The International Schools Review Forum

FYI: In 2011 Japan beat out Italy and France for 1st place for most desirable teaching location, which was previously held by France and Italy swapping 1st and 2nd, for several years (Italy was ranked 2nd, England 3rd, France 4th, Ireland 5th).

No other asian country made the top 10.

***The survey was conducted by an educational consulting company, of senior education students in public college/university programs in the USA.

To Android:

Thanks again for your valuable input. Your list of qualities of "horrible" schools in Japan seems to make sense. 300,000 yen starting in Japan doesn't sound attractive, all right.

[quote="Android"]Perhaps the competition to get into international schools in Japan is fierce is simply because no one wants to leave their posts.[/quote]

So, would you say it's a bad sign in Japan, if a school has many openings? I noticed TIS and Nishimachi have quite a lot.

Am also wondering about TIS..any feedback on this school?

Their usually the second tier schools that teachers start out at and then move along and up to better ones. Theyre also experiencing some growth, though not enough to account for so many positions. Its just the usual replacement cycle.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Its just the usual replacement cycle.[/quote]

So, would you disagree to Androind's remark that "no one wants to leave their posts" in Japan?

Nishimachi is not a bad school, according to the circuit here. It's a fairly decent one with a beautiful campus in one of the most expensive parts of Tokyo as the neighbourhood is inhabited by wealthy foreign expats. I am not sure as to why they have a fair bit of offers this year. Perhaps it's the " turn of the tide" ? ( where, veteran teachers of 3 - 5 years are planning to move elsewhere - to a different school or country? ). As far as Tokyo International School, it's a 2nd tier one but I have a few friends who work there and they said that it's not bad at all. Many of them start at 400, 000 and up ( entry level ).

There are very few absolutes when it comes to international recruiting. I think Android's comment should be interpreted as: "relative to many regions and schools, Japan is a region that many aspire to end their careers at, and that once settled at their ideal school in Japan, they tend to stay, and as such turnover is historically and relatively low".

Does that mean no one leaves, no. Japan and a select number of western european countries occupy the coveted top of the scale where people eventually want to end up. Is Japan for everyone, no, It wasnt for me. I was at a very nice tier 1 school in Kyoto, and the workload burned me out, and I found that thats just how that culture approaches work.

Android, thanks again for sharing your insight. I am just wondering if your comment that no one wants to leave applies only for tier 1 schools even in Japan, and other schools in Japan still have to endure a high turnover of teachers, like in other countries.

[quote="PsyGuy"]I was at a very nice tier 1 school in Kyoto, and the workload burned me out, and I found that thats just how that culture approaches work.[/quote]

Would you think Psyguy is trying to romanticize his bitter experience in Japan, or is there a tier 1 school in Kyoto?

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Not bitter at all, just wasnt for me. However there is a tier 1 school in Kyoto, and were just going to have to disagree on what tier it is.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Not bitter at all, just wasnt for me. However there is a tier 1 school in Kyoto, and were just going to have to disagree on what tier it is.[/quote]

I just thought it was bitter because you were obviously burned out in Kyoto.

I agree that it's difficult for us to make our opinions meet regarding which school belongs to exactly which tier, but I disagree that "tier" is SO subjective, and tier 3 or tier 4 schools for the majority can be considered as tier 1 all of a sudden. In that case, we should say, "My school is/was considered as tier 3 or tier 4, but I enjoy/enjoyed working for it, because ...".

If you think "tier" is SO subjective, you shouldn't have used it to explain TIS and Nishimachi.

Ichiro, thank you for your clarification. Yes, I totally agree Kyoto is a wonderful place.

I don't have a problem with the tier system, or that's it's subjective. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, as long as we understand that opinions will different, and there can be more then one (many) valid opinions.

4th tier isn't a very common term in the tier scale. I suppose you could use it, though others might not relate to the reference.

I don't go on any job sites as I am quite happy where I am now. Has anyone seen any postings available for international schools in Japan? I can imagine that the list of jobs available in China, Egypt or the Middle East would be extensive.

PsyGuy,

I don't have a problem with the tier system and its subjectivity, either. I just have a problem with a person who exploits it to post irresponsible, inconsistent drivel on this forum, in general.

In a different thread, you share with us that judgement of "tier" involves compensation (salary, housing, tuition, transportation, insurance, retirement) and work environment (staff/faculty/parents, admins management style, organization, resources, academics, community).

Will you explain why YOU consider TIS and Nishimachi as tier 2 schools, and a school in Kyoto (which school are you talking about, by the way?) as a tier 1 school, from these aspects?

I fully agree we have differing opinions, so I wouldn't dismiss yours outright, of course.

Well i wouldnt classify my posts as "irresponsible, inconsistent drivel", just because we disagree.

Yes i did share such information??? Im sure there are those that disagree and those that would offer different explanations. I think the tier system, is valuable, useful, and offers utility. Like most rating systems however its largely informal and subjective. Recognizing a models (such as the tier system model) limitations doesnt make it wrong or invalid. A very influential aspect comes down to preference, what one person values another may not. Its not a formula, just one of possibly many explanations.

As i wrote in an earlier post as well. In Japan the differences between schools become very narrow. Even between the highest tier 1 school and the lowest tier 2 school the differences are really very minor. These differences magnify as we focus on them.