Qatar Academy is an international school that is part of Qatar Foundation, an initiative which promotes education in Qatar and has been behind the number of prestigious universities which have opened adjunct campuses in Qatar. There is a part of the city that is dedicated to these educational institutions, and the Qatar Academy is located there, as is the housing where you will be. People who have worked there (I worked in Doha - not there) have expressed great satisfaction with their housing, all the amenities included (furnishings, appliances, internet, gym and pool access). You will be paid well, be able to save at least one salary, and have your children attend the same school at which you work. The student body is quite international, although the school is perhaps not the first choice of Americans, it is first choice for many nationalities. Doha is a bit bland, truth be told, but there are activities connected with the universities that are open to the public and great opportunities - authors who come for visits, performances by musicians, sports competitions, etc.
Here is a blog that will give you first hand information by people who actually did work at QA: http://internationalschoolcommunity.wor ... y-in-doha/
Good Luck

Have lived the compound life in Saudi, albeit not the Aramco compound (the Cadillac of compounds), though have many acquaintences who have. It was a terrific life for our children. Almost completely safe, other than the occasional person who drove too fast considering all the kids walking and on bikes. Playing sports was the main entertainment for everyone, pretty clean fun. School took on far more importance for kids as it was the center of their life. The academics and extra-curriculars promoted excellence; it became the norm. I had students go on to Ivy League prep schools and colleges quite regularly.
We stayed four years and would've stayed longer had high school been an option at the time, it wasn't but it is now. Even if Aramco doesn't have high school, ISG does have one in Dharhan.
Of course the lifestyle had little to no appeal for singles, but for families, many stayed years and years longer than the norm in international schools - precisely for the quality of family life.
Has anyone ever written in with personal experience to complain about Aramco, I wonder - I don't recall it, and it would surprise me.

Over a lengthy teaching career with four children, we've run into a variety of situations regarding child care during new teacher orientation. These situations range from nothing (thankfully friends worked at that school and 'lent' us one of their staff to be a nanny, school changed their procedures the following year per our comments) to terrific programs with CAS or Natl. Honor Society students coming into school and providing full program of fun for our kids while we worked, but which also allowed us to check on each other during the days as we acclimated to the new environment.
What we've learned is that most school admins would, if prompted, certainly be amenable to providing something like the latter - so don't be afraid to 'remind' them once hired that you will have children who will be undergoing their own culture shock and need care. Internatl. school admins want you to be successful and fit into their communities; if they hire people with children, then accomodating the needs of those children is a logical extension of making you feel at home. Good administrators will rise to the occasion.

We find the Ipad invaluable for its GPS. We make sure a map is loaded onto Google Earth before we leave home with its internet, then even though it's not connected via Wifi anymore, the blue dot on the map tells us exactly where we are. It's saved us from being lost as we navigate new places many times.

Gems DAA is indeed very full and it has an excellent reputation - exceptions are sometimes made for students with records of high academic achievement but not necessarily and it doesn't mean the entire family gets in. ASD is likewise full and will also split families according to admission test results. I believe ASD is the only school that offers extensive Advanced Placement courses; there are numerous schools offering IB diplomas. Established schools with good reputations are bursting at the seams and the options for American curriculum are not as wide as British. Universal American School in the Festival City area offers an American diploma and is very international - over 80 nationalities - the elementary is PYP and the high school IB; some grades are very full but some not, and they're planning to expand the elementary school next year (adding classrooms). Gems has started a "World Academy" (IB) that is an exceptional facility, likewise very international, but one of the most expensive schools in the city. It likely has room since it's only a few years old. I don't know much about Dubai International Academy but their athletic teams certainly have a fair number of Americans on them. There have been lots of start ups in recent years, and many use the name "American" in them for marketing purposes, it's probably safest to choose an established school.

Nothing specific to offer - but for what it's worth - Wellington has an excellent reputation. Gems is a solid organization and is changing the stereotype regarding 'for profit' schools (I don't work for them, but I know many who do). The pay is good and you will have no more issues than at any school, be it for or non profit.
Before anyone chimes in something negative about life in the Middle East, let me assure you, Dubai offers a pleasant, ultra modern, diverse life style. Activities range from Friday morning organic farmer's market in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa to choosing which one of dozens of beaches to enjoy, or (for many) spending time at one of the malls. To each their own.
Most of the major road construction has been finished, although of course there are always improvements and additions to be made - but the traffic is smooth, something that will certainly surprise anyone who knew the city as a visitor in the past two decades. There is also a clean, efficient, and cheap metro system that travels the main corridor, cutting down on traffic.
In short, I would think a position at Wellington in Dubai definitely merits serious consideration.

In no particular order: Awesome grocery stores with organic produce grown at least quasi locally; the little shop where the owner is a coffee nut and sells freshly roasted beans that make the best coffee anywhere; the paper copy of New York Times delivered Sundays; planting perennials-especially spring flowers- and being there to tend them so they multiply and take over the lawn; fall leaves and corn mazes and pumpkin patches that sell hot apple cider and tacky crafts and homemade caramels; an occasional snow day (if only it were available without the rest of winter); being there for all the little as well as the big extended family get togethers; the small town libraries as well as the city ones; season tickets to the theater; the wildlife and bird feeders; and so much more....... but the lists of experiences we've had and those little quirks of our school year home which made/make it special are also long lists. (the pre-dawn call to prayer interspersed with a competing rooster, and so it goes.....)

