had an "account" where they dumped all your money--flight allowances, shipping, etc.--and you got to manage it all on your own for pretty much whatever you wanted. You just had to provide receipts.

I've never heard of it. It's also not listed on the DSIB (Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau) website, which leads me to believe it's either: a) not a private/international school or b) not in Dubai.

Google it. When I did I came up with something with an address in Ras Al Khaimah, which is most definitely not Dubai. The other hit was something on an ESL forum claiming it's a sham of an organization.

I'd say don't even waste your time.

I don't know what school you were looking at in Dubai, but I made in the $40,000s as a somewhat young teacher (ie relatively few years of experience). And that didn't include my free housing or annual flights home. I saved about about 35% of my salary. I could've saved 50%, but I had debts back home I was paying on.

The amount you can save is more important, to me, than overall salary. Though I do admit that it would be tough to go to a place in Latin America where I was only making $20,000/yr. Even if I could save $15,000 of that, it's still hard for me to get over a number that low.

I interviewed with them for a lower-school position back at the Cambridge Fair. It was tough to just get the interview, and I ultimately did not get the job. However, the interview was very nice--professional and a good conversation. Their presentation at the fair was good too. They really touted their PD opportunities.

I don't have any information about actually working there. My Search associate did tell me that money would be tight(er) there. But it's Europe, so no big surprise there.

Fair warning: The only information I have comes from a friend of a friend. But from what she said, the admin was pretty awful during her interview. Similar to what others have posted: rude, arrogant, and combative during the interview.