The International Schools Review Forum

It seems to me that most of the reviews posted on ISR are about schools where people have concerns. What about the schools that are great? I am sure they must exist. Why not post a list here of which schools are great to work for and for what reasons?

All the information you need is available by searching the forum.

I'm not going to name my school, but I would recommend it, however, that qualification needs clarification. My school mostly takes newly qualified teachers with somewhere between 0 and 2 years experience. It functions reasonably well and is accredited. It's basically a training ground for new teachers. Turnover is high (about 50%) for various reasons, but I don't think anyone would say the school is a bad place to work. It also pays well, definitely up there with the tier 2s in this area.

The school fills a hole for a lot of the teachers. It's almost impossible to find full time work back home, so this school gives them the experience they need. It is a stepping stone.

So, I would recommend it to new teachers or those that need to build up experience and who can't or don't have enough experience to get a job at a tier 2 school (or to attend a Search fair). It's a pretty solid first wrung on the ladder. I wouldn't recommend it to experienced teachers, because frankly, they can do better, perhaps not in terms of salary, but in terms of overall package.

We all come with different levels of experience and what could be considered a good option depends on where you are on that ladder. Yes, ISB and JIS might be great schools, but I have to be realistic about where I can ultimately aim for.

A review on ISR is usually bad. This site is a dumping place for complaints. No reviews are about as good a review as a school can get. You see some positive reviews but they are usually written by admins or school cheerleaders.

Their are some sources for the "great" elite schools. Try the DOS (Department of State) assisted schools list:

http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/c1684.htm

You can see the list of COBIS (UK) Schools here:

http://www.cobis.org.uk/all-cobis-schools.html

The Canadian schools here:

http://www.cicic.ca/716/canadian-school ... a?search=1

The list of Canadian schools is just that. Being part of it does not infer any greatness, it's just a list. And yep, my school is up there.

Oh thats true of all those sources, there are some bad DOS and COBIS schools as well, thats why its a "source" not an authority.

Arguing what makes a school great (and weve done so on this forum) is an exercise in narcissism. Its an argument over preference (strawberry is better then chocolate).

[quote="PsyGuy"]strawberry is better then chocolate[/quote]

No it isn't.

I wrote the first ever review for my last school (which has been operating long enough to have grandchildren of former students attending). And it was a positive review. The one I'm at now isn't nearly as bad as the reviews that have been written would have you believe. The fact that a lot of ex-pat staff stay well past their contracts--and enjoy their lives here-- suggests that. I'll probably post a review of it in the future.

edited.