Psyguy hasn't worked in Eastern Europe. File a few schools under the GOOD category. Even though you now have to pay local taxes, you can still save quite a bit (about 15 - 20K) and have a social life in Prague. Bucharest, Budapest, and Warsaw don't have local taxes and offer great packages. You can save up to 20K / year as a single if you don't go nuts with the traveling, keeping it restricted to breaks. I've heard many great things about savings in Moscow. Some people stay a long time, although it is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Find a local pub with cheap drinks and beautiful Russian girls. Don't go out "clubbing" for your entertainment.

1. Best overseas food- Indonesian seafood. (monster prawns, tuna steak)
2. Strangest overseas food- Lithuanian pig ears
3. Best beer/spirits- haven't been to Belgium yet, so Czech beer, Stary Pramen brewery.
4. Best festival/event- Fasnacht in Lucerne, Switzerland.
5. Best place you went for vacation while overseas- Komodo National Park to see the dragons and scuba dive.

I value the admin reviews on this site since they provide some small window into an administrator's past track record in dealing with staff. However, an effective leader doesn't have to be well-liked to be respected. On the flip side, I've seen admin. that have that "nice guy" quality outside of school, but are woefully inadequate when it comes to taking a stand in the boardroom, making difficult decisions, and keeping their word.

We all have to remember that most admin. live by the "cover my own ass" creed and aren't willing to rock the boat if it means sticking their neck out. This is why horrible leaders seem to have the proverbial nine lives. They never put any of their transgressions on record and certainly aren't risk takers when it comes to making needed change.

I think the biggest indicator of whether or not an administrator will be effective is their longevity in the classroom. Those with little teaching experience do not take into consideration how their decisions will influence life in the classroom.

I've been to three QSI schools in Eastern Europe. The facilities leave a lot to be desired, and all of the teachers I've talked to were teaching 5 or 6 different preps with many hours of after school activity supervision that was required. Granted, it did have a great atmosphere for families since they were all bonded in the fact that they were in some pretty far flung places. It's all relative. If you don't know what the top schools in a given area of the world are offering in the way of packages, then QSI may seem like a good deal. Like I said before, if you want to get your foot in the door of overseas teaching, then by all means, sign that QSI contract.

So what are the openings you've seen for librarians out there? I'm not on the job hunt this year so I don't have access to the database. But I do know that when there are librarian (i.e. media specialist) positions out there, there are not a lot of candidates to fill them. You will have a good shot at getting a job in a respected school. For a lot of places, it will really depend on your experience with technology.

Well, if the opening is off the website, then it's most likely been filled. You mentioned in a previous post about an opening in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Don't close yourself off to this place. The package is amazing and the culture is too. Yes it's one of the poorest places on Earth but some of the most enriching experiences in international teaching can be found in places like this.

She has the idea that none of the QSI schools are "Tier 1" because it is a FACT. Just because a school is in a desirable capital city does not make it Tier 1. The packages that QSI offers are woefully inadequate not to mention the idea that one must conform or pretend to conform to an upright Christian sensibility.

I would normally stay away from anything QSI, however if you just want to get your foot in the door, work in a great city for a couple of years (Ljubljana) and then move on to bigger and better things, then you could certainly do worse than living in Slovenia. I've heard some not so great things about working in Turkey, including that there is only one decent school down there and it's in Istanbul.

How many years experience do you have? And what position are you looking for? That would tell us a bit more about the options you have.

I could definitely see you in Korea or China. There are a lot of schools that are Tier 2 that would take you. Maybe Seoul Foreign School? Or Shekou International School? Could go to Rumaradee in Bangkok, too.

Teaching in Europe

- Hours 40 (although I arrive about 30 minutes early per day)

-Number of students: 75

- General disposition/ability of students: Depends on the year. I've had years where 80% want to come to school and are very enthused about learning and had a couple years where mediocrity was the norm.

- Hours prep/plan time per week: 10 hours per week (1 block on M and W, 2 blocks on T and R, 3 short blocks on F)

- Number of different classes (preps): 2

- Lunch: 45 min

- Pressure regarding expected student achievement: I don't feel this too much. But I work in MS where parents are happy if there kids are engaged in learning science.

- Teacher assistant/aide: Yes. This is a BIG help.

Yes, you can dream about having a life again! Working conditions at top tier schools are far better than those in the states.

@ KFSSBJJ . . . I AM very happy that I have a job, and one that I love. But because of the current conditions in the U.S., does that mean I should stop expecting my school to give me a nominal raise to keep up with the cost of living? I starting working overseas because it's so different from U.S. public schools. So stop comparing apples to oranges. And if you know a lot of people who would love to have that problem then tell them to register for the next job fair. The market is still excellent for getting a job overseas.

@msteachkids . . . Congrats! Good for you. Must be in China.

Checking in with all of you out there around the world and seeing how salary increases compare for next year. We received ZERO for next year. Pretty gloomy news and bound to have quite an adverse effect on staff morale. Does anybody else know about their contract increase for 2012-2013?

Now that my school asks teachers to declare their intentions for next year by December 5, I'm wondering what the date is for this at other schools around the world? Did the date keep moving back earlier and earlier every year because of the Bangkok job fair? And given that the Association of American Schools has their job fair on Dec. 1, could we see the declaration date backed up to November? Discuss.

I have also heard that life is pretty good over there. Had a couple friends relocate from a lower tier South American school to Saigon South and they can't say enough good things about it.