I was in a similar situation a couple years ago, and the school offered first and quite generously.

They are a Chinese national school running, apparently, AP and CIE programs. I'm guessing the kids are fabulous, the pay is good and the administration opaque. Given the location, though, lots of good access to other expats and cultural activities. Beijing takes a special person IMHO. If you are one, it may be a good place, especially if you are a maths, physics or economics teacher.
Good Luck!

Hi,
I'm a licensed school counselor in my state in the US. I went to school for a Master's in Counseling with a specialization in school counseling. School counselors are trained to handle personal/social, academic and career counseling and are not 'therapists'. The model here http://www.aassa.com/uploaded/Education ... ndbook.pdf
is largely based on the American School Counseling Association model.

From what I've seen in international schools, counseling can take a couple forms; college counseling, traditional school counseling, and counselor/therapist. The last one is, I think, the least common. College counseling requires no specific degree, but it does require experience in admissions or as a high school counselor.

I recommend getting your certification/licensure in school counseling. This will give you the the background and (through the internship) the experience to become comfortable and somewhat knowledgeable about the job. Go ahead and try to get a job internationally, but be aware that you may not be able to do so without some experience at home.

After working for 12 years in the US, the last 9 in a high school, I am working as a college counselor overseas. Next year I will move to a different continent and work again as a school counselor. It's a fabulous experience. I work with great student and colleagues and I learn new things every week, if not every day.

Best of luck!

I am a counselor, so this may not pertain to you, but here goes...

I did a job search last year and was shocked at how early jobs went. The VAST majority of jobs seemed to have been taken via Skype or the Bangkok fair in January. The lesson for me? Target schools early (as in September/October). My next job search will be much more active much earlier.

Best of luck!

I am in Beijing and use a VPN called Astrill. It has an annual fee and is totally worth it. I am on gmail and facebook every day with few problems. Astrill can route through servers in dozens of cities, so if one is running slowly, you can just change to a different city.
Good Luck!

Electricity is pretty cheap in Beijing. I pay about $25 USD a month on electricity and run two air cleaners.

I think a lot of positions went early and many of the rest went at Bangkok. In one of my interviews, we spent 5 minutes talking about how fairs would be obsolete in 5 years because it was so much more cost-effective to hire online with Skype.

It would be nice if Search (or anyone) would give us data at the end of the hiring season. I'd like to know, for example, how many people in my area were hired early in the year or at particular fairs. If we had historic data, it might help us decide on a more effective strategy for our next job hunt.

I am signed to go to a school in Ukraine and am having serious second thoughts. When I signed the letter of intent, the situation was much different from what it is now. The school director has said that if someone backed out because of legitimate concern for their safety, they could without penalty. I am at a loss about whether to go or look for something else.

This school has a job posting for my area, but their website is not too informative and they are not on SA. They aren't even listed on the pay side of ISR! Can anyone shed a little light on them?
Thanks!