Are any of you making decisions about schools to go to based on Covid?
For example, it seems that many of the Gulf States (e.g. UAE, Qatar) and some East Asian nations (e.g. SK, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore) have dealt with Covid pretty successfully (especially compared to places like Europe and the US).
Normally, the ME and mainland China are not seen as desirable (outside of making coin). Does the covid situation impact your decision in whether to go to these places? Do you think there will be more applicants trying to get to China and the ME than Europe because of the Covid numbers?
I've decided to take a break from IT for awhile so this doesn't impact me either way, but I'm curious to hear people's thoughts.
Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
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Lastname_Z
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 12:17 pm
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Heliotrope
- Posts: 1171
- Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
Lastname_Z wrote:
> Are any of you making decisions about schools to go to based on Covid?
>
> For example, it seems that many of the Gulf States (e.g. UAE, Qatar) and
> some East Asian nations (e.g. SK, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore) have
> dealt with Covid pretty successfully (especially compared to places like
> Europe and the US).
>
> Normally, the ME and mainland China are not seen as desirable (outside of
> making coin). Does the covid situation impact your decision in whether to
> go to these places? Do you think there will be more applicants trying to
> get to China and the ME than Europe because of the Covid numbers?
>
> I've decided to take a break from IT for awhile so this doesn't impact me
> either way, but I'm curious to hear people's thoughts.
You mention both countries' and schools' responses to Covid.
With regards to countries: I tend to stay for at least 4-6 years at a school, so I wouldn't base my choice on a country's Covid response. It might be a tie-breaker, but not much more.
But if a specific school did handle Covid horribly, where they unnecessarily endangered teachers' lives like a certain International School in Manilla did, it would influence my decision and I would pass on that school, even though it used to be on my shortlist.
When selecting countries, at this stage you might prefer to look at which countries are more likely to have the (preferably Moderna or Pfizer) vaccine available soon, rather than their handling of the outbreak.
Israel, who definitely made its fair share of mistakes handling Covid, plans to vaccinate everyone there (including expats) within the next three months for example. So it wouldn't be too bad moving there in a month or so.
> Are any of you making decisions about schools to go to based on Covid?
>
> For example, it seems that many of the Gulf States (e.g. UAE, Qatar) and
> some East Asian nations (e.g. SK, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore) have
> dealt with Covid pretty successfully (especially compared to places like
> Europe and the US).
>
> Normally, the ME and mainland China are not seen as desirable (outside of
> making coin). Does the covid situation impact your decision in whether to
> go to these places? Do you think there will be more applicants trying to
> get to China and the ME than Europe because of the Covid numbers?
>
> I've decided to take a break from IT for awhile so this doesn't impact me
> either way, but I'm curious to hear people's thoughts.
You mention both countries' and schools' responses to Covid.
With regards to countries: I tend to stay for at least 4-6 years at a school, so I wouldn't base my choice on a country's Covid response. It might be a tie-breaker, but not much more.
But if a specific school did handle Covid horribly, where they unnecessarily endangered teachers' lives like a certain International School in Manilla did, it would influence my decision and I would pass on that school, even though it used to be on my shortlist.
When selecting countries, at this stage you might prefer to look at which countries are more likely to have the (preferably Moderna or Pfizer) vaccine available soon, rather than their handling of the outbreak.
Israel, who definitely made its fair share of mistakes handling Covid, plans to vaccinate everyone there (including expats) within the next three months for example. So it wouldn't be too bad moving there in a month or so.
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
Heliotrope wrote:
>
>But if a specific school did handle Covid horribly, where they unnecessarily
> endangered teachers' lives like a certain International School in Manilla did, it
> would influence my decision and I would pass on that school, even though it used to
> be on my shortlist.
Yes, total shame about that certain school in Manila and how they are handling COVID. They're off my short list as well since any school that handles teachers as they have is not a tier 1 in my book. Just pure arrogance and irresponsibility.
>
>But if a specific school did handle Covid horribly, where they unnecessarily
> endangered teachers' lives like a certain International School in Manilla did, it
> would influence my decision and I would pass on that school, even though it used to
> be on my shortlist.
Yes, total shame about that certain school in Manila and how they are handling COVID. They're off my short list as well since any school that handles teachers as they have is not a tier 1 in my book. Just pure arrogance and irresponsibility.
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chemteacher101
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 2:57 pm
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
Without naming names, what exactly did this school do?
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
In Regards to Covid related incidences, ISR have no restrictions on naming schools on this forum. Also see the following article:
Name Your School & Comment on their Response to Covid-19. Let’s Keep Each Other Informed
https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... -informed/
Name Your School & Comment on their Response to Covid-19. Let’s Keep Each Other Informed
https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... -informed/
Response
COVID is everywhere it doesnt really effect the smart and prudent individuals determination in location. What COVID has done, as in the certain case of an Indonesian IS, is show how admirably or in this case poorly an IS handles crises and their inferred position that they truly see human resources as nothing more than resources that happen to be humans.
