The International Schools Review Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm kind of pulling my hair out here, and wondering if there is any advice someone can give me, or if there is someone who has been in a similar situation.

I've been teaching for five years, three of which have been spent teaching internationally. This was my second contract and I was due to finish in July 2020, but the school asked me to leave for strange, almost unwarranted reasons (it feels like one of the principals was just trying to get rid of me), but have promised to give me good references and to say that I resigned. There's not much I feel like I can do as they have me bent over a barrel, and I need the reference.

I've already had a number of interviews for January, but am understandably a little shaken and rusty and didn't interview too well. I've been getting a few interview offers on Search, but I'm kind of still holding out.

I really don't want to go back and teach in my home country, as I love the life that international teaching offers me, but understand that if that is what I have to do then I will do it.

I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on what to do over this? Any words of what I should say in an interview? Has anyone else ever 'broken' contract and got back into a good school?

A little about me: I'm single, and in a desirable section of education (i.e. not many teachers for those roles).

Anyway, thanks for listening.

How far along has the departure gone?
Where this at the beginning you would have been strongly advised to have negotiated the departure from your IS to coincide with the end of the AY in July. No early resignation or anything, your leadership provides you a positive reference and you just ended your contract in July. The other part of that would have been to negotiate terms of the departure, they are likely trading a reference for a whole lot of coin that you are otherwise entitled too, they are getting off cheap.

What are you holding out for, this is going into November, and ISs need lad time to arrange among many other things a visa. Its one thing to want the best of what is a depressing situation, but you dont have time on your side. Further, these arent even offers your holding out over but interviews, take everything you can get that you wouldnt say no too, so that as the mid term creeps up, you at least have something.

Hi PsyGuy,

It happened over a month ago, and was very sudden. I got a good resignation package etc, but there was no way I could have asked to stay until July, they basically just asked me to leave. They have said they will ghost the last few months though, so it just looked like I was working there for one year. I'm now just going to apply for jobs for next August, and travel for a while, but I was just wondering how employable I still am?

Like I said, if this means having to go back and teach at home for a few years I am up for that, but would prefer not to.

@Magnifyer

Youre fine, you dont have to go back to DE in your HOR. You can do almost anything for a year without marketability problems or damage to your utility. Just have a reasonable story for what you were doing for that time. Your last contract was only for 1 year, you got a positive reference and you did something from burying your dead gold fish, going back to Uni, writing a book, etc.

One thing I would possibly ask is sight of the references - if they have told you what they are putting in them, then they shouldn't really have a problem, and if they aren't keen to show you them that would ring an alarm bell.

That said, there are plenty of options - as psyguy said, travel for a bit, look for cover opportunities in the city you are in, or if you need to work then have a look at schools still recruiting for this year - yes, if they still need staff now they might be a bit of a dump, but equally they may well be more likely to offer you a one year contract so you could easily leave at the end of they year.

While it wouldnt hurt and I agree with @expatscot that you should review what the reference actually says, it doesnt mean very much if the IS says one thing to you and says something else to recruiters and other leadership.

Magnifyer wrote:
> They have said they will ghost the last few months though,
>

Is this an actual thing?
Do heads of school "ghost"references?

@Doctor

They arent ghosting the references, they are post modifying the end date of the contract (EOC). It was two years and they are modifying it to one year and giving the IT a positive reference for that one year. This is to the ITs benefit.