"They will see he went alternative route when his degree is not in education. "

This is not necessarily true. In the US, each state has its own, and oftentimes very different, certification process. The state I was initially certified in has secondary teachers do their coursework in their subject areas and education. You must have done the education coursework to get the institutional recommendation for certification, but the actual bachelors degree is in your subject area. So if someone were to look at my degree it would say History and Biology, not Education. But I am certified and I went through the traditional four-year degree process with secondary education courses in undergrad to get my certification. Additionally, I've never had a school question my certification or ask if I went through an alternative route to get it. Now if a school asked to see transcripts, they would see that I did secondary education as part of my bachelor's, but most schools don't ask to see transcripts. This would be the only way they could tell for sure that a teacher was certified in a separate, alternative method.

You could live on that, but maybe not comfortably. I think saving much would be difficult. To be able to give you a specific answer, it would be helpful to know your situation. Single? Couple? Kids? How big of an apartment would you need? S$3800 should be fine for rent and utilities, but the S$3400 will be tight for daily living like groceries, eating out, transport, etc. Again, it matters how you will live -- will you take taxis or stick completely with public transport? How often will you eat out and what type of restaurants will you eat at? Do you plan on traveling? Groceries are expensive no matter how you eat, but the more local your cuisine, the cheaper --think rice and Chinese vegetables and little meat. Even living cheap, I think S$3400/mo will leave you with very little savings.

Compared to what I've seen, S$3400 is a low salary. Most of the "good" schools pay double that, plus a housing allowance.

QSI does hire single teachers with trailing spouses and kids. I used to work for them and there were numerous people in this or similar situations that were hired. I know their website says only teaching couples, but they will hire someone with your wife's situation. I would apply and see where it takes you. Again, I would not say they are great schools, but it is a chance to work overseas.
As the previous poster said, Spanish-speaking countries are usually low paying and it would be very difficult to make it on one salary.

You might want to look into QSI. They are not the best schools, but they do offer opportunities for families that other schools would pass on. I have known families with four kids, single teachers with three dependents, and numerous teachers with trailing spouses who have all been hired by QSI. You will have to pay insurance and flights for yourself, but your children would have this provided and their tuition would be covered when they hit school age (preschool usually starts at 3 in most QSI schools, but some schools have a two year old class). As far as savings go, they aren't the best paying schools, but they are also usually not in the most expensive places to live. All of the people I mentioned above were easily able to live and travel off of their salary. In addition, they recruit at their own events, so membership in Search or ISS is not necessary. If you were willing to go to a less desirable location (think former Soviet Republics in Central Asia) you could probably still get hired for the next academic year.

It is completely normal to feel jittery about an upcoming fair and the jobs being scooped up in the early fairs. My husband and I were recruiting last year and felt the exact same way as you did watching the Search database during the Bangkok fair. We kept kicking ourselves for not going to the Bangkok fair. We went to the London fair and got a job with a great school that wasn't at Bangkok. Friends of ours did the same at Cambridge. New jobs will be posted just in time for your fair and some excellent schools have later dates for returning teachers to make their decisions and so will be attending later fairs.

It is true that some of your dream jobs will be scooped up in Bangkok or London, but it is also true that some new dream jobs will present themselves only in time for Cambridge. It's best not to get stuck on what could have been and instead focus on what opportunities are available to you. I know this is tough and the emotional roller coaster of job hunting is truly awful. You sound like a solid candidate who will be in very high demand at Cambridge and will likely have your pick of great jobs!

Hardest question I was ever asked was in an interview as a couple and the interviewer asked what one thing the other did as a teacher that we didn't agree with. How do you answer that? I totally messed up the answer, but we still got the job.

I wanted to clarify that QSI doesn't "reserve" positions in certain locations for current teachers. They do have a process of internal transfer that happens before jobs are posted and that is why the more desirable locations generally do not have positions. People are allowed to register three locations they'd like to transfer to. If openings that they fit come up, they are given the transfer. After all the transfers are completed, QSI posts its positions externally. Just like newbies, most returning teachers prefer being in Eastern Europe to the Stans. If positions come up after the transfer date or were not filled by internal transfers, they are posted.

If you are going to interview with them, I would recommend checking their website for current positions right before the interview so that you know where there are positions for you. They WILL try to push you to the less desirable locations, but if you say you want to go to place "X" and you see that there are positions for you, they will give you them.

