@damok I am also attending Melbourne, and have been offered an early interview at the fair. Good sign, I'd say - though of course it's only the offer and contract that really count in the end.

Reading through your list, I'd personally go for Thailand - teaching your favourite subject, gaining IB DP experience, and a place you are already familiar with. Having said that, given you are still early career (3 years teaching) perhaps anything to get you going on your longer term IT career will be good. Depends on your final offers, doesn't it.

All the best, and perhaps will see you in Melbourne.

Hi @Sonnypest264,

I'm hoping you are still active on this forum, your post below is very helpful for my situation - thank you. I'd like to get in touch with you if possible.

Cheers.

Sonnypest264 wrote:
> It always helps to speak to people who actually have experience of the
> place. No disrespect to other posters but teaching on Jeju is going through
> a revolution at the moment.
>
> I work in one of the new "International Schools" in the Global
> Education City. The pace of change here is scary. We arrived in the January
> of 2012 and barely recognise the place compared to when we arrived. It
> certainly is more traditional than Seoul, way less English spoken and the
> amenities are more restricted but improving.
>
> There are a lot of teaching families with young children at the 3 Schools
> and how they deal with childcare varies. Some have Filipino nannies, one of
> our best friends have just "transfered" their nannie to another
> couple who have just had a baby. I don't know how they found the nannie I
> must admit. Some have non-working partners.A couple of families have sent
> their children to local Korean daycare places and really rated the
> experience. To expose them to the sounds of a new language at those early
> ages is awesome. I'm not totally sure how the whole communication thing
> went on but they managed it and the kids are certainly none the worse for
> it.
>
> At present one school has an Early Years Centre which has provided
> childcare for teaching staff in return for some supervision duties. There
> are however rumours of this provision being stopped. Now depending on which
> school you are in line to work at that is certainly something to discuss.
>
> My advice would be to do exactly as you suggested. Get put in touch with
> someone who has arranged a nannie and perhaps one who uses a local day
> care, to find out the details and also clarify if there is any on site
> childcare / EYC provision. Another option people have used is bringing over
> their own trusted person (e.g. Gap student, family friend) to do the role,
> one even considered "importing" their previous Filipino nannie
> they had from their previous posting. No idea what the paperwork would be!
>
> As a place to bring up a young family Jeju is awesome. It has a great
> climate, it is incredibly safe, there are now loads of young kids that all
> seem to flock together to play and the beaches are awesome (a tad chilly at
> the moment).