This school has long had a solid reputation, with teachers often choosing to stay multiple contracts like the friends you mention. The school population is small, meaning you will have multiple levels or preps, but your class loads will likely be small. The population used to be pretty international despite its small size, with a fair amount of Americans, not sure if it still is. The data the recruiting agencies have should let you know the breakdown in student population if that's a concern for children making friends. I can't imagine that teaching there would "hurt" your chances at any other school - unless you do poorly there or break contract. Having taught at some posts others might consider "hardship" has often opened doors for us rather than the opposite.

Most schools in Dubai offer transportation to teachers in school housing, so that takes care of to and from school. There is a growing metro system, clean and efficient, which is reasonable, and cabs are abundant and metered, so no surprises. The metro doesn't go to Festival City, but close by - a short taxi ride to nearest stop. At our school, many teachers don't buy cars - and many do, it's just personal preference. The school does not start teachers out at the aforementioned 14,000 per month - that would be $46k per year - generous for a starting salary. Many teachers make that much as they've been here several years, also tutoring is HUGE throughout the city and culture; however, starting salaries are mostly a bit lower. Most teachers supplement their income through tutoring. Some schools offer housing salaries rather than housing - this can work for or against you, depending upon the state of the economy and size of allowance. Teachers at our school can save an additional 10k per year easily after the first year of school housing just by opting for the allowance - and most prefer their chosen housing, in buildings or compounds with pools and gyms.

Numerous negative comments have been posted in this forum on the middle east, painting it all with one brush (and an old one at that) - your question prompts my contribution. Good schools (although keeping an eye on the bottom line is understood) still seek to hire the best candidate for the position - and the middle east has many good schools.
I have known single parents in the three countries I've lived, the UAE, Qatar, and even Saudi - yes, even a single (divorced) mom in Saudi. While the latter situation was a bit more difficult due to the no driving, the compensation package, secure life style, and good school made it worthwhile for her and, in turn, her qualifications made her family worthwhile for the school.
While being a single mom poses difficulties anywhere, it's unclear that life in the Gulf countries would add to those problems. The schools would help you with immigration and housing issues, women can and do drive, quality of life is high and certainly quite safe. I'm not sure why some posts seem to criticize the entire region as if it's one place, and even then, their idea of that one place seems to come right out of the media reports of conflicted areas.
Obviously you will have to find a good fit as will the school (and your qualifications seem excellent), but if a good school in the middle east offers you that, investigate it before you discount it. Do investigate, however, as the Gulf countries with their booming economies and large ex-patriot populations are experiencing many suspicious school start ups. Still, there are excellent schools with good compensation packages not on the old stand by list - even some for-profit schools have been around long enough and gone through their growing pains to now offer solid and proven education to their students and very good jobs to their teachers.

We have four children and have taught at numerous overseas schools, although the most receiving benefits at one time was three at our school and a college aged daughter who received health insurance and round trip ticket to see us once yearly. Everything depends on how well you seem to "fit" what the school is looking for, not only positions but personality, etc. My husband taught elementary and the schools we were at tried to maintain an even ratio of male and female elementary teachers, so he was (perhaps I'm biased here) a hot item. These were all excellent, non profit international schools also, many a diplomat's child, etc. Things are changing in this regard, I realize, but I know several families currently teaching with three school age children in top international schools. If you are in the US, you can go to a recruiting fair without resigning current positions, so why not try for your dream? Don't rule out the Middle East. We loved being on a compound with recreational facilities and on site daycare at the school with time ranged for nursing the baby - mandated by Saudi law!

Perhaps you should try a different associate or solicit the help of John Magana or his daughter directly, including the information you have put in this post. We changed associates at Search years ago when we didn't feel that it was working well, and we had far greater success with our next associate - including being allowed to attend the fair we chose.
While your educational experience qualifies you as an excellent candidate, you no doubt realize you are also an expensive one to schools which include some pretty standard benefits to family. Combine that with your desire to limit the area of where you would consider employment, and Search likely feels that since space is competitive at Cambridge, they should fill it with candidates more likely to succeed AND meet the needs of the schools recruiting.
Regardless of Search's decision, however, there are still options - aggressive applications on your own, using as many resources as possible like Tieonline and Joyjobs to discover openings not to mention checking the schools' websites frequently, register with ISS and go to their Boston fair, register with CIS (free and most comprehensive listings of European schools), maybe bite the bullet and go to the London fair again....many possibilities remain, good luck.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed the rather conspicuous absence of a contributor who had lots to say about every singe topic, and he said it without any attention paid to spelling or mechanical conventions (or, frequently, accuracy)?
Not sure what the "rules" are for forums, but if admin. removed him, I have nothing but respect for their decision, kudos for the move.

With only experience in Kenya, so an obvious bias, I would recommend ISK. Taught there ten years ago, great country, wonderful students, and amazing families of those students. Some safety issues , but one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

The Singapore American School doesn't do IB and does have - or did a few years ago - an extensive photography program with a darkroom to rival almost any I've seen, in addition to a strong journalism program. There are other American schools overseas that didn't jump on the IB bandwagon. Good luck.