I know Eric and he is a good man. There is no way he would not be doing what he can. Those who would jump to the conclusion that nothing is being done have no concept of diplomacy and no confidence in our profession.

These kinds of stories are very scary and should make teachers think twice about going to schools with a large percentage of rich, entitled kids. It is not just an issue in Qatar or even the region but the "wasta" factor seems more pervasive there. Similar stories have come out of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Let's not paint the ME all the same. It is a very diverse region and even within the countries there are immense differences between school cultures.

Librarians and counselors would.

While the tier question has been asked many times before, as a 15 year international school veteran, I find mbovi's explanation of a tier 1 school spot on. Interestingly the schools I pursued when going overseas for the first time are very different from locations I now consider desirable. The admin, professional development opportunities and school/home balance are more important to me than salary.
Diana

30s. Sometimes wish I had waited to earn a pension at home but the adventures I would have missed!

Yet another example of why comments here have to be taken with a grain of salt. One person's autocratic leader is another's strong leader. I am guessing it depends on whether or not one has agreed with decisions made.

Regardless, everyone deserves a fresh start so to purposely "poison the well" for anyone does not seem like fair play. People also act differently in different settings.

Just for the record, my friends at ISKL appreciate their elementary principal's vision and willingness to make tough decisions. (I have not repeated the name because I object to names being used on this public site.)

Yes, it happens for a variety of reasons. Just as other posters have written, both parties have the option to not renew. One would hope a school would give a teacher plenty of notice so they can recruit during the peak time period. It also seems reasonable the school would give the person a concrete reason but I find administrators adverse to getting into difficult conversations. I think it is typical of educators...teachers also avoid unpleasant conversations with colleagues and parents. I do not know who you work with but you may want to have a candid conversation asking for the feedback.

I think it depends on the level you teach. From my experience:

HS/MS: Smaller schools can mean more preps and less chances to collaborate in departments. If the school is really small you might be the only teacher in your subject area 6 to 12.

ES: Life does not change a lot. In big schools it can actually be harder to collaborate well. Singapore has 13 classes at some grade levels. Really small schools can mean ideal class sizes.

Generally: Bigger schools tend to have more financial resources. Teachers in small schools tend to wear more hats since there are fewer people to do the work beyond the classroom. Smaller schools are more successful in maintaining a family feel but if the group is not a match for you, it can be lonely socially.

So much depends on what you are seeking. Ask lots of questions and communicate with teachers who are currently there.

They have a disproportionate amount of teachers who leave within months at the school. I do not have details other than this.

Let's look at it from a different angle...equity for local hires. Many of our schools hire teachers who married locally long ago and who are in every other sense "local". They are usually paid better than they could be in any other school in town. Foreign hire are recruited so are given the perks that give them incentive to move to the country. If someone decides to settle permanently in a country why should they continue to receive these incentives? I would venture a guess that if someone marries a local, the school presumes this is this case.

Would any of us receive housing or a free international trip if we were working at home?

Let the table pounding begin.....

Some of the best advice we got was not to stress if we did not get a job at the fair. Easier said than done. It did work that way for us on one recruiting trip. The resulting school was one of our favorite spots and we stayed 4 years.

The advice I would give is to be open to schools in locations you may never have heard much about. We stayed six years in a place we applied to only because a friend had been in the region and talked it up. (In the ME)

I always appreciate the comments from JISAlum and Durianfan. They have lots of experience and have a solid knowledge base. I appreciate Walter's admin perspective but he lets PsyGuy get under his skin. PsyGuy puts lots of time into number crunching for people. I would find his contributions more helpful if his opinions were stated as such and less as facts. Many of his comments (especially about the ME) could lead new folks astray.

If you are "elated" with where you are headed, do not even think about the others. Your best bet for getting to those schools in the future is to be honest now. If you are in a high needs area, it can be a bit like being a kid in a candy shop. You have made a decision you think is a good one for you, now you just need to mentally turn off the job hunting mindset. Just because the schools contact you does not mean the job is yours.

Another perspective, are you signed up with one of the placement agencies? If so, you are probably already listed by them as employed. It may not show up to searching schools but the minute the agency gets a notice from the second school that you have signed a second contract, the worst case scenario could start to unfold.

Enjoy the fact you have avoided the craziness of the fairs and have been offered a job you are excited about. You are way ahead of others at this point.

We have approached this in a couple of ways. If it is a school we have not previously considered, we go ahead with the interview and at the very least, consider it practice. IF you make a good impression, you never know where that head will wind up next.

We have always gotten back to the schools. Mostly in writing but as much as possible, face to face. At one fair we waited until lines had depleted and we were done with our sign up and then went up to the recruiters and said "thanks, but no thanks". It helped that we had an offer at a great school so that was our "out".

This is going to be a general response to your question about a first time overseas post. No matter the place, you will have to bring a spirit of adventure and FLEXIBILITY. Very little will feel like home. Having said that, here are the major issues I perceive for first timers:

Language Barrier: My friends say nearly everyone the meet in Amman speaks English.

Negotiating banking, visas, and housing contracts: the school (like all top schools) takes care of all of this.

Missing things from Home: I guess all major foodstuffs are available ans lots of US chain restaurants.

The best thing for you to do is ask for the emails of current teachers and ask them about the things that are important to you.

Good friends who are there really like it. The local people are friendly, the school is truly international and the money is good for a smallish school. The thing they like most is the few start up costs they had. Their apartment was ready to move into and the school provided a start up kit of pans, dishes, and food for first few days, teachers can rent a car from the school for the duration of their stay. They told me taxis are cheap but it's hard to beat having your own ride.

You do not hear much about the school but I am going to apply next time we go looking - if they have an opening for both of us. They do not usually have a long list of openings. That says a lot, too.

If you are collecting letters to get registered with ISS or Search, go ahead and submit it to get things moving then you have time to think about next steps. Her last two sentences should say a lot; letters of rec are one more thing to do and if you ask her to do it over, I think, makes you look unappreciative. If you have such a close relationship maybe you can just talk to her about it.

The open letters of recommendation are great for a first screening but it is the phone call she gets that will make all the difference. In my opinion, teachers value the open letters far more than hiring administrators do.