Psyguy, that's right, you didn't write that it wasn't writing, nor did I argue that you did. Your post reads "this is speaking". I wrote "seems like writing to me". It still seems like writing to me.

However, your initial post reads "this isn't correspondence this is speaking" yet in your last post it reads "I didn't write that it wasn't writing, I wrote it wasn't correspondence". Your use of the words "write" and "wrote" contradict your argument that it is speaking, because for something to be written it needs to be done in writing.

I also find Nagoya International School interesting. Indeed, the reviews are very mixed and I get the impression that it would be much harder salarywise if you were single or had dependents. But a teaching couple would probably be ok. Nagoya is supposed to be a very nice place to live.

All the other schools already mentioned are the same ones I'd mention. What would be a deal breaker for me with any of these though (and I'm not sure where Nagoya stand on this) would be scholarships for kids. Even if you have to pay 50%, as some schools ask, that's going to be a lot of money.

I've heard good things about Kobe IS and Fukuoka IS, though I understand Fukuoka had a lot of problems a few years ago and lost a lot of good staff. The salary won't be massive at either but they're apparently ok places to work though.

Regarding % of local and international students, if you're going through Search Associates then the school pages show breakdowns of these numbers. I find this very useful when looking at different schools.

I agree that this is when the lower tier schools come out. They know that they can't compete with better schools so there's little point in wasting the energy. However, a lot of lower end British schools do advertise on the Times Educational Supplement website very early, but that really is attempting to attract the "newbie" first time overseas teacher. They'll focus a lot on working in an exotic location and very little on academic rigor. But therein comes the benefit. If you are just looking to enjoy a couple of years somewhere exotic and then go home then why not enjoy a couple of ears easy work in a lower end school. The majority of students in lower tier schools will likely be locals, so you get to experience a little of the culture as well. As long as you get paid and get your holidays then why not? If you decide you like it and want to stay overseas longer then there's nothing stopping you. Additionally, if you were interested in going in to admin but not too well qualified then starting in a lower tier school might not be a bad idea.

It might not feel good to say to you friends "yeah, I work in a bottom end school", and it might be a bit embarrassing when you read about people slating the place, but everywhere serves a purpose. I worked in a low end school earlier in my career and had a great time. I learned a lot, had good fun cooworkers, and would go back again if they paid loads of cash. But they don't, and that's part of why they are lower tier.

This is speaking? Seems like writing to me.

Regarding tier rankings, whether admin is or is not important depends on whoever is posting and whether they feel it's important to them. I say this because (as mentioned in previous posts) there is no set criteria for deciding which school belongs in which tier. Unless a person gives a full breakdown of why they judge a school in a particular tier then we can only assume that we're on similar pages as far as the whole thing goes, but what's important for some may not be important for others and vice versa. For me, if the admin are scum bags with no integrity then I don't want to work there no matter how good the package is, so in my ranking, or when I refer to a school in a higher tier then I do so with a perception in mind that the admin are a positive example of professional conduct and integrity. Someone else might not even think about it and only consider the package and amount of work. I won't say what most think or feel because I have no way of knowing what's in the minds of others when they post.

"I am so tired of the way government, Ofsted and SMTs are damaging the daily experience of teaching and learning". I've heard a lot of this recently, and British teachers I work with don't paint a pretty picture of working in the UK. It sounds like Ofsted and SMT's are slowly taking everything that was ever pleasurable about teaching out of the job. The great thing about international schools though is that although many will claim to be be governed by presiding organizations or follow standards according to this or that government, there isn't really a lot of in your face scrutiny. Don't get me wrong, there are standards, but I feel that standards are chosen more by individual schools than any organization they belong to. That's why the unofficial top 10 - 20 international schools, or what you may read as being referred to as Top Teir schools are dotted around and seemingly random as far as location and curriculum are concerned.

If moving overseas is part of a career move, and you definitely do want to make sure that very high standards are upheld then I agree that you will need to choose your school very carefully. Even in many decent schools a lot of behaviour (from management and directors) goes on that just wouldn't be allowed in the UK. For profit schools that dominate the market and even in some of the best for profit schools, you have to accept that business decisions will sometimes take priority over what's best for the students. It's a reality of the job.

