Well, Turkey pays around that as well ( $ 20k - 24k ). I know that the standards of living are extremely low in Morocco and that the $ 17, 000 would have been a " fortune "...but Marrakech is a tourist destination and I invest my money outside. $ 17, 000 is paltry.

Around a few years ago, I received an interview from this school. They were so intent on having me. The interviewers at the time ( J. Brugnieau - the headmaster, and the Elementary Coordinator - a young Moroccan man whose name I forget ) seemed very nice, but I can tell the following right away :

1. It is a Moroccan school disguised as an "international" school.

2. They were very vague and coy about the technology.

3. There was an air of " ancient / conservative " thinking that swarmed around the two. Not sure what it was...but I felt like I was being interviewed by people from the 1950s.

4. I got a sense of " nepotism / small-school " syndrome. I am not sure if it was bc the Elementary Coordinator seemed too young, too suave or seemed to dominate the headmaster. That's something that I don't particularly find favourable as a future teacher at a given school : I look for strong, wise headmasters who won't be manipulated by certain people.

The reviews seem accurate enough. I also looked at the track record of their teachers. Most do not stay longer than a year and I wondered why as some of them are teaching couples and if you think about it, despite some of the hardships of daily Morocco, Marrakech is a fascinating, wonderful place. In the end, when they offered me $ 17, 000 USD as the salary ( net ), I just had to say " No ". It was just gob-smackingly appalling. With my credentials, I am making 6-figures in Tokyo at my current school. Before that, I was making close to $ 80, 000 USD at another school in Tokyo. The housing pictures they sent me were decent enough though. It was an older building but it wasn't bad looking.

[quote="PsyGuy"]No i dont, this isnt correspondence this is speaking and phonetically there is no difference between their, they're and there, they all sound the same.
I dont believe in apostrophes, their is not phonetic equivalent for an apostrophe.[/quote]

Oh my ( rolling eyes, wiping tears, guffawing ). Oh my. That's all I have to say.

Great. Obviously, a practice in application is in order for you when you post.

[quote="Singablesong"]Thank you, everybody,

I am in my new school (the first one), quite unhappy, because I ruined my chances with another school, which offered much better conditions. All I wanted is to be honest and fair.

I should have been smarter and questioned things more.[/quote]

Dear Singablesong :

I think of it this way : International schools usually have lines and lines of candidates wanting a job. International schools also change staff, recruiting heads, directors, principals often. The question is : Do you really think they would remember you if you rejected their CONDITIONAL offer or letter of offer? I think that at that point ( unless you signed a contract ), you are NOT tied to anything.

I also think that as international teachers, we have to be just as shrewd as the international heads are while keeping a disguise of " modesty and passivity ". In the international education field, we do not have governing bodies that make international schools accountable to the public or to us individual teachers. The ONLY person that can protect your interests is yourself.

Happiness in a job is key to success. If you already have the negative feeling outlook ( simply bc the school is bad ), you are right in feeling that way but remember that it was YOU who made the decision. In other words, if you already felt that School 1 was " less than desireable ", you should have taken the gamble to take the other offer at School 2. After all, School 1 would eventually forget about you, months will pass, more pressing issues at school will come up and you will be forgotten....free to live out your career, happily, at the school of YOUR WELL-INFORMED CHOICE.

Lessons learned :

1. Conditional Offers are not necessarily binding. The same way that international schools are keeping their options open, so should you.

2. You have to be :
a) Shrewd
b) Assertive
c) Meticulous
.....when it comes to protecting your interests as a teacher in the job search and decision-making. Although I previously did not advise someone to " play their cards very well " with multiple offers, I do advise it for people who are shrewd...assertive...meticulous.

3. Internalise this : The only person who can help you in the international education field is yourself. Be true to what you want, what you can handle as a professional and go for it.

[quote="Fortesias"]To Higgsboson and those that accept multiple offers. I am very new to this and just accepted my first job. Don't you have to pay search fees though if you accept multiple jobs and then decline later? Or do you just apply own without search? I'm not judging, just confused because I thought the fee to pull out of the contract was very expensive.[/quote]

As a relatively " new " teacher in my early 30s with only 7 years experience, I have been very fortunate in finding " Tier 1 " schools by myself without the help of big fairs like SEARCH. In 7 years, I have 2 " Tier 1 " schools under my belt. I did attend a fair once while I was still in college, getting my certification, as I knew that upon graduation, I wanted to fly out and start right away. I got multiple offers ( 4 ) at that fair. I played my cards very well. In the end, I didn't take any of the offers bc I found my first " Tier 1 " school by myself.

