Has anyone ever heard of, or had personal experiences with Berkeley International School in Thailand?

Thank you, Witusco. I received a message that he wanted to receive my packet, and felt I would be a strong candidate. I will contact him. I'm just concerned about going to Saudi Arabia at this time of crisis in the Middle East.

Does anyone know anything about Dhahran Ahliyya International School?
Thanks!

Thank you, Mbynum, I turned 60 in October, so I may have missed the boat on Germany. I had a Skype interview with Thai-Chinese International School back in early December. They said the director would contact me after the holidays, but I never heard from them. I have great credentials and 17 years experience. If you know of any Thai schools hiring, I'd love to contact them. I'm going to put in for retirement at the end of this school year and start over. It's time for a change. Taught in Austria back in the early 90's and loved it. Too bad my school went bankrupt and closed. You guys seemed to be enjoying your adventure. Oh, yes, I was with ISS, but let my membership expire. I may try Search later. Thanks for the suggestion.

I know this email will probably get bumped to the "over 50" site, but can anyone tell me if they know of anyone being hired at the age of 60 or older in Germany?

[quote="JISAlum"]Many TCK's will agree. It's often not an easy transition- a move that can impact one for a long time.[/quote]

Being an only child with aging parents will be tough. When you say your family is gearing up to go abroad, do you mean a spouse and children? If so, at least you have a support system. If you are alone, go check out the Movie, Under the Tuscan Sky. The main character was a single girl who moved to Italy. She was alone and afraid, but she ended up acquiring a whole new set of friends who became her family. It's a fabulous movie and available on video.

Hi Traveller~Want my advice? Don't settle down until you start falling down. I traveled the world and had a great life which included teaching abroad. When I hit 46, someone talked me into "settling down". It was a big mistake. Now I am divorced at 59, my parents are almost 90, and I am now "settled down" looking after them. I love my parents and will stay near them as long as they need me, but I still long to pack a bag, put my "stuff" in storage and head for the airport. In a nutshell, do everything you can while you are young. Up in the Air was just a movie.
Adventure is the spice of life.

I've been reading these posts about marrying a stranger with amusement. No one has mentioned the fact that if you marry a stranger to pass yourselves off as a couple, you're going to have to LIVE with that guy or girl. It's hard enough to live with someone you actually love. LOL

I taught in an international school once that had an entirely new staff when I got there. I thought that was a little odd. After I had been there for about a month, I found out why all of the teachers left. Our paychecks were about 15 or more days late each month, which made all of our bills in America over due. To be paid, we (the entire teaching staff together in a group), had to go each month to the home of the director and plead for our checks, which were already a few weeks late. Now having related this story, I have to say it was a fabulous year. You have to roll with the punches when you leave America. No situation will be perfect.

Hello Carbon,
I taught for one year in Austria in 1992. To date, it has been one of the most wonderful and rewarding experiences of my teaching career. If you are looking for the perfect situation, you may be disappointed. You will need to be flexible no matter where you go, just as if you were in an American school. You just need to decide what is of the utmost importance in your decision to go abroad. If you need to save money, you need to go to countries that have a lower standard of living so it won't cost you an arm and a leg to live there. I didn't save a penny in Austria, and came back even about $3,000 in debt, but the whole experience was worth every penny. Also, if you are over 50, there are some countries you probably should just forget about, like Australia and New Zealand. Do you want to get in your retirement years overseas? If so, you need to make sure the school is accredited (really accredited) and check out their retirement benefits. My advice is JUST DO IT! Two years will fly by, and you will have memories to last the rest of your life.

I like Suddenpaws' ideas. I would like to add a comment, too. I have asked questions in the Forum that you rejected and sent to the "Over 50's" page. Since the majority of the people visit the Forum page, it would make sense to let all topics appear on this page. Even the younger teachers need to know what stumbling blocks they need to be prepared for when they get a little older. Also, it is a hassle to have to go back and forth between sites.
While I am at it, could you please ask teachers who are writing reviews to comment on whether or not there are teachers in their schools who are 60 or older? Even if the teachers in overseas schools don't know the exact ages of their colleagues, they can guesstimate. It sure would be helpful.
International Schools Review is good, but it could be great!

I've been teaching for 23 years and have taught in 8 schools. Some of these schools were in the same school district so I just bunched those together. I listed my last three jobs, then under that, I just listed...1975-2000, Georgia Public School System. Details upon request. I have excellent letters of recommendation so I'm not too concerned with it. I've never had a problem getting a position.

I was lucky. In the 1990's, I taught in Austria. I had a huge private suite with a balcony overlooking the ski slopes. The suite was free. All of our meals were buffet, delicious, and more than I could ever eat. Meals were free. We didn't pay taxes and the work load was a breeze. Unfortunately, the school went bankrupt and closed, but it was one of the best experiences of my teaching career. There were other schools in the area; their teachers had the same deal and loved their schools. It wouldn't bother me if my living conditions weren't up to American standards. In my experience, I found that I wasn't in my room that much anyway except to sleep at night. As long as a room is clean and warm, I'm fine.

Sorry you are in such a poor working environment. Could you share the name of your school so none of us will end up there?

Thank you, Vader. This was helpful.