Last time I was at a recruiting fair, my husband was a trailing spouse.

Having him along at interviews was helpful, because recruiters wanted to know what he would be doing with his time. They also seemed to ask him questions to gauge whether he would succumb to culture shock and want to go home early.

Thanks, everyone! That Atlantic article is shocking, to say the least. When I lived in Cairo, I had constant ear/nose/throat issues for the first months....loved the big city vibe, but that pollution really got to me!

It seems hard to find reliable and easy to understand data on the air pollution issue.

Thanks for the information! I'll definitely look into those two schools.

Interested in living in China, but not interested in having my kids develop asthma from the pollution in Beijing or Shanghai.

We're looking for a school with a mix of expat kids so my kids won't be the only foreigners in their classes.

Any suggestions for good schools in China outside the two biggest cities?

Thanks!

My school is second-tier Asian school. They routinely hire teachers outside their subject areas when the teachers have experience in areas other than their certification, even when the difference was quite pronounced (HS/ Elementary). However, it hasn't been "jack of all trades" teachers--just teachers who had switched focuses somewhere in their career, so were trained in one area but teaching in one other.

aahz is right on most counts, but one bad school in Hsinchu shouldn't make you run from all the rest, some of which are quite good second-tier schools. aahz, since Midwesthopeful is asking about a particular school, you should be clear at least about whether the problems you heard about are from that school specifically, or just another school in the same city.

Actually, there are only 2 international schools in Hsinchu that are WASC accredited...Hsinchu International School and International Bilingual School, Hsinchu, which aahz hasn't mentioned. I know teachers at both of these schools, and though they have the usual second-tier school issues with management, etc, they are FAR better than the awful stories that aahz is describing.

I'm taking notes! Any other suggestions for excellent schools in Chinese cities without too much pollution?

Thanks!

Check the airline weight and size restrictions when you're deciding what to buy. Going over the limits will cost you fees, so you have to decide if that's worth it to you.

Different expat teachers have different philosophies on how much stuff to take when they move. You have to figure out for yourself what is essential and what isn't worth the expense and hassle of moving.

My husband is certified now, but when we first came overseas he was a non teaching spouse, and I had/have 2 young kids. This equals 3 "dependents" in the way that international schools view you. I went to the San Francisco fair and actually got around 8 interviews in Asia and the Mid East, then took a job at a second tier school here in Taiwan.

Because housing is included, we were able to save some money and live well even when I was the only one working (not including the first 6 months of settling-in expenses). We don't do a lot of travel or anything, but we are definitely living better than we did in the States on one salary. Any anyway, travel with young kids is not that fun! :)

In Taiwan and many Asian countries, your spouse might be able to get an ESL teaching job on the side with private schools that don't require a teaching certificate. My husband had no trouble finding more tutoring students than he could handle.

I never lived in KL, but visited and loved it. I took the metro and it was fine--convenient, cheap, clean enough, and people actually lined up to get on. I wouldn't mind taking it daily.

The traffic in KL was very busy around rush hour, so if I moved there I would definitely try to commute by metro.

Hi! I don't have any experience with the Persian gulf, but I can answer a few of your questions.

Now is the time to be applying for jobs. The rush for international school hiring is going on right now for next school year. Many positions have already been filled or will be in the next few weeks. That's not to say that there won't be some positions available later in the semester, but in general the hiring schedule is earlier for international schools than for American schools.

Many international teachers are "teaching couples" who only go to schools that are willing to hire both of them. You explain this in your cover letter and send the school both your resumes. If the school has positions open that match both of you, then you're in luck!

I've lived in Jordan, Israel/Palestine, and Egypt, and loved all of them...

However, it seems that most of the Mid-East jobs are in the Persian gulf where I've never been. Could any of you who have lived in the various gulf countries comment on the lifestyles and great schools in that region?

How livable are the various cities? Things to do? Places to go with kids? Pollution? Traffic? Safety?

We're also looking for schools with a good mix of expat kids, so my daughters won't be the only foreigners in their classes.

I knew someone who worked there 2 years ago. She was happy with the school and the admin. It's a small school, so she was teaching lots of different subjects--lots of prep work. She also had a significant ELL population in her classes.

The school doesn't have a bad reputation, but is definitely not a tier-one school.

Hsinchu is a very safe and livable place, with beaches and mountains easy to get to, and a growing downtown area with plenty of restaurants. It doesn't have the diversity or bustle of Taipei, but doesn't have the pollution, either.

We kept our house in the States though we never plan to move back, but that decision was because we purposefully bought a house that can "cash flow".

We have a professional property management company that deals with the tenants for us.

Even minus the fee we pay them each month, the rent pays off the mortgage and gives us an extra few hundred dollars each month. That being said, most of that surplus is eaten each year by something breaking (water heater this year) or just needing replaced (carpets next year). However, we figure we're breaking even, and like bish180b said, someone else is paying off our mortgage.

I would definitely NOT keep a house unless the numbers worked and unless you can find a good, professional, property management company.

Also, if you do become a landlord, make sure you keep a cushion of a few months' mortgage in your savings account, in case you can't find renters immediately.

I live in Taiwan. You will be stretched to make it on 60K per month, but it's doable, if tight. Keep in mind that you'll be required to take the national heath insurance out of your paycheck, which comes to a little more than 10% of your salary.

Also, there are lots of opportunities in Taiwan for part time English teaching, so you or your wife might be able to pick up extra income.