IMO, you can pull a runner without worrying about legal consequences. But, there will be consequences.

Regarding your health, did you take a course of antibiotics at some point? I know it sounds crazy, but science is starting to link gut bacteria flora to all kinds of conditions, including anxiety disorders and our response to stressors. Destroying your gut bacteria with antibiotics, and subsequently not working deliberately to reestablish a healthy symbiotic colony, can set you up for a variety of issues. I HIGHLY recommend you do some research on this. You'll almost certainly want to add/increase your probiotic (through supplements or lacto-fermenting your own food) and prebiotic intake (google key word: resistant starch). I'm about 100% certain that a few weeks of concerted effort will lead to noticeable improvement.

Here's something to get you started: http://neurosciencestuff.tumblr.com/pos ... cond-brain

Hey mamava,

I'm slowly starting to accept that I may have missed my only chance. Although they've gone as far as to check a reference, maybe two, I didn't do myself any favors in the sense that I could've done a much better job of selling myself as per the advice here. Hopefully, lesson learned.

Thanks for the replies. I get that selling myself as an undervalued asset is a much better approach, but we've already reached the point where they are following up on my references and things appear to have stalled. At this point I'm not even sure I'll get another chance to sell myself at all. I'm not sure what's going on. Only one of my references appears to have been contacted. They are a very close friend and I find it unimaginable that he/she would've undermined my candidacy in any way. I'm kind of in this limbo stage where I feel like now I'm just waiting to hear a negative, unless I do something to direct the momentum in my favor.

Hello All,

I've applied to a position that is likely hard to fill (Central Asia). I'm not yet certified and the job isn't in my certification area, but I am certainly qualified for this role (sorry to be so vague). I am wondering if anyone can shed some light on how much I might be able to sway a decision if I were to come out about being a cheap hire? This job is about as close as it gets to a dream job for me, it's in a dream location, I'm not in this for the money, and I could probably use it to finish up the requirements of my certification program. What might I expect making it known (pre-interview) that I would take the position for, say, 80% of the normal salary? Could it be detrimental?

Thanks for your thoughts.

I have never worked there, but I have called India home for several years so I think I can speak to a couple of these questions.

The cost of living can be incredibly low given this is a capital city. I can pretty easily get by on 300 INR (less than $6 USD) a day, including accommodation, meals, and limited movement on public transportation. It's possible to get by on less, but one would lose a lot of privacy and to get the kind of calories I'm used to one would have to eat in langar halls. The high end I'm less familiar with, but it's pretty easy to spend $50 USD on a better lunch. I'm sure it gets even more refined than that, I've just never had the desire to seek it out. Over the past five-ten years, the "emerging middle class" has resulted in more middle ground. The school is pretty close to most of this action (south Delhi).

There is a lot of culture/history in Delhi and it's the best hub for reaching nearby places of interest. I imagine there is plenty to do for family outings. I would, however, avoid any theme park type attractions. Safety is by and large an afterthought, across the board. Akshardham Mandir, Qutb Minar, Lal Qila (Red Fort), Bangla Sahib, Select City Mall, Dilli Haat, International House (where there are free cultural shows, weekly, if I remember correctly), and more. That's just in the city itself and I could probably come up with another 20 or so worthy attractions. Within a few hours of Delhi things get even more incredible (there's a reason I spend so much time there). One can stay in repurposed forts, visit Himalayan hill stations and religious sites, and check out the "modernization" of India (e.g. Gurgoan). I could go on, but I won't.

Safety...it's a controversial issue, in my experience. A lot of women I have met over the years say it's safe, but they'll add that they've been assaulted in one way or another. The women, who I've met, who actually spend a lot of time in India are starting to be more concerned given the perceived increase in assaults. I'd say it isn't "safe" for women after dark. According to a recent article in the Times of India, there are six rapes reported every day in Delhi (and I would bet that the number of unreported rapes is at least three to four times that). Most of these are gang rapes and involve younger girls, out late (after dark), and, without looking at the actual data, lower on the socio-economic scale. Verbal abuse and uncomfortable staring are pretty much guaranteed at all hours. Groping is not uncommon. If fact, in my experience, it happens frequently. I'm a huge guy, by Indian standards, and I've been groped (in broad daylight, on crowded public transportation, more than once). Any woman coming to India would be wise to mentally prepare for this. Hopefully, she'll be the exception.

