Search found 15 matches

by sand_fan
Fri May 20, 2016 6:40 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Returning after broken contract
Replies: 12
Views: 14416

Returning after broken contract

I have a former associate who is currently stateside. She had a 2 year contract in Kuwait and left at the end of the first year (broke contract). She now has a potential opportunity at anther Kuwait school and wants to return. Anyone have any ideas for what, if anything she should expect with ministry, etc? What is typical response from potential new school to such things?
by sand_fan
Sun Dec 06, 2015 2:17 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Passive Aggressiveness in IS
Replies: 17
Views: 34423

Re: Passive Aggressiveness in IS

No need for psycho babble, i don't think it is passive aggressive, it is just teachers reducing themselves to the mentality of their students and acting like they are one of them. My short IT career can be summarized by saying that it is a home for wash outs and I guess I am one because it is where I ended up, although I generally prefer not to view myself as that. I do hope that the good examples of IS are as good as people say because the ME and EU examples I have experienced represent unskilled leadership, people who have far exceeded their level of incompetence (Peter Principle), child-like behavior and on occasion, dedicated professionals that ignore the noise and do what they do. This is without even mentioning how school ownership does things. Soooo, for me, Im outa here sooner rather than later.
by sand_fan
Fri Oct 23, 2015 9:15 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: History Teaching in Turkey
Replies: 4
Views: 6502

Re: History Teaching in Turkey

Too piggy bag on the OP...any idea how the ministry in Turkey views graduate degrees as qualifying. For example liberal arts bachelors but Masters in say economics, will the ministry grant a visa to teach economics, or is this another case where a liberal arts degree is worthless and the masters is not considered?
by sand_fan
Sat Oct 03, 2015 3:55 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Halloween as an Indicator
Replies: 34
Views: 70036

Re: Halloween as an Indicator

Maybe my school is worst of all. Teachers began talking during pre-planning of the grand hallowween tradition of the secondary students going to the primary school and scaring them. This sounds like such fun, I am giddy in anticipation. I hope we get to dress up, too!
by sand_fan
Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:44 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Search Associates New Contract
Replies: 5
Views: 13012

Re: Search Associates New Contract

Search can put whatever thet want in an agreement, but that doesn't mean it's enforcible. As was said above, nobody goes through the trouble to take a position with the intention of leaving early. If things happen that aren't what was promised or conditions exist where you are unable to do your job then you you do what you need to do. So, say SA, or the school want to come after you for something worth a couple of thousand dollars you have an obligation to protect yourself. I suspect something as simple as a letter from an attorney outlining your position will make them think twice. If they recognize they now will have to spend money chasing someone with minimal assets, it is likely they will go away. SA isn't a law firm, so that means the school might need to engage a US or Canadian atty to fight you. I don't see how the stakes are high enough to make this worthwhile, so the clause will end up just being noise.
by sand_fan
Sat Aug 01, 2015 5:36 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Canadian Tax Question
Replies: 20
Views: 34385

Re: Canadian Tax Question

Consider spending a few dollars for a consultation with a Canadian CPA or other tax professional. Getting tax info on a message board could be hazardous to your financial health.
by sand_fan
Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:04 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: School breaking contract terms
Replies: 11
Views: 17049

Re: School breaking contract terms

I had a similar experience where housing was the issue. The school offered an amount that was probably $600 under the market. They wouldn't budge, so I left at the end of the year. I had another job before I left and I explained to the new employer what I was doing and it didn't seem to matter. My thought is do what you have to do because none of these jobs pay all that much and someone will hire you with 8 years of experience.
by sand_fan
Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:57 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Criminal Record?
Replies: 10
Views: 17773

Re: Criminal Record?

See if the state you got the DUI in has a program suppress the conviction. I am familiar with a similar situation that was wiped clean. Involved going back to the courts where the conviction happened and then taking the approved form to the state and whoosh away it went and within a few days it was gone from the FBI report. The state said the incident no longer needed to be disclosed. Your mileage may vary depending on the state.
by sand_fan
Mon Jun 08, 2015 12:26 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: investing for Canadians
Replies: 14
Views: 27000

Re: investing for Canadians

Is that "instruments" as in a tool?
I think this thread illustrates how a skilled advisor can help an investor - lots of opinions that probably leave the OPs head spinning. Its like the folks who get their investment advice from CNBC, it ends up being noise. I have no idea what kind of advisors call on IS, but in order to make it work, it is likely they are selling insurance or annuity products, thus what is been described as huge back end charges (going from school to school would be expensive and time consuming). A quality advisor probably doesn't spend time prospecting teachers just starting out because they have to get paid by gathering assets (which doesn't always equal getting slammed in to bad products). Of course they would love to hear about the 403(b) you left behind that they hope you would roll over to them.

