A friend of mine said it is just a very weird year for some of his friends overseas to move schools, even some physics & math teachers. Maybe it is just a time where more people are staying at positions and more people are competing for those fewer spots, or that schools placed their hard to fill positions so early most people missed out?

Sounds like that would be awkward for most anyone. Don't give up on your chances, I am sure they were looking less for content and more for your personality and delivery etc.

Good luck with the waiting game - keep us posted!

I worked at a bar as a barback and as a bouncer in my early days of teaching. It was a well-to-do town and a decent bar, but in the 5 years I was there I saw this happen a few times:

A girl would talk to a guy, get him to order her a drink, and then ask the bartender for a round of bombs ($8-$9 each) for her friends that "just happened to show up." Down the shot and boom, out the door without a word to the next bar. Guy is usually so afraid of saying no to the girls, or is confused so they just sit there. A girl and 5-6 of her friends could rack up $60 in just a few seconds. I couldn't blame the bartender (who got screwed on the tip from the pissed off guy) because when it is busy you don't have the time to notice this going on, you just pour. At a slower place I would bet the bartender gets a piece of the action because they would have to be in on it or monumentally ignorant.

I think I would rather film it. I could do it in my classroom with my materials, and I could play off student interaction.

Also, teaching a lesson via skype seems to introduce a lot of possibility for technical difficulties. Mics or not being able to hear or see well or shoddy connection. Maybe you could prepare an intro to the lesson you could do via skype from your chair and then let them watch the video?

I had a request to do this way back when I first started teaching in the early 2000's but the video has just sat collecting dust for its lifetime...right next to my "new teacher portfolio" they requested I create.

Whatever you are most comfortable with.

That would be a tough call. Where I am going next sounds a bit like what igtallie has to deal with. Tire fires and protests usually, with the occasional escalation but not much worse. I found a few expat blogs and forums there and made contact with some people - not teachers - and they have been very honest with me about what I can expect, and that did wonders to reassure my dog and I that we will be just fine. Maybe see if you can find a similar forum for the Ukraine?

This is the forum I peruse, and they have a Ukraine section which looks like it is active. Hope that helps!

http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=403

Good luck with your decision!

(edited because my spelling was crummier than a big ol' biscuit)

http://www.internationalschoolsreview.c ... .php?t=367

Check that out - a bit dated but still a place to start. I don't have any personal experience with Joy Jobs but I have heard people get hired through their postings.

Good luck!

Wanted to ask how some of you would react or feel if the school you were heading towards for your next posting was in a country that was having ever increasing unrest, i.e. Increasing protests and riots, more political disapproval and civil rights issues.

I have been reading up on Ukraine, Venezuela, and Bahrain and some other countries and wanted to know your thoughts about how you would react if that was where you were going to be living and working.

Maddgam wrote:
>Unless you work at Carol Morgan, you won't be a able to save in the Dominican Republic.
> BTW, If a school has a high turnover rate, you would be wise to avoid it like the plague, IMO.

Exactly Maddgam...

The friend I was referring to did work at Carol Morgan and said it was amazing - said he and his gf were able to secure more than a few grand a year by living local (local markets, local fun, local comforts). That being said I looked into a smaller school in the DR hiring my field and the turnover rate was very high, the student population and staff was very local, and people were leaving after a year regularly, he said the same thing Maddgam said - avoid them.

I have to admit, even after hearing all that I was still tempted by blue seas, palm trees and salty breeze.

I have had two completely opposite interview results in terms of waiting.

One school I spoke with took about almost month and a half before I recieved a "No thank you" email return from them. It had been zero communicado until then. No response to my thank you note, for example.

The other said they would contact my references, did the next day (which meant them being awake and coherent at off-work hours to do so to match our time zone) and asked for a second interview the following weekend. Then two days later I recieved my offer, which I accepted.

Depending on their time table and where in the world they are located it may take a bit longer than you would think. If they said they are contacting your references it sounds like you are very close to where you want to be. And gibwise makes a good point - if they did offer it to somone else they have to wait for that response before they can move on to the next in line.

Fingers crossed for you, I hope they get back to you with haste and you can make your decision. Good luck!

Friend of mine taught in DR for 3 years. Said he saved each year pretty easy and it was a good life. Just have to be okay doing local markets and living a bit cheap and you can save.

Here are a few tips from personal experience:

- Lighting is a big issue. Make sure they can see you, all of you.
- Be aware of your surroundings. Maybe set it up so the corner of a diploma is visible.
- Make sure the camera doesn't face any windows. Makes you a sillouette.
- Practice call a friend and/or check the video settings beforehand and make sure your internet connection is strong.
- Have your notes and questions accessable so you don't have to leave the screen.
- Turn off or mute your devices and double check there will be no weird computer alerts going off.
- Close all other tabs. Adverts have a mind of their own.
- Sit far enough away they can see the top half of your midsection, not just your face. A huge face would be scary.
- You can verify your mic settings beforehand with a test call.
- While it isn't easy, try to remember to look at the webcam from time to time. If you are too close and you look at the screen you'll appear to be looking downward.
- Tech difficulties happen, so just try to roll with it as best as you can!
- And while you don't have to "fully dress up" below the waist, it seems to help get you in the mindset. Also, if you forget to wear pants Murphy's Law says the webcam will slip and you will show your interviewer more than your skill set.

Good luck!

That's great news! Hopefully they expidite the process so you don't have to wonder about it. Keep us posted

Apparently there is a Facebook site for international teachers as well. Can't hurt to check and see.

Don't limit yourself to lower tier schools, you may be a perfect fit - and as everyone kept telling me, "The worst they can say is no"

I like option 2 the best as some have said, but this is really on you. Going overseas is great and all, but some time and patience I think will make a huge difference. You can get a masters in 1.5, I didn't do it online but I prefer to be in a classroom. Wasn't easy, but the end-goal kept me focused. (That and I honestly love taking classes that interest me)

Try to attend a lot of PD if you can - as someone that interviewed some people for jobs at the US school I taught at, a canidates ability to be proactive and go out and get relevant training before it was required was a plus. Experience is nice, but looking long term taking a canidate that is determined and willing to go that extra mile may pay off over someone who just has 1-2 years in a classroom. So does my plant. Doesn't make it a better teacher.

Just a thought. Either way it will work out - you have a long time ahead of you to teach, so going in guns blazing now vs. taking it a little slower will shape your initial experience. Good luck and keep us posted!

I applied through my ISS account and then followed up through the school website, as a lot of schools have a specific procedure for applying for a position through their HR page. So I can't say which was "the one" that got a reply, but I think it isn't a bad idea to apply through SEARCH and the HR page of the school site itself (if they have one - if not, email can't hurt)