I'm happy to respond to anymore questions unrelated to the teaching side of things.

I think for the TR program any degree is fine. But, I vaguely recall seeing somewhere on the FL DOE website that a related degree was necessary for the initial license. Maybe that had something to do with getting a temp license, prior to passing the test, to work in FL while doing an alt cert program. This kind of rings a bell.

I'm still working on a proper certification myself so I can't speak to the job, but as for getting your state license UT has a good alt cert program. They also list the course requirements for each specialization on their website which is helpful if you want to compare your transcripts to the different areas and find the best match. I have no idea what your subject area would be. Another option is the Teacher Ready program out of FL. I found this to be the best fit for me because I wasn't forced to take a bunch of superfluous history and economy courses to help establish "mastery" of my area (social studies). Instead, I was rewarded for my life long interest in these subjects and simply had to pass the test (in addition to a related degree). To meet the requirements of the state I am in would have required me to go back to school for three years! It sounds like one of these programs would work for you.

fine dude,

Thanks again. I got a response. Apparently they do have admin internships but it isn't clear yet if there may be other opportunities for me. They said they had forwarded my email to another person for consideration. They seem like great people.

fine dude,

Thanks! I've emailed them and requested more information. It looks like an awesome place to learn/work.

Thanks for the leads. Pretty amazing how many IB schools there are in India now. I think they must have doubled in the last couple of years.

Thank you for the responses. I think this more or less confirms what I was thinking. IB would be great, but isn't necessary. It is news to hear about a potential conflict in letting the student teacher take over the classroom, but it makes sense.

@ fine dude, I visited the UWCSEA website but couldn't find any information about this internship you mentioned. If it isn't too much trouble, could you provide a link?

Thanks again.

Hi again,

I am hoping to gain some better insight into this. How important is the school's reputation when it comes to choosing a place to do one's student teaching? Would any IB school suffice for an aspiring IB teacher? Would a more reputable non-IB school be better than an infamous IB one? Other considerations?

Thanks!

Hey all,

I've used the search function but I'm not getting the information I need. Basically, I'm trying to find the better schools in India. I'm only looking for a mentor for my student teaching requirement and so the overall package isn't immediately relevant. Other than AES, can anyone recommend some good schools in Delhi and the surrounding metro area? How about Pune? Areas outside of Mumbai?

Thanks.

So, I'm considering the Teacher Ready program and there's the student teaching component. I've already reached out to one school I'm particularly interested in, but the experience begs the question, are student teachers appreciated/welcomed? Seen as a burden? Other? What are your thoughts?

I taught on the east coast, near Dammam. A couple of years ago a friend of mine was considering a position in Jeddah and mentioned the relatively liberal reputation. My reply was that the difference between Riyadh and Jeddah was like the difference between Washington D.C. and Fairfax, VA. He liked that.

Saudi can be great. There are some mildly interesting historical sites including Petra's sister city near al-Ula, the ancestral home of bin-Wahab (the name escapes me right now), and some spots along the border with Yemen. There's a few outdoors adventures to be had including diving off the west coast, exploring the mountains along the border with Yemen, and countless desert activities. The culture, however conservative, is interesting once you get into it. The people are friendly (in my experience) and well-intentioned (d'awa or not), if not a bit frustrated (socially and politically).

I just found it to be boring on the whole. If you're the type of person that spends all or most of your time indoors and otherwise in malls, if you're not picky about your alcohol (assuming you drink and are okay with violating local customs/laws--I don't recommend it), then you'll likely be fine.