The International Schools Review Forum

Edited due to forum regulations

Never heard of it and I have been overseas awhile. That tells me that it is not very prominent and that it might be fairly new.

Do they belong to any of the school associations in this part of the world? EARCOS? ACAMIS? That would ring a bit of a bell for me if they didn't.

What is their website like? Are there staff emails accessible that you could email for more information privately (create a new email address specifically for this, IMHO). Are they an IB school? Do you see them on the IBO site school listings?

Did they find you through SEARCH or did you find them? SEARCH schools are not all great, but at least you have a bit of a standard being applied.

Also, if your English is good and your IB area is in high demand (do you teach Chemistry and Physics, or HL/SL Math?), it won't matter as much about being a native speaker. Some schools actually promote teacher diversity. Others want all Western USA/British/Canadian or a mix thereof.

Go for it, but hit up those SEARCH schools aggressively too. Don't assume you are not strong candidates because of your background - promote your ability to teach and the skills/awareness you bring to the job!

Good luck and do your due diligence!

Edited due to forum regulations

My family and I left QAIS last year. It is every bit as great as it looks. The administration is phenomenal- inspired educators with a vision. The faculty is a group of professional and fun teachers. We are happy where we are now, but there is not a day that passes that we don't miss QAIS. Qingdao is a fine place to live in many ways, though I found China (hygiene, pollution) to be very challenging to enjoy at times. I would be happy to answer detailed questions. I think PM is enabled now, right? I don't check this site very often anymore but couldn't pass up the chance to support QAIS. It is a a rising star.

Lantana, thank you so much for your reply. I sent you a PM. Hope we can talk :)

How did it go? I'm reviving this thread because my wife and I are currently looking into this school.

Qingdao Amerasia International School is an IB World School, currently authorized with PYP and DP (MYP authorization visit Spring 2015); they are a candidate for accreditation by Middle States Association; their Children's House is the first program in Asia to be accredited by the American Montessori Society; they are pursuing membership and accreditation with CIS. They participate in ACAMIS events as a provisional member. It's a young school, but a lot has been accomplished in a short time.

The salary is good given the cost of living, and there is an additional housing allowance according to number of dependents. The school itself is convenient (5 minutes or less) to shopping, restaurants, beach, and mountains.

The big question for China is of course air quality. The school recently installed IQAir and Phillips air purifiers in every classroom so that staff and students are less exposed while at school; most staff have purchased Phillips or Blue Air systems for home as well.

Please do send me any other questions! Happy to help.