Search found 210 matches

by interteach
Wed Jul 12, 2023 1:30 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Seeking Participants for Mentoring International Teachers Questionnaire
Replies: 1
Views: 10273

Re: Seeking Participants for Mentoring International Teachers Questionnaire

I tried to complete the survey, but I was uncertain what you meant by the word "mentor." It's not something I've seen used in international schools. It would help to have an operational definition of the term since the survey depends so much on it.
by interteach
Mon Dec 19, 2022 4:51 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Morals and Contracts
Replies: 48
Views: 203577

Re: Morals and Contracts

I'm in almost full agreement on honoring a contract, but for the first time backed out when it was clear I wasn't going to get the help I needed to get a complicated visa. Silence, wrong answers, repeated wrong answers, taking it up the line didn't do any good - and this was a not-for-profit school. I finally decided days before the stated deadline and nearly zero meaningful assistance that if this was how they treated my attempts to get there, I didn't want to know the rest. It is, ultimately, a two way street. Both sides need to show good will and due diligence.
by interteach
Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:15 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Living On Campus
Replies: 14
Views: 28267

Re: Living On Campus

Currently working at a school with on-campus housing. Overall it's great. Well-designed and built, no associated costs, fast maintenance, no requirement to hang out with others. No parents or students can access faculty housing. I know it can vary, but there are places that can make it work.
by interteach
Thu Dec 16, 2021 2:51 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: US Citizen - Retirement Saving...?
Replies: 12
Views: 20039

Re: US Citizen - Retirement Saving...?

Some international schools offer a Roth 401(k) to their US employees, but it tends to be the better schools.

Without that (and even with it), it's best to do some forced savings every month and find an investment strategy that works. If you don't want to talk to the usual expat investment advisors, you can always talk to someone where you open your investment account. It may take them longer to answer your questions, but the fees and options are often better.

The bottom line is that if you want to stay in international schools for a long time and are a US citizen, you need to take charge of your retirement savings. Previous comments about late career teachers not having enough savings are real and you don't want that to happen to you. The anxiety goes down a lot once you start taking action.
by interteach
Tue Jun 01, 2021 3:43 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Trends in international school counseling
Replies: 23
Views: 21292

Re: Trends in international school counseling

I believe PG got his feelings very badly hurt by a counselor in the past, and he has developed a grudge. It's a pattern of his I've seen over the years. He really should try shadowing a counselor for a few days, but I doubt he would as it's impossible for him to admit he may be wrong.

Given PG's behavior on this board, I can well imagine that he's been the subject of many student complaints to counselors, and can easily envision counselors trying to help him improve his practice. I'm sure that didn't sit well.
by interteach
Mon May 31, 2021 4:03 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Trends in international school counseling
Replies: 23
Views: 21292

Re: Trends in international school counseling

PsyGuy is thinking of a counseling model that's nearly thirty years out of date, and is completely wrong on one account.

If you work at a well-functioning international school, counselors will be extremely busy with a wide variety of activities. Most counseling licensing now requires that counselors are able to plan and deliver classroom content, and at a large number of international schools counselors are teaching social/emotional learning, mindfulness, and other topics. A large number of international schools have college admissions seminars for 11th and 12th grade students. Counselors frequently give workshops to parents and support administration in their programming.

I know of almost no school where counselors are expected to create the schedule. They do, however, do a great deal of academic advising, work on changing schedules, and keep up with students who are academically struggling, and it's more than one-off meetings. Counselors collaborate with learning and language support to make sure that they are supporting student progress. At an IB school, they team up a lot with the IB coordinator to help keep things on track.

Yes, there is some management work - it comes with any school job, including teaching. But counselors do far more than student management, and if they aren't it's the fault of the administration who doesn't understand school counseling or a counselor not will to do the job.

With regard to mental health, contrary to what PG says, it's outside of the US and UK where counselors often face their most stressful and time consuming challenges. With poor mental health resources for non-native and/or native speakers, different cultural attitudes towards mental health issues (most of them not helpful for students), and a lack of robust government resources and laws, counselors face difficult responsibilities with a much wider array of mental health issues than they would in the majority of English speaking countries. In the US or UK, which PG uses as his example, outside referral is required and clearly delineated. In international schools, that's often not the case.

