Thanks PsyGuy for such a comprehensive reply! I think I should manage now to spot the 3rd Tier and whittle them out for each region. We are looking at IT for the best education for our children and to give them a sense of global citizenship so we really need a good school with a genuine international student base - so tier 1 or 2 and non-profit - am I right?

Hi very new to IT and can't find how a school is assessed as Tier 1, 2, 3 or below. Is there a magic list somewhere??? Or is it in the eye of the beholder! Any point of reference or further direction would be very helpful, my thanks in advance of your assistance folks.

Hi wrldtrvlr123, and thank you so much for taking the time to offer a well considered reply. I have registered with Search and TIE and watching TES Jobs like a hawk. So here's hoping!

Hi everyone, I'm new to ISR and we are just starting out on the IS circuit. We have a bit of an unusual profile so would like any and all advice for our circumstances especially how to promote our pluses, diminish our minuses and find school wanting families and long term commitment. So here's our profile:

UK Married couple with three children (15mths, 5yrs & 7yrs)

Husband: aged 49, 6 years as a depute in 2 mainstream secondary schools with outstanding refs from last 3 employers and very wide experience of remits, taught before management for 6 years. He is a very dynamic, enthused and highly committed senior leader. He has Ed Management Postgrad Cert. but not a full Masters and PGCE. Before teaching he served 13 years in British Army and travelled widely across the Middle East and Africa during his service - so knows how tough things can get! He has experience of UK system and a little IB from introducing the History IB Diploma as a department head. He is also very keen on extra curricular programmes - able to coach, but very good at debating, history, politics, school trips etc. Also speaks German.

Me: aged 37, 10 years of run my own businesses and business creation for other clients in tourism, vocational training and retail. Currently Executive Director of a world class Voice Training Centre. This post is portable as I am not required on site but would be willing to give this up to work with the school. I am very keen to contribute to the life of the school both with my strong set of professional transferable skills and with my domestic caring skills as a mother of 3. I have also always sought to support my husband in his role - the job comes first!

What we really want is a great school experience for our children and to show them a bit of the world to develop their sense of global citizenship, but would seek to stay for 5 years at least for their stability. We hope for a good benefits package, but actually, salary is lowest on our list of needs if the package covers accom, medical, dental, annual flights etc for the whole family. We would look at almost anywhere in the world if the school and package is strong.

Also, do we go for Deputy posts, because we have no IS experience, or is it realistic to apply for Head of Secondary.

Do our hopes seem realistic or are we unlikely to find a match...?

Any help and advice would be very, very welcome. We live in a very remote part of the UK so attending fairs etc is not really possible so forum/internet research is all we have. Many thanks everyone!