A friend of mine has been offered a job here for a September start. 24k RMB including housing. Seems like an amazing salary, but anyone know anything about this school? Thanks!

I interviewed with them last year. I nearly took the job because it sounded like an okay gig and the principal seemed like a great guy. But I ultimately said no for the following reasons:

1. Location. Northern Jakarta. I asked around and basically it's a terrible part of Jakarta.
2. Although they teach IGCSE, I wanted an IB school.
3. Mostly local kids so not really "international" in the true sense of the word.
4. Salary. Just wasn't enough, plus the housing allowance they give you is a joke. Not sure about the shared housing - I think you have that option or they give you an allowance.

I interviewed with them earlier this year. They told me that they could only offer me an ESL position, despite the fact that they were advertising for IB and IGCSE positions. The IB and IGCSE positions only go to people who have been working with them for a few years, so I passed.

With your experience, you should be able to find something. Many of the schools at that fair want couples only, but I saw plenty of single people with IB experience garner many interviews. You should be fine as long as your references are good and you don't have a lot of dependents coming with you (this is also something schools don't like at these early fairs, no matter what they claim).

What are your qualifications/experience? I have not worked for either but I have heard/read a bit about both of these.

Disney English - I think the name says it all. Very low salary and it's a business. They were at the SEARCH fair in Bangkok this past March - no one was talking to them. Any qualified teacher can do a lot better than them. You'd be better off going to Korea and working at a hagwon - you'd make more money too.


HK NET Scheme - I think this scheme is very similar to the GEPIK/EPIK public school scheme in South Korea, except that you must be a certified teacher. I think they pay pretty well but you have no choice in where you end up. You could be at a very good school, or you could be teaching numbskulls in a very poor environment with no resources. It's a crapshoot.

I paid for the IB training myself. It was expensive, but worth it. IB schools wouldn't even look at me without it. I did not get hired at any of the SEARCH fairs but I did have a few interviews. The problem is that most schools want IB experience, not just training. Lots of times I would go up to the table and the principal would say "Sorry, but I'm under strict instructions not to interview anyone who doesn't have IB experience." Training just isn't good enough for most of the schools, unfortunately.

Once I had my IB training, I started applying to all the IB schools in countries I wanted to work. Most of Asia, a few in Europe, a few in South America. ibo.org has a list of all of them. I got a few interviews that way and eventually got hired by a school in China.

SEARCH provides a good service, although just be warned that most of the schools registered with SEARCH want IB trained teachers. I'm not IB trained but still had a few interviews with schools registered both in and out of the job fairs. But I didn't get hired.

TIE online is good for the price. I think I had 2 interviews with schools there. Didn't get hired, though.

What I finally did was look at ibo.org and looked up all the schools that had IB. I then went to the schools' websites directly and applied for openings. And that's how I got hired - by doing everything myself.

These agencies can help you but you are not guaranteed a job. If you are IB trained and have experience teaching IB, then SEARCH is your best bet.

Not to dash your hopes, but if you have no IB experience then your chances of getting into a top tier international school are very very slim. Also, these schools most likely will not be hiring in November/December. Many schools don't require teachers to give notice until December, which is why the first job fairs are in January, where most of these schools do their hiring.

You can register with both. I met people at the SEARCH fairs who were registered with ISS as well.

On a whim I checked their site and the position was still listed as vacant so I shot them an email. I have an interview with them tomorrow. At this point in the season most of the jobs are long gone, so even though it's freezing cold up there, I think it still seems like a good place to stay for a few years, especially since they do IB.

I doubt at this point I can snag anything else unless I want to go to someplace like Syria or Saudi. I'd take northern China over those two places any day.

I've lived in Bangkok for the past 3 years; the protests last year were pretty much outside my apartment building. The "red shirts" are (at least in my view) usually just a minor annoyance but last year they successfully closed Bangkok's shopping district for 3 months but the escalation that followed was easily avoided. Curfews were in effect for a few weeks and there were about 2 weeks where it was very unwise to go to certain areas of the city. But I always felt safe. The red shirts are not gone, however. They are kind of like the sleeping giant that could awaken at anytime and cause mayhem. Just avoid them the best you can; you should be fine.

I'm also interested in this; there are a few links about the NET scheme if you do a google search:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=497
http://hongkong.geoexpat.com/forum/53/thread17824.html

From what I have HEARD - you need to be a certified teacher, and it is pretty much a crapshoot as to what school you will be working for. Kinda sounds like the GEPIK/EPIK/SMOE program in South Korea except you need a teaching license - they place teachers in various schools throughout the city but you have no say in terms of where you will end up. You could be teaching at a very good school with motivated students or you could be teaching in a backwater school with no resources. Also, I believe that it is all EFL - no subject-matter teaching. Again, this is what I have heard and/or read, it would be nice to have someone with first-hand experience weigh in.

I've had 2 interviews with them and the school looks like it's a really good place. Excellent package - high salary and loads of perks with zero tax. Teaching DP & MYP and they provide training. Looks like a really good deal if I can just get past the fact that I'd be spending the next few years (at least) in the desert.

I've been reading loads of stuff on Dubai and have mixed feelings. The racism, the heat, attitude of the locals, all the rules and regulations. Does anyone know anything about the school (ISR has mixed reviews and the last one was over 3 yrs ago), and perhaps living in Dubai? I'd be bringing the Thai wife along and she would probably be able to get work (her degree is in tourism with airline, hotel, and banking emphasis). But what we're mostly concerned with is the day to day stuff. Someone even told me that they view Asians as slaves (although this might be an exaggeration). Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

Who knows? It sounds like you have made the short list at least. However I applied to a school in Japan and they contacted my referees before the interview. All schools are different. Some don't even contact referees.

What is the job offer in China?