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Heliotrope
- Posts: 1171
- Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
chemteacher101 wrote:
> Without naming names, what exactly did this school do?
It's IS Manila.
A few quotes from the reviews (if allowed):
"Every week there are increasing number of covid cases amongst faculty. Staff have repeatedly requested to be permitted to work from home but the director is unrelenting. In fact, he seems content putting staff, their children and their families (many of them aged members) at risk even though most international schools are allowing a work from home policy. He sends long, convoluted emails defending his actions and gas lighting those who disagree. Furthermore, the school is allowing some high needs students on campus despite the danger this poses."
"The morale at ISM is at its lowest. Teachers are forced to come into the building every single day for full on days. This is despite the fact that there are no students on campus and covid cases are at approx 2000 a day. On top of that teachers are forced to conduct all their class synchronously which means students and teachers are on their screens all day."
"Leadership gives a lot of lip service about caring for the well being of their staff but do nothing to stand by their words. Teachers' mental health is deteriorating and the admin could care less. They demand more and more and never offer a chance of a break or a genuine kind word. Rather than care for the teachers, and try to make this difficult situation easier, the superintendent seeks pity for himself while hiding out in his office. (He sends out disconnected one line emails and he recently sent out an hour long video of superintendents discussing how hard it is to be in leadership at the richest private schools in the world. This is how out of touch the superintendent is.) On top of that staff are being fired without cause or repositioned without warning. Leadership is doing all this quietly with hopes that parents wont find out."
"Forced staff to come into work despite the fact that there are no students in the building and that face to face collaboration is not happening. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Any staff member (including principals) who have tried to challenge this have been ignored or worse.
If faculty or staff works from home they are docked pay
If faculty or staff works from home because a family member is sick with covid, the staff member is docked half a day of pay.
Requests for flexibility are denied. Local staff usually live further away and with extended members of their family who are at high risk. This means our staff are traveling for 1-2 hours a day per way and exposing themselves and their family members to higher risk.
Faculty who went home for the summer and are in safe countries with low numbers are being forced to return against their wishes.
Numbers are rising but the superintendent is calling this propaganda by the media / fake news."
> Without naming names, what exactly did this school do?
It's IS Manila.
A few quotes from the reviews (if allowed):
"Every week there are increasing number of covid cases amongst faculty. Staff have repeatedly requested to be permitted to work from home but the director is unrelenting. In fact, he seems content putting staff, their children and their families (many of them aged members) at risk even though most international schools are allowing a work from home policy. He sends long, convoluted emails defending his actions and gas lighting those who disagree. Furthermore, the school is allowing some high needs students on campus despite the danger this poses."
"The morale at ISM is at its lowest. Teachers are forced to come into the building every single day for full on days. This is despite the fact that there are no students on campus and covid cases are at approx 2000 a day. On top of that teachers are forced to conduct all their class synchronously which means students and teachers are on their screens all day."
"Leadership gives a lot of lip service about caring for the well being of their staff but do nothing to stand by their words. Teachers' mental health is deteriorating and the admin could care less. They demand more and more and never offer a chance of a break or a genuine kind word. Rather than care for the teachers, and try to make this difficult situation easier, the superintendent seeks pity for himself while hiding out in his office. (He sends out disconnected one line emails and he recently sent out an hour long video of superintendents discussing how hard it is to be in leadership at the richest private schools in the world. This is how out of touch the superintendent is.) On top of that staff are being fired without cause or repositioned without warning. Leadership is doing all this quietly with hopes that parents wont find out."
"Forced staff to come into work despite the fact that there are no students in the building and that face to face collaboration is not happening. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Any staff member (including principals) who have tried to challenge this have been ignored or worse.
If faculty or staff works from home they are docked pay
If faculty or staff works from home because a family member is sick with covid, the staff member is docked half a day of pay.
Requests for flexibility are denied. Local staff usually live further away and with extended members of their family who are at high risk. This means our staff are traveling for 1-2 hours a day per way and exposing themselves and their family members to higher risk.
Faculty who went home for the summer and are in safe countries with low numbers are being forced to return against their wishes.
Numbers are rising but the superintendent is calling this propaganda by the media / fake news."
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
In Regards to Covid related incidences, ISR have no restrictions on naming schools on this forum. Also see the following article:
Name Your School & Comment on their Response to Covid-19. Let’s Keep Each Other Informed
https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... -informed/
Name Your School & Comment on their Response to Covid-19. Let’s Keep Each Other Informed
https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... -informed/
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Illiane_Blues
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
I always heard ISM was a dream school but it seems they are no more. Sad.
Seems the list of dream schools is getting shorter and shorter.
Seems the list of dream schools is getting shorter and shorter.
Re: Making decisions on schools based on Covid?
I remember someone expressing reservations about a post someone had made about this school which they found over the top. They were saying that hyperbolic postings about schools were suspicious. I remember agreeing. Needless to say several posters jumped to this school's defence, quite vigorously.
Clearly the reservations were well founded.
Clearly the reservations were well founded.