Sonnypest264 wrote:
> New leadership team this year came in with a very refreshing and positive
> outlook. Things haven't quite been followed through, which is a shame, and
> the air of positivity has been tested many changes are in the pipeline
> re-structure but lack of communication is making it difficult to judge the
> effectiveness of this. There is a lot of "input" from NLCS UK in
> terms of oversight. They are tasked to "monitor" progress yearly
> but the issue comes when comparing an independent, highly selective girls
> day school in the UK, with a co-ed, allegedly selective, boarding school in
> Korea.
>
> Despite the amazing range of provision for the students and focus on
> flexible teaching, ultimately it is very exam result driven, partly because
> NLCS UK want to be seen as reproducing their results in their franchise and
> partly because Korean parents expect entry to top UK, US or Korean
> Universities (and they are certainly paying a lot so that is fair enough).
> NLCS UK have been top of the UK IB tables for many years, although given
> they only enter their top 20 or so students for the diploma (the rest do
> A-levels) it is not comparable to Jeju. Apparently the UK ranking has now
> changed to take account of the size of a cohort so that will be
> interesting.
>
> NLCS Jeju enters everyone for the Diploma, and obviously in a 2nd language
> too, so the expectation of Level 6 and 7 across the board puts big pressure
> onto students and staff. However the response to that has been incredible.
> NLCS Jeju IB results last year were more than solid (average 37 points I
> think) especially given the cohort. This year's results look like being
> much better, and year on year as the students have longer in the school,
> developing their English and adapting to a new system, results will go from
> strength to strength.
>
> This is generally a very professional staff, a very hardworking staff and
> one which truly embraces challenge, change and extension of their
> professional development. Consequently you put in more than your pound of
> flesh in terms of commitment, but it is also a very stimulating environment
> with sharing of ideas and opinions. You are required to do 2 co-curricular
> activities per week, generally from 4.15 to 5.15 or 5.15 to 6.15pm. You
> also do a duty in one of the boarding houses every two weeks, from 5.15 to
> 1130pm ish (sixth form House operates differently). This takes new people
> some time to get used to, especially if you haven't worked in a boarding
> school before. You also do an activity on Saturday morning from 9-12pm.
> This is viewed in one of two ways really. If you get onto an activity that
> suits you it can just be a really nice way to spend a morning, out doing
> anything from golf, archery, climbing, hiking to making props for the
> school production. Others view it as time to do planning or marking on site
> which then makes it feel more like you are working.
>
> The students on the whole are very motivated, sometimes too much so as the
> Korean culture sees education as being highly competitive and so parents
> and students put a lot of pressure on. There are very few behavioural
> issues, although as with education anywhere kids can be kids and not all
> are quite so motivated to keep up with tasks. The students are really good
> to teach, and many are incredibly talented. The development of them as
> students, exposed to a whole new philosophy of teaching (compared to the
> traditional Korean system) has been wonderful to see. They have really
> embraced the notion of a rounded education and one not driven by rote
> learning. Their creativity in class, with music and on stage is awesome.
>
> This is still a new school and one which is profit orientated. The admin
> side is complex but essentially it is government funded and as such there
> is a constant pressure to accept more students to keep the fees rolling in.
> This is where the partially selective comes in as there is an entrance test
> but students do seem to make it through who aren't necessarily at the level
> you would expect. This then creates difficulties in gaining those Level 6,
> 7 or A* IGCSE which puts pressure on staff to do the "magical".
> This is something the school needs to resolve and accept the range of
> abilities and be realistic (without putting limits) on grades.
>
> The location takes some adjusting to, although for young families it is
> very good. The School is part of the Global Education City, a purpose built
> and still developing region. Access to amenities close by is limited, but
> improving (a new Thai restaurant opened last week to great excitement!).
> There are local stores within 20 mins (a corner shop opposite schooll for
> emergencies) but a large supermarket shop is 30-40 mins away. Beaches
> nearby are lovely and the "season" is nice and long, generally
> March to November you can be in the sea. Lots of other outdoor things with
> plenty of hiking possibilities, mountain biking and road biking. Golf
> courses are a plenty but not cheap. Access to and from the Island can be a
> bit of a pain. There are direct flights to limited locations in HK, Japan
> and China but generally you have to go via Seoul or Busan which can add
> time to journeys.
>
> As stated before great place for young kids with lots of expat families
> and local Korean families in the accommodation village or on site. I would
> be very wary of bringing teenage children. Integration is difficult, as
> effectively it is a 98% Korean school and the pressure to perform and work
> long hours (due to cultural reasons) will be alien to many western kids. We
> have had a number of unhappy kids who have joined directly into the senior
> school.
>
> Package is good. I think the tax terms have changed recently and you now
> start off with a 25% subsidy of the 15% income tax rate. The subsidy then
> increases until in the 5th year you would be on zero tax. Salary is
> certainly highly competitive, housing provided with nominal management fee
> of around US$200 pm. A car is essential given the location, these can be
> leased of around US$350-500 depending on model or bought (I think 18 months
> of renting about pays for the purchase of a small car). Yearly flights,
> exceptional medical insurance, subsidy for 3 kids I think (may need to
> check this).
>
> I've covered a lot of ground, tried to give a range of good and not so
> good, as impartial as I can to allow people to make up own mind. Turnover
> end of last year was 39 teachers (40-45% I guess) as the initial 3 yr
> contracts and second wave 2 yr contracts came up at the same time, this
> year apparently significantly less turnover (10-15% perhaps). Make of that
> what you will.

Thank you @PsyGuy . Appreciate the response. They were the kinds of questions we were seeking.

Thank you everyone for your replies. We are familiar with British schools from having studied and worked in them in Asia.

Are there any specific interview questions relating to counseling?

Thank you everyone for your responses. I am now seeking specific interview questions that may arise for this kind of position. The interview is being conducted by the line manager, a head of department.

Yes, my wife is familiar with those types of schools; she graduated from one and we are well aware of the extra duties that come with being on staff.

Interesting thoughts regarding 'be yourself' versus 'be who they want.' As PsyGuy notes, surely we all have a professional mask - even if that is simply a heightened or variation of who we really are.

Hello
Spouse has been offered an interview for a counselor position. School in Asia, mostly local though high achieving students. Any interview tips specific to this kind of position welcome. Position is for social emotional focus, not university / college entry.

I use it to research current HOS, staff - sometimes you find interesting information on their background, education, experience etc. Example: One HOS at a school of interest, was in that position as a first time Head of School.

A number of South Korean schools have Mandarin teachers. There are a small but growing minority of Chinese nationals attending schools in South Korea, this includes some of the ISs dominated by Korean nationals. Some niches there for your spouse, I think.

BRMC wrote:
> I lived in Shenzhen, and I currently live Guangzhou. The air pollution
> levels are about the same. There are bad days in both cities, with the AQI
> going above 200, but most days are "moderate".
>
> You might also want to consider other types of pollution. Shenzhen has more
> noise pollution than Guangzhou. Building is 24 hours a day in Shenzhen.
> Building in Guangzhou stops by 10:00 pm. I've been told each city has
> different laws, but who knows. Perhaps because of this, I think there is
> more dust pollution in Shenzhen.
>
> Shenzhen also has motorbikes. They are outlawed in Guangzhou. Might not
> seem like a big deal, but they are VERY annoying and can make your life as
> a pedestrian a nightmare.

