I think so. It is the Nord Anglia one ...

Does anyone have any up to date information on this school? There is an interesting role advertised at the moment but I can't find much about it...also there seem to be a few St Andrews' schools in a Thailand - quite confusing!

Congratulations!! All the best for your new post. Hope to be in your position soon on e a suitable post is advertised!!

Thank you...really useful information and I will study the lingo in depth! Interesting (and slightly off putting) to hear about the level of paperwork.

I have a feeling I may be more employable in a school that teaches the curriculum of my training and experience, but won't give up investigating IB.

Any more thoughts on the IB, IPC etc.. programs greatly appreciated. Keep 'em coming, please. Especially comments on MYP as this is what my children would be going in to.

Looking at the website it really seems to be an American school in Thailand - how international is the curriculum really?

Also, I know you can't really judge the quality of the educational experience from the presentation of the website, but it does seem quite dated and basic for such an apparently prestigious school...

Would be great to hear from current teachers...and not just about the pay/benefits... No high salary is worth working in a place where staff are not treated well or don't enjoy their work.

There don't seem to be any recent reviews on ISR - does anyone have any current feedback on this school?

Thanks...actually sounds very similar to our current curriculum (which also is guided by a skills-based approach - slight dichotomy, I know!) but I know when we didn't choose the PYP it was because some felt the topics were a little too prescriptive. It was so long ago I cannot remember the details of the program and I am sure it has developed since then also.

My subject is music and tbh many primary school schemes seem to focus more on other aspects of learning....would love to know if that is not the case with PYP and MYP.

Educate me IB educators, please!!

Hi,

I have never taught these programs (our school briefly investigated them when reassessing our curriculum but decided against).

Now I want to teach in an international school, I have been advised to find out a little more about them. I am a specialist teacher in my current primary school, and wonder just how well the topics incorporate specialist staff. I have been told my subject is rather in demand, so am hoping lack of experience in this particular curriculum won't count against me.

Basically, any feedback on the strengths of the program (and issues) would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

No doubt your determination will pay off then if you have good experience, references, and present yourself properly in applications and interviews.
Honestly, job fairs are not the 'be all and end all' of finding work abroad, ISR is here to give you an idea of what it is like to work somewhere and when you are offered a post, you get details of salary then - most schools have been pretty up front with me at interview stage about what my trailing spouse would do and if not working, what realistic expectation We have of living a decent lifestyle on my salary alone. Search saves time in finding out the information and gives it to you up front before applying to help you sort out what may or may not be worthwhile, but it is certainly not the only way of getting the information you need.
Be prepared to spend A LOT of time preparing how you present yourself and your teaching experience (there are some great tips from another poster above) and then A LOT of time searching out suitable jobs and writing the applications. If you really want to teach abroad this is how to do it (and you can also try and network with colleagues who have taught at international schools for tips and contacts).
You'll get there!!

Good schools will always want good teachers. No doubt there is a school that will snap you up when you send in your direct application. Perhaps well qualified candidates who have demonstrated the resourcefulness of seeking out the post and providing a tailor-made application letter might even be more attractive than someone from an agency!

Looking forward to hearing about your imminent job offer!!

Have been fortunate to receive offers from 3/4 of schools to which I applied directly and have never used a recruitment agent.

And the idea of my other half becoming a teacher would probably make me less marketable as he is so appallingly unsuited to teaching!!

I get that schools want to save on the housing/relocation and dependent school fees by employing teaching couples, but I would have thought that, logically, it is more likely to find a school that wants one specialty rather than having two vacant positions that happen to fit your exact qualifications as a couple...perhaps this is the case in schools with a higher turnover of staff? And I'm not a maths teacher, so my calculations as to probability are probably misguided!!

Also, what happens when one half of the teaching couple is a better teacher than the other??!

It sounds like you are in the US. In Britain, there are many educational job websites and schools advertise directly on those. I can't imagine there are not similar sorts of things available in a huge country like America.

Alternatively the schools' own websites list employment vacancies when they arise and on many of the bigger (better?) schools' websites you can sign up for job alerts. Nord Anglia offer a job alert service as do some of the other group providers.

It takes little more than Google searching to uncover all sorts of job opportunities abroad!

I do not understand the obsession with using Search or any other recruitment agent. I have a non-teaching spouse and 2 dependent children, so according to Search I am virtually unemployable. However, I have been offered 3/4 of the international postings at reputable schools for which I applied. I applied directly to the schools and have never used a recruitment agency. I was also pretty picky about the applications I made, realising that this is the school my children will have to attend for the duration of my contract! I do have a specialist subject so didn't bother applying to schools which didn't appeal or for whom I didn't quite fit their advertised criteria.

It takes a lot of time and research, but there are excellent jobs advertised outside of the agencies and job fairs (I can't comment on how this compares to a job fair as I've never attended one).

My advice to the OP is not to give up, but be prepared to do a lot of online research and fill out a lot of forms in order to achieve your goal of working abroad. The first consideration for me is what would best suit our children, so as a result I am now waiting until next academic year as this fits in best with the kids' current stage of education. Very frustrating to turn down great offers because the timing is not quite right for your family, but that is the sacrifice you need to make!

You may find that a school in Europe will not be financially viable anyway as it is rare for accommodation to be included in the package, let alone full fee remission for dependent children and tax rates can be high in many parts of the continent.

I suppose great schools will always be looking for great teachers, so you have nothing to lose by applying.

Out of interest, which school are you currently at? Will be looking for August 2015 myself....!!

Was offered a post there some time ago and was told in no uncertain terms that the pay would not support the family (non teaching spouse and two children) so probably fine for single or teaching couples but not someone with too many dependants.