@ lifeisnotsobad

Don't take it personally, they didn't even inform me of why I was banned either! Actually, they didn't even tell me I WAS banned! I just couldn't login anymore :-)

Anyway, enough of this, summer hols are approaching folks :-)

Admin: Thank you for your reply.

Just a couple of points- Firstly, this comment : 'The people in question continued to insist that the poster they resented is a member of the ISR team and was given preferential treatment'

I'm sorry but that personal tone does not sound impartial to me. There is no evidence of this 'resentment' and indeed it was this sense of impartiality that riled those posters initially. I thought you had admitted you slipped up?!

ADMIN REPLY: YES WE ADMITTED WE SLIPPED OUT. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. YOU ARE READING MORE INTO THIS THAN IS THERE WHEN YOU SAY THE PERSONAL TONE IMPLIES SOMETHING.

And this: ' Based on the actions of some of the posters that were banned it is coming to light that this incident was blown far out of proportion by a group bent on discrediting ISR. They took an incident that could have been easily solved and caused it to fester far out of proportions.'

I'm not sure how they could have solved it when you banned them without explanation. Furthermore, this sounds like you are directing blame away onto members again. Didn't you yourselves let it 'fester out of proportion' by not answering posters' queries as to why their posts were being removed and then banning them completely when they questioned further?

ADMIN REPLY: WE MADE NUMEROUS POSTS EXPLAINING OUR POSITION. WE THEN BANNED THESE POSTERS WHEN THEY FAILED TO RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST TO STOP WITH THE DEROGATORY COMMENTS TOWARDS THIS POSTER. IN FACT THIS ONLY PROMPTED SOME OF THEM TO ATTACK ISR, USING THE ISR VENUE AS MEANS TO DO SO. YOU ARE LOOKING UNDER ROCKS, OPENING UP OLD WOUNDS.

Finally: I'm curious why you had to be informed about his 'crap hole' and other derogatory comments - numerous as they are - but had no problem detecting and deleting those comments from aforementioned banned posters?

Cheers,

Yantantether

ADMIN REPLY: WE HAD BEEN INFORMED ABOUT THE "CRAP HOLE" COMMENTS BY TWO FORUM USERS. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO US THAT THE WORD CRAPHOLE (ONE WORD) HAD ALSO BEEN USED. AFTER REMOVING THE TWO WORD VERSION THE ATTACKS ON THIS POSTER CONTINUED AND WE INTERPRETED THESE ATTACKS TO BE BASED ON SUCH COMMENTS BY THIS POSTER ON THE NEIL BANTLEMAN AND OTHER TOPICS TO WHICH EVERYONE IS ENTITLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS AND OPINIONS.

YES WE MADE A MISTAKE, WE'VE CORRECTED IT AND IT'S TIME TO MOVE OWN AS A COMMUNITY FOCUSED ON MORE IMPORTANT TOPICS THAT AFFECT TEACHERS CAREER CHOICES. WE REALIZE WE STEPPED ON SOME TOES AND WE HAVE EXPRESSED OUR APOLOGIES. IF THIS INCIDENT SOURS YOU ON ISR AND YOU CAN'T MOVE ON FROM IT THAN SO BE IT. WE REGRET SUCH AN OUTCOME.

PAUL @ ISR

One or two posters seem to be completely missing the point as well as leaving half of the story out. I'll assume this is not deliberate.

The situation from my perspective, and others I have spoken with, was that posters who were questioning information provided by a certain individual were having their posts deleted. These posts - including mine- certainly did not flout forum rules and were not considered derogatory by those individuals. Things started getting out of hand when they started questioning what was going on. This led to whole threads being deleted that were in any way questioning of the perceived lack of consistency from admin.

I didn't and don't have a problem with his opinions but I do have a problem when my right of reply is taken away with no justification or explanation.

As for bullying this guy who always has to have the last say on everything, and is far from a shrinking violet.......seriously??!

If this is deleted, then nothing has changed. Fingers crossed.

************ ############### *************###############
ADMIN RESPONSE: We have said before, we interpreted posters strong response to the person in question as merely a disagreement with his comments. When it got to the point that people were responding to him with derogatory, unprofessional comments we deleted such comments. It got to the point that every time this person posted on any topic there was someone there to belittle him. At the time we were unaware that these reactionary comments were the result of him, in the past, calling entire cultures and regions of the world "crap holes" and blatantly trashing schools with his "tier ratings." Some months ago we updated the forum rules and the poster in question desisted from such comments. We thought we had removed all such comments.

The forum is huge and it is near impossible to monitor all comments that have been posted. Our conclusion was that some posters were reacting to this poster merely because they disagreed with his point of view on various topics. Apparently not.

