Search found 20 matches

by McQwaid
Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:46 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Medical Insurance for Dependents Included in The Packages
Replies: 3
Views: 6163

Medical Insurance for Dependents Included in The Packages

Hello ISR Community

Is it common to NOT have Medical Insurance for Dependents Included in The Package? I can understand if the national medical system of a developed country is of high standard and sufficient enough but what if you are in a developing country where your dependents are not eligible or can't safely use the national (govt) medical system?

My tier 2 International School gives private medical insurance for the teachers but not dependents and we are in a developing country. I have to pay for out of my own pocket for my dependents yearly medical insurance. It's expensive. They don't flights for dependents either but that's another story.

Is it common to NOT have Medical Insurance for Dependents Included in the employment package?

Thank you
by McQwaid
Sun Mar 07, 2021 10:09 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Should we pull out of China move?
Replies: 30
Views: 31593

Re: Should we pull out of China move?

I had 2 dependents with
marriage and birth certificates that were near impossible to learn how and get all legally stamped up in time for my arrival at my new IS in China pre-covid. It was very expensive too and required lots of travel and "what ifs". The sense of security just wasn't even remotely close to where I felt it should be for my family. It was a big gamble and limbo game to play that I was unaware and not really informed of when I signed up. Therefore, I chose to do what I thought was the right thing and notify my new school right away that I was not coming.This was many months before August. I felt awful about it, so I wanted them to have as much time as possible to get a new teacher. This was even before I secured a new position. Big Mistake! I got blacklisted, in a sense, and my family and I paid a significance consequence. In hindsight, if I had of secured a second position first, using the mindset that psyguy is suggesting, by putting family first, then we would not have suffered like we did. We would have been fine, and I am pretty sure the school I backed out on would of been fine too, even if I had of waited to let them know by just a couple weeks longer and secured another job first.

It is an interesting conundrum and I don't think it's a black or white situation. I appreciate both Sid and Psyguy's perspective as they are both valid in context. But look what happened to me using Sid's perspective.

In my opinion, China international schools need to work in a system that secures them and new staff when they hired staff with dependents who have to wait in limbo and gamble on the hopeful possibility of getting full visas in the summer time. Teacher's with dependents need to carefully consider signing early contracts with China international schools when the reality is that they will never be in 90-100% certainty range that they will get visas until the summer months arrive. The international schools certainly will not tell them this.
by McQwaid
Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:01 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Time between job offer and contract?
Replies: 14
Views: 14368

Re: Time between job offer and contract?

In the international global realm of things "contracts" really don't stand for much legally. It pretty much depends on the integrity of the "job offer". One thing to watch for is ensuring the school conducts the reference checks quickly. Do not let them make a job offer or contract with a small print that says "depending on satisfactory references". This opens the door for them to conduct the reference check whenever it suits them. Therefore making it very convenient for them to wait until the real staff retention picture unfolds in Feb or March. It's real easy for a school to withdraw an offer or contract based on a mysterious unsatisfied reference check. Make sure they do the reference checks prior to offer/contract.
by McQwaid
Fri May 31, 2019 6:29 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: ISS SCHROLE contact information
Replies: 8
Views: 9840

Re: ISS SCHROLE contact information

Funny story - I emailed Schrole that I was concerned that I have never received any feedback from my extensive applications. I started to think my account wasn’t working. They replied with something like they are still growing. Then a few days later I landed a dream school job through a Schrole application. After like 4 years it worked.
by McQwaid
Fri Apr 26, 2019 10:50 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: Package ??? Love it or leave it
Replies: 31
Views: 92775

Re: Package ??? Love it or leave it

PsyGuy’s delivery is quirky but due to its community value and his effort to this sharing platform his “data only” philosophy gets a big pass IMO.
by McQwaid
Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:08 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: American at a British school?
Replies: 11
Views: 12932

Re: American at a British school?

Just a little tip of caution as well - it’s OK to be an American in a British school, but it’s not the greatest fit to be the only American in a British school ;)
by McQwaid
Sat Sep 01, 2018 9:00 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Getting an IBO certificate before searching?
Replies: 11
Views: 12747

Re: Getting an IBO certificate before searching?

I wanted to break into IB. So I took an online cat 1 course. After getting hired in an IB hardship post my school head specifically told me that taking and having that certificate was the key reason I was hired over another candidate . That certificate was the only think that sperated me from an equally qualified candidate. Just my 2 cents.
by McQwaid
Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:30 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Thailand and health check
Replies: 11
Views: 12975

Re: Thailand and health check

Hi. I lived and worked in Thailand for 5 years. Each year myself and my friends and colleagues had to do the required health check. Many also take ssri medication. Do not worry, it doesn't come up. At least it hasn't in my experiences ever. Keep in mind that this ssri medication is extremely popular. You are not a rarity by any means. I hope that helps.
by McQwaid
Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:06 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation
Replies: 16
Views: 26472

Re: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation

@ cooldude

Thanks for the time-machine required advice.

