Lifeisnotsobad,

Yes, it could very well be the failing of the school. In theory, the PYP does sound good. Promoting well rounded kids.

However, the only PYP school I have been at did not promote reading or writing. Only art art art.

Glad to contribute to this thread :)

I agree with most of the comments on this thread. I had an experience with PYP and similar to Puka, photocopying was looked down upon and the entire experience was simply too 'granola' for me.

I left a school due to the challenges that the co-ordinators faced with me as I didn't 'fit' the pyp profile of a teacher. In my opinion, it's best to stick with the basics such as learning to read, write, speak and do math.

Enrich your own life so you can share the rewarding experiences with your students. Not this so called pyp granola bs.

Hi Carbon,

My first placement was near Hong Kong. I think the most challenging part of the experience was being a new graduate at 22 and entering a school that was going through teething problems.

My first advice is to seek a school that has been established for some time as this says alot about their educational funding and resources. It also means that a routine has probably been established.

Also, you might want to find out what the turnover rate is and speak to teachers who are already working there. Try to gather the opinion of about 10 teachers.

The other thing I would suggest is to see if you can meet or find out more about the administration. When parents or colleagues become volatile, you want to know that your principal is strong and does his research before pointing fingers or accusing you of wrongdoing.

The salary must be on par with the pay of your home country. I wouldn't settle for anything less than 45,000 canadian a year.

Good Luck hun!

At the previous school i was at, they provided half of the housing allowance but due to the high cost of living, we lost almost 70% of our salary.

Best to hold another job in addition to teaching.

Mark,

Please find a reply to your email address.

Cee

Pink!

I'm hoping you would take the advice of the others who have already posted here. I'm going to add my insight and suggest that you look the other way and don't pursue with the presented contract.

There is nothing worse than leaving your home country to find yourself in a terrible situation overseas. I have been there and would suggest that you do everything in your power to research a school before relocating. Speak to existing teachers, go onto forums like this and understand that this teaching business is no joke. It's a very political job with many stresses that are way beyond your control.

Powderfinger,

60,000us is DEFINITELY enough for the HK lifestyle. HK is really not that an expensive place to live as many people are led to believe.

Trust me that on this kind of salary, you will be able to travel, drink, eat and shop.

Best of luck.

^ hi puka,

Yes, I mean that "I couldn't agree with Challenger more".

With regards to other options instead of teaching at a PYP school, I would suggest looking at some international schools that have not yet been sucked into this IB cult of a phenomenon. There are still some out there: )

The other options is simply to stay in the public school system. Most of them do not embrace the IB program but do strive for more high academic standards.

Overall, I believe that you must do your research before joining a school, especially if it is an international school. There is nothing worse than moving halfway across the world and finding out that the environment is stifling and disrespectful.

I speak from a perspective where I have gone through hell and back TWICE with poor experiences at two of the international schools I have worked for. I think that as long as you have the emotional well beings of the students in mind, that is what counts. Not this PYP bs.

I couldn't agree with the comments that challenger has made regarding the pyp.

I recently resigned from a position at a school undergoing PYP accreditation due to the lack of respect that some of these "pyp worshippers" have for teachers who have different teaching styles.

There was no emphasis placed on academics and teaching kids the basics such as printing and writing were looked down upon.

At the school, teachers mentioned that they were 'losing themselves' due to the pressure that the existing teachers placed on them.

As someone who values self-dignity, I have refused to succumb to these kinds of pressures and politics that occur within a school system. For me, the PYP is nothing but ineffective. After my experience, I agree that an A-F system of reporting will do much more justice than all this tree hugging nonsense.