The International Schools Review Forum

I have been teaching abroad for well over a decade. After a lot of consideration, I want to leave. Teaching abroad has many ups and downs. Personally, I have experienced many downs. I started a new contract and things have turned for the worst. They promised health insurance but they are telling me that they cannot afford health insurance. They do not have a computer for me so I have to bring my own. ( That is a long story)

I think the biggest reason for wanting to leave is for-profit schools. Last week, I was called into the VP office because my marks were to low. I had to changed all the low grades to very high grades. I am getting emails from one parent who got very angry because I gave her daughter a 95 instead of 100. Some of her emails are sent 3:00 AM in morning. If you do not respond straight away, she will call on it.

All in all, I am tired of these for-profit schools. There are too many. Sadly, I did leave a good job a few years back. The schools was IB and took good care of me. I left because the pollution got to me. It was really the only school that was not so profit driven.

Has anyone left international teaching? I would love to hear some feedback. I am overwhelmed but I need get out.

Thanks in advance.

There still seems to be jobs being advertised. Have you thought about applying and seeing if you can move. I've been surprised by some of the quality schools that have been advertising recently. If they ask about your circumstances, just be honest. Not being able to pay for healthcare is a pretty big deal. If nothing comes up, leave and go sit on a beach for a few months.

We've had our ups and downs with schools, probably with about a 50/50 split, but we're now somewhere we enjoy and want to stay. Maybe the next school is the one.

This year we have been considering leaving more than we ever have before. I want to recruit this year, but I fear the same things you are talking about - low quality schools. I feel those are many while the good are few.

It's a really hard choice to make though. So many factors make me want to stay abroad, but at the same time I can think of a lot of reasons to leave too. One thing we've often said is that if we go back and hate it, we can always come back abroad the following year.

I'd also love to hear from anyone who has made the choice to go back....it's so difficult to pull the plug, but recruiting is equally exhausting.

It seems the problem is bad schools more than int'l teaching per se. If you are unhappy then by all means look around for a better school and/or location. Going back to your home country is no guarantee of happiness. Unless you are specifically missing/longing for home then you might consider a change of scenery before giving up on the overseas life.

I concur with @WT123

IT is a lot better than teaching at public schools in your home country. You just need to find the right one and it's only a matter of time. HK, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand all have decent schools where you will be treated as a professional. Do your research in the paid section.

I'm surprised to hear that. My job is much easier here than it was in my Canadian DS. My administrators are far more supportive here, and not to mention that my workload and class size is less.

Leave IS if you no longer enjoy living overseas (or if you want to work in public schools), but it could be a question of getting into a good school. I am at an non-profit embassy-supported school, so that changes things. (Although, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things that drive me nuts about the school... but it's overall very positive.)

If you are from the US, I recommend you look to the NAIS jobs database so that you can return to the US without having to work in public schools. Independent schools in the US are a wonderful option for educators who don't want to be treated like cogs in a wheel. None are perfect, but I have long argued that strong independent schools in the US are far more plentiful and of higher quality than strong international non-profit or for-profit schools.

@reisgio clarifies the issue well, there often is a very significant difference in western regions between between a regulated (public/maintained) DS and an independent/private DS, further widening the difference when the maintained DS is a high risk/inner city DS.

I would like to thank everyone for the thoughtful comments. I am going through a very difficult time and this forum makes me feel less vulnerable. I am grown women, but I have to say no matter how long I have been abroad, it is difficult to be in a situation where there is no sounding board around. I am so grateful to have this forum.

I am considering some of the advice written by other posters.

Thanks again. It means a great deal for me.