This was a pretty common experience at my last school. Considering the fact that your field experience starts so soon, I think you should definitely apply and probably make a low key in-person check-in too. Your goal the first few days should be to determine who in the school handles the initial weeding-out of applicants. In my past school, it was the Dean of Students, with other administrations it may be the Principal, the Superintendent, or an AP depending on the organization of power in the school. Once you have figured out who that person is, you know how you need to mention your application too (and make a good impression with). Any opportunity working in a school, especially an urban school district like the one you are doing your field experience at, will probably be treated by the administration as your trial run. I'll save you advice on how to schmooze as that mostly comes down to your own instincts and personal style *tongue in cheek*

I think it sounds like a fine idea to make some extra money or maybe a way to secure a visa. However, a lot depends on your age and financial needs. Many countries will not grant you a visa past a 55 or 60. I suppose if you are pretty set financially, you could do worse than teach 12 hours a week in Cambodia. If thats the kind of place you're into.

Hey Guys,

When I have joined a new school in the past I like to bring some small goodies to share with the front office and other coworkers. I usually bring big bags of American candies that are hard to find in Asia/China. York peppermint patties and reese's peanut butter cups have worked pretty well in the past but I was thinking about branching out a bit this time. To those of you working in China or with experience living there, what candies or inexpensive snacks do you miss the most while being away? Something that I could easily buy in bulk.

Those sound like general student/teacher problems, not problems exclusive to Thailand. Its hard to say if the issues you experienced in Thailand will be repeated in China - I think I would need to see you teach first. I imagine whether or not you consider your you stint in China successful a couple years from now will depend on the expectations of your school. If they are cool with the rote learning style of instruction (I imagine many 3rd tier Chinese schools may be because their country's education system is rooted in that form of instruction) you might be exactly what they are looking for. That being said, expect sleeping during class, daydreaming, phone use, and you being left wondering if the students are talking about you when they speak Chinese during your lecture.

my mistake, I thought there used to be a dm function

I don't know of any IS's on Thai islands that would suit your salary requirements. To be honest, I don't know of many schools on the Thai islands at all. Maybe someone else with more specific knowledge of Thai schools could comment. I identified a half dozen schools that seemed suitable to me and they were all in the Bangkok area, save one nearby Pattaya. If you would like, I could share my CV with you. Like you, I was applying for primary schools jobs. Just shoot me a PM with you email. Do not post your email on this forum though.

Miss London,

If you're willing to eat local I think Thailand would be a great place to look. Don't be intimidated by the number of schools in Shanghai, that just means you have more to choose from. There are a handful of IS's in the city that would meet your savings needs. Last fall, I went into the application process with similar requirements as you but with less experience. Around December I found a school in one of the "Big 4" cities in China that would fit what you are looking for and had been given offers from several others. I think you are being optimistic but not unrealistic. There are ways into IT that don't start at tier 3 schools in middle-of-nowhere China. It all depends on how well you sell yourself and prepare your resume, starting now.

Miss London,

If your requirements are: to save $1500 USD, good quality of life (I'm assuming this means ample western amenities), and a reasonable workload.

It's hard to say how much you can save without knowing what your lifestyle is like. Since, you included it in your requirements, I'm going to assume your least capable at being thrifty when you need to be. I can also only comment on cities I have researched/been made offers by, or have friends who work there.

China - one of the biggest opportunities to save but unless your in one of the big 3/4 cities you might not have the QOL you would like. If pollution is a deal-breaker its likely only one of the "big 4" would be acceptable. Upper tier schools in these cities might be worth checking out.

Beijing
Shanghai
Guangzhou
Shenzhen (substantially less polluted)

Taiwan - only schools in Taipei and one in Kaohsiung would fit your $$$ requirement. Workload might be too much at the elite school in Taipei but this depends on what you can handle.

South Korea - High pay in upper tier schools that would meet your expectation, rent included in packages. Ample western dining options but not as many as Taipei or major Chinese cities. Great Korean food if you're into that sort of thing... (I am)

Hong Kong/Singapore - you mentioned these locations in your original message so I won't spend much time on them. You're right rent is high, but most upper tier schools would provide you with accommodation or give you a substantial allowance. Still worth looking at.

Japan - similar to HK/SGP high rent/COL but equally high pay in the upper tier schools.

Thailand - Some nice schools and that you could bank substantial coin at. You would have to do more research to see if you would be happy with the western amenities. There are sports centers, western dinning options but with less prevalence than countries higher on this list. I have a feeling that this would still be suitable for you but maybe someone else can give more info. IMO Thailand more than makes up for this with its opportunities to travel and enjoy local culture.

