Seoul International School is a very good school and community and almost completely off the radar. My wife and I love the school.

Seoul International School. While SIS doesn't have the package of SFS, it is up there. The school is very completive with SFS without the Christian element which is definitely part of the community expectations at Seoul Foreign.

My wife and I work at SIS. It is a great place to work for both singles and families. (only with young kids. I wouldn't come here with kids upper elementary above. The school is almost exclusively Koreans and it is hard for older kids to integrate.) We have a friendly community and a great Supt. who just took over this year. The package is great. Forced savings each year is over $10,000 for a single and $20,000 for a couple. On top of that half the base salary-well over $20,000 is sent home each year. There are many other ways to earn money as well.

The singles have an active life and Seoul and our community are very family-friendly. While no school is perfect, this is a great place to be.

Great school, location, package and kid friendly.

Gemini,

I have been working in international schools since 1989. I have worked as a single and now as a couple with one child.

Here is what I know:

1. That fact that you have been been accepted by Search Associates is important. They do fairly screen their candidates.
2. You have 2 kids which is the magic number. Any more and your chances go down exponentially.
3. The job market is definitely very much in favor of candidates for a few reasons. There are many more schools with new schools opening every year, particularly in the middle east and China. On the negative side, the falling dollar has impacted salary and benefits packages across the Globe causing many to re-evaluate the monetary advantages. Also, many of the new schools are of the proprietary type and are to be mostly avoided.
4. Still, the best schools around the Globe pay well and have excellent benefits. My wife and I just landed a job in a great established school with great pay. The good news for you is that they did also hire some newbies from the States.
5. The best schools will demand strong technology integration skills, demonstrated curricular understanding and, most importantly, flexiblity.

Some advice:

1. If you are serious about Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe consider attending the Bangkok fair. Good schools are very worried about being beaten to candidates by lesser schools with good packages. This is the first Search fair of the season and it is excellent. Jobs go by the wayside rather quickly. In fact, many heads of big established schools are beginning to look at more informal networking before the fairs to snag good candidates. This is how my wife and I were hired.
2. Choose the right head and principal if at all possible. I recommend to all new candidates to not feel pressured to take a job based solely on location and a decent salary and benefits package. It is better to get started in a lesser school with the right kind of leadership and a healthy climate. How do you know if your administrator is on the level? Ask good questions, listen carefully and trust your instincts. Also, beware of the International Schools Review. It can be helpful but the posts are a mixed bag in my opinion. Read between the lines carefully.

Hope this helps!