I appreciate all the feedback. I was not at all worried about getting the pets in and out of the country. I already looked that up. I do that before interviews because any place requiring quarantine is off limits in my mind. I have a dog and cat that have lived in 5 different countries, 3 developing countries and 2 developed countries. My dog has already had tick fever and gets recurrences every year or every few months in which case he gets treated with a course of antibiotics. I was just wondering how the Ghanians felt about 'pets'. When I interviewed with the school and I brought up the pet issue, they said they would take very good care of my pets. I too taught a student from Ghana and she was one of my most motivated students.

I've personally lived in 4 different developing countries and I know that each has their frustrations. Guess what, I get frustrated in the U.S. and Europe too. That's just life sometimes. I really wanted to know about the compassion and acceptance of the people. I get the sense that TIS is made up of a predominantly African staff and as a single, white woman, I just wanted to know that I would be accepted.

If there are any other opinions or insights, I'd love to hear them.

Does anyone have any information on this school? It has not been reviewed on the main ISR website and I've found no reference to it in the forum.

Also, does anyone have opinions on living and teaching in Ghana. If I get offered and accept the job, I will be traveling with a dog and 2 cats. Will life be decent for them there?

Thank you in advance for any insight you might offer.

Thank you, Admin. I read the article and it does not surprise me. The last two schools I worked at acted unethically in regards to contracts. It does not mean this school will, but I am concerned. I think the article made a good point of contacting the Consulate of the country in question as well as the U.S. Embassy. I will take that advice and see what they have to say.

What's difficult about this decision, is that the management team is relatively new, but the Board is the same old, same old. While the management may have the best of intentions, pressures from the Board may lead to issues.

Hello All.

I wanted to get some feedback from the International Community about their feelings on this subject. I just received a contract I'm being asked to sign that has phrases like:

"It is agreed and understood, however, that all School policies are subject to modification, suspension and/or termination by the School at any time." (Relating to teacher code of conduct)

"It is agreed and understood that the School may alter, modify, suspend or terminate any employee benefit at any time that it, in its sole discretion, determines to be appropriate." (Relating to Benefits offered)

This contract has sent up a bunch of red flags to me. I am leaving a school that had an ambiguous contract and for which some colleagues and I have had some troubled dealings with the school. However, we are also working in a country with phenomenal labor laws and the courts always rule in favor of employees in cases of ambiguous contracts written by the 'employer'.

I'm not so sure that is the case of the school that just sent me the contract.

A) Would you sign an ambiguous contract like this?
B) Would you request the contract be re-written?

I have taught at 4 International Schools now, and only due to the last two experiences being poor ones, am I really considering contracts before signing.

Thanks for your thoughts and advice.

I have been living in Thailand for 3 years, and never once feared for my safety (and I am a single female who frequently travels on my own). The bigger issue you need to consider is the economic climate. Here in Thailand, the political problems have lead to larger economic problems. When that happens, often, students end up withdrawing from International schools, and when enrollment goes down, so do budgets, etc. Thailand is a great place to live and work, but I feel I'm leaving at the right time. If the ill health of the king ends in the loss of his life, you might expect there will be bigger political strife and maybe civil war here. Long live the King.

derPhysiks:

Does Vanguard Logistics ship from SE Asia to Central America? I'm currently looking for a shipping company.

Does anyone know anything about this school? The pay site has one review on the TED in Istanbul, but not Ankara. I have heard that international schools in Turkey are very Turkish and not very international. The school has requested my CV and I'm trying to decide if I should follow up.

Thanks in advance if anyone can offer info.

Cheers.

I've been watching this thread and finally decided to throw in my 5 cents.

I am a pet lover. I also made a commitment to my pets when I "adopted" them. One dog and my cat have lived in 4 countries with me and been involved in moves 7 or 8 times. This may not be the right thing to do for all pets. My animals are highly adaptable.

Now regarding living overseas with your pets:

1. Consider if you want your pets to go through a long quarantine. I will not move anywhere that requires a quarantine of more than a week.
2. Consider if you can get good vet care and good quality pet food (although the latter can be substituted with "leftovers").
3. Consider how your pets will be cared for while you travel. Contact teachers from the school you will be going to and ask if anyone has pets and what they do.

I've found that living in southeast Asia, having pets is not a problem. Financially, you should be able to afford a maid. In addition to the monthly salary my maid earns for coming in 3 times a week to clean, I pay her additional money when I go on holiday to live at my house and take care of the dogs and the cat. In fact, her salary is better for pet care than cleaning. Therefore I know my animals are in good hands. The evidence is how well they are when I return from my travels, and also how excited they are to see my maid when she comes to clean. They love her and her kids.

