Hey guys,
I have been in contact with a school in China that would only be in its second year next year. They offer a quite attractive package and seem very professional but I'm curious if anyone on the forum has experience working with international schools that are just opening shop. What sort of growing pain might I expect if I accepted and offer?
Working at a new school
-
eion_padraig
- Posts: 408
- Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:18 pm
Re: Working at a new school
In China, there could be significant growing pains for a new school. I'd say it would likely to be worse if it's being run (owned) by Chinese nationals. Long term and systematic planning isn't done so well in China. Part of that is due to the capricious and unsystematic way that the government is run and how laws are implemented.
Is this school for Chinese nationals or is it for non-Chinese nationals? Who owns it? Do they have experience and background running and opening a school? Often the owners see schools as just another business and they may not have worked in education at any level.
The "seem professional" piece is good, but things can seem pretty good on the surface at times. Contracts are not always worth the paper they're written on and you might find the deliverables are not always what were promised.
Things you might need to be a part of include helping them get accreditation, get approval for curriculum (IB, AP, etc), designing curriculum if it's not established, get clubs/sports teams/after school activities going, establishing policies/procedures. I would very closely at who the administration is and how experienced they are.
Good luck.
Eion
Is this school for Chinese nationals or is it for non-Chinese nationals? Who owns it? Do they have experience and background running and opening a school? Often the owners see schools as just another business and they may not have worked in education at any level.
The "seem professional" piece is good, but things can seem pretty good on the surface at times. Contracts are not always worth the paper they're written on and you might find the deliverables are not always what were promised.
Things you might need to be a part of include helping them get accreditation, get approval for curriculum (IB, AP, etc), designing curriculum if it's not established, get clubs/sports teams/after school activities going, establishing policies/procedures. I would very closely at who the administration is and how experienced they are.
Good luck.
Eion
Response
You will find a number of significant issues in a new IS:
1) Usually the IS doesnt have anything, so you spend a large amount of time and resources creating everything from curriculum to classroom materials. In addition resources may be minimal. You may have a lot of freedom, but very few resources to do anything meaningful.
2) Without a reputation the ISs admission standards are usually very lax, they need to fill places and collect fees. ISs can burn through capital very quickly. This means you often end up with some portion of the student body as under performers or those with behavioral issues.
3) Who is ownership, most new ISs are individually operated or are a partnership. Most often ownership knows nothing about education, except that they once attended a DS/IS. If its a board who are they, family, friends, community members, parents? Many new ISs are pet projects of affluent business persons, something to keep the wife busy with, a tax shelter, a means of getting their under performing children an education, or just something to brag about.
4) What is the structure of leadership, be careful about senior/executive leadership. Often the western leadership is subordinate to local senior leadership. They may be little more than a western mouth piece for someone with a director or other such title. Leadership can seem good, but many in leadership can fake it, and some even a long time. Is the IS and leadership backed by another organization? Are they supported by an embassy, a recognized organization in IE?
5) Everything changes and changes often. Most leadership implement policies that worked for them in the past, and thats not bad but often the unique factors of the current IS mean those policies dont work. Add in communication and things get confusing. You should plan on spending a significant amount of time in meetings. Dont be surprised if you have a weekly all IS meeting, a division meeting (senior school), and department meeting each week, and likely a curriculum/collaboration meeting. Add your ASp on top of that and you may not get out until late everyday.
6) Be prepared to take some cuts and liberties with your contract. At the minimum things like late payments and on the extreme end gross misrepresentation. You may be promised reimbursement of your airfare on arrival only to find the policy has been changed to reimburse at the end of the contract. Your housing may not look like anything they promised. Your classroom might be little more than walls and desks.
7) Parents may have far more influence and control then you would expect. The office staff may have minimal English skills. You might have to clean your own classroom and take turns cleaning the toilets. You have to be very adaptable and flexible, and the IS will feel that whatever they are paying you they own you.
1) Usually the IS doesnt have anything, so you spend a large amount of time and resources creating everything from curriculum to classroom materials. In addition resources may be minimal. You may have a lot of freedom, but very few resources to do anything meaningful.
2) Without a reputation the ISs admission standards are usually very lax, they need to fill places and collect fees. ISs can burn through capital very quickly. This means you often end up with some portion of the student body as under performers or those with behavioral issues.
3) Who is ownership, most new ISs are individually operated or are a partnership. Most often ownership knows nothing about education, except that they once attended a DS/IS. If its a board who are they, family, friends, community members, parents? Many new ISs are pet projects of affluent business persons, something to keep the wife busy with, a tax shelter, a means of getting their under performing children an education, or just something to brag about.
4) What is the structure of leadership, be careful about senior/executive leadership. Often the western leadership is subordinate to local senior leadership. They may be little more than a western mouth piece for someone with a director or other such title. Leadership can seem good, but many in leadership can fake it, and some even a long time. Is the IS and leadership backed by another organization? Are they supported by an embassy, a recognized organization in IE?
5) Everything changes and changes often. Most leadership implement policies that worked for them in the past, and thats not bad but often the unique factors of the current IS mean those policies dont work. Add in communication and things get confusing. You should plan on spending a significant amount of time in meetings. Dont be surprised if you have a weekly all IS meeting, a division meeting (senior school), and department meeting each week, and likely a curriculum/collaboration meeting. Add your ASp on top of that and you may not get out until late everyday.
6) Be prepared to take some cuts and liberties with your contract. At the minimum things like late payments and on the extreme end gross misrepresentation. You may be promised reimbursement of your airfare on arrival only to find the policy has been changed to reimburse at the end of the contract. Your housing may not look like anything they promised. Your classroom might be little more than walls and desks.
7) Parents may have far more influence and control then you would expect. The office staff may have minimal English skills. You might have to clean your own classroom and take turns cleaning the toilets. You have to be very adaptable and flexible, and the IS will feel that whatever they are paying you they own you.