I think you are right on Europe. Japan and some schools in Southeast Asia (China, Thailand, Malaysia) are also in high demand. At the fair, long lines in front of some schools will be a good indicator.
Good luck.

[quote="WiseTeach"]Dreamgiver..... I took the positon in Istanbul. Many reasons why... can work with the low salary I think for at least 2 years... then reassess options. The staff at MEF just seemed like a great group to work with. Scared a bit and of course as time to leave approaches I may second guess myself..... but a whole new life awaits. Yee Haw.

Not going to hiring fair will save me a bundle as well.[/quote]


Congratulations! You'll love it!

Thank you for your response. My 7 year-experience as an educator (teacher and counselor) is in USA. Your response is encouraging:)

Lol! I should -may be- consider a change in career.
For you, Dreamgiver, going from 70, 000 to 33,000... yes, it is a tough decision. As Psyguy says, it may be a low package compared to others. It looks like he/she is very knowledgeable about IS deals.

$ 33,000 means $ 2,700 per month and to my understanding your housing is covered. So you will only pay for utilities, which will be ca. $150-200. if you are single with no dependents, you'll have enough for traveling. I am not sure about saving though. An average person earns around $ 1000-1500. That might give you an idea about where you would be in terms of your income.
Traveling is cheap in Turkey. Bus transportation between cities is great and you pay less than $ 40 (one way). Food and Bed&Breakfast type of places are very reasonable. So, I think traveling is the most appealing part of working in Istanbul. Europe is also very close and price-wise similar to flying between states in US. You can easily spend a 3-day weekend in Athens or Rome or where ever you desire.
If you do not go out often in Istanbul while you are working, you may be able to both travel and save, but I tell you, it is not easy not to go out in Istanbul since there is always something interesting going on. It is such a vibrant city.
I hope that helps.

Dreamgiver, thank you for the encouragement. I feel the same way: you never know! So, while keeping my hopes low, I am still enthusiastic and crossing my fingers.
Good luck to you too. I hope, you get the position you most desire.

I do not know much about the school, but I am from Istanbul (though living in the US for years now) and can give you "insider info" about Istanbul.
If you are single and adventurous from heart, that is a city/culture that you might want to spend a few years, which will enrich your life experience tremendously. There is no time to get bored in Istanbul and you will have a lot of occasions to see the other parts of Turkey from Aegean/Mediterrenean coasts to Cappodocia, for which people spend tons of money to travel there. You'll have those within an 8-10 hours bus trip.
Turkish people are very friendly and helpful towards foreigners, though sometimes to the degree that you might get annoyed.
Turkish students who can go to such private schools come usually from wealthy families and they can act like brats, but they are bright and I do not think that you'll have to deal with serious behavior problems.
Ulus is an upscale neigborhood and the rents are high. If they give you housing allowance or provide housing, that should not be a problem. However, I do not think that you will be able to save, because there are so many interesting things/activities to spend your money on.
I hope that was helpful. Good luck:)

I do not have international school experience. Since the ethos &requirements in their website do not state it as a "must" but "preference", I just applied. But that might be the reason why I haven't been contacted yet.

Thank you for your response. I might follow up with an email to see if they got my application.

I am curious about your thoughts on the chance of securing a counselor position in an international school as a non-native speaker. I have been living in the United States for 13 years and got my master's in school counseling from a US university and worked in public school system for 7 years. With all these experience and credentials, I am still unsure whether I would be considered as a competitive candidate due to my accent in English.
I will greatly appreciate if you could share your experience, observations and thoughts.
Thanks.

I am interested in AIS in Budapest and am wondering if anybody could give some info on the school and the community there.
Also; what would be the average response time of schools after submitting the application? It has been over a week and I did not hear anything yet.
Thanks in advance.