Indonesia/Vietnam/Cambodia/Philippines/elsewhere in SEA - a few interesting schools but these locations would likely not meet your QOL expectations. Side note - from my experience traveling in these countries gyms/fitness centers can be hard to come by and quite expensive. Vietnam may be the exception but you will have to look into that yourself and decide if QOL fits your bill.

Mongolia/Kazakstan/Central Asia - Nope, QOL

South Asia - ''


As I said, I'm only commenting on places I have direct experience with, which is Asia. Good luck and us know if you have any specific questions on countries. This forum does not allow discussion on specific schools packages or details, thats why I have limited my response to locations. With a quick search, you can probably ID the top tier schools in each city. Alternatively, the site has a paid section with reviews.

This ^

All the other commenters have mentioned some great places to get started. I would also add http://schroleconnect.com. More and more upper-tier Asian schools are using it. There is a paid and non-paid portion of the site. The free part is nothing more than a place to drop a resume, cover letter, and some letters of reference. If you pay, the site allows you to search for schools/positions that you are qualified for. The fee is much cheaper than either SA or ISS. From what I have read/heard, the site is growing and is becoming more and more a preferred website by top schools.

There are many points in your response that I disagree with but I'd just encourage the OP to check out both programs on their own. A fellowship program took me from a cram school (a level of qualification similar to the OP's) to a tier 1 IS in 2 years. Details of certification routes and programs can be parsed and litigated to no end but the professional growth TNTP gave me is the clearest evidence of its value.

@Psyguy

I agree with you on most of your posts on this forum but I think you're off on this one. I can only speak for TNTP/NYCTF but their training is fantastic. It is very stressful, it's a year and a half long, but you finish the program with a very strong background in classroom management and curriculum development. I think the training is incomparable to online programs. Over the first year and a half I had a coach I met regularly with and was observed multiple times throughout the school year. This was all done in conjunction with online course work, a 7 week training program over the summer, and biweekly seminars during the first year. From what I have heard from participants, TFA is a similar workload. The problem with fellowship programs such as TNTP and TFA, is not that they are over simplified or gloss over details to save time, the issue is that the workload is too heavy for many prospective teachers.

I completely agree with your second point. You almost certainly end up in a "train wreck" inner city DS. I experienced a school shooting my second day teaching, called the police multiple times on my own students, and split up fights between parents in just my first year. However, after working at my school the past two years, I can say confidently that I can teach anywhere, and this has given me a huge amount of confidence moving forward in my career. It also is important to point out that the aim of these fellowship programs is to put talented teachers into schools that have these types of problems. They don't just hand out government funded scholarships without asking for legitimate service.

I'm a little confused on your third point. You wrote that you "generally advise against 'fellowship programs'" because "they are very competitive to get into their programs, it looks good on a resume." I'm not sure why this is a bad thing. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your point but I don't think the competitiveness of the program should deter someone from applying. I think the challenge of getting into the program is proof of its quality - and, as you said, it does look great on a resume. Finally, I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it is the new thing compared to military service."

You mentioned NYCTF. I did their associated program in Charlotte, NC with TNTP. Three years ago, I was in a similar point in my career as you are now. I'm just now preparing to take my first position at an IS in Asia. You might want to look back through my older posts on this forum to view previous questions I have asked as I have posted sporadically over the past 2/3 years - I imagine you can find some answers to many of your questions that way. Transitioning from ET to teaching ESL at an IS is certainly possible but takes some work if you want to avoid the dregs as your first IS job. Also, I suggest you apply to both TNTP and NYCTF, your options will be much chances will be much better the national program (its still very competitive though <10%) You may want to think about TFA too. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

@psyguy

Any school that considered an email that politely asked to stop by the campus while in the country a mark against me is a school I'd rather skip. Any potential harm I did to my application was a bullet dodged. And, FWIW, I didn't ask for the interview, the school proposed it.

"I would also strongly advise against @helloiswill and add as many endorsements as possible. Its beneficial to add complimenting endorsements, but at a very early point having to many endorsements starts to convey the message you really arent an expert in anything and are too much a generalist.If you're a literature IT adding drama/theater and social studies would be marketable."

This made me laugh... I added those endorsements because of advice given to me on this forum by you @psyguy. That was also while I was in my first year teaching. Not that dissimilar a situation to the OP.