Thanks sid.

PsyGuy and global_nomad: one school politely declined, another wanted to take me on to the next stage of the interview process, and two more I told them that I'd accepted elsewhere before they had got back to me, so make of that what you will. The one that declined didn't cite the DUI as being a reason, though it might have been.

At least two were OK with it, and the other two I've no idea.

Hi,

I was the OP for this topic, and rudely forgot to thank the various posters who took the time to put up their thoughts, ideas and advice. Although it's a bit belated - thank you - much appreciated.

So I decided it would be best to just come clean at interview stage. I wouldn't have been comfortable with lying, and it would be hanging over me for the entire time between contract signing and police check. With a family and bills to pay I needed the certainty and peace of mind, even if that certainty was a polite rejection.

Anyway, I got a few interviews, and just told them straight out at the beginning of the interview, and was offered a job on my second interview at a good tier 1(ish) school, though hopefully on the strength of my interview and references rather than my criminal history.

So, I'm not sure what conclusions you can draw from that, but being up front worked for me.

Looking for anyone who might be able to shed some light on this.

Seven years ago I was stopped by police on my scooter, breathalyzed, and, because I was over the limit, given a DUI.

I've been over the ethical implications of all this many times, so I'm not really looking for comments telling me how foolish and irresponsible I was. I know this already.

What I am interested in is how this might affect my chances at interview at an IS. I know there are a number of countries that I would be nixed from immediately, but would be interested to hear from the ISR community on their thoughts on this vis a vis getting a job. Other than this my career so far has been pretty solid (I think!) and getting a position in a good school wouldn't be a huge problem.

Any info much appreciated.

[quote]It really depends on how you define rural and what other factors are in play. Are you looking to own livestock or just not wanting a mega-city? What about cost of living, ease of access, housing, package, school amenities, other services? Do you want a truly international school?

Those are all some of the questions that you need to consider. We can't really help you without a bit more information.[/quote]

Thanks for all the replies and useful suggestions people and apologies for not being a bit clearer in my first post. I suppose by rural I mean somewhere where you aren't really in the middle of an enormous city; somewhere that has easy access to nature, whether than be forests, or jungles, or mountains or whatever. It could be somewhere that's close to some kind of urban center, and having the best of both worlds - stunning countryside coupled with readily accessible culture, food, and nightlife - would be ideal.

Obviously a low cost of living with a high salary would be nice. ;)

Other than that I'm fairly open to suggestions - not too bothered about housing as long as I can keep it at a livable temperature; amenities ... affordable and reliable internet and mobile phone networks are always good; a 'truly international school' - as long as the school takes itself seriously, and is run competently, I'm not too worried about this.

I've been teaching internationally for about 14 years now, and most of that time has been spent in large, crowded, east-Asian mega cities. While this is all good for the conveniences of a big city and all that entails, I'm a country boy at heart, and for my next move would be interested in somewhere a little less urban.

Do any of you know any schools that fit this bill - reasonable package, sensible school admin, savings potential, and rural location ?