[quote="wrldtrvlr123"][quote="PsyGuy"]When your reading the forum your seeing post times reflected based on your own time zone. I'm 5/6 hours ahead of the east coast (depending on DST). So what looks like 1am to you is already morning for me.[/quote]
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8:18 PM Beijing, China

TESTING TESTING TESTING[/quote]

haha, it depends which time zone you've selected on your profile page, I think. It doesn't change as you move around to different locations, well mine doesn't. Actually, don't see how that would work, the times don't change when I'm not logged in. Weird! Not sure how it decides on the time zone now.

Seasonal events, sometimes events are arranged overseas but they aren't always the same. I miss the run up to Christmas, although I don't miss having the shops going Christmas mad from September.

THere weren't too many concerts in Egypt, it varied year by year, but then there was generally at least one summer festival in Europe that I could make it to during the summer hols. So it wasn't all bad.

[quote="missy"]Does anyone know if Istanbul has very cold winters ?
.[/quote]

I guess this is all going to depend on what you call cold.
I went there on holiday in October and found it pretty cool. They do get snow in winter so I guess that's cold.

[quote="djc51"]I have been with them for just on 3 years but after June I will be leaving reluctantly. I say reluctantly because I really wanted to stay on for another term but my request for a contract was refused.

It's just that I can't work for an organisation that is as arrogant and unprofessional as this mob. If you've already accepted a position then good luck. I hope it goes well but don't tread on any toes or stick up for what you think is right as you'll be out of a job real quick![/quote]

I'm a bit confused by this post. You say you were there 3 years and wanted to stay another year so clearly you were happy enough. They decided not to renew your contract, unfortunately this happens in international schools for various reasons, wearing the wrong coloured shoes, walking the wrong way. But this is where I get confused, at the end of your post it becomes a place you can't work due to arrogance and unprofessionalism. You just said were happy and wanted to stay?!?!

YCIS sounds like many other international schools. Go with the flow and you'll be fine, just get on and do your job without causing a fuss and you shouldn't have a problem. This is often the case in schools, even the good schools don't like trouble makers, nodding dogs are generally quite popular with Heads.

I know someone at the Shanghai school and he's perfectly happy.

The teachers I've known there have always been pretty happy. They didn't have the best package in Cairo, but there was also less pressure. The staff I knew were primary, don't know about secondary.

Sell it and buy new. You're just throwing money away putting it into storage, unless it's of sentimental value or you're got somewhere to store it for free. Even saying that, by the time you return, will you still want it? I often find a right load of rubbish in my shipments and packed away in the loft, best just to get rid.

[quote="Skablictady"]A world traveller came to a primary school in New York to speak at an assembly about bicycle safety. At the end of his speech, he asked, “Are there any questions?â€

I know a number of people working at different British schools in HCMC, they've all been there at least 3-4 years. And they're all v happy. None of them are in Vietnam to earn big money, that's not why you become a teacher. They all enjoy a good life though and a decent work life balance.

[quote="fragglerock"] However, this whole culture of 'I can cope with more stress than you' ridiculous. Surely schools should be looking at what they should be doing to reduce stress for teachers rather than saying you're not a good teacher if you can't cope with working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. What happened to quality of life and happy teachers are good teachers?[/quote]

I completely agree a good school should support its staff and they do, but there are still people in the profession that shouldn't be. I don't think it's about who can cope with the most stress, it's about people being able to do the job. Some people just shouldn't be teachers, just as there are some Heads that should not be in their positions - they're the ones that often make it more stressful for the teachers. A good Head makes a massive difference so maybe that's where the focus should be first.

[quote="bigfatgit"]

I also think that there are far more "teachers' being allowed to graduate who should not be allowed to. I "failed" a student teacher on teaching practice and she then consequently failed her re-sit one at another school. A year later, I was offered her as a teacher. When I queried with her university how she could be graduating when she had obviously failed her previous year, I was told that they were not allowed to fail her due to the amount of money invested in her by the government!

