The International Schools Review Forum

There was a recent question as to whether some degree of anxiety is normal after having signed a contract for a new international teaching position; this is a bit of a variation on that theme.

We are moving to new positions in August - my fourth overseas, my wife's second. We have two children. Our anxieties are pretty much of the normal garden variety, and we'll be fine. The reason for writing this is to check whether others feel they are receiving adequate responses to e-mails sent to their new schools, and, if not, have you found a way to express your concern without seeming like an annoying pest.

We have a couple of contacts at our new school who are very good at responding, but when we have specific questions that they cannot answer, we seldom, if ever, hear back (or at least, not in a very timely manner). We understand it is a busy time of year for international schools, but we are not asking for a lot, and aren't even receiving acknowledgments.

Anyone else in the same boat and have some advice? Thanks.

We have been in the same position...and you are correct, the time of year does have an effect on whether or not questions get answered in a "timely" manner.

A couple of suggestions: 1) see if you can get the email address of a mentor or someone at the school teaching in the same grade/age range you will be teaching in and who may be able to answer some of your more basic of questions, and 2) try to 'save up' your questions and send them in one email, so that you are not sending emails over and over (more than once a week is probably too many).

Last suggestion: find a hobby or some other means of releasing tension so that you are not stressing out about having to wait for email responses...the more you can get your mind off of the wait, the better you'll feel.

Hope this helps.

:)

Hello Again EB

It could be that they are waiting for someone else to give them an answer which never really comes. Some questions don't have a simple answer over here in Saudi. This is also the time of month/year where everything is culminating - sports banquets, music festivals, etc.

If you don't get an answer within a week, just send a nicely worded reminder.

Hope this helps,

Shad

Hi there,
Don't dismiss the lack of response or ability/availability to answer your questions. My Husband and I made that mistake and suffered for 2 years after. That was a red flag that we explained away and shouldn't have. In my experience if they can't/won't/whatever answer a question with specifics there is a reason why beyond them being busy. If it is beyond you just feeling anxious and waiting for a response that may just take some time -then think about it- is it a red flag? Is there a way to find out the information without them?
Neptune

I agree with the poster above my post. I think that if they cannot answer the following questions :
a) Salary
b) Benefits
c) Housing standards
d) Work load
e) Specific questions related to the job ( work load, schedule, students' abilities etc etc )

I would definitely worry.

In general, a good school is a professional one who has a person to answer all the details for you on hand. They should have all those details prepared anyway, right?