Bangkok Patana School

[fine dude]

What's wrong with this school? They expect teachers to fill in a lengthy online job application and they never respond. Is this sheer arrogance or callousness?

[durianfan]

I must have filled in that bloody application at least 3 times. And once you submit it, you can't go back and change it years later if you decide to re-apply. Salaries and packages have gone down in recent years but it still has a good reputation. They were not at the Search job fairs this year for some reason. A friend of mine interviewed with them a few years back and took a tour of the school. They offered her a job but she turned them down, citing "they're too British" as an excuse (She was from Scotland, btw).

There are other threads about this school - do a search.

[buffalofan]

Same exact situation when applying to ISB (Bangkok). I applied in November. Long, detailed form to fill out with a couple of questions requiring a few paragraphs in response. Didn't hear a thing. I suppose the top tier schools like Patana and ISB can afford to be a little arrogant.

[durianfan]

I interviewed with ISB at the fair right after sign-up. I think they hire mainly from the fairs (unless you're a real superstar candidate with loads of xp) and if there's any positions left afterwards, they go to their bank of applications.

[SAS]

A friend that has been teaching overseas for years thinks that the online app, specifically the "essay" on your cognitive teaching is what they use to decide between two candidates when they are tied.

[PsyGuy]

Their are three reasons:
1) They like to have a very in depth applicant pool, and the cheapestw ay of getting that data into a database is having you enter it.
2) Its a gatekeeper mechanism, their rational is that if your not willing to apply on the application every year then you really dont want to work for them, and they then really dont need to talk to you.
3) Tradition, British schools are usually run by British admins and in their public education system long and lengthy applications are the norm, thats what they did, thats what everyone else should do.

[fine dude]

@PsyGuy
With their average pay pegged at 44K US (before taxes) a year, I'm not sure if I'd call this an elite school in BKK. With so many better-paying schools in S.E. Asia, how many experienced IB teachers would really complete such a lengthy online application every year? May be they had a glorious past, but I don't think they are the best of the lot in the region.

They should at least have the courtesy to send an automated response to applicants who spend about three hours completing that friggin online application.

[PsyGuy]

You would be wrong, first compensation package isnt the sole critera and factor in describing an elite IS. That said, this would be 1,310,324 a year in salary or 109K Baht a month (annualized), add housing, and all the other standard perks and this is right up there with ISB, and given the cost of living thats a VERY good salary and congruent with elite status for ISs in the region. There are very few better paying schools in Thailand (ISb and Harrow gets close).

Patana is considered by census the top/elite British school and tied (with ISB) for elite IS, including by experienced IB teachers (myself included).

Being "too British" is an accurate observation, however that very claim is exactly what a number of UK and other EU clients (parents) are looking for.

[MHunt]

Deleted

[Yantantether]

Love or loathe them,would have to agree with PsyG in respect of Patana being right up there (maybe in more ways than one!) at the top of BKK schools still.

[fine dude]

Looked up on wikipedia and their most famous alumni are thai actors, singers , and VJs. Public schools in Thailand have better alumni to boast about. So much for being an elite school!

[Yantantether]

Well, now you can save yourself all that hard work spending a few hours filling out their application forms. Everyone's a winner!

[pacificsurf619]

and International School Bangkok had Timothy F. Geithner and you can see how well that worked out for most US tax payers

I think I would rather take the soap actors

[PsyGuy]

@fine dude

Schools are interested in citing alumni that are going to be recognizable to the largest segment of the population. In the vast number of cases that recognition is going to come from media personalities, major C level corporate executives (Bill Gates) or high level political members (Kate Middleton). An inferior court judge on the bench in Singapore, or the assistant vice deputy mayor of Sichuan Province in China isnt going to resonate or be identifiable with very many people.

Patana is still tied for top IS in the region and "IS" the top British school in the region, despite your opinion. You wasted three hours of your time, now get your ego in check, and get over it, they blew you off. Its time to move on.

[fine dude]

@PsyGuy
Seems like you overdosed on nasty pills as you always do! I was just stating facts and it has never been about my ego. FYI, Got better offers than Patana (definitely not the imaginary Tier 1 school in Kyoto that you worked at). You seem to act like a punk who knows everything about IT when you hardly do. Oh wait, did you say that you have a vast network of teacher-friends, admin spread across the globe? And you share notes with these imaginary sources and then enlighten us here with your crap. Gimme a break!