The International Schools Review Forum

The more I follow this forum, and the more stories I hear of positive changes happening because of it I wonder if it is time to think about the next step and that is an International Teachers Federation. (A union)

Here?s how it could possibly work.

Through this website teachers could become members, which happens right now. When a majority of teachers at a school are members of the ITF they could ask to have a voice on the school board or form a group that would meet to discuss school issues, i.e.: salary and benefits, hiring of administrators, etc.

This group could issue reviews of the school that are honest and fair. These reviews could then have the ITF stamp. This ITF stamp could also be issued to schools that pass some basic criteria. (Non-profits, decent housing, truly international school students population) If a school is not fair and honest with its teachers it could forfeit their positive rankings.

We could even go so far as to have our own recruiting fairs, retirement programs, lawyers or administrators that care about us.

In the past, we, as teachers had two choices, to stay at a school or to leave it. With the internet and all the information at our fingertips our options are rapidly changing. Let?s all spread the word at our schools and have a healthy dialogue on these issues.

This is a great idea in theory. I think that it would need the support/advice of a large organization such as a large national teachers' union. With clout from experts they could then perhaps influence CIS ISS etc to sit up and listen (and even take it on board under a watchful eye). There's the issue of differing national laws and proving individual cases. Fine in the UK or Austrailia with citizens advice/lawyers/educational governing bodies etc but not so easy in places like Bolivia or Senegal.

In Europe with the EU perhaps there is the possibility of having a European teachers' union. Without international laws it would be difficult to have a true global teachers' union. Not that I have the faintest idea about unions really but I'd love to see it materialize - I'd join. In the meantime thought I'd join the forum.

I think in the context in which you describe, offering advice, legal assistance, school evaluation- it has merit.

As a teacher now in the US though, some unions don't necessarily have the best reputation. High fees, negative public image, difficulty in removing teachers who need removing.. all contribute to an organization which some consider a hindrance to needed reform.

Off the top of my head, I'd be hesitant to support an overseas union if it adopted much of the same mechanisms as a state side union. Plus, as the previous poster alluded to, it would be hard to facilitate many of the 'benefits' of a stateside union overseas.

I think an organization that would be recognized to evaluate hiring practices of schools, to help disseminate information as well as provide a vehicle for teachers to access legal, medical and professional advice would be desirable.

My 2 cents here:
With schools scatered all over the world, I don't see how this could be efficient, because it would probably need to have a big heavy slow costly centralized admin/bureau.
A strong staff association can do the trick (I've seen it worked in China)
Look at International School Manila, they didn't need any union to get what they wanted (resignation of the whole board).

One comment on "truly international school students population". I do not think that it is the students population that makes a school international, it's its curriculum.

ok, that was a couple of cents!