My school has a halfway bump, which moves you up a rung on the pay scale, but back a step on that rung. Basically, you get like an extra $200 per year or something stupid like that.

Hey all, been a long time since I've posted on here. With the inevitable renewal notice window coming, I have a decision to make. I'm inches away from my masters in administration, which would technically qualify me for an admin position next year. My wife and I are in our second year at the school we're currently at, and I have enough credibility here that in the next 2 years I could probably move into an assistant principal position if one would open (which seems likely). Our school is in a crappy location/country, but is a decent school to work for and we're relatively happy.

After this year, I'll have 6 years of experience in the classroom, 4 of which are international. To me, it's preferential to move into an administrator position from within a school, since I'd have the benefit of knowing my way around before taking on responsibilities, and I'd only have one transition (new position) rather than more (new school, country, etc.). However, I'd also rather get in sooner rather than later. I don't want a head principal position, but would prefer the buffer of assistant to learn the ropes. I'm being told by my current admin that it's unusual to land an assistant principal position in a new school without prior admin experience. Can anyone justify this claim? Without knowing me or the detailed factors that go into it, would you say I've got a good shot of getting an assistant principal position in a different school without having had any admin experience, or would you recommend sticking it out in my current school with the hope that I get into an assistant principal role in the next couple years?

My wife and I both teach, so no trailing spouse. She'd like to take a year off if able, so we'd probably wait to have a third until we were already established in a place that accommodates accordingly. My next spot will hopefully be in an assistant principalship, so maybe that will help the situation.

Hey all, it's been a long time since I've been on here...

My wife and I are both teaching internationally have two school-age children. We've always wanted to have three kids, but the more experience we get with the international circuit, the more it seems that couples don't usually have more than two. I know this is because many (most?) schools only make tuition and flight allowances for two, and that it makes traveling during breaks more expensive due to flights, etc.

But I'm wondering if there are schools out there that make provisions for more than two kids. I'm on my way to becoming an administrator as well - are there more provisions for admin than teachers in this regard? Do any of you out there have 3 or more kids that would care to comment on your experience?

This happened to me on two separate occasions this recruiting season. With one school, they told me that they would know the direction they were taking by the first third of January, and even gave me a friendly "just so you know, we're still working on it" message via skype. A week after the date he gave me, I made my "inquiry" by politely thanking them for connecting me with a teacher who helped answer questions for me. The principal got back with me to say that they were still looking. In the end, they held off too long and we had already accepted positions. I don't think we were going to be offered contracts, but who knows.

The second school was the school we ended up signing with. We interviewed with them in early December and never heard back. They got back to us halfway through January to set up another interview and we were shortly after offered contracts. A week before, we had thought they were long gone.

Thank you both very much! Very helpful... You're the second person who has recommended Lehigh to me. I'll take a look at their program.

No one with any experience in getting their Masters in Ed Leadership while abroad?

I'm planning on beginning my masters in Ed Leadership either this summer or fall, and I'm just beginning some research into different programs. A few questions:

1. I'm going back into the IS circuit, but may return to the states at some point in the distant future. Would a program geared toward international teachers/admin be advisable/not advisable?
2. My teaching certificate is through the state of Virginia. Does it matter if my masters program leads to a certification through a different state if I'm going overseas?
3. I've seen programs that don't lead to certification.. stay away?
4. Suggestions for online programs for Ed Leadership aaaaand GO!

Do you live in Nigeria?

Yes, I know it's in Nigeria and Nigeria throws up red flags. But can anyone give me any specifics into life in Abuja? Is there any shopping there? Is it easy to get out of the country on short trips? Is Abuja (not Nigeria) safe in general for expats?

Any info would be appreciated.

Not to worry, I was raised better than that.

I emailed and got back a favorable response that they would let me know within my window of opportunity, as well as a compliment for being open and honest. Thanks for your advice!

We have two good schools that we're interested in, who we feel will both make us offers. They haven't yet, but we're preparing ourselves for the following scenario in case:

School A is our top choice and the hiring admin has said they will get back to us with a yes or no next week.
School B is our second choice, and we have a meeting with them tomorrow in which they may offer us positions. We would have 4 days to respond.

We don't want to turn down School B unless we know we have something with School A. Should we contact the hiring admin from School A and be honest with where we're at with things?

Any admin or people with experience in these types of timing issues (even though they're good ones) have any advice?

We signed up for Search and TIE. To be honest, nothing from TiE has caught my interest, except the posts that appear on Search as well. The database has been invaluable. I don't think I'll even use TIE next time.

Sounds like an awesome experience, except for the whoops-that-shall-not-be-named. Glad you found what you were looking for!