this definitely helps shadowjack. my board actually will allow a two year absence. i checked when i first thought about teaching abroad. i do think that i will just travel this summer and plan next year to look into perhaps teaching abroad. if it doesnt work out then at least i will be able to live abroad again the following summer in a different destination. i will continue to read more and do more research in the meantime. i thank you all for your information and opinions. i hope to learn more from all of you. thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Thank you all for your honest opinion. they are much appreciated. thank you to those who responded from personal experience or having talked to friends who have taught in Cebu. the two individuals whom i have talked to in CIS were positive and professional also. psyguy i think you are correct about me wanting to live abroad. though i do want to teach abroad, however, i think it might be better suited for me later on down the line when i get more experience living abroad for two months in different countries during my summer vacation months. when i find a city that i can see myself living in for a longer duration, then maybe at that point i can apply and see what job i can get. philippines was not my first choice. i really wanted something in europe or thailand, however, i haven't been able to get any job offers from there so far. i do think that my best bet is to just spend two months in europe which is where i feel the strongest toward and then come back to CA to teach in september. i'm a bit wistful in thinking that maybe i should not give up on trying to teach abroad just yet, but maybe the grass is not that much greener on the other side. for those of you who are currently teaching abroad, i would love to hear your thoughts.

psyguy mentioned that the teacher involved in the accident will most likely do jail time, it brings up a question of what kind of rights or protections are there for international teachers when accidents occur? i can understand if the teacher was negligent, that there will be consequences, however, when it is truly an accident, are there any kind of protection for these teachers?

I appreciate you honest opinion. I really want to experience teaching abroad at an international school. I have been teaching in CA for 14 yrs and have a great salary n job here but I'm dreaming about trying teaching abroad. I have no experience in international teaching but consider myself a strong teacher in that I love my job, my test scores are high every year, I have had great training, lots of experience and also willing to learn what I need to learn. For those experienced in teaching internationally, in your opinion is it worth me leaving my comfortable teaching spot here to pursue this experience? Or just experience other cultures by "living abroad" in a new country every summer for two months without worrying about earning money since I will have my savings from my teaching job here. That way I can enjoy different countries without too much stress of worrying about work and experience as much of the country as possible during my two months of summer vacation. I know opinions will differ from person to person. I'm just interested what your opinions are. Thank you.

Wow thank you all for all the information both good and bad. That is exactly what I was hoping for. I did read about the tragic accident and I feel so bad for the family, community and school. I am coming from a western school with a great salary and great technology. It will be my first year teaching abroad. The campus looked beautiful and I heard great things about Cebu. Opportunities to travel around SEA was definitely on the top of my list. With all your information, I definitely have a lot to think about. I definitely do not want to stay 4+ years so it may not be right for me, eventhough the challenge of making a difference and contributing what positive influence I might have to a school that wants to head in the right direction is tempting.

Does anyone have any information/opinions on Cebu International School in the Philippines? Or the city itself. From your experience how did you like living in that city? pros and cons. Thank you!

Psyguy and Sid you both made some great points and advice. Thank you. I was thinking of joining TIE so ill probably go ahead and sign up for that.

Psyguy ur advice that I should look for an esl position, would I need a tefl cert to do that or would I be fine w my current credentials?
Thanks for the tip on not mentioning my short term intentions.

When I started thinking about teaching abroad I definitely didn't think that it will just be a vacation. I know I'm trying to find work there so I would approach it with the same attitude as I do with my job here. It wouldn't be fair to the school or the kids there if I didn't. I'm hoping for a school with a developed pedagogy and high commitment to their students. I'd want to walk away from there w a sense of making some kind of difference and knowing that I gave it my best. My dedication to teaching will be the same wherever I go. The perks of more opportunities to travel, learn new culture, and being in a new environment are the bonuses. Those are great points Sid and they should definitely be asked and made. [/quote]

great thanks. your info does help. i will start my research on those three recruiters. what are my chances of getting a job without going to one of these job fairs?

also, do you think it is worth the money to pay these recruitment agencies or would i be able to find these same jobs by applying directly to those schools?

I am a credentialed teacher with my masters in educational technology and have taught at an elementary school in US for 14 years. i love my job but have dreaming of taking a year or two off to teach elementary school kids abroad. i would love to start in july this year. i am single with no kids and would like to find a job that will offer me housing and where there will be a expat community with whom i can perhaps travel with. experience is more important than pay since i am doing this for the experience/travel and not a career since i do have my teaching position here to come back to. i have a few questions of where to start and i would so appreciate any guidance. i would love to teach in thailand because i love the warmer weather and the culture and people seem very welcoming to foreigners. europe would also be great but it seems difficult to get. i looked into prague and turkey but i read that the winters are very very cold so i might not be able to handle that. cyprus or italy sounds like a dream too. so basically i'm not set on a specific location yet but those places mentioned would be on the top of my list. i would appreciate any suggestions or comments on what your opinions are about those places( pros and cons).

so far i have just registered with teachaway and so i'm waiting to hear back from them. i was told to apply directly with international schools but from what i've read they receive so many applications they would probably not even read mine. is this true? i do not want to invest money to fly somewhere for a job fair since i am still currently working at my job here. in your opinion, what should my steps be at this point to try and ensure i have a job set up for july/august of this year. does it seem possible? i am very excited to embark on this journey. i am making preparations on this end to be able to leave for a year or two. i just need to make preparations on the other end so i have somewhere to go to. i thank you in advance for your time and help.