However, I DO NOT advise you to " play your cards " well with multiple offers from fairs unless you have / are the following :
a) A good strategist
b) Personality : You have the right balance of confidence to hold your own
c) There is something particular about your experience or yourself that recruiters, heads and directors find unique and interesting

At this point, if I keep on going well with my experiences at these Tier 1 schools, my resume would speak for itself. However, I do see myself attending the Bangkok or London fair sooner or later....I'll give my new " Tier 1 " school several years and see from there.

Lieguy: Just a question in regards to your long, detailed post....

Do you know the difference between " their ", "they're " and " there "?

[quote="Walter"]This would be a perfect example of hubris:

"At worst I need to re-evaluate this tier 1 school, maybe its slipping."[/quote]

I just roll my eyes and laugh at whatever LieGuy writes on here. Like the Tier 1 school CARES if some unemployed, old educator ( with a very strong possibility of a mental disorder ) evaluate and determine their worth to the public.

I do not know anything about the school at all...but judging from the few sentences I read on the internet in regards to the school, it seems like a start up school in Iraq.

There are two factors here that would deter me from accepting the position :
a) It's a start up school.
b) It's in Iraq.

Now, as beautiful as Iraq is ( northern mountainous regions are breathtaking, the culture is ancient and steeped in rich cultural traditions, it has a dynamic / notorious history ).....it still has serious travel alerts that scream " Avoid all travel to Iraq ". In my 2nd year of international school teaching, I received an offer from Sudan. The package was amazing....however, after much thought, I asked myself the question, " Is my life / safety / personal happiness in a truly unsafe place, worth ( insert salary amount here )? "

Sometimes, it's not just about the monetary incentives / salary when it comes to choosing positions in largely dangerous places. You also have to think about the fact that you will be dealing with a lot of cultural factors in a start up school. The administration may or may not be experienced. Expect nepotism ( it's just part of culture ). Expect unrealistic, unethical demands from parents who are not used to the international education system ( e.g. changing of grades, lax attitude towards the behaviour of misbehaving male students etc ).

I had a couple of Heads / Directors mention to me during interviews that they particularly like to hire Canadian teachers due to the accountability that is placed upon our heads by the OCT. So the OCT is not just an organization for teachers - it is, first and foremost, accountable TO THE PUBLIC. If you want a body that handles the interests of teachers, we have the Ontario Teachers' Federation for that.

It may seem like a noose on our head to pay the membership that keeps teachers like us accountable, but I like it. It is a profession, after all, and it keeps us current and hopefully, aware of our practices in the classroom. I know that as an international school teacher for around 7 years ( I've been gone from Ontario for that long ), I still take my AQs, follow up on any PD that my current schools allow for...AND still think, as I teach, " Did I say this the right way in the right tone? Was that appropriate for me to state feedback on a student's work in that way? Would this decision of mine in correcting student behaviour be valuable / conducive / actually HELPFUL in the long run? "

These questions are not just part of the fact that I am an ethical, well-intentioned professional teacher...but also bc I really don't want to be in trouble by the OCT by doing my students and the profession, some sort of injustice.

ADMINISTRATION is another important factor that I forgot to include in there. Although we cannot personally choose who we want to work with, it's always good to study the administration INFRASTRUCTURE as a whole. If they are a big school ( e.g. 2000 + students ), do they have the proper following factors to make sure that things run smoothly :

* A clear chain of command ( no vague " job descriptions " or " roles " - In other words, I would like to know that the Head and the principal clearly have strong, fair leadership and " backroom dealings " are not orchestrated by the secretary or janitor simply due to nepotism )

* High degree of accountability for BOTH the teacher and the administration ( as seen on contracts and the infrastructure )

* Clear departmental roles and divisions of labour : Example, the HR is strictly HR and has nothing to do with influencing the " hiring " process other than processing visa / work permit papers. In other words, principals and Heads have had enough years and insight to hire good, competent teachers without having to be swayed by HR ( who usually fall under the non-academic administration but the proprietorship, if the school is FOR PROFIT ).

No problem, Portrait. Glad that I can help.

