Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

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teachingagain1945
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:41 am

Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by teachingagain1945 »

What kinds of things can a teacher expect from the new school/employer upon arrival or before departing in terms of preparation, settling-in, induction, mentoring at a new school in a new country? I've heard some schools have offered good things and really taken care of teachers so they are comfortable, settle in on arrival, get used to the new school, community, neighborhood, country, culture and then are happier and also more likely to stay? What things do teachers expect or hope for? I've had some good and bad experiences. Any good experiences or opinions to share?
OnlySolution
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:53 pm
Location: Moscow, Russia

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by OnlySolution »

AAS Moscow does a good job:

1) meet you at the airport
2) take you to your furnished apartment where you have all the necessary basics - linens, dishes, cookware, etc. until your shipment arrives - also a welcome basket of food staples including fresh veggies, fruit, eggs, coffee, etc.
3) welcome dinner at one of the admin or co-worker's flats in your complex the first night
4) school orientation begins the day after you arrive and it's really a combination of school and city orientation
5) several new hire dinners within the first 2 weeks - one at the director's house and one at a restaurant
6) optional excursions about town to familiarize you with the metro system, shopping (IKEA, etc. to pick up things), dining
7) optional tours of museums, the Kremlin, riverboat cruise, etc. begin almost immediately and run throughout the year

The first day of orientation I received a sim card for my cell phone. You can get a second one for your spouse, iPad, etc. This has been one of the best perks since you bring your phone, pop in the new sim card and then they deduct usage charges from your paycheck and you never have to worry about paying for a plan or dealing with the cell phone company. My charges have never been more than $5 a month. We also received our settling in allowance (in rubles) the first day of orientation, so we had local currency right from the start.
Cailin
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:26 pm

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by Cailin »

Aisb budapest

Ahead of arrival - you are given your school email address so you have access to school faculty website and know what is going on, you have access to leaving staff sales etc. remaining or leaving faculty sometimes get in touch re settling in,selling and buying stuff, housing etc
Information given about housing types and locations available. You fill in a questionnaire saying what you'd like - house or apartment, preferred location, number of bedrooms etc. they send this to a number of estate agents who are then ready to show you some properties when you arrive.

On arrival ...
Met at airport
Brought to colleagues home where you are housed until you get an appartment sorted.
Given some local cash, pack of bus tickets, city map on arrival
One week new hire orientation before two or three days all faculty orientation.
First two days mainly tour of school, then get bank accounts and phones sorted. Bus provided to school from city centre for the first week. Lots of time available for flat hunting.
Bus / van provided to take new hires to IKEA / TESCO on two weekend days. Breakfast and lunch provided each day during new hire orientation and first day all faculty.
Several dinners, some optional and at your own cost.
Babysitting provided for faculty children during orientation and in service days - a great plus for families.


It's been a while but that's what I remember.
Last edited by Cailin on Sat Jun 07, 2014 7:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
teachingagain1945
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:41 am

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by teachingagain1945 »

That all sounds great. I especially like in Moscow getting a SIM card quick, I think with a good data plan would be nice too so you can Skype and email family and friends from anywhere right away. Never heard of that type of plan though and only costing $5 a month is brilliant.
I also like being put in contact with departing staff to buy their household stuff and even car. This is especially good if you're moving into departing staff accommodations. Totally makes sense.
Something else I read somewhere was being given your school email address so you can start emailing staff and see what the communication is like such as daily bulletins, reminders to staff and just how the communication flows there, maybe even have access to meeting minutes, etc. (some admin may be against this, understandably).
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of things that the new employer has done before you have left you have left your old posting. I understand that good multinational corporations that have staff move around the world for postings often have a good part of induction before you've actually left: information, sensitivity training, language, and, if you're not far away and if the company has the finances they fly you over for a short trip so you know what you're in for (yes, that's expensive, probably can't expect that).
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by shadowjack »