We did reinstate the handful of blocked users once it was brought to our attention by one of the banned users that numerous instance of the above mentioned type comments were scattered through out the Forum. We searched for and removed all these comments.

We contacted the blocked users and expressed our apologies and informed them they had been reinstated. Some of these people were ready to move on. A couple of them insisted on immediately using the ISR Forum to expound on their conspiracy theory and make accusations about ISR that simply were are not true and destructive in nature. The people in question continued to insist that the poster they resented is a member of the ISR team and was given preferential treatment. Again, this person is not affiliated with ISR. Because these few forum members were unable to move on we were forced to permanently ban them from the forum. One continues to send us very inappropriate emails with veiled threats.

There are people in this world that would like to see the ISR web site removed the web. That should come as no surprise to anyone. Fortunately the United States constitution makes it possible for us to be on line and serve the needs of the International Teaching Community. There have been a number of underhanded attempts throughout the years to discredit ISR and diminish its credibility. Based on the actions of some of the posters that were banned it is coming to light that this incident was blown far out of proportion by a group bent on discrediting ISR. They took an incident that could have been easily solved and caused it to fester far out of proportions. They took every minor opportunity to conjure up and post destructive comments about ISR. No amount of explanation on our part moved them to stop doing such. In other words they saw an opportunity to launch an attack.

Our purpose is to provide a place for the International Teaching Community to exchange information on schools around the world. Everyone is entitled to express their opinions and relate their experiences in a professional manner. To that end we ask that users read the section above Forum 1 on the forum home page which outlines our posting policies. Following them will help maintain the ISR forum as a productive venue.

Sincerely,

Paul @ ISR

IAMBOG wrote:
> I think it's a typo. I think he meant to write Patana, not Pattaya. He's
> not talking about Regents.


Several posters comment on Regents Pattaya on the thread and he not once corrects them/himself. I think you have hit the nail on the head though in that he has 'heard' Patana is up there yet knows so little in reality of those schools and he's mistaking Pattaya for Patana. Either way, he's misleading people once again and arguing with people who know much more than he does ! It just discredits the whole integrity of the forum and adds fuel to the fire that he is personally connected with it. Otherwise, why would they let him/her damage their business? I fail to see the benefits, people are fatigued with it.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Yantantether
>
> No its not, Pattaya is second (actually they can argue who the elite school
> is). No NIST pays just under 100K, and in regards to St.S its not solely
> about the salary. To reiterate NIST is tier 2 and St.S is tier 3.

You can reiterate till the cows come home mate! Regents is barely a 2nd tier school and the package at NIST walks all over it. This truly shows you up for what you DON'T know!I know for a fact as I work with and have friends who have worked there (NIST). NOW STOP MISINFORMING PEOPLE AND DOWNRIGHT LYING!

Anyone who knows anything about Bangkok knows that NIST is considered second only to ISB on reputation and benefits. They pay WAY over the 100 000bht you quote. St. S will also be around or over your 80 000 quote. So, as I said : NIST T1 and St S T2.

Can anyone tell me which schools are considered the 'best'? Any good British schools there?

Thanks all

PsyGuy wrote:
> ISB is an American WASC accredited school, that offers IB DIP and AP. They
> are the elite tier IS in Thailand.
>
> NIST is a true IB world school (PYP-DIP). It is a solid tier two IS.
>
> St. S is a NEASC US accredited school but they offer a local curriculum
> that is mostly based on the British NC, though they are not accredited or
> inspected by Ofsted. Combined with the IPC and IMYC which is a cheap copy
> of IB. As a basically Thai school their curriculum framework is structured
> around the Thai educational ministry requirements. Students receive either
> an IGCSE and/or an equivalent Thai Diploma. They are an upper third tier
> IS.

If NIST is considered only T2 by you, please list the other T1 schools in BKK. I'm very interested!

wrldtrvlr123 wrote:
> Disclaimer: I have never worked there.
>
> Salary is around $40K per year (give or take 5K depending on education and
> experience). Flights every 2 years. Housing provided. No idea about salary
> scale.
>
> I have interviewed with them and later had further experience of the admin
> I interviewed with. It's a boarding school and fairly isolated from my
> understanding so you are "on" most of the time (if not actually
> on duty). You need to be OK with boarding duties, extracurricular
> activities and being immersed in the school life. On the plus side, I hear
> that it is a nice campus and beautiful part of the country. I can't add
> anything about current admin or atmosphere at the school. I am wondering
> why the savings potential is a little light (around $5K for a single
> teacher) given that your expenses should be fairly low.
>
> I would love to hear something from someone with recent/current 1st hand
> experience.