You can easily get good FREE advice from brokerages such as Charles Schwab or Fidelity (and others) because they are on salary and are able to show a wide range of products that include COMMISSION FREE ETFs and no load funds. If you want to avoid conflicts of interest get a fee only planner who has a fiduciary responsibility to their clients (look for FINRA Series 65 licenses). Series 7 reps only have to apply a test of appropriateness for an investment. A series 6 license holder is likely a load mutual fund peddler and not particularly well trained. If they just have insurance licenses, keep your hands on your wallet and your eyes open. Of course these licenses are for US reps, so it may not be any help for a Canadian. You can get some of the best trained advisors at large wirehouses such as Merrill and Morgan Stanley, but it is hard to get their attention with less than $250k. A way to backdoor your way in is to call a local branch manager and ask for a referral to a "rookie." Generally, they are hungry and need assets and may spend a surprising amount of time with you since they are building their client base and would love some referrals. Another good place to look is Edward Jones branches (I think they are in Canada, too) - they are very hands on and EJ is one of the most ethical firms you will find anywhere and they thrive on smaller accounts for people that want a "high touch" relationship (yes, they charge commissions). In short there is nothing sinister about someone earning a living providing quality financial advice and the points made in previous posts that were coherent do bring up some issues that do taint the industry.

Bottom line is conflicts of interest are all over the financial services business including advice dispensing authors who also have advisory businesses or get paid for speaking engagements.

Also, don't be afraid to spend $200 or so for a little time with someone qualified to give you advice on your tax situation. In the US that would be a CPA or EA and I would look for a similar designation in CA. If Tax Canada is like the IRS, you are largely on your own to figure it out until they let you know you did it wrong and commence to ruining your life. Financial advisors can't give tax advice (nor forum users). Everyones situation is too different and there are far too many variables.

There are plenty of ways to get where you want to go without getting fleeced.
by sand_fan
Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:09 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: investing for Canadians
Replies: 14
Views: 27000

Re: investing for Canadians

An advisor isn't there to beat the market, he/she is there to help someone reach their goals and good one can keep beginning investors from making naive mistakes. A book dispensing broad notions is dangerous to someones financial health. BTW, bonds and stock do not necessarily act inverse to each other; we are coming out of a long bond bull market (bonds going up) and the consensus is that central banks will tighten (because in most industrial countries rates are pretty close to zero) which will send rates up and bond prices down. We are also in around the 6th year of a stock bull market (stocks going up). What do one size fits all authors recommend in this environment?
by sand_fan
Sat Jun 06, 2015 5:43 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: investing for Canadians
Replies: 14
Views: 27000

Re: investing for Canadians

Not necessarily, securities have to registered in a particular country to be sold there. Also be careful following generic, catch all advice and oversimplified asset allocations, authors write stuff to sell books and they don't know your personal situation. For example, did they tell you there is no assurance you will get back what you put Into a bond fund? Even though the fund or ETF consists of bonds, if rates go up, bonds go down in value. Since you don't own any individual bonds and because funds don't typically have maturity dates, you could walk away with less even if the portfolio is rated AAA. If you own individual bonds you don't have that problem because the bond has a maturity date or call date. Don't be cheap, many financial advisors can help you and they actually earn their fees.
by sand_fan
Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:12 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: SALARIES/PACKAGES IN KUWAIT
Replies: 10
Views: 10380

Re: SALARIES/PACKAGES IN KUWAIT

I can only comment on one school which considers itself in the top 5 in Kuwait. Pay starts at barely $30k US with flight there and back every year,health insurance and housing in an apartment very close to the school. Your costs are very low, but Kuwait is expensive if you try to keep up with the Kuwaitis. Eat like the Indians and it costs less. It is either hot or the air is full of dirt and dust, so much so I saw it rain mud. If you learn to ride the bus, transportation is cheap. The taxi drivers will rip you off and it doesn't help that many who want to "indoctrinate" you when you arrive, actually believe that it is fair what the cab drivers try and do. Some of the worst advice I have gotten came from those who have been here a few years. I think they need to get out more. The place is safe, but if you get freaked out by ME culture you will not like it.

Not sure how to address the teacher comments since i'm here, I guess I might fall into one of those categories. In my experience, it is not a place to improve as a teacher (except in classroom management skills - even those who are good will be tested). The low pay can be offset by extras like tutoring, but some the comments I've read saying you can double your pay seem a little ambitious. Id say you can consistently pick up an extra $1000-$1500 without getting sick of it. If you avoid blowing money on maids and personal drivers and eating like a Kuwaiti, you can save well over half of your pay. From what I can tell, everyone is just another face coming through the door. The concept of working to retain staff seems pretty far removed from the local approach. It is pretty boring both at work and after, so be prepared to entertain yourself.
by sand_fan
Sat Feb 14, 2015 10:11 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Oman Work Visas after 60
Replies: 9
Views: 9268

Oman Work Visas after 60

Hoping someone with actual knowledge can shed some light on the reality of hitting 60 in Oman. Law seems to say no visas after 60, but doesn't specifically address renewals, at least that I can find. Is Oman a place where renewals can happen past 60 as long as the first one was done prior to 60?