The International Schools Review Forum

Hello. We are thinking about applying to qsi and wondering if those who have taught or are teaching there can tell us when you have to let your admin know if you are returning or hoping to transfer, as we would like to apply when the largest number of positions are open to have some possibility of location choice.
Thanks!

Also, if any of you have opinions or advice on the relative levels of pollution of QSI locations in the 'Stans and China, that would be really helpful as we have little kids and that is on our list of things that are important to check out.

QSI will ask you about your initial thoughts about returning or transferring in Oct. Then you need to decide by Dec. They do the transfers of the current qsi teachers first before starting to recruit. They do most of the recruiting when everyone else does...Jan-March.

Many 1st time teachers get assigned to the stans or the rural china schools for their first placements. The premium schools are saved as rewards for teachers that renew and continue with QSI.

QSI recruits the same time as other ISs, starting in late November, and the fairs in January.

Applying early to QSI won't really be helpful. First they arrange all of the transfers. From there, they start recruiting new teachers.

You're not going to get much location choice to begin with. You will likely be offered Kazakhstan, as those schools always have high turnovers. No one wants to stay in Kazakhstan. You might be offered China, but these days, many teachers leave Kazakhstan for China, so...

ETA: There are no QSI schools in rural China, by the way. There are other cities besides Beijing and Shanghai. Not being in those two cities does not mean you're in the sticks.

To clarify "rural" isnt the best term, QSI doesnt have schools in rice/farming villages. Locations like Chengdu, Chongqing, Dongguan, etc are nothing remotely close to being anything cosmopolitan and metropolitan to locations such as Bej, Sha, GZ, HK. In comparison those locations I consider rural.

... you've never even been to those cities, have you?

Chengdu and Chongqing are "rural" in the way that Chicago or Phoenix are rural, simply because they're not NYC or Los Angeles. It would be great if Chongqing or Chengdu were like "rice farming villages." Then perhaps they wouldn't be so filthy and polluted, what with them being enormous cities and all.

I lived in China for 15 years and visited all of those places even living in a couple and I would side with Psyguy on this. There is a huge gap between tier 1 cities like Sh and BJ and Gz (though GZ has a different vibe being that it's closer to HK) and The others. Chengdu has a lot of back packers. But you can't really make friends with them. In second tier cities, the expats are generally ESL teachers so social life is a little stunted. It's really just a difference in sophistication in your living standard, if that makes any sense. In SH my kids still get stared at, in Dongguan it's amplified.

@sevarem

Yes i have been to those places, and while i've never been to Arizona, i would never compare any of those places to Chicago. Population and construction do not make a location and its culture cosmopolitan or metropolitan.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Many 1st time teachers get assigned to the stans or the rural china schools for their first placements. The premium schools are saved as rewards for teachers that renew and continue with QSI.[/quote]

I have friends that have taught in 2 IS in Korea and just were hired with QSI in very easy to fill positions and they ended up in Macedonia. They were thrilled with the placement in Europe.

@micki0624

Macedonia isnt really Europe. Italy is Europe, Macedonia is Europe'ish.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Many 1st time teachers get assigned to the stans or the rural china schools
> for their first placements. The premium schools are saved as rewards for
> teachers that renew and continue with QSI.
>
> QSI recruits the same time as other ISs, starting in late November, and the
> fairs in January.


Are any of these premium schools considered tier 1'?

@LUWahoo

Bwaaaahaaaahaaaa aha aha ha ha ha.

End of belly laugh.

QSI offers schooling in out of the way places. 'Nuff said.

I was hired on directly to one of QSI's "premium" schools and in no way is it... oh wait can I say it now, a TIER 1 school.

@LUWahoo

I agree with Sharona and SJ
No not even close, the regions/locations are better, such as Italy (compared to the typical first posting regions and locations), but thats the only type of premium you will find.

So with their placement program, do you pick a few preferred areas you'd like to go and they choose one, or is it the newbies get the bottom of the barrel placements no matter their preference and can take it or leave it?