Anyway, in regards to another point or question you made on your original post about whether international education is on the decline due to global economic recession and such.

NO, THIS IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL : If anything, the international education sphere is the " face of modern 21st century education ". Think about it : In the 19th and 20th centuries, the education system was highly nationalistic due to global / historical realities of that time. There were wars ( times of poverty and uncertainty ), followed by surges of industrialisation that propelled countries to profit. Hence, at the time, the education systems in North America or Europe were all espousing the mantra of " Education for the nation ". But now, the reality is global mobility : Most of the highly educated are now globally mobile with business graduates looking abroad to work and develop economies like Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Hence, there is a growing need to DEVELOP and in fact, EVEN ENRICH the international education sphere ( Look at the Singapore example ). Around 10 - 20 years ago, no one would even look at Singapore as a hot spot for " education ". Now, in the 21st century, Singapore pops up as a " case study " for great educational systems and institutions ( especially the IB ).

Each international school is unique in its own way...but there is a general trend of the young, the highly educated, the new pioneers of the 21st century, moving and working abroad with their families in tow.

Certification, certification, certification : It's the same as a medical doctor's. No matter the breadth of experience or the praise, people are more likely to raise their eyebrows and question as to why that doctor does not have a license to practice. Would you trust a doctor without a license to practice? No, of course not. It's the same with teaching : I don't think that parents would willingly give their students to educators without licenses to teach....no matter how naturally brilliant one is, as a teacher.

So, to answer your question : Get your B.Ed first before getting a Masters ( M.Sc in Math ). I also have an M.Sc in Math which made me look " attractive " in the market, but ultimately, it was the B.Ed that landed me the job. Also, if you and your husband are sure about teaching as your lifelong profession, I would veer towards getting an M.Ed in the future ( in the area of numeracy development, in your case ).

1. THERE ARE STILL MANY JOBS OUT THERE : I think that many believe that December - January is the only window to get a job. Although most of the highly lucrative / wonderful positions are snatched up on December - January period, there are still many positions that pop up throughout the year. For instance, you have to bank on the following :

a) " Cold feet " : Some who obtain positions at fairs during December - January often get other offers, or are lured by other offers or get cold feet as the date approaches. In fact, my FIRST international post was in Tokyo - Japan at a really good schools ( not the top, but one of the most reputable ones in the city ) bc someone decided to bail by July. Class started 3 weeks after I arrived in August.

b) Turn over with old staff : Some older staff tend to leave at the last minute too due to multiple reasons ( e.g. better offer that popped up so " late " in the game, had to go back home due to unforeseen circumstances etc etc )

c) Enrollment increase : Some schools did not foresee a slight increase or reshifting in classes. Perhaps, new more teachers are needed.

So, don't lose hope. However, you're probably wondering, " But I want A WONDERFUL POSITION that is snatched up in December and January! ". Unfortunately, for the most part in the international education sphere, most young / new teachers start off at international schools that may be less reputable or not as globally renowned. This is NOT necessarily such a bad thing...for you get to learn the ropes and then shine at the better schools in the future. In other words, " Shine like the big star in the little pond...so that the big fish in the big pond will take notice of you ". After all, as a new teacher, you would NOT want to fail or make mistakes at the bigger, more globally renowned schools. By then, you should be able to hold your own with the others who have had more experience, years, accolades etc under their belts. I was an anomaly. I started at a really good school and worked very hard to get the respect and notice that landed me a prime position at the best international school in Tokyo. But then again, I got that position over 7 years ago bc someone got cold feet and I happened to be noticed amongst the pool of young candidates ( due to specific criteria that most heads and directors who interview me, constantly mention or are fascinated about ), eagerly waiting for that one chance.

2. JOB FAIR " OFFERS " : Don't take the sweet words of " You're in the running " or " You're one of our strongest candidates " of a recruiter at the fair. Basically, if you feel that the recruiter sounds like a salesman who is trying to lather up your ego with sweet words ( but no paper to back it up ) then you can be sure that you're not " one of the strongest candidates ". If you were, then they would offer you a Letter of Offer to secure the spot asap.

Sometimes, even the " Letter of Offer " at job fairs is not enough. You have to secure a date / time on when the formal contract would be sent or delivered. You also have to make sure that the letter of offer has your name on it. There are two copies ( with your name ) written on it by the recruiter as they offer you the position. One copy for you and one copy for the recruiter. If they can't even provide a copy for you or bother to write your name down on the " Letter of Offer ", then that just shows how " sought after " you are to them.

