[quote="interteach"]

School counselors overseas work with usually a larger amount of problem-focused emotional/behavioral issues than their counterparts in host countries due to language issues and lack of providers. In many countries, issues that may be referred out in a home country environment are handled in house due to lack of community resources as long as the counselor knows the issue does not go beyond their ability.

The counselors at our school say they prefer working overseas since they get to do more actual counseling than they would get to do in the US but they hate it when they come up against a serious issue they can't handle and can't refer out with much hope of success.

Any international school that asks counselors to manage students is a substandard school. No wonder that's PsyGuy's view of the job.[/quote]

@interteach

Thank you. I don't think I've ever had to deal w/ student management (scheduling, discipline, etc.) in my current post (principals and vices) take the lead with that. I think I am very lucky for that. You just nailed what many of us are fortunate enough to take on right on the head. I am grateful for the experience working at a therapeutic program before - it definitely makes my job a whole hell of a lot easier now. It helps me and the staff recognize what's a "problem" and a "PROBLEM".

@PsyGuy

It all depends on what your school needs. In my school I am doing twice weekly sessions or weekly individual on top of guidance/advisory lessons, etc and the occasional one and done spot check. We are in a place where we cannot refer out for services during the school year - there are no reliable outside services for testing/therapy. We usually advise kids go home in the summer or holidays for testing, etc. then we work based on the advice of those professionals who send assessments back.

The most extreme cases are definite immediate referrals out, but those are few and far between. I am also fully aware that this situation is due to our location. I [i]know[/i] it would not be this extensive in another school setting that has access to referral resources. My caseload of these kids who get the individual work is definitely not as big as what I would've had back home, but if you put it on top of everything else the job entails...I feel like I should be wearing a rocket pack all day. :)

I echo most of everyone's statements though I'd be hesitant to downplay the mental health aspect of the job - depending on what position you choose get. I work in K-12 and handle the social/emotional support while our college counselor deals with the apps and SATs, etc. As a licensed social worker, I came from a mental health background before moving overseas. Though I consider the individual sessions I do now as "therapy light", the background knowledge of mental health has been exceedingly useful in developing classroom guidance lessons on social emotional learning and helping interpret psychological reports, etc. when submitting my portion of the IEPs. It has also been helpful in helping admin/teachers determine what situations need to be referred out right away and are beyond our scope of being able to help students. It all depends on the needs of the school and which division you end up working in.

Based on both of your credentials - go to Bangkok or London. Your experience (IB or not) will get you both noticed. Good IB schools offer IB training either in-house or abroad if that's what you're looking for. The need for EAL/ELL teachers with international school experience is growing.

For my 2 last major trips I've booked directly on KoreanAir and found that their prices were actually lower than what I saw on Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. However for Turkish, I've booked on Orbitz because their site was unreliable. I guess it depends on the airline's site.

Since you are traveling w/ kids plus would need generous baggage, I'd go with Singapore/Cathay/Korean or Asiana. Great service and great Changgi and Incheon are great layover airports!

I work in one of the 'Stans and it is quite honestly the safest place I've ever lived and the people are very friendly. Though the newspaper stories about the leader and his (in)famous daughter can be quite a turn-off and the politics always immensely entertaining. The post-Soviet 'Stans are quite fascinating...as long as you understand what comes with living in a post-Soviet 'Stan.

I attend the Cambridge fair in 2011. There was a pretty nasty noreaster and in general the East Coast was experiencing one of its worst winters. The Search folks handled this just fine (they had a contingency plan) and it seemed like most recruiters/candidates made it in without a hitch. I'm hopeful that the weather won't affect this year's Cambridge attendees too badly. Good luck!

I recall there being a Kinko's in or near Harvard Square which is accessible to the hotel via the free shuttle. I did not have to use it, but if you're in a jam at least you know it's there. I would definitely try to come w/ all this stuff already prepared to go. Things happen so fast at the fair - you don't want to have to worry about this tiny detail.

I am in one of the 'Stans and used their national carrier. The adventure of checking into that long line w/ my stuff, dog in the large crate, and the locals was quite funny. In the end, my dog lived so no complaints.

I didn't use a service, but their sites were quite helpful with what to do.

Turkish Air was very vague with their pet policy when I was booking tickets - so I chose not to use them. I heard Korean and Asiana are good with pets if you end up with a job in Asia. My bf's family flew w/ four cats to the Philippines on Philippine Airlines (all 4 in the baggage hold) and they were also ok.

I suppose it depends on where you are going. I took my dog from Brooklyn and the challenge for us wasn't the country restrictions, but finding an airline that would do it in the summer AND without too long of a layover.

For my current job, the plane trip was fine (I paid $300 excess luggage fee) and I had all my documents in order and our General Service Officer did all the translating for me w/ the port veterinarian upon arrival.

The key is to start getting the documentation ready as soon as you know where you are moving. Remember, you can't get the APHIS paperwork more than 10 days before departure. I sent mine w/ a self-addressed stamped overnight envelope and I got it back in time.

I have a couple of friends/friends of friends who are Filipino-Canadian or FilAm (like me) who've applied/working at Brent and ISM. Their appearance and the fact that they have Filipino roots was not a hindrance nor was it an issue in terms of getting an FTRO (foreign teacher recruited overseas) contract. Am sure it gets a little political with the local teachers - but I've not heard them talk about this specifically.