She is currently off with stress. I could have told them that she would not be able to cope just based on what I saw of her on TP[/quote]

Interesting. Kind of makes sense, but if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

[quote="BookshelfAmy"]

I don't mean to sound cynical or like I'm trying to win a bad schools contest; I really love my job. But if doctors could put us on paid leave for stress, I think the entire building would be empty![/quote]

I know what you mean. I also think that some people are just prone to coming it. It's like the teachers that are always off sick when reports have to be done.

[quote="PsyGuy"]

A great city can make up for a bad school, but a great school cant make up for a bad city. To that end the middle east just has too many problems. To many rules, and too repressive an environment, and not enough fun. Add to that an unattractive environment and its just a big litter box.[/quote]

Some of the best diving in the world, desert and oasis trips, religious and archaeological sites, miles of beaches and watersport opportunities, brunches, concerts, skiing just a few of the things to do in the ME. It depends what you call fun, and I agree it's not for everyone. Just as other regions aren't for everyone. I guess people should be specific about why exactly they don't like a place.

sid, I completely agree with you about allowing 6 months to decide on a place, giving time to get over initial shocks and also allowing time to check out areas in which to live can make a difference. Also I don't agree with leaving colleagues in the lurch, is it really that hard to survive a year? I know there will be people that dis/agree with that.

This site could do with some moderators to split threads and start new ones when topics go off course. Any more views on the best and worst schools in Qatar?

[quote="wrldtrvlr123"][quote="stellalocal"][quote="wrldtrvlr123"]Interesting that someone felt the need to create a new account to launch a thread directly against another poster (presuming that a first time poster didn't just stumble on two forums, read all of those posts and felt compelled to start an anti-Psyguy thread).

I wonder why.[/quote]

Maybe s/he was just felt a need to post after spending time reading posts for so long. I've visited a variety of forums over the years, often with no need to post myself. Occasionally something comes up that makes me join so I can comment, not always though, and sometimes it's after I've been visiting a forum for years.

Or maybe it's just psyguy enjoying all the attention and wanting to come clean. Who knows?[/quote]
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Actually, I would suspect it is a regular poster that wanted to attack another poster but didn't have the courage of their convictions to use their regular ID.

I could be wrong though.[/quote]

Yes could be that too. We're not to know, just as we don't know how much of what psyguy says is based on his own real experiences. We just have to look on it all as entertainment and nothing more.

[quote="wrldtrvlr123"]Interesting that someone felt the need to create a new account to launch a thread directly against another poster (presuming that a first time poster didn't just stumble on two forums, read all of those posts and felt compelled to start an anti-Psyguy thread).

I wonder why.[/quote]

Maybe s/he was just felt a need to post after spending time reading posts for so long. I've visited a variety of forums over the years, often with no need to post myself. Occasionally something comes up that makes me join so I can comment, not always though, and sometimes it's after I've been visiting a forum for years.

Or maybe it's just psyguy enjoying all the attention and wanting to come clean. Who knows?

[quote="fragglerock"]Of course bad teachers should be removed from schools. My point was who decides who is 'bad' and how are you going to measure it? The method they're suggesting is if a child doesn't go up by a sub-level a term (one whole level per year) then the teacher has failed to ensure adequate progression. General learning theory would tell you that children's learning isn't that linear and that is a bad idea. Plus, in primary, these are all teacher assessments anyway.

I read somewhere the professions most at risk from burnout are the ones where your success is dependent on somebody else's performance (however that is defined). The examples they gave were teaching and social work (with drug addicts etc). I see the reasoning behind it.[/quote]

I see your point now, it's ridiculous to decide a bad teacher based on that, complete nonsense.

Interesting about the burnout, maybe they need to think of ways to help teachers avoid/deal with it, not signing people off for long periods and hoping the issue goes away.