Please don't let other people make you feel guilty about having and feeding a pet in a country where people are impoverished. You can find ways to help your local community. I've discovered that many locals in Thailand really love my dogs and cat. They enjoy the interactions and are impressed with the good behavior and one dog's ability to shake hands. (The interest in the animals is not as food as cynics might think.)

I do agree that you should consider your pet and whether they will do well living overseas. Does your animal have a tendency to mess up the house, tear up the garden or bark a lot? That may make things difficult for you with landlords and neighbors. But if you have well-behaved animals, I say bring them along!

derPhysik.

I'm surprised but the amount of money you want to up the offer by. One thing to consider is the cost of living and the savings potential in Vietnam. I am all for trying to negotiate a higher salary. But when you make a counter offer, my best suggestion is to consider what the cost of living is a particular country is like and what your savings potential is. You may discover that the extra 5K you want may not be necessary. If it's a job you really desire, you might consider settling for less.

Good luck.

As a teacher, it is more beneficial for you to be working at an accredited school. As you move around, there are some jobs that when hiring you will only give you teaching-year credits if the teaching was at an accredited institution. Not every place does this, but it may affect some teachers.

Also, while the accrediting process is not perfect, it does force a school to look at itself with the self-study. Schools may "lie to themselves" afterwards, but I do think it is a good mechanism to lead to school improvement, even at some of the less than reputable institutions.

Ichiro,

Thanks for saying what you said. I'm really not opposed to putting in extra hours. I work an 80 hour work week because I can't turn off my brain and stop the ideas and plans from flowing.

I am so surprised to hear what Washington State did when you began. That's a shocker. I began my teaching career in Virginia, and my health insurance kicked in with the contract which began before my orientation started. Also, my previous two international schools began the contract before they held orientation for new teachers.

I want to make it clear, that I am very appreciative of my new school's induction/orientation program. It is clear they want to help new teachers settle into the routine and get acclimated. And I applaud any school that provides this service for it's new teachers.

Good luck, Willinphil. Keep pushing for better rights.

Also, I thank those of you who contributed to answering my question. Some things you say really surprised me. I agree that all teachers should expect to show up prior to the start of school. Most schools have induction periods. I can't believe, though, how many teachers condone a school expecting on-the-job training without pay or benefits prior to the contract starting. I'm curious if you would take the same position if the job were working at a hospital or a law firm or any other job in the arena outside teaching. I think many international school teachers have come to accept lesser treatment because it is the "norm." I do see lots of complaints and negativity on this and other teacher forums, and I really think that in many instances international school teachers will reap what they sow. If you expect less, the schools will absolutely give you less.

I do hope that there are enough international school teachers out there like me to continue to fight for our rights and stand up for our principals. If not, I expect this trend in teachers leaving the international circuit will continue.

Well, I do know from the experience of going through a joint CIS/NEASC accreditation, that there are some things that are non-negotiable for getting accredited. The school I was at was given an additional 18 months because the admin didn't meet the minimum requirements for their part of the accreditation process. So, on some level, accreditation speaks to the school.

On the other hand, accreditation works to best suit the students. Often times, teacher needs are overlooked. I agree with the prior post that you have to look at each school for it's own merits. Accreditation means the school met minimum requirements in self-study, not that they have achieved an ideal. Some schools are great at the time of accreditation and then during the 5-10 yr interim forget the ideals they established during self-study.

Don't rely on CIS accreditation alone. They are not as stringent as the U.S. regional accrediting agencies. Much of where CIS gets it's money for it's non-profit status is from the schools that pay to recruit teachers. CIS supports the schools.

Really? Teacher training time without pay is normal? What schools have you been at. My previous 2 schools held new teacher orientation during the contract period, not prior to it, and every job I've ever held did on-the-job training as part of the contract/pay. I don't have problems with the showing up before returning staff. I have a problem with mandatory meetings while not on salary.

I must say, I'm surprised by your response. But, thank you for your viewpoint.

I agree with the previous posts. When I asked one school about getting teacher contact information to I could ask questions directly of the teacher, they gave me one name, the wife of the Head of Secondary. I was told all the other teachers had left for the summer and could not be contacted. I decided to decline the job offer. Needless to say, it was a school that has repeatedly received negative reviews both in the pay section and on the forum here at ISR.

If the school isn't transparent with teacher contacts, they will not be transparent with most things that concern you.

Good luck.