With that aside, targeting one school is tricky. I've been through that dance before during my first fair experience and thankfully I took the posts on here and my associate's advice to heart and applied to other schools. Got a gig at a place that was not on my initial list/map, but wound up being a pretty good jumping off point since it's all IB, good reputation, etc.

[quote="NYCteacher"]Thanks again for the insights. It really is helpful.

This information is actually making me rethink applying to the IS circuit though. While I came into (special) education not really knowing what to expect, I've discovered that what I find the most satisfying about the job is the social justice component, meaning that I get to help provide equal education opportunities for populations that are historically under serviced. I honestly don't know if I could tolerate working in an environment of privilege. They can always find someone else to pay to educate their kids right?

I understand that private schools have a business to run; and it just kind of reinforces why I think schooling should be public (not that the US system is working out so swell right now, but functional education systems are possible). Education was meant to improve society as a whole, not just benefit private citizens. I thing being taught among heterogeneous peers (in all senses of the word) is vital to becoming a productive and empathetic citizen. In college, it always amazed me how, as a white person growing up in the rural South, I had more genuine race and class interactions than white people in diverse cities like New York. (Why? I had a public education and they went to privileged private schools.)

Anyway, I'm just going on a rant now. I really do appreciate the information everyone. I guess I need to find another ticket to getting a visa overseas.[/quote]

As one who has been "in the trenches" in NYC - as a social worker for several years at one of the major non-profits at that - I find this statement judgmental and unfair especially from an outsider. I, too, wrestled with this for a very long time and dealt with plenty of guilt for leaving "my babies" when I decided to move. But there came a point in time when I knew it is simply what I had to do for myself.

Yes some of our kids at my current school are privileged and yes our schools overseas are established to benefit the children of diplomats, NGO workers, the military etc. These kids don't have a choice in what their parents choose to do and where they live - don't judge them for that. We also accept scholarship students from the local community and most of them receive 100% scholarships to go to university in the US/Europe/Canada.

1) somebody's got to educate them and they have needs too. You'd be surprised how many students - local and international - are marginalized in international schools because they have "issues" or learning difficulties. I have learned that kids - whether rich or poor - need help and sometimes life is tough being a kid no matter where you are or how much money your parents make.

2) I resent the notion that international schools (I'm talking about the really good ones because there are bad ones, just like in the public system) are just gleaming institutions of white privilege that do nothing to benefit society as a whole or the locality they're in. Take the time to read the statements of the good schools (there's plenty of them) and see the global social justice actions many of them authentically participate in. I know mine does - in spite of the oppressive government - and I am very proud of that. I also feel like, coming from where I'm from, I am able to provide a different perspective - and most often the students are highly receptive.

3) As much as I loved New York and working with the communities there, I was sick and tired of being poor in New York. As an employee for a non-profit, I did not have the luxury/benefits as many of my friends who work within the district. It definitely doesn't seem like it - but you do have nice perks like summer vacation, school holidays, and extra $ for summer school. For many of us (including my friends who came from the Deep South), this was our opportunity to travel and expand our own horizons. And as a self-identified proud woman of color who is in the privileged position to have a graduate degree - why not take advantage of the opportunity to go somewhere else on someone else's dime?

I find it quite noble to want to stay and be part of the solution in the United States - I have many friends who have done just that. But please don't judge those of us - or the good schools many of us work for - for choosing to take our talent/skills elsewhere. We still put in the extra time/hours and chase kids around to get them to to their best often thanklessly just like everybody else.

Rant over.

PsyGuy nailed the description of Student Support services you will see at many international schools. At my current school it is push in/pull out. LS and counselor work quite closely together and form the Student Support Team w/ the admin. We meet 2x a month for Elementary and 2x a month for the secondary. This also of course depends on the amount of referrals we get.

Paperwork is very easy. The importance is documentation - which is vital for students in the IB programmes and require accommodations when writing their IB exams. You do not have to go thru all the crazy 12 page IEP stuff that I know NYC requires. Nor do you need functional behavioral assessments and other bureaucratic stuff that get in the way (in my opinion). Our IEP is only about 3-4 pages MAX. We all keep session notes and document all meetings. If needed, we document observations in the class or out in the playground.

The most challenging part of learning support/SPED overseas is location. Often times we have to wait for testing to be completed in a students' home country because there's no way to get it done here. I know that in NYC there was an in-house school psych or a district person that can do the testing. Some schools will have a school psych - but sometimes the students need to be tested in their mother tongue. The variations and quality of tests are wide which can be frustrating because then it's really out of our hands.

As a counselor who moved from NYC (Brooklyn) 2 years ago - DO IT! Getting yourself certified in the other subject areas will make you all the more desirable - particularly Maths and Science. If you apply for Learning Support (SPED) - I work closely with Learning Support in my position and I can tell you right now - it is really starting to open up at international schools across the board. But don't expect it to be anything like the issues in the States or NY (god those IEPs in NYC Public were HORRIBLE). Depending on where you end up - there are cities with resources and there's places that don't have outside resources so we make our own.