I have lived in five nations (none of them in Europe) and traveled in a lot more. There have been difficulties, for sure, but safety has never been one of them. I've encountered threats to my safety in several cities in the U.S., but not once since moving and traveling abroad. I've found that people in Eurasia and Africa are usually more courteous and helpful. Even when I've been in "dangerous" situations, police officers, protesters, shop-owners, and just people on the street have always been friendly and helpful. For all the ugliness in this world, strangers are seldom a problem and usually quite the contrary.

Well, Robby, when you're out, drinking, with people and they get shit-faced and make a scene, show up to work smelling like liquor on a regular basis with admitted hang-overs, talk about not having much to live for, yes, I think it's not unreasonable to think they have a drinking problem. I'm not talking about going to the bar and having two, three, or even four drinks. I'm talking about getting shit-faced. And no, I've never ever gossiped about any of them at any time with anyone. And was I going to advise them to join AA? No. I wasn't. I was curious if that was an option if they did decide to help themselves.

You don't seem to understand. I have seen these people communicate with children in ways that are just not acceptable. Eventually, someone besides me is going to hear the sorts of things I've heard or one of the students is going to make a legitimate complaint. They don't seem to be aware of the what they're doing. But this is not about getting them in trouble, this is about people who really have a problem. People who I really don't think are jerks and in fact seem quite decent at their core. I've worked with jerks - those who were alcoholics and those who were not - and I wouldn't put these people in this group.

Yes, they're adults and they will do what they will do. I accept that I have no control over what they do. But I was hoping to hear from someone that programs like AA have been successfully started in unlikely places. Or just something that could prevent what I think is surely going to be an ugly situation eventually.

At my current school, a disproportionate number of my colleagues seem to have very serious drinking problems. I've heard stories from other teachers at other schools about colleagues who enjoying drinking quite a bit, but at this school it really seems to be a very big problem. Since it's a small school and not easy to just distance yourself, I looked up Alcoholics Anonymous to see if there is a local chapter. No. These people seem like decent people, but their behavior - both outside and inside of school - seems to be effected by their alcoholism and its associated problems.

Has anyone experienced anything similar (I'm sure there are plenty) and have you seen it dealt with in an effective way, either by the individuals themselves or by administrators? I am seriously expecting to walk in some morning and hear that one of them is dead . . . it's that bad.

Oh, and I once tried to solve a problem with a director of a school I'd left with ISS. He violated my contract and stole thousands of dollars owed to me. I gave them evidence of my concerns, but they told me they couldn't help me. I will never attend another ISS fair.

I have been teaching internationally for a number of years and have been amazed with what (I use this pronoun very intentionally) gets into leadership positions in international schools. The majority of my experiences, like yours, have been quite bad. I have seen behavior and actions that have gone beyond just poor leadership. I would describe some of the directors I have worked for as mentally ill - and I'm not suggesting that all those who are mentally ill are hateful people - and completely lacking empathy for others, including students. I don't usually discuss these individuals with people (teachers AND non-teachers) who I know because I imagine that what I would describe would sound crazy. What I don't understand is why this is the best these international schools can do. How do they get so desperate? How do some of these administrators keep getting jobs? In most cases, from what I've seen, these crazy ones do not have positive effects on enrollment. Quite the opposite. But then you find out they've moved on to another international school.

To jstwatchin: That's a good question. This is not a well-established school and those who run it are relatively new to the education field. In many ways they are just (boldly) winging it, I feel. That said, their intentions are really good. They're not out to make money and they are making the school accessible to many. I doubt that the government will care, however. I have many questions about the school that I don't feel I can either ask or get a clear answer to.

Oh, and yes I did go over my new contract with a fine-tooth comb with lots of questions about insurance. And I told my new school about my current situation and that I was leaving because of the insurance issue.

My current school was aware of my medical needs from the beginning. I even sent them drug information and asked if it was available in this country. They didn't know about all of my medical needs, but they at least knew that insurance was important.

In case I sound like an invalid, I'm not. Most would never know about my medical issues. As long as I'm taking my drugs, I'm fine.

Don't worry, I'm pretty good at making my own judgments. From the experiences I've had at international schools, I am well aware that there are an inordinate number of schmucks in administrative positions at these schools. Not all, but there are a lot of them. That said, I do not feel that the leaders at this school are in any way bad people, despite their deception. They saw my experience and wanted me at their school - many of their teachers are quite new and/or do not have the abilities that they should. (I decided to take the position because I really wanted to live in this country and I liked the idea of again working with kids who were not privileged.) There are teachers who arrived, like me, in July, and when I asked them about their insurance they clearly had not given it a thought and it was not even on their radar. Perhaps they thought I would be like that. I wish I could. It's been a long time since that was possible.

I will have a conversation with the director today. Fortunately, I've had a teacher-in-training working with me in two of my classes since day one. Hopefully the director will not retain my pay that's due at the end of the month, but I wouldn't be surprised. In truth, I couldn't have given him much more notice. I am lucky to have secured the position I did this late in the season. The realities of the situation hit me fast and hard. And I need another round of prescriptions very soon. The whole thing is not pretty, but I really have no choice. I think that any reasonable person would agree.

Julie,

I've used both and after my experiences with ISS I don't think I'll return to job fairs, whether with ISS, Search, or any others. One comment mentioned that JoyJobs is more for ESL/ELL teachers. I've never noticed that, but I have noticed that JoyJobs is easier to use and seems to have more postings. I keep a weebly site that gives all of my information - licenses, letters of recommendation, teaching philosophy, examples of lessons, travel experience, etc. - and have gotten compliments from recruiters for it.

The job fairs are just too stressful for me and they're quite expensive, what with travel costs. I think they're becoming a thing of the past.

I began working at my school in July. In my contract, it states that I will receive health insurance after I obtain my work visa. I foolishly assumed that I would get a work visa soon after - or at least within three months - arriving. This was not the case. There are teachers who have been at the school for more than eight months and who still have no health insurance. I also found out that (or at least I've been told) the school has already met the limit of employees who may receive work visas.

I have health issues that may not be apparent to the average person, but that are costly. Prescriptions here run me more than $300 a month. I met with the school's director about the issue (salaries at the school are very low) and let him know that I could not afford to pay this amount for my prescriptions (living costs are high in this country). He confirmed that it might be quite some time before I receive medical coverage. He never got back to me about the issue, although he said he would. I began getting very anxious a week after I spoke with the director and sent my resume out to some schools. Yesterday I received a contract from a school whose salary and benefits are more in line with what I'm used to with international schools. I will have health insurance and a paid apartment immediately upon my arrival.

I just booked a flight that leaves in a week. I haven't told my director yet. I am upset with their deception, but I do not (want to) believe that the director is deliberately deceitful. The school seems to genuinely want to help students of all means, although it can also be said that the school does not give equal concern to the teachers. I doubt that they could do anything to me legally, but I guess that I'm looking for affirmation that I have a right to just up and leave. He is aware of my medical issues and if I end up in the hospital for any reason here in this country, I face financial ruin.