It would put me off a bit, and unless the candidate was very strong or in a high-need area, I would be likely to move the application towards the bottom of the pile.

As professionals, typos and other correctable mistakes should be looked for before hitting that "send" button. This is of course simply my opinion, and I have certainly had my share of mistakes too. Chalk it up to experience and move forward. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Most letters of reference that you (the job applicant) provide will be of the same variety - good teacher, sorry to lose them, excellent candidate. I usually ignore these. What I look for is the confidential reference list along with contact info so I can call or email directly and get more pertinent information.

Three references with contact information is generally enough for me to get a clear picture of a candidate.

In terms of contacting schools without having letters of reference in your possession: if you have your file with Search and it is active, by all means contact the school and let them know you are signed up with Search where they can find your references - provided that the school is registered with Search as well and has this access. If you are registered you can search the database and find out if the school is registered. If they are, they can access your file.

In-demand areas are typically your higher level maths and sciences. Easy to fill positions (Elementary, Physical Education, English/Language Arts) provide recruiters the opportunity to focus on the hard-to-fill openings first, so often those in the other areas don't get contracts at the early fairs. Physics and Calculus teachers get snapped up (usually) in Jan and early Feb.

Just wondering what the final disposition of this dilemma was?

Thanks for the feedback!

some very good ones here - thanks for the feedback.

When considering an offer, of course salary, health insurance, flights, housing, dependent tuition are important, but I'm curious to know what "extra benefits" would one find in a Tier 1 contract package - or any package for that matter?

The last reply was a year ago. Are things still the same there? Can anyone elaborate on the school climate, pay/benefits package, etc.?

Just wondering if any of you have ideas of where the majority of decent jobs will be in the next 2-3 years? While China has always been a safe bet, I've been here for almost 10 years and am looking for a new "adventure." Thoughts/predictions/ideas?

excellent topic, as I am in the same position and having the same questions. thanks for all of the responses. I am curious to know why staying 4 years or more in a position would cause people to be skeptical of one's ambition - is the ladder that short that I should look to move from jr. admin to sr. admin to head of school in ten years or less? or from jr. admin to head of school in less than 5 years? would love to hear from more people about this...

Posted this on the wrong thread previously:

You can get Shenzhen information here:

www.shenzhenstuff.com
www.shenzhenparty.com

Cheers!

Like Overhere, I too am a graduate of QSI and can say that there is life after. You have to make yourself marketable and present yourself well. Keep in mind that when leaving QSI, if all you have are the years of experience there with no other skills (IB or AP experience for example), and your field is not in heavy demand (i.e. Physics), then you probably won't be moving straight from QSI to a top tier school. You'll have to move up the ranks slowly, gaining additional experience and adding to your resume. My best advice: don't give up and don't sell yourself short!

QSI Shekou has always had a high turnover rate. On the plus side, Britt Brantley (current director) is leaving this year, so stay positive! QSI allows teachers who have worked in their system for two years to transfer to any other QSI school in their system (over 30 schools), so people put in their time in Shekou and then transfer to greener pastures...Europe mostly.

QSI is a great starting point for teachers...pay isn't the top, but it's not bad. Shekou is expensive by China standards...and most people who work their don't leave expat enclave that is Shekou. Western Restaurants, decent shopping...50 minute ferry ride to Hong Kong, many people look at this as a plus.

Do your homework on QSI before your interview...and also keep in mind that there are plenty of worse places to work as well.

I would be willing to forego any insurance, as the cost of most medical procedures outside of the West are pretty darn cheap...but the airfare...no way! That part of the contract is a must in my opinion. I agree with Overhere in that the cost of flights flucuates too much to not have a guaranteed flight allowance for all family members.

I know that the Dulwich College campuses in Shanghai and Beijing are both members of ACAMIS, which gives them immediate prestige in my book. Not sure if the Suzhou campus will follow suit. I believe that the DC group is trying to do things right. Sorry I can't provide more information.