My school arranges your visa, reimburses you for your one way flight (within two days of arrival), either connects you with realtors to arrange your apartment prior to you arrival or puts you up in a hotel for up to a week while you find an apartment (and connects you with the realtors as well), and takes you shopping to stock up on stuff. It gives you a payroll advance in local currency, takes you to money changers that give better rates than banks, helps you set up your bank account, takes you within the first three days to do your residence/work visa/alien card, and gives you a cursory language lesson. It provides you with a language book as well as a book of local attractions with names in English and the local language to show taxi drivers, as well as a phone list for taxis, etc. It also does the standard school induction, covering the handbook, duties, policies and procedures, takes you to the local international medical clinic as well as orienting you to your international plan and helping you activate it. Later, if you have goods coming in via air or land freight, they provide a vehicle and driver to go pick it up. Oh yes, your first full day they also take you to the local telco for you to get your pay as you go SIM card which they they help you add a pay as you go monthly data plan to, as well as guide you through the activation of both card and plan - or take you to where it can be done for you.

All in all, I was quite satisfied with the assistance.
ajamet
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:59 am

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by ajamet »

I've had 2 decent but different situations. Nothing fantastic, but enough to survive. Our most recent experience has been in the Middle East. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our apartment. We had arranged to have a bed, fridge and some linens delivered and set up prior to our arrival. However, we were limited in what we could choose (i.e. a certain type of bed, and a certain size fridge). This was then deducted from our furniture allowance. So it was either arrive at midnight and sleep on a hard floor with your suitcase, or order what they offered. Regardless, it was nice to arrive in our actual apartment with some food and water in the fridge. Had the a/c worked we would have had a great night! But that's another story.

We were also provided with transport to and from school for the first month of school. Except when the driver had to do school errands, then we just took taxis and were reimbursed by the school (or the secretary's purse). We received some guidance about setting up internet and cable, but we handled it pretty much on our own. We were given an advance and furniture allowance and we were taken to a huge shopping mall and Ikea within the first 2 days and also taken to a bank to open an account. As we found out early in the Middle East, nothing is done in a timely manner, but our school did try to get things done as quickly as possible.

Getting a residence permit and visa in the ME is a nightmare, but the school was very diligent in getting paperwork in on time and drove us to the border each month until our visas came in. After my son's visa was denied several times for random issues, the school continued to help us to resubmit and get things taken care of. We had previously had to send all of our degrees, certifications, licenses, etc certified and attested, but this was done out of our own pocket and cost around 1,000 US dollars total.
All in all, for this area of the world, the experience has been not unpleasant. The school staff was very sympathetic and tried to help when there was redtape.

Our previous experience was in Europe and we knew from the onset that we would have to find our own housing. We were picked up at the airport and taken to get pictures taken for our visas (directly from the airport). We were then dropped off at a very nice hotel where we stayed for 10 days on the school's dime. We were provided with a relocation specialist who was in charge of showing and securing housing for us. She helped us a lot, but was not so helpful with all staff and they ended up doing it all on their own. However, she provided something like 5 showings free, and then if we did not choose any of those first 5, we had to pay for the others.
The school provided an interest free loan so that we could pay for the security deposit. Once we chose a flat it was up to us to take care of everything else. The school provided our visas for us and they arrived very quickly. Could they have provided more support? Sure, but it's Europe. They don't need to provide the extras to get teachers to come.

One thing that would have been very helpful, especially in our first experience was access to the school's internet.
cdn
Posts: 87
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:27 am

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by cdn »

Our first experience was pretty terrible.

However, most recent experience was fantastic. We had a lot of contact with admin HR, and other teachers prior to arriving. They organized our shipping from Canada, too. Once we landed, we were taken to our new home by the superintendent (although some people were taken by other admin at the school). There was a welcome package of a variety of food, as well as any and all appliances we could need. There was also a basket filled with maps, directories, etc. Our condo is wonderful, and we receive a generous housing allowance. They cover the utilities too.We receive a very generous settling-in allowance too, which ended up being difficult to spend entirely.During the first two weeks there several welcome parties/mixers to help us get to know everyone (it is a large school and I still see faculty that I swear I have never seen before).