I wouldn't imagine that any of the schools you've listed so far would provide what you want. However, if you're looking at moving overseas as an opportunity to live in a different country, enjoy a different culture and still do a job that you once loved, and are flexible as what you might get out of career wise then your options increase massively. I've worked with people who have moved overseas expecting the same rights and conditions as at "home", and they get incredibly frustrated. Unless you get into a very, very good school, you will need to make compromises.

Regarding the teirs that you'll often read about, this is unofficial and kind of comes down to reputation based upon what people know about place, and things they hear about it from people working there. For example, from looking at the forum for a while, you'll get the pictures that ISB in Bangkok and Yokohama International School in Japan pay loads of money, have great conditions and are pretty much as high as you can go. Some have posted on here confirming that the standards are awesome, and others may know someone working there and have heard similar things. Gradually, you hear about these places more and more, and everyone hears the same things, so it becomes, unofficially, a top teir school. Then you'll hear names of other schools where it seems they have people leaving in droves complaining of unfair treatment, horrible bosses and no integrity. They become bottom end. There are a few posts on here that show top 10 lists from various posters, and comments that go with them. Have a search. There's some interesting choices, and it's no a coincidence that many of them have a few similar names. That's my perception of it all anyway.

To help your search, some schools that appear on top 10 lists are schools such as ISB Bangkok, JIS Jakarta, YIS Yokohama, WAB Beijing and AIS Shanghai.

Hope the information helps. All the best.

Housing can be a VERY big deal in Abu Dhabi. In my opinion, if a school asks people to share apartments then this is an indication of the kind of cost cutting measures you'll see throughout your time there. I would never work at a school where I needed to share apartments. When I was in my mid 20's then maybe, but not now. To be honest, I wouldn't even consider working at a school in the UAE if the housing wasn't provided, at least for the first year. If you get an option of a housing allowance after that then that's cool, as you already know the place by then and have had a chance to look around, but for the first year I would want to be taken from the airport straight to an apartment that will be mine. No deposits, no hassle, just my apartment. I understand that people in other areas where housing is ridiculously expensive have similar perspectives. Apartments in Dubai are much cheaper than Abu Dhabi, and there's more choice in Dubai, so there are often many issues in Dubai. Either way though, if you're moving to the UAE you'll want to know that your apartment is provided and decent.


P.S, Shadowjack, I read your first response saying "one was one word and the other was two words". Very weird that it's not there anymore.

Personally, I liked living in Abu Dhabi and would choose there over Dubai. Dubai's definitely a better holiday destination and there's a lot going on, but to me, Abu Dhabi is more livable and nicer for getting around. The great thing is that if you get bored in Abu Dhabi then Dubai is only an hour (and 10 minutes) down the road, and there are many reasonably priced hotels if you want to make a weekend out of it. You don't often hear of people getting bored in Dubai and then going to Abu Dhabi for weekends, but I think you'll find many that have a similar perspective to mine.

School wise, there are a lot of schools in both places. Dubai has more choice of decent schools than Abu Dhabi, but there are a lot more schools in Dubai anyway. Abu Dhabi does have some very good schools. To be honest, for a first job overseas neither of these places will be bad. I think the UAE is a very easy place for a first international job (providing you're in Abu Dhabi or Dubai). The big thing to look out for in the UAE is that although Abu Dhabi and Dubai are good, and there are some good schools in these places, there are also a lot of schools that you really wouldn't want to work at. Your quality of life at your school will affect your whole perspective. In my opinion, in the UAE choosing school is more important than choosing city.

All the best,

Inman.

As a full time employee with all benefits and visa stuff it would be very difficult, especially as I think there might be some difficulty in getting a visa for anyone over 60 (which she will soon be). However, why not get her over anyway and apply for work as a substitute in your school, or other schools nearby. There's plenty of work for substitute teachers. The pay won't be great, but it's some nice extra spending money if she's already well set up and would mostly be helping you take care of your family. You could probably get her in on your visa as a dependent.

