PsyGuy wrote:
> The IS profile is self reported by the IS, and its whatever they want it to be, it
> could ahve last been updated years ago. It means very little, at best its a range
> to compare one ISs comp to another. It is nothing approaching a guarantee, or reality.


It's false advertising. If a school cannot be trusted to fill out an online form reasonably accurately, then what does that say about the way they run their school or treat their teachers? It smacks of carelessness, incompetence or deliberate misdirection.

Schools have a right to hold their teachers up to high standards, but equally teachers should be holding schools up to a similar standard. I'd avoid the place.

auntiesocial wrote:
> This is the case in basically every major East Asian city.
>

I can think of one or two exceptions.

The problem with the Brits is that they are very glass half empty, compared to the North Americans who are very glass half full. That means that if you rely on bar stool conversations your information can be very skewed.


joe30 wrote:
> I concur. This is likely because teachers are paid absolute crap in the UK,
> especially with the recent devaluation of the pound.

I rest my case.

bobbydylan84 wrote:
> Having said that , a good school in the UK state system
> would put my current 'tier 1 ' school in Colombia to shame. This does make
> me wonder whether the best teachers are in fact not abroad but at home.
> It's counter intuitive to say that on a forum like this but perhaps it's
> true.

It's completely true. Very few ISs are up to the standard of good schools at home - and that goes for the US, Canada, Australia and most other countries, as well as the UK. You're far from the first person to say it.

Traveller1 wrote:
the ethos in British schools seems different to that in American schools and philosophically the systems, methodology and approach is different.

Yes - I would agree. It has also got worse in recent years do to the changes brought about in England since 2010 - most of which were in the teeth of British teachers.

Traveller1 wrote:
Perhaps you'd like to comment on the news report on Sky by the education authorities that some teachers were trying to sabotage and undermine the SATs tests? Or why parents of 5 & 6 year old children were threatening to pull their children out of school to prevent them writing national tests.

This is true. Although I have also heard of similar stuff going on in the US over common core, and the PYP where it has been introduced.


Traveller1 wrote:
Shadowjack wrote: "However, as I have posted elsewhere, Twoteachers, the UK system is all about predicted grades and tests. Students will come to you in KS 2 or 3 or 4 with predicted grades. Woe betide you if they don't meet them! Best for you that they exceed them, as you become 'value added'. This is not a comment on the quality of the teachers in the UK, its a comment on the approach, mindset, ethos, philosophy, and what is valued in British education. If this is not true then say so,

It is what is valued at the moment by the powers that be in England. (Scotland and Wales have their own systems, and are largely rejecting this kind of nonsense.) Does it suit the mindset and philosophy of British teachers? No, which is one of the reasons why so many are fleeing the UK at the moment. UK schools overseas do not have to implement all this kind of thing, and there are plenty of independent and international British schools that have a more holistic view of education.

Incidentally I am glad to see that you have dropped the claims about shouting, bell curves and wedges.

Traveller1 wrote:
The Year 2 teacher down the corridor from my room really does shout at some of his students in the corridor. To the British Upper and Lower Primary Coordinators, who sit in an office 5 m from his classroom, he is considered a good teacher. Our British teachers have savaged 2nd language students in staff meetings, called their work rubbish, and when I've called them out on it I'm told this happens at home.
>
> You're probably right about the Bell Curve, its more like a wedge, with a select few able to attain an acceptable standard.


It's a shame you can't name the school on this site anymore. It sounds horrendous. Shouting to keep control is accepted practise? Calling EAL students lazy, because they can't access the work? Elitist grading / feedback that disenfranchises most of the kids? Sounds like a dodgy AS that I worked at for a bit. I, however, just presumed it was like that because it was a poor school, not because it was American. Shame you can't cut the slack the other way.

I'm sorry that's your experience.

Traveller1 wrote:
grading to the Bell Curve, whether you're comfortable with teachers shouting at students,

No offence, but if this was your experience then you can't have worked at a decent BS (if it was actually a BS, and not just a local school that brought in the CIE suite of assessments). The UKNC never grades to a Bell Curve, and shouting at students isn't considered good practise in any system. (except maybe North Korea?)

Traveller1 wrote:
philosophically the US and UK systems are quite distinct . . . I would say the IB is the way to go.

