QSI accepts families with 4 dependents if you are both teachers.

I've been in two QSI schools -- I'm an atheist -- and the religious atmosphere depends on the school. QSI bigwigs are very religious and if you smoke or are gay or are living with someone and unmarried they won't hire you. My first school had a very religious and evangelical director, and it could be uncomfortable sometimes. There was praying at school, special prayer meetings, a couple who actively tried to save souls for Jesus on weekends, etc. At my next QSI school the director has never mentioned religion and it's a non-issue. Over all it's an ok organization to work for, especially if you're trying to gain international experience or have more than two kids, but you're happiness is going to depend on the school as they are very different depending on the director.

As an organization, QSI is ok. The pay's not great, but it's not the worst. It ranges from mid 20s to mid 40s, plus housing and airfare. They've always paid us on time.

It's a good place to get a start in international education or to work if you have 3 or 4 kids since they provide tuition for up to 4.

That said, the organization is pretty religious. If you're not part of the club, you can feel a little unwanted, or at least that's how it plays out at my school.

Organization is very top down, so much so that principals don't have much say in who they hire from year to year because QSI does all the placements.

Thanks for the advice!

St. Joseph's University has an all online teaching certificate program that leads to certification in Pennsylvania. If you can get hired to teach, you can do your student teaching from your own classroom. You don't have to attend any face-to-face classes, but it's not cheap!

Someone I work with in China is doing the program now and he's happy with it.

edit

For the original poster, sorry I have no good advice. I spend the most miserable year of my life teaching in an inner city school and I dealt with it by 1 - drinking, 2 - crying, 3 - making my husband miserable. Not great ideas.

I'm in China, and it's pretty easy to save money. If you don't go out to eat much you can save plenty and still travel, especially given that your housing will be paid for. That said: do you have any other possibilities than QSI Shekou? I've heard the director, Britt Brantley, is hard to work with and that the workload is high -- lots of weekends spent doing school stuff, etc. Good luck.

I have experience in China and Japan and many people in these countries are terribly racist. I have a mixed race child and people haven't always been kind to her. It seems that parents have an "ideal teacher" in mind and that person is white. That said, there are great people at many schools who would be interested in a non-white teacher, but having a non-teaching spouse is likely to cause some problems. Good luck.

Do you think of QSI as a good school?

Hi there. We're teaching in a school that allows 4 kids, but we're not thrilled with the school. We have three kids and would like to add a 4th, but we know that's going to limit our choices of schools. Any advice on good schools that allow tuition remission for 4 kids would be helpful. Thanks!