Thanks for that WT. Any idea if there is tax to pay out of that salary you stated? Also, any idea what the housing is like?
Agree, the savings should be higher than that, unless as I mentioned, there is 20% tax out of that? Also, you would most likely have the added cost of needing to buy a car/bike.

TBH, I can't speak first hand. I have however had conversations with colleagues and friends who have worked in BKK and the rumors you are alluding to always come seem to come up. Not particularly factual I know, but perhaps more fuel to the fire.

Does anyone have any specific first or second hand knowledge of this school?
Salary scale, housing allow., flights, atmosphere, etc.

Thanks

ISB and NIST are both top tier schools. St. S is a very average 2nd Tier school for Bangkok.
I hope you had both hands tied behind your back when you typed that :-)

IAMBOG wrote:
> Are the students all Thai or mixed? Which Thai schools have an
> international mix?

The majority will be Thai but there's plenty of expat kids there. A more diverse student body would more likely be found at ISB and NIST .

newhere wrote:
> To the OP,
>
> The big, well-known schools in Latin America consist mostly of very rich
> host country national students with a few foreign students sprinkled in.
> You say you're looking at the Southern Cone, but I'll break down what I
> know. I've been living and working in the region for ten years.
>
> Keep in mind that the personality of each school depends on what building
> level you work in, what you teach, and your perspective and interaction
> with the host culture. Anyway, here goes...
>
> Uruguay- It's small American school is in Montevideo. From what I've read,
> it's very community-oriented. Not extremely well-known or talked about
> compared to other schools in the region. Montevideo is a pretty nice city.
>
> Paraguay- American School of Asuncion- about 600 students, K-12. mostly
> host country nationals, pay not great but okay compared to other
> international schools in the city. High turnover. Living in Asuncion leaves
> a lot to be desired.
>
> Argentina- Lincoln School- had a good reputation some years ago but
> supposedly now going downhill. Turnover has been low because, well, Buenos
> Aires is an amazing city.
>
> Chile- Nido- great reputation; no problem hiring teachers; package good for
> the region; again, mostly, host country students. Santiago is a pretty
> diverse city, people wise, and turnover at the school is low.
>
> Brazil- Graded School- considered one of the best schools in South America;
> pay/package very generous and teachers seem to really want to stay here for
> the long term. Many hate Sao Paulo, but it's a big city with TONS to do and
> travel outside of the city is easy with so many options.
>
> Colombia- Colegio Nueva Granada, the English School- good reputations, good
> pay. Bogota is a nice place to live, not all rain and grey skies all the
> time as is heard but common. Colombia is the new up and coming country for
> expats. Again, host country nationals, but there are many other
> international schools (with less pay I should say) that have a more diverse
> student population.
>
> Bolivia- American School of La Paz. There are also schools in Santa Cruz
> and Cochabamba. Honestly, I don't know much about these schools, but I
> haven't heard positive things.
>
> Venezuela- Campo Alegre in Caracas, I believe, at one point, was THE SCHOOL
> to work at. Friends there worked there for years and only left recently
> because of political strife. Some friends are still there and enjoy it. The
> school is said to be top-notch in every way, but right now in Venezuela,
> things, unfortunately, are not so great.
>
> Peru- Roosevelt- decent school with decent pay; again, lots of local elite
> students; Peru is a nice country (although a bit tourist-runover), and
> teachers seem to enjoy their time here.
>
> Educador- Aw, Ecuador! Cotopaxi and the American School of Quito. Two good
> schools, though Cotopaxi takes the top award. Pay is decent, school is
> decent, and Ecuador is great to live by most expats' standards. So much to
> do in such a small country.
>
> I can say that all of these schools more or less, focus on making sure the
> parents (customers) are satisfied. That may come in many forms. Academics
> may not in reality be the priority that you think it should be, but as long
> as the parents are content, you will do fine. How much sports is focused on
> depends on the school, but expect students to want the top prize for
> putting in not a lot of work.
>
> At these schools, in general. parents can be demanding, very involved, and
> sometimes annoying, but of course, again, that depends on what you teach
> and what grade. Some people either love it, hate it, or deal with it.
>
> Hope this helped.


Certainly helped me! Great info. for those looking in that direction. Nice work newhere.

Quijanotango wrote:
> Anybody?

A very good school and one of the best ENC schools in BKK. Pretty nice accommodation too in Sathorn. Snap there hands if offered a position is my advice.

Just out of curiosity are you British or have ENC exp?

Good luck with it and let us know how it goes if you don't mind.