Thanks BRMC. 200+, that's bad! Yes, I've read elsewhere that Shenzhen is in a construction boom. Appreciate your insights. How long have you been in Guangzhou? What's the best / worst part of living there, compared to Shenzhen?

sid wrote:
> Only a registered candidate is allowed to attend info sessions and
> interview sign ups. There are monitors at the doors checking badges. Why
> not register?

When I registered for the fair, it asked my spouse's name and said a badge would be issued for her, allowing her access. I'll check with my associate regarding how much 'access' she is allowed, especially regarding registration.

Hmm, reading Shadowjack's thread as mentioned above, it seems Mrs Shadowjack was able to stand in the sign up lines and request interviews? If Shadowjack sees this, I'd love to know more about this. I gather she wasn't a SA registered candidate?

jimmycajun wrote:
> Shadowjack describes his fair experience with Mrs. SJ at the BKK fair a few
> years back in great detail here
> http://internationalschoolsreview.com/v ... php?t=2915
>
> I would take your associate's advice and bring your spouse along. For
> those with trailing spouses, I think it is important to be transparent
> about the total package you are offering, which includes your spouse.
> Schools will want to meet them too as they will be part of their community.
> Maybe someone else can comment on the specific days/events it is more
> beneficial to have your spouse with you at the fair.

Thanks jimmycajun. I think I may have read that post by Shadowjack, but will certainly review again.

Yes, I would like to know which events are best to have spouse at: I will soon be asking my associate (SA) for advice on this anyway.

FWIW, I visited two schools in Asia. I had hoped to visit more, but at least I got to see some of the locales which given some of the reviews on ISR, were a shock to some who didn't research the location of the schools.

Notably, all schools I visited required permission to visit - at the security gate of school 1, there was a guard tower with automated car plate recognition. Of course my taxi wasn't recognized so I had to talk to the guard and explain my appointment with HR Director. Read more below...

School 1: I had already an application in their system - a fairly detailed HR system that apparently is also used by schools in North America and elsewhere. Over the following year or so, I'd receive the odd email from HR saying 'please update your file, we have vacancies arising.' I duly complied. In 2015, I received an email stating that I was a promising candidate. Long story short, I was visiting that country and asked HR director if it would be possible to visit the school. I did, and he answered some questions, told me a bit about the school, discussed the job fair / 'meat market' process. Interestingly, he said he had been slowly getting admin to see that rather than just turn up at a fair, they should really get to know candidates beforehand and if possible, hire early. Given he's been in HR at this school for a longer than the average stay, looks like this is a trend most top tier schools have been doing for a while.

Thing is, no suitable vacancies have arisen, but I got to visit the campus, and have a guided tour with the HR director. Wonderful opportunity to ask questions and get a feel of the place. If you ever get a chance to do this, do it!!!

School 2: Hadn't really considered this school, though researched online and generally liked what I saw. Emailed a week prior to being in the area (different city from school 1) and said I was an IT, could I visit? Secretary to HOS emailed back asking for a resume. So I actually filled in their application form - just a form, not a whole process through third . HR software - and send that in. Received a reply almost straight away saying the HOS would like me to visit. I guess most would say this school is Tier 2 as it's largely host nation students, but definitely at the higher end of schools with that demographic in that country.

Ended up spending time with HOS, I am still in touch with School 2 HOS and may have an opportunity, depending on their openings, in the next month or so - they haven't advertised any openings yet.

School 3, 4, 5 - these schools are clumped together geographically in a relatively isolated part of the country, when compared to School 1 and 2. Driving past, on a cold wet rainy day, we noted that security at each school only allowed: 1. visitors with prior appointment 2. no parents, unless picking up kids / prior appointment. Honestly, I had hoped to walk in and visit (this was before appointments with School 1 and 2, so I was rather naive!) but realised this was not going to happen. Even if I had tried the 'prospective parent' trick, that wouldn't work at these particular schools - you would need an appointment for that too. On that note, I had actually emailed School 3 as a 'prospective parent' (I do have a one year old !) just to see what they would send out - ended up with a rather glossy PR piece in the mail.

So, can you just walk in to a school and hand in your resume? I guess from my experience, if I had tried that, I wouldn't have ended up visiting two schools, and spending very valuable F2F time with a HR director (School 1) and HOS (School 2) leading to strong interest from HOS. As PsyGuy has noted elsewhere, interest means nothing until you have an offer. Point taken! But hey, I feel much better prepared in understanding this country, these schools, and how they may compare to schools I didn't get to visit.

Moral of the story: do your research, be nice to the secretary / HR people, be bold but polite, and just maybe, you may be blessed (I don't believe in luck).

Oh, and it may help to already have an application in their system. I did. In other words, the visit is more about getting to F2F time - not dropping off resumes. That's what email, SA/ISS/TIE etc, and HR systems are for.

Mr DepTrai wrote:
> Stay south....the further north you go, the more air pollution, especially
> during winter.

Thanks Mr DepTrai. So, we are looking too at Guangzhou/Shenzhen/HK - any differences in pollution (air, but also water, dust, food) with these? Also, which cities have you actually experienced?