We had a week of touring around with the other newbies that was very well organized and it really helped us to get situated in the city, and it allowed us to make some connections with other new faculty.

Once at the school, we had a week long orientation to the school, its programs, and its mission. It was exceptional. They went through everything you could expect, and they gave us a lot of time to ask questions, socialize with other faculty (old and new). They made it very easy to get everything set up with the banks and cell phone providers. Our school is particularly great at helping out whenever it is needed. They detailed our health insurance and benefits. We received amazing support when we had our first child rather suddenly here this year. It is a very family friendly atmosphere. We do work hard, but there is a real sense of community that has been built here.

The other faculty have been outstanding, and my wife and I always felt like we had a group of mentors we could ask questions, give suggestions, or vent.
lgtallie
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 8:18 am
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Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by lgtallie »

For my first post in Mexico I was picked up from the airport, given a welcome dinner, a welcome box with some food items and basic kitchen stuff, gave me a working cell phone to use for the year, and a couple of days to figure things out at school.

In China it was very organized and there was an expat/local pair in charge of organizing it. They picked us up from the airport, gave me welcome water, fruit, and basic kitchen stuff, helped me get my phone and internet set up, helped me get a bike, took me shopping for food & to Ikea, got all the medical and visa stuff taken care of, and gave us time to set up our classes. Great experience!

In Venezuela we were greeted by the director at the airport, the houses were already furnished with many kitchen and bed linens, and it seemed like the rest of the time was spent eating and attending social mixers. Perhaps this is why I have felt closer to my colleagues than ever before. We were given some time to set up our classes but it definitely didn't feel like enough during that first year!

I wrote more and shared some pictures of these experiences so far: http://teachingwanderlust.com/2014/04/1 ... ientation/. I think it is really important to have a good orientation because it sets the stage for the rest of the year.

-Amanda
teachingagain1945
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:41 am

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by teachingagain1945 »

If anyone has a good 'new teacher handbook' from their school they would be willing to put in this thread as an attachment I would love to see it. The kind that says all the do's and don'ts how to get by in the city and school, what the school will do to help you, emergency numbers, etc. If you're concerned it will reveal your identity or location you can always create another account here and post from that.
klooste
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:21 pm

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by klooste »

So far I've been happy with my school's settling in (albeit I have not started teaching for them quite yet).

We were given access to the school's resource database
We are also given money upon arrival, which is not deducted from our first paycheck (September 15).
We were given a few teacher's email addresses, so we could ask any questions etc.
My school also provided the first 10 lesson plans for all our courses.
We are met at the airport (as we arrive a little early in our destination (August 15). We will then do some PRO D, be given keys, go on shopping sprees with our free money, buy sim cards. The school also pays for our first couple of nights in a hotel (to my knoweldge).

No free dinners at my school though (but we do get some "living" money, which is kinda coo)
Monkey
Posts: 74
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 2:59 am

Re: Induction, Settling in, Mentoring, etc.

Post by Monkey »

I've been at 3 different schools that were all different introductory experiences, but there were some common threads that I think hold true for many schools:

1. At all 3, I was met at the school by admin and other staff and taken to my accommodation where there was a welcome basket of food, delivery menus, a few cleaning supplies, TP, etc. Two of those places were school-owned accommodations and 1 was an extended-stay hotel the school paid for for a couple of months while we looked for our own housing.

2. The shopping trips out to stores to buy food, household goods, phones, etc. sometimes done by a school mentor couple and sometimes done by volunteer teachers.

3. The PD days for newbies. Not really PD, but a getting to know the school and culture kind of thing. This is when all 3 of my schools also brought in bank people to set up accounts. And in the 2 places where English was not spoken, some local staff members began to offer some language lessons at the school.
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