Counselors aren't the alpha and omega of a school. But they can and should make a difference, and it's a lot of work although of a different sort than teaching. Counselors manage time more than students, since so much of what a counselor has to do must be accomplished during a school day. But I know a lot of international school counselors who put in hours on the evenings and weekends. Especially if they also work on college admissions. International schools are only just starting to separate college and school counseling. Doing both is a great deal of work during first semesters.

I feel sorry for any school where PG has worked where all counselors do is the work he mentions and spend most of their day "schmoozing." And I have yet to find one.
by interteach
Thu Apr 23, 2020 6:41 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Best place to find North America Vacancies?
Replies: 7
Views: 12131

Re: Best place to find North America Vacancies?

You can sign up for e-mail job notifications at the National Association of Independent Schools website (NAIS), although there won't be any public school postings.

The main recruiting season in the US has largely wound down and activity is slow due to uncertainty about enrollment figures for next year, but NAIS is a good source as many schools use it.
by interteach
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:03 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Masters in Education
Replies: 17
Views: 25028

Re: Masters in Education

It's close enough to a diploma mill to cause you to want to stay far, far away. It's so-called accreditation isn't regional, and any recruiter with a small amount of knowledge of accreditation will spot it. The name is also enough to raise eyebrows.

If you want to work at bottom-feeder schools then go for it, but if you're looking for a degree that won't get laughed at by competent recruiters you should pass on this one.

Other than that, the best reason for getting a master's is because you have identified something you really would like to learn to complement your current abilities.
by interteach
Sun Jan 19, 2020 3:32 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Question about School Counselor Credentials
Replies: 6
Views: 15016

Re: Question about School Counselor Credentials

There's already lots of good advice here. I want to chime in with two points.

Having the license will make a substantial difference in being able to be hired. It's not just a matter of visas and work permits. Heads of schools and principals like to hire licensed counselors. You'll be at a significant advantage if you can do so. While I am sure there are exceptions, I know of several situations where being unable to find a strong candidate with a license has had a school extend the search to another school year rather than hiring someone who they're not sure about.

If you are in South Korea there are many US accredited schools in the country. You might want to ask around to see if there's a licensed counselor at a school who would be willing to help. It's not unusual for counselors to get such requests and you may find someone who would be interested. Most supervisor roles for licensure do not require daily attention so it could work out.
by interteach
Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:24 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Creating fake references
Replies: 26
Views: 51580

Re: Creating fake references

Even tier 3 schools have people who hire and do their due diligence.

As a recruiter, if I have never heard from your school I'm certainly going to look at the website. And I'm pretty good at figuring out what's legit and what's a sham. And if the school isn't accredited, you're out of luck. And if you falsely claim accreditation, you're in legal trouble that can go as far as Interpol.

I'm also going to to ask around if I don't know the school. You won't get far.

It's also just wrong. And it will backfire. Maybe not at the first job, but at some point.
by interteach
Thu Dec 26, 2019 11:13 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Have you ever stopped an interview right on the spot?
Replies: 15
Views: 29979

Re: Have you ever stopped an interview right on the spot?

Worst question ever asked by a candidate (and within the first 2-3 minutes): "Where can I meet the lay-deeez?"

It was a short interview.
by interteach
Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:51 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: School social worker looking for an IS position
Replies: 6
Views: 22673

Re: School social worker looking for an IS position

A fair number (it's impossible to say all) of international schools prefer not to hire applicants with a social work background as the skillset for school counseling is regarded as fairly different. You may find some schools who would like to offer you a job, but generally the first positions to be filled will be those with school counseling training and certification.
by interteach
Mon Sep 16, 2019 4:12 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Best Job Fair to Land a Tier 1 School
Replies: 101
Views: 503726

Re: Best Job Fair to Land a Tier 1 School

In my years of recruiting I have never met a school administrator who is at a recruiting fair to do anything but recruit. There may be some who have done so but I doubt there are many.

A recruiting fair is not a good place to find out "what's going on" because the all or the great majority of administrators are there to recruit. It isn't a good time to catch up. There are much better places to get caught up such as regional conferences and administrative PD.