As for the locations you listed, it might be unlikely that positions there will be available. Sarajevo is a very small school and one of the top transfer desires as is Bratislava (but it is slightly larger). Albania is not as desired, but it is small. If you want to be in Eastern Europe, you might also consider Kyiv. It is a much larger school and usually has positions for newbies. I know there is some turmoil there now, but overall it is a great city that just keeps getting better (and hopefully these protests will continue the upward swing in quality of life for the average Ukrainian).

Cost of living in Singapore, as in all places, depends on how you choose to live. Having two kids would significantly increase the cost. Most people with kids have "helpers" which run over S$1000/month (when all costs are included, not just pay). Busing to school and extra activities are not cheap in Singapore. Eating out is wickedly expensive unless you stick to hawker stalls and eating houses (which are decent options if you aren't looking for the fine dining experience). Groceries are quite a bit more than any other place I've lived, but again, on the salary you listed it is manageable.

One thing to be careful of -- on SA it lists the pay in USD, but a lot of Singapore schools are actually reporting the Singapore dollar salary (which is about 20% lower when converted into USD). You do pay Singapore taxes, but those aren't outrageous. Housing covered is a big expense taken care of, so that is nice.

A family of four saving $30,000 sounds about right, if not generous.

I have to disagree with Sid's comment that a lighter load is normal for American schools. In the US, I taught 7/8 (with a 20 minute lunch) and had to do cover and lunch duty. At two other schools I taught 5/6. This all was in different states. I don't know of many schools in the states that give you more than one planning period/day on average.

Internationally, I've done 6/8 and 5/7. Only one planning period per day at an international school seems like very little.

I've been at schools that give a bonus for letting them know either way. The bonus is larger for those staying than for those letting them know they are leaving, but it is still nice if you know you are on your way out! I don't think it is common, but some schools do do it.

@newchapter

Just wanted to let you know that it is very early in the recruiting season and you have lots of time to land a job. Recruiting is always nerve wracking and I know I always want to be done early. Also to echo what vett said -- you can't pin your hopes on specific schools. In the last recruitment cycle we were aiming for a specific region and ended in a completely different part of the world. We love our school and country and never would have picked it.

Having said that, you can get the coveted schools and locations if you're in the right place at the right time. I've worked at and have friends at some top schools and there are always teachers who don't meet the "high requirements" (many years teaching, masters, etc.). So don't be discouraged -- apply for your dream schools, but be realistic about the job hunt and include any schools you'd be willing to work at.

Hi Choirguy,

If there are no positions, you could send a quick email through search. I don't think it would hurt you, but I don't know that you'll get much consideration out of it. If something later comes up for you, I'd recommend following their specific directions. I definitely emphasized that I was on search and that my info could be accessed through them when following their directions for application submission. I don't think it hurts you to email through search, but I also don't think it makes you stand out... A recruiter might be able to share their perspective, because honestly I am just guessing at how schools view it. I know many schools have specific non-search directions for application.

@ new chapter -- I wouldn't wait until the fair. I would apply as jobs come up. Schools will fill positions before fairs and/or have an idea of who they want to interview at fairs based on earlier applications. I got my last job at the London fair, but the school contacted me before the fair and we had a meeting scheduled before the interview sign up session.

I wouldn't recommend using the search email function unless the school specifies that that is how they want you to contact them. Most schools have a specific application process that they want you to follow. Not following these directions can oftentimes get your resume binned without a look.

To be on the safe side, I always followed the school's application directions to the letter. I would sometimes use the search email function to follow up on an application, but usually did not use it to send the application.

I know it is frustrating -- you think that you've done all of this work to get everything set up on Search and the application process will be so easy because you just have to send an email and everything will be attached. The reality, however is that most schools want the information in a very specific way in order to streamline their process.

If others have a different perspective and have had great luck with the Search email, I'd love to hear about it.

I got my job in SE Asia at the London Fair, so there are opportunities outside of the Bangkok fair.

Schools seem to keep moving up their date for current teachers to give notice for the following year. My school requires teachers to let the school know if they were returning by December 1st. Some schools require notice as early as November. I don't think schools are hiring quite as quickly in December, but it would be possible for many schools to know their needs.