Thames Pirate wrote:
> Anyone can give you numbers, but the trick is what that means in
> reality--and it will vary by school or even within departments. At our
> school, the schedule was weird. It worked out that math teachers taught
> all different preps, often teaching 5 different courses. Meanwhile there
> were teachers who, in that same number of periods, were teaching three
> sections of one or two DP courses. And how does one compare PE, with its
> equipment and space management and such, with the marking required in
> English? If your department is one without fixed classrooms, it can be far
> more stressful than working out of your own room. And do homeroom or
> seminar or pastoral classes or times count?
>
> So yes, we could give a number (at our school it's 23-26/40 periods), but I
> am not sure how meaningful that is.

Indeed.

The only truly relevant numbers for me are:
- how many hours a week do you spend teaching?
- how many preps do you have?
- how many hours a week do you spend on meetings, and other non-optional non-teaching school activities? (a not-so-very Christian friend of mine had to attend daily 30 minute prayer assemblies at his very Christian school)

And preferably comparing those numbers for teachers teaching the same subject - as you say, the English teacher at my school spends a lot more time grading for example, and the PE teacher will sometimes accompany students to games on weekends.

I also once asked someone at a school how long they spend prepping & grading, but of course a more experienced teacher will need less time for that, so the number of preps is more useful.

falconeer wrote:
> In your experience, do you notice a difference between male and female
> admin in terms of their management styles?

Not really.
Could be because of the sample size though.

Heliotrope wrote:
> There are still a good number of tier 1 schools that will offer free
> tuition for both kids, and they tend to be high quality schools.

I had a look at the school profiles of the tier 1 and upper tier 2 schools on Search, and 83% states that they will accept two children for a couple only one of whom teaches, which is more than I expected.
The percentage of tier 1 schools that will accept two children was only slightly higher than the upper tier 2 schools btw.

Sadly that doesn't mean they won't prefer a single teacher without kids if it's between you and them and the school likes you both equally though, but plenty of these upper tier schools will hire you if they like you better, although that will sometimes depend on how many other teachers with more than one dependant they already hired that cycle.
Still, with 83% of schools willing to give a teacher with a trailing spouse two spots for their kids if the teacher is a good fit, I would definitely try and find a school that does.

There are still a good number of tier 1 schools that will offer free tuition for both kids, and they tend to be high quality schools.
However, if they only pay for one spot and the tuition is high, chances are good that your salary will be high as well. The schools with low tuitions will pay their teachers less as well. Not sure of the difference in pay will completely make up for the difference in tuition in some schools, but as @PsyGuy said, the coin has got to come from somewhere, and higher tuition will pay for higher teacher salaries (and a whole bunch of other stuff).

PsyGuy wrote:
> Do you specifically need the UK?
>
> In the EU tourists can access emergency health care (casting a broken bone,
> suturing a wound, etc.) free of charge


Not free of charge in all EU countries, although still at a reduced cost.

If you break your arm and you're near the border it might be worthwhile crossing over from a country that offers emergency care at a reduced rate to a country that offers it for free.

Also (although things might have changed), it used to be that that reduced-fee of free emergency care was only for citizens from other EU member states, and since sadly the Great Britain is no longer part of the EU, it might not apply to tourists from the UK, unless they have negotiated a reciprocal agreement (not unlikely).

Anyway, don't base your decision about this on what two international teachers say replying to a post on a forum - get some confirmation from a reputable source.

For insurance, a friend of mine uses Safety Wing (https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance). For a family of 4 that would cost 240 USD per 4 weeks if the parents are under 40, and 50 USD more if you're both over 40. That's with a $250 deductible and a $250,000 max limit, and I'm not sure what it covers exactly, so do your research.

popgirl wrote:
> I'm finding it hard as there seems to be very little integrity in certain
> members of my admin. Decision making is opaque, and there are frequent
> frantic searches for fall people to take the blame for mistakes. Decisions
> are made behind the back of faculty, denied, and when the consequences are
> clear for all to see, the gaslighting starts. Cliques are made, decisions
> are made behind closed doors in those cliques, and then badly communicated
> to the rest of the faculty, if at all. When decisions are not carried out -
> often as most faculty concerned don't know they've been made - then the
> blame game and name calling starts. Believe it or not, this is in a 'top'
> or even 'elite' tier school. I've worked with some really good admin in the
> past, so I know it doesn't have to be like this. I'm tired, annoyed /
> irritated by the lack of professionalism, and on the verge of writing a
> review on the paid side. All that's stopping me so far is that I'd like to
> move on and I'll need references.
>
> Any advice, beyond 'keep your mouth shut and move on'?

