Every expat except for me appears to be addicted to something at my Brazilian international school. And for good reason - Brazil is an alcohol-soaked mess and the school is even worse! Students throw all-night drug-fueled parties each weekend that apparently cost in excess of $200,000 a pop. Only chronic substance-abusers could stand it, as Brazil is beautiful when on something. Being constantly inebriated would make an expat still slightly more productive than a sober local.

Working here opens one's eyes to the horrors of Jeitinho and makes one yearn for orderly societies where things get done and get done well. Brazilian students, oh my, I will bite my tongue on what I really think until I am out of the country...

I would just like to chime in that I am so over the IB curriculum for many reasons, many of which have to do with preventing high school students from having balanced lives and then screwing them if their IB predictions are not spot on. When did all educators lose their minds and decide that one curriculum was superior to all of the rest? I don't like AP either, but two wrongs don't make a right. Go with the school and location you like the best. The end.

I know this fair has a bad reputation and a ramshackle group of schools currently scheduled to attend, but do you know if more schools sign up as it gets closer and/or if the schools in attendance often come with more than just one or two jobs? Any strategy for dealing with this fair or advice about it would be great. Beyond this, I am in a position where I have just begun the search for fall 2016 openings, so any overall advice with how to get some hits quick would be great. I would prefer not to go to London in April if I don't have to. TIA.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which has two major international schools: The American School (EARJ) and The British School.

I will not rank them here, but do note that The British School is nearly all Brazilian staff and nearly all Brazilian students. EARJ is becoming more local-student populated too after the oil bust sent companies away, but there are still a lot of American (and a couple Canadian) staff members and a good number of American and Central/South American expat students/families.

All you can do is pray. Covering up is not even enough as mosquitos can get through most fabrics that are cool enough to wear in tropical climates. Yet, as bad as dengue is, Zika is now the great fear, as it's causing microcephaly in children of women bitten during their pregnancies. As mentioned previously by another poster to this forum, Brazil is a good spot right now for men, not women, especially those looking to get pregnant.

Europe
Switzerland (Poland and/or Western Ukraine if single male)

Africa
Ethiopia

Asia
Vietnam/Japan

South America
Chile (Brazil if single and male)

North America
Idaho

It's very hard to make such a move based off of what it could do for you in your next location, but it sounds like Brasilia is good for that too. I say live for today, and it sounds like Brasilia is good for your family and good for you. Also, Brazil is a land of malls. Do Brasilia. Just be warned that Brazil takes a good 5 to 10 months to get adjusted too. It's so slow and your entire mind needs to be rebooted. So don't be surprised if you hate it the first six to nine months. Once you get through that period, you will be good.

Brazil is very big. Different cities are completely different from one another culturally, racially, socially, economically, etc. Brasilia is okay. Cairo, and Egypt in general right now, is a place that I would not take kids. Brasilia and all Brazilian cities have crime. Really investigate the curriculum available to your kids at both. Their happiness will dictate your happiness. I also hear good things about EAB.

I think it is wishful thinking that this would be a good post with children. Santo Domingo is NOT SAFE even if the school grounds are. Crime is wholesale out of control in the city relative to any developed country's most dangerous cities. If this is okay with you, fine, but go in with eyes wide open; you are not going to be posted in a Caribbean paradise. SD is a hot mess.

ffmary, it's pretty tough at all those schools. Campinas is going through a head change now, and they have more open positions than the others at present. Check their websites, and in some cases Search and the print TIE newspaper for your best bet to stay up to date on all potential openings at the schools. EARJ has two main campuses, but only one for high school. Campinas is all on one campus. Lincoln has seen better days, but so has Argentina (1920s and earlier), and Uruguay is small but cute and provides great access to both southern Brazil and metro Buenos Aires. Good luck to you.

The richest city in Brazil, Sao Paulo is a megalopolis that is pretty overwhelming to those from outside of Brazil and even those from Brazil. The cost of living is high in order to get into the right neighborhoods and with the economic downturn, the poor are more brazen than ever in terms of crimes committed. The fall in the real means that international teachers paid in reais have lost at least 25% of their earnings in the last few months alone. Some schools have salary stabilization clauses, but most don't cover for the full depreciation of the real. Try to negotiate your salary as high as possible if it gets to that point. The cost of imported items is very high and many products that should be available in the country are not because of protectionist government policies. Sao Paulo is the banking capital of Brazil, Brasilia is the political capital, and Rio de Janeiro is the beach-sexy-fun capital of the country. It gets extremely hot, but unlike Rio, you don't have the beach to turn to for relief. I would not move to Sao Paulo right now with kids unless Graded was an option, but even then, your children, like most of Brazil's well-off, will probably need to be shuttled around from . to . to keep them safe and secure from the reality that is Brazil at the moment. They won't be playing carefree in the streets here. It's not my idea of the best childhood, but people do it and their children make it just fine, and school-wise, Graded is very strong.

What percentage of international teachers are single? fine dude, you sound single to me. If not, I am assuming your children would be in your priority list, as in their education, safety, etc. I never got a response to my recent post about evaluating good international preschools and international schools, and I assume it was because many on this board have no children. To the original poster, if you have kids or want to have them, you may want to move back to your country of origin, at least for a while to have some support.

Oh good GOD! It's October 2nd and I started hearing the local teachers talk to the students yesterday about our school's Halloween celebration. And this school does stink big time. This theory is true, true, true. It's the only indicator an international teacher needs to determine where not to go that is for sure. I wish I had seen this last year!!!!!!

Tangchao, that is crazy. A contract is a contract. If it's two years, you are free to go anywhere after two years. Why should someone stay just to impress his or her next boss if the place is not the right fit? The answer is he or she should not.