The International Schools Review Forum

First time I've used a forum, so no idea how to get a name!?
Has anyone worked at/heard anything about VIS?
23 teachers; school is looking for 13 neew teachers next academic year.
thanks for any help.
maggie

i haven't been to the school but the city is interesting. kind of laid back, like the rest of laos. they are a small school, so information might be hard to come by. of course, if you love southeast asia you will love it anywhere in that area. i would go.

How do you now they are looking for 13 teachers? Usually openings for next year are not posted until later.

Until this year, John Ritter was the superintendent and did a fine job. This year he has left, so I do not know

I realize this thread is a bit stale, but if you are still out there I am a teacher at V.I.S. I'm leaving after this year, but can tell you that Vientiane is a lovely place to live and the school community is vibrant and supportive, the families mostly a mix of NGO/development workers and UN or embassy staff. Lao is a lovely country rich in both cultural and environmental resources but very poor if you are an economist. Vientiane is the world's smallest capital city, so traffic and pollution are still minimal, yet there are delicious restaurants and many interesting destinations within and without the country. Not much nightlife but great for families.

The school itself is in the midst of tremendous change, in candidacy for PYP and DP at the same time. 07-08 is likely to be a year of lots of hard work implementing these programs and that could be very exciting... but definitely challenging. The package is generous especially given the low cost of living here.

hope this is of use to someone. I think there are still two positions open and the director is recruiting at Cambridge.

very interested in appying to this school, this year or perhaps 2009, however IB candidate schools jump through lots of hoops to achieve accreditation and best practice, when will this process be completed?
accepting that Laos has a low cost of living, can one save on the salary here and if one is divorced/single what is the accomodation on offer?
Laos is a developing country and I wonder is there a good internet provider there with a fast connection as I am doing an MA online?
sorry to have so many questions and appreciate your help.

I've not taught there, but spent some time there a few years ago as a tourist and saw the school, but as they said, a new one is under construction. It's a lovely country and Vientiane is fine. Nothing slick and fancy, just real, and very cheap. I was there two years ago and found the internet to be high speed and quite dependable. No doubt it's even better now. It's certainly a place i'd consider if the job was right.

My experience is a bit dated, my wife and I taught at VIS from 99-01, but when we lived in Vientiane it was a wonderful place to both teach and live. The cost of living was extremely low and we saved a salary without skimping at all. The school was a true community school, something that we haven't been able to be part of since much to our regret, and the staff, students and parent were very caring. Lao offers many "National Geographic" moments and the culture will be right in your face.

The new school opens in early September 08 and I am sure it will be a great facility. Even when we were in Lao the internet connection was acceptable from home and I am sure it has only improved since then. If you have an opportunity to work at VIS I would certainly take advantage of it.

appreciate the info, thanks for taking the time.

For an update on Vientiane International School in 2010. It is great little school with big plans, it has a supportive staff and lovely students from a large number of nationalities. The school moved to a new campus several years ago with lots of space. The IB PYP and DP programes have been authorized and the MYP should be authorized this year. This has meant a lot of training for staff and the school has had a large budget for staff training at overseas IB conferences. It has also required a lot of work from teachers and the workload is high for teachers although this is expected to decrease once the curriculum is fully in place for the MYP. Primary have less planning time than secondary although this is being worked on. The school is just completing a CIS/WASC school review. There is a new director Greg Smith in the school for the 2010-11 school year and he is an 'on to it' principal who has a natural ability to bring the school together. Although in the school a short time when I write this he seems to be a good fit for the school. The primary head Carmel McCormick the primary principal is not popular but is moving on at the end of the school year much to the relief of many primary staff. The school has purchased a number of new computers this year and with laptops and 2 computer labs the congestion on the computer labs has eased. Internet access is really not bad for one of the 10th poorest nations in the world. Yes the internet does go down now and then but this doesn't happen every day. No internet sites are blocked which makes a relief when teaching. As a non-profit the board is quite inclusive of staff and currently plans are being made to look at the staff package . No school is perfect but from my standpoint VIS is a great little school (roll expanding) to work at.

Having worked at VIS 10 years ago it is nice to hear that it is continuing to grow and mature. It was a fabulous school to work for then and I am happy that it is still a great place to work today.