The International Schools Review Forum

Let me try again. I, and many others, have never said that if you have had a bad experience that you shouldn't post. We have also never said that the experience never happened or that people should be "blamed" for posting. Who is "blaming" anyone for posting reviews? What we are saying is this - 1.) International teaching can be wonderful (it can also be bad, but so can any job anywhere). 2.) When nothing but negative reviews are written, what does that say about international teaching? I think the opportunity is great. Do your job, try to stay out of the negativity and gossip and it improves the odds of having a nice experience. Notice I said improve the odds and not that it guarantees a nice experience. 3.) With all of the negative reviews, isn't it like crying wolf? A poster said that other people went to the school even after hearing about the reviews. Doesn't that tell you that they don't believe what you are saying? Reading ISR would make me think that there are only 5 or 6 really great places to teach internationally, the others are "for profit", "awful", and "evil" places to work. There are many nice places to work.

To sum this all up. I am not an administrator (there seems to be a paranoia about that.). Everyone has the right to post their comments and no one is being "blamed" for doing so. I'm not sure what the "fix" is. Maybe waiting a while after your experience to write might put it into perspective. Self-reflecting and putting ourselves in the mix i.e. did I do my best, did I handle this in the best way. I can say honestly that I have not always handled situations that have arisen between people in the best way so I could have done/not done things to make the situation better. Read your review for exaggerations or overreactions to make sure you are not making a mountain out of a molehill. It's only human nature to try and make things you don't like seem even worse (for example I hate eggplant so I think it was put on the Earth as a torture device. Clearly exaggerating, but hey I hate eggplant so it's okay right?). I don't think that people who post negative reviews are evil, or anything else. I am simply saying that when I see 9 out of 10 reviews are negative to absolutely horrible, I start to not believe them and that's not good or fair to the really serious problems such as crime, really awful housing, major broken promises, going to the school and finding out that there is no job, sexual harassment, etc. I like the people I work with and for. If I don't I leave. Not everyone has that option, but you do have the option of being polite, friendly, and professional. This goes a long way towards a positive experience, or am I wrong?

As a teacher who has been abroad for 7 years, I would say this: there are some great schools out there, but with the proliferation of schools in the past 4 years or so, there are many, many bad schools that hire teachers under the idea that their school is an international one, when it is not.

Living overseas can be positive, but you have to be wary of these bad schools; the amount of negative reviews reflects the poor recruiting practices of these schools. On top of that, not every country is for everyone. If you love working hard, Latin America may not be your cup of tea, as it is very laid back. If you are doing this for the experience of living abroad and don't care about money, look at Europe.

The simple message is this: there are, in my opinion, a few good schools in every region, many who are average, and sadly, many who are bad. This website helps to let you know where the bad schools are, and where the good ones are.

I agree with some of the e mails sugesting people who are unhappy are more likely to write a negatiave reivew. So, why don't the rest of us encourage people we know who are not unhappy to write reviews as well? I have done this myself. I have written reviews for two schools. One was a well established European School which was easy to work for and not to difficut to steer clear of administration if you wanted. I tried to share the good first and temper it with the down side so people would have an accurate perception

Next, I wrote a review for an Asian school I am about to leave. Actually, I've written two one for last year, and one for this year. There was a change in the administration which deserved noting as the school is young and very much trying to become a premier International School some day. I tried not to discourage teachers from coming to the school, but laid out that it is a start up school and there will be challenges. It's also a place to build a carreer fast as you will have opportunities younger teahcers don't get in big well established schools. It is also important to note that different people have different goals; big city vs developing country; small vs big school. I think it is good to state facts about both the positive and negative. I find the narratives more helpful than the straight numbers.

There is so much for everyone to consider, but mostly you need to know yourself. Do you want a challenge? What type of cultural differences are you willing to learn to manage? How closely do you want to work with others (small school vs big), and what financial situation can you live with right now?

I think each of us needs to take responsibility for doing our own homework, and making a good choice for ourselves. Then, if you share that with the school in the interview and they are not forth coming, you should write a negative review. Honesty up front should come from both sides.

I got that in my first interview, but not at all in my second. I was lucky, my second year at the school where the administration was not honest, a new administrator came along and turned the school around entirely. I know not everyone is that fortunate. But, that is a part of this international thing. And that is something we all have to prepare for, we don't know what's coming next, and that's part of the excitement.

i agree with those who complain about this site. my school in kuwait is an okay place, but there are so many negative reviews about it. i know it isn't perfect but i think a lot of teachers are just too inexperienced to understand the realities of living overseas.

I think choosing a country to teach in is like choosing your spouse. Before choosing to go into a place, you have to understand what you are getting into, culture, customs, laws. And you have to compromise certain things and adjust to a new life. (almost sounds like marriage, doesnt it?) :D

Like someone else mentioned, it could also be the country. One place doesnt work for all. It is a good idea to consider the complaints because you might have to deal with the same people too. And yeah, I can understand how frustrating the negativity can be. I would throw out complaints that sound irrational. And yes, most people do tend to remember negative. Thats just life.

I am considering Dubai and Asia.

Does anyone know how long it takes for a review of a school to acutally appear on this site? I sent a review for the school I work at and ithas not shown up on the site. I sent another one because I thought maybe I had done something wrong and it still has not shown up. I'm starting to think it may be something specifically against schools in Kuwait since the Katherine Phillips situation. I tried to be objective and fair about my reivew unlike many others who have submitted. I hope it gets posted soon.