Definitely write that review, just write it in such a way that it can't be traced back to you.
I'd say around 80% of all reviews can't be traced to an individual teacher by a school's admin, and the ones that can be traced mentioned certain details (number of years at a school combined with something else that's distinctive, like certain incidents that they were involved in) or a specific writing style (I once read a review about my school in which the reviewer used the same archaic word a couple of times that I've only ever heard one person use - one of my colleagues).
Also, don't mention in the review that you're leaving at the end of the year (rather say you're staying despite all the things that are wrong with the school), because that might also tip them off. Maybe put it some irrelevant fake details about yourself (but also don't describe other teachers) to throw them off your scent.
Be aware of that and you'll be fine. You don't have to be a paid member to write a review btw.

It doesn't sound like you can do much about the problems you're describing, so sadly I'd recommend to indeed 'keep your mouth shut and move on', as I doubt a mindfulness course will enable you to stop you from getting 'tired, annoyed / irritated by the lack of professionalism'.

lightstays wrote:
> It has opened the doors for you to experience a number of curricula, not
> curriculums.

No, @Spawnboy99 was correct using 'curriculums', and so are you.
From Merriam-Webster:

'curriculum' <noun>
cur·​ric·​u·​lum kə-ˈri-kyə-ləm
plural: 'curricula', also 'curriculums'

"As is the case with many nouns borrowed directly from Latin, there is often some confusion as to the proper way to form its plural. Both 'curricula' and 'curriculums' are considered correct."

I disagree with everything in your reply, but you're certainly entitled to your opinion.

Not sure why it's so difficult for you to accept that well-informed teachers would genuinely like IB, and prefer it to the alternatives.

I know a number of teachers who taught the same two curriculums. Some preferred one, others preferred the other.
We all have our individual preferences, and we can think differently about what exactly makes a curriculum good or bad. You obviously don't prefer IB, and that's fine too of course. But well-informed and experienced teachers can certainly prefer the IB without being a cheerleader, or without any Kool-Aid involved.

Coimbra wrote:
> @Heliotrope
> It is no longer on the list because of the taxations of benefits and the
> weakened yen. I love Tokyo and the school seems truly excellent but
> unfortunately I have financial obligations that I need to meet and that
> wouldn't be possible there.

I understand, that weakened yen is a bummer for many teachers currently in Japan, especially whose with US mortgages or university tuition bills for their kids.
I doubt the school will get a lot fewer applications though.

@secondplace
Just a heads up:

When it suits him, @PsyGuy pretends not to detect sarcasm, so he will likely accept your 'apology' and thank you for 'agreeing' with him.

And he might also pretend to think that you meant 'mentalist' as 'being a magician who performs feats that apparently demonstrate extraordinary mental powers', instead of the 'British derogatory slang used to call a person insane, referring to a diminished state of cognition'.

It's the easy way out for him.

> Now that a certain American school in Japan is no longer on the current list of my
> top 10 dream schools

Just out of curiosity: why did you drop that American school in Japan from your list?

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Heliotrope
>
> Its also what a IBO cheerleading cultist would say.

So then they're either a IB cheerleader OR a well-informed teacher familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of IB and who has reached the conclusion that he likes IB better than the alternatives (or both), since they would both say the same.

And with regards to needing the IB experience needed for the visa: even if there isn't a rule that explicitly mentions IB (there might be, there might not be), if you still need the IB experience to get the work permit for that country, then the supposed fact that IB isn't explicitly mentioned is irrelevant if you can't get the permit without the IB experience.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Its closer to about half than 80% of tier 1 ISs that have a DIP program.
> Its a higher proportion of 2nd tier ISs, but the second tier is I wrote
> previously has a higher concentration of IB ISs. @Coimbra is probably
> thinking the first tier is bigger than it is with misidentifying 2nd tier
> ISs as 2st tier ISs.
> DIP experience is still more marketable than MYP experience regardless of
> the IS. MYP isnt harder to do well, simply because doing MYP well is harder
> to determine and define. With the exception of a few founding IBWSs doing
> MYP well isnt a high priority, as MYP in of itself is underwhelming
> compared to DIP.

It's actually 91% of tier 1 schools that offer DP, going by what most people (and not just one individual) list as tier 1 schools.

We've discussed many times what makes a tier 1 a tier 1, but most teachers will say that a tier 1 is designated as such if most teachers agree it is. There are certainly no OFFICIAL criteria for tier 1s, there's merely a sizeable overlap of preferences (a good savings potential being at the top of most teachers' list of criteria) and tier 1 designations, which is what the tier 1-list I made is based on.

But I'm happy to call it 80%, which is pretty close to what I personally believe (just like PsyGuy, my personal tier 1 list is shorter than the one I've made based on what most teachers say are tier 1 schools).

MYP is offered by less than half of the tier 1 schools: 41%.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Philzim
> Thats exactly what a cult cheerleader would write.

It's also what a well-informed teacher, familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of IB, who has reached the conclusion that he likes IB better than the alternatives, would say.