3. LEARN TO DETERMINE THE " FALSE PROMISES " OF HIRING :

a) The recruiter sounds like a salesman.

b) During the interview, if the recruiter is giving you ALL signs that seem to suggest they want to hire you, then be politely direct with the question, " Are you formally offering me the position? ". If the answer is vague, then they are still fishing around. A simple affirmative of " Yes, here is the Letter of Offer " should be enough.

c) Vague answer to this particular question : " Do I have the qualities that your school is looking for and would consider as a prime candidate ? "
This is a question that usually throws them off. If they can answer that question WITHOUT sounding like a salesman trying to charm you, then you know that they are serious about hiring you. Often, when recruiters have made up their minds that you're not the candidate for them or if they are still unsure, they will try to find roundabout answers to get out of any sort of commitment.

c) Body language says it all :
- Shifty glances. They can't look at you in the eyes.
- Their upper body is a bit away from you. Distanced.
- Questions have stopped at the " getting to know you " part. Usually, the questions start with " So, tell me a little bit about you as an educator and some of your experiences ". This is where they get to feel how you are as a person. If you are interesting and they seem to like you, then they will continue on with the ACADEMIC questions ( what you can do, challenges, strengths, accolades etc ).

Personal experience at being interviewed at one international school ( Horrible reviews here ) :

The minute I walked in, the interviewers looked at me with clear, discernible disdain....especially the male interviewer. I realised then that it might have something to do with my physical appearance for it was the only school in a specific region that looked / treated me in such a disdainful way. In fact, the man didn't even bother to look at my resume as he was interviewing me...asked me one question...and said, " We will get back to you ". I was actually glad bc I received 4 better offers at that one fair...I rejected them all in the end of course, when the offer in Tokyo came through in July.

ON " TIERS " : This is a huge debatable issue. There is no written / standard document to define international schools around the world in terms of " Tier 1, 2, 3 ". The " tiers " are largely constructed by random administrators and educators dispersed around the globe upon reading forum posts. However, most international educators are aware of the " better " schools or the " not-so-great " schools. For lack of standard definition, people rely on this " tier definition ".

For instance, as a teacher who has been working in the international education sphere for 7 years now ( and has been luckily offered positions from " Tier 1 " schools during the first 0 - 2 years of my teaching career ), I can state that these are the following criteria that I PERSONALLY consider during applications.

1. ESTABLISHED ACCREDITATION & HISTORY : How long has the school been established with its accreditation ( preferably IB )?

2. PACKAGE : If the school is in a highly sought-after location ( e.g. Northern Europe or Europe in general, Tokyo-Japan, Singapore ), I look at how great the package is. For the most part, " Tier 1 " international schools will offer wonderful packages even if the location is amazing. Most " Tier 2 " or " Tier 3 " schools tend to offer HIGHLY attractive packages to compensate for the horrible location. However, with " Tier 1 " schools, the package is JUST ONE of the perks as they know their established reputation and having their names on your resume is enough to get your resume attractive to many employers.
* In terms of package, I look at the following ( apart from the salary ) :
a) Health and medical
b) Housing
c) Professional Development
Most good schools are generous with their packages for they can afford it.

3. STAFF TURNOVER

4. GLOBAL REPUTATION : I search for news articles, videos in the news, contributions to charities, role in global projects etc. I then go to websites such as ISR to view the ratings, comments etc ( with a grain of salt ). In other words, if the school is going to put the word " international " in their school names, I want to find out if they are TRULY international ( i.e. globally active, contributing, aware ),

5. POPULATION MAKEUP OF THE SCHOOL : Is it truly "international" ? Or is it a school that has a high concentration of very rich, elite nationals? There is nothing wrong with educating nationals ( in fact, in places like Japan, you would find that the national students are much more well-behaved, dilligent and academic with lovely, respectful, highly supportive parents ). However, I look for highly international populations bc the children would be offering many different cultural aspects and diversity into the classroom. Many of these students would also be " global nomads " ( i.e. children of parents who are globally mobile due to business or politics ).

If the school hits upon those 4 major criteria, then in MY eyes, I would say that school is a " Tier 1 " school....

But remember, that is just MY opinion....and MY opinion alone. Hence, the problem with the " Tier " system.