Sorry to have wasted your time but there was no Facebook friending here.They used that one picture that is available when you lock the privacy settings and they sniped both mine and my wife's and chopped it up. I think everyone assumed that.

The unit was called "trade and exchange" and the last section explores the negative aspects of trade. We just finished a school trip to a Global Issues Conference in Hong Kong and the big topic there was Human Trafficking. They chose the topic from here, as many Grade 10+ students did.

As I previously stated, the issue is closed now.
by McQwaid
Sun Mar 19, 2017 9:53 pm
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation
Replies: 16
Views: 26472

Re: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation

Thank you ISR forum for your input on how to best move forward. Really appreciate it

@Blinky:

Thanks for the preventive action tips on the past events. I didn't get a chance to create a request post for this.

But no, it was not in the Middle East region.

You're request is a little more of a writing challenge than I'm up for this morning but I'll try. Hope this helps you...

The slideshow was 6 or 7 slides. It was quick. They also used an indirect and pretty clever approach to the their little gag too. To begin, they named there group with their Initials followed by the word "Best". Kinda like a typical awkward ESL wording of "ET BL TH Best". "The "Best" word was placed in a strange way where I couldn't automatically assume a direct malicious intent from the first slide. The next couple of slides had the correct assignment info but started to demonstrate a disproportionate case study approach to examples from my home country. But still, I didn't see a clear stage where I would stop the presentation. My instincts are to assume positive intentions from my students. It never occurred to me that they were indirectly targeting me through using Child Prostitution case studies from my country of origin.

Also, the photos they used of a few of their friends were also photo-shopped and snap-chatted up in such a way I couldn't immediately recognize who it was. They just appeared to be random graphic images of people that didn't have any connection to the content on the slide. Which is very typical of some of my students as their slide content very often does not match the clumsy images they choose. And the final slide, of me, with the big giant font "stop it" placed underneath my photo, initially struck me as inappropriate but I also saw it as using Mr.Teacher as like a police enforcer to "stop it" . I did not immediately assume they were hatefully using my picture as a pedo-pimp example. It wasn't until after, when I reviewed the Google Slide edit history, that I saw exactly what they were up to. This is when the malicious intent became very clear. They deleted the really inappropriate pictures out before the presentation and they tried to be clever and indiscreetly malicious with the slide choices they did move forward with in the presentation. They missed the fact that everything they previously constructed was recorded in the history.

Update is that the Principal made then write up a reflection assignment that,perhaps, progressively addressed the issue and he made them re-do and present a new slideshow. Case-closed (I hope).
by McQwaid
Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:26 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation
Replies: 16
Views: 26472

Re: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation

Thanks ShadowJack. Yes, I let the school know I won't be renewing my contract last November. Also, I did preview the slideshows - they suddenly switched them up. My Facebook is on private and so is my wife's. They used the one private image that is displayed and Photoshop-ed them. They also used school photos and Photoshop-ed them as well.
by McQwaid
Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:09 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation
Replies: 16
Views: 26472

Re: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation

Thanks Psy. Well, we are an IB World School, non-profit, no private ownership, with a board of half Westerners. So we do have a Western background. But then again, maybe you're right.
by McQwaid
Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:37 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: Request for Advice on bullying/defamation
Replies: 16
Views: 26472

Request for Advice on bullying/defamation

Hello ISR Community

I had an unfortunate incident occur recently that I am not very familiar in dealing with and I am just wondering if I can get some encouraging advice from the ISR forum community.

I am currently teaching a grade 10 topic on Human Trafficking in a Humanities Unit on Trade and Exchange. We were at the Taking Action/Raising Awareness part of the unit and the students were put in small groups and did some research for a presentation on a particular area of Human Trafficking. One group of 3 chose Child Prostitution. This particular group of three, apparently, do not like me. They went on my Wife's Facebook and mine and plucked pictures out and put together a slideshow with an Introduction Slide called "Child Prostitution Best". They proceeded to create 7-10 more slides following the assignment guidelines of a Who-What-When-Where-Why approach, while using my picture on the slides and using my home country (Western developed with extremely low Child Prostitution issues)) as a disproportionate hyperbolized example "red zone" with statistics and case studies followed by my picture with a big STOP IT! message font under my face as the final concluding slide. They presented this to the class with giggles and fun. They also inappropriately used 3 other student photos who were in the audience on a few other slides. I was shocked and so were the other 13 student observers.

I moved over the issue quickly due to the topic and public sensitivity, told them to take their seats, and I made a comment that it was very unfortunate that they took such a serious and heart breaking issue as an opportunity to entertain themselves, and left it at that, until I spoke with my Principal.

He was shocked too, and supportive. However, we investigated a bit more into it and found through the editing history function on Google Slides that they had a multitude of my private pictures used and