Are all schools in the UAE still making teachers pay for their UAE ID card? The ID card policy was just coming in as I was leaving the UAE (about 2 years ago), but I've heard a few grumbling about it and wondered if any schools actually were paying for it, or if it was all on the teachers. You cannot work legally in the country without it, so surely it must come under visa/employment license expenses?

Make something compulsory and yet you have to pay for it. This raises a BIG red flag, and most likely an indication of things to come. The kind of place that would try and pull this kind of thing probably doesn't pay well in the first place. If you're desperate for some IB experience and have nothing else lined up then you could just do it for 2 years and move on, taking your workshop experiences with you, but I would be very careful. I'd look into the school a bit first, and if there's even a sniff of trying to get out of paying for things, or trying to avoid paying people what they're owed, then don't go near it.

The smallest school I worked in had about 200 students, and the biggest had about 1400 students.

Personally, I would prefer to work in a smaller school. From a PYP perspective, if you have more than 3 or 4 classes across a grade level then collaborative planning can be quite annoying, and if you're striving for consistency in any particular area then the varying perspectives can cause a lot of tension. It only takes 1 person to say "I'm doing that" for people to start getting defensive and argumentative.

I have also found that I feel more distanced from the school community as a whole when working in a larger school. In a small school it's easy to get to know students throughout the school, and they know you too, but in a big school it's hard enough just to know the kids in your grade level, especially if you have 4 or more classes.

I've heard of some of the bigger schools in China having 8 or more classes across a grade level. Collaborative planning in that scenario sounds like a nightmare. A school with 600 or so students and 2 or 3 classes in each grade level would be ideal to me.

Put in a search for ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) on this site and you will find a lot of information. Even if you're looking at a public school provider that is not ADEC, the classroom conditions will be very similar. The packages will differ though. As a short summary, Abu Dhabi is a great place to live. In public schools you will have A LOT of behavior management practice. If you're looking at ADEC then they pay very well, and all the headaches and behavior management struggles almost might be worth it. Other organizations that provide public schools with teachers (such as SABIS) often pay little. Personally I'd rather work (and did work) at an international school there for a bit less money than ADEC, but really enjoy what I do.

I asked about the Dubai fair on here a while ago but only got a couple of responses. However, I've since found that quite a few people I work with in Qatar have been to the fair before, an a couple of my old colleagues from Abu Dhabi. They've spoken positively about it. From conversations with people that have been, my impressions are as follows:

Almost all the schools are from the ME (as to be expected)

Almost all candidates are already in the ME and are looking to move somewhere else in the ME

The best schools have tied up vacancies at other fairs and are only there to fill left over spots, or spots where people have backed out

Even with just a little experience, you can interview to your hearts content with second and third tier schools, especially those in less desirable parts of the ME (1 of my friends had 9 interviews and got 4 offers, and that was with just 2 years experience in a UK Int'l school)

For most, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are their first choice destinations, so get those interviews set up as quickly as you can

I asked about the Dubai fair on here a while ago but only got a couple of responses. However, I've since found that quite a few people I work with in Qatar have been to the fair before, an a couple of my old colleagues from Abu Dhabi. They've spoken positively about it. From conversations with people that have been, my impressions are as follows:

Almost all the schools are from the ME (as to be expected)

Almost all candidates are already in the ME and are looking to move somewhere else in the ME

The best schools have tied up vacancies at other fairs and are only there to fill left over spots, or spots where people have backed out

Even with just a little experience, you can interview to your hearts content with second and third tier schools, especially those in less desirable parts of the ME (1 of my friends had 9 interviews and got 4 offers, and that was with just 2 years experience in a UK Int'l school)

For most, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are their first choice destinations, so get those interviews set up as quickly as you can

Cebu is beautiful, and apparently a very nice place to live.

As for the school, the impact of the accident a few months back would have had a big effect on the community. I imagine many there are going through a tough time, and my thoughts are with them. It'll have to be strong and positive people to go there now and keep the place active.

As for working there, well, the salary is poor, and as it is in the beginner stages of PYP you can expect a lot of confusion and change. It won't be easy. If you're looking at being there for 4+ years then it might be an exciting project, but if it's for less than that it's not really worth it.