This is also very common in South America. Just go to your local police department, explain what you need and then make lots of copies to have for the future!

I would not let recent troubles in Istanbul put you off, it's a great city and has always been one of the most stable countries in the region. The State Dept. pages are always a bit alarmist - they are covering their backs. Talk to teachers at the school and take those warnings with a grain of salt.

Many schools have a lending library in the lounge where you can exchange books. Other countries have great access to books with large bookstores like Kinokunia (Japanese chain).

I like the iPad for reading. It is light for travel and I can buy even when in a foreign country. Depends on how much you like actually holding a book.

We have rented from a local car dealer who offered this service. New car and much lower rates than car rental companies. It's not common but with a little research you just might find a deal. You might also offer to pay to use a family member's second car.

Sometimes there are limits during one's last year of contract. If you are in your first year, this seems odd.

Thanks for info. Aren't the ACS schools boarding schools?

What are options in London/England other than ASL for nonEU citizens?

Have been out 17 years. Only planned 10 but opportunities and watching the savings grow changed the plan. Now aging parents are pulling us home. Not only that, it would be nice to enjoy the comforts of home before we are actually retired. I worry that a couple of months later we would regret moving home. Some of the thrill of traveling is gone and the number of countries and schools we would consider have shrunk considerably. We are at a crossroads so appreciate reading the thoughts of others.

I stand corrected but that would explain why overseas earnings are in eligible.

Roth IRAS are not designed for foreign income. They are pretax dollars put away with taxes deferred until withdrawal. That is basically inviting taxation on money that is now tax free.

One investment guy told us you are not even allowed to buy Rothschild with money not earned in US. That is probably why they want a US address.

Owning a home outright is one of the best plans for retirement. Really reduces the amount of income needed to get by. Find an advisor who works primarily with overseas educators; they are out there.

I do not know anything about the school but I do know if you delay going abroad by a year you will have a broader range of choices. Counselors are in high demand in international schools. If you want to be in Morocco, Rabat is the better choice.

I heard of a school where a rather large group was going out. They decided they did not want to leave on a sour note so they planned parties, took trips to sights together and basically determined to go out having fun. The remaining teachers still talk about that group 10 years on. They are remembered fondly.

Some schools really value Stateside experience so it might be a good move to go to the VP position. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate the international schools when you get there!

You are right to think you'd most likely be hired at a very small school unless you want to be an IB coordinator. If you are not in a hurry, that would also be a possible route. Get to a big international school and then wait for the chance to move up to admin. If you stay Stateside, I'd start working on a doctorate. Many of my admin in the big schools have had it.

As with so many questions on this forum...it depends. Many of the international schools in large cities are located in the suburbs and actually require a bit of a commute to get to the city center. If you look at Bangkok you have both extremes. NIST is in the middle of city while ISB is a long ways out. Of course, their housing means you are clustered with all other teachers and with the pool in the center of the housing, there is not much quiet.

Your best bet is to do your research on the location of the school bulding and the housing. You can also decide you want to stick to very small schools which may (or may not) be in more remote areas that can translate into a live that is a bit more tranquil. Right now I'm in a city but our neighborhood is very, very quiet. I look out at palm trees but no water.

I am very happy this teacher has been released and I am confident the international uproar helped. It makes me want to avoid Qatar at all costs but not sure what people think the school could've done once the police were involved. The U.S. government can't get its citizens out of foreign jails so I'm not sure what people expect a school to have done.

None of us know the whole story and to draw huge suppositions about what might or might not have been done seem unfair to all involved. Could things have been handled better somewhere along the way? Probably but without details that will probably never be shared, who will know for sure?

I have never worked for the Head of School of Qatar Academy but my sense of fairness makes me cringe when I read some of the rants on here. In some ways, how is tis so different from the Qatar governement drawing some horrendous conclusion from comments made by 12 year olds? They may have also released him because once they had all the facts, they knew there was no case. Some of the people who work at the school should weigh in here not just those of us who are looking in from other sides of the world.