I do agree with you on these points though. The UK system tends to be more structured in its expectations, and requires teachers to collaborate. It's not a 'nice option', you won't survive if you don't. Having gone the other way, the two things that struck me were the independence that US teachers get (and sometimes get away with), and the lack of collaboration between teachers in the High School. There are far more 'rockstars' in US schools too. The IB seems a nice mix, with high expectations, a collaborative ethos as well as the freedom for the teachers and students to do what seems best. I'm afraid that I've pretty much drunk the IB kool-aid.

PsyGuy wrote:

> Are you getting a commission for every time you pitch teaching in the UK?

Lol.

@twoteachers

Why? What's the draw? They'll want to know.

Your head took over 6 months to complete your reference? Sounds like that's where your main problem lies . . .

When did you sign up, and start to look? My colleagues who moved this year generally had things wrapped up by November. One, who got his job in the first week in January, commented on how late they had got their job compared to everyone else.

How fussy are you being your location and which school you would apply to? Do you have any dependents?

What kind of experience do you have overseas? UKNC? PYP? IPC? You do sound very UKNC with your talk of outstanding OFSTEDs etc. Depending on the school, that could play against you.

Have you managed to get any kind of feedback from any of your interviews? Have you had anyone look over your resume and covering letter? How well do you sell yourself? How did you qualify for QTS? B. Ed? PGCE? Or School Direct / GTP? Some schools don't like SD / GTP.

Have you signed up with TIEOnline and Schrole?

Good luck. There do seem to be plenty of jobs still out there this year - so don't get downhearted. Also try to post either on the TES or member forum here, so you can get some more personal advice through private messages.

PsyGuy wrote:
> of the 3 (really 4) IB programs MYP has the least value.

Why is that?

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Thames Pirate
>
Swiss nationals are in the same group as EU nationals are for purposes of IE.

Yes, I'd agree with you there more or less.

However you should look at the Brexit campaign. It's full of examples of how EU law supersedes the laws of member states. And some of what it says is even true. Being able to appoint a commissioner is also quite a big deal, as is a place at the Council of Ministers. Also, in theory, the Mayor of London or Paris etc could be a national of any EU member state. They could not be Swiss.

"Switzerland is as much part of the EU as any other EU member in all the issues that matter."

Except for no representation in the Euro Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the European Council, and they don't have an EU commissioner.

As for living and working in the EU, they do have some (limited) restrictions that EU citizens do not have.

If you look on the European Commission website, it says:

"Any person who holds the nationality of an EU country is automatically also an EU citizen. EU citizenship is additional to and does not replace national citizenship."

It also lays out EU citizen rights as:
the right:
To non-discrimination on the basis of nationality when the Treaty applies
To move and reside freely within the EU
To vote for and stand as a candidate in European Parliament and municipal elections
To be protected by the diplomatic and consular authorities of any other EU country
To petition the European Parliament and complain to the European Ombudsman
To contact and receive a response from any EU institution in one of the EU's official languages
To access European Parliament, European Commission and Council documents under certain conditions.

Swiss nationals have some, but not all of these rights.

So neither on national, or at an individual level, do Swiss citizens have the same rights in the EU as EU citizens.

That said, they do have the right to live and work almost anywhere in the EU, so your original point to the OP stands.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Thames Pirate
>
> If you're a French Citizen and hold a
> French passport you get to vote in France, you don't get to move to Italy
> and vote in Italian elections.

In this case the French citizen would get to vote in Local, Regional and EP (European Parliament) Italian elections, but not their national elections.

There are 28 member states of the EU. Switzerland is not one of them. Neither are Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco or the Vatican, although two of them do get to mint their own Euro coins. Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, FYROM, Albania and Turkey are also not member states, although many of them have candidate status and visa-free travel in the Schengen area. The UK is a member for the moment, although it's 50:50 whether it will remain a member after the referendum in June. However if it did vote to leave, it is likely that Scotland would vote to leave the UK, and re-join the EU as an independent member state.

However, as to your main point - yes, a Swiss passport would give you the right to live and work in almost all EU countries.

"In fact, the term ‘rock star’ was used to describe him by our search consultant from the Ohio School Boards Association. I agreed. He did seem like a rock star.”

Yup. Rock star teacher = one with a big ego. Often not living up to their actual hype. Certainly these people do often land on their hooves. I think that JK Rowling parodied the rock star teacher brilliantly with her character Lockheart in the HP stories. As an ex-teacher, she probably had personal experience.

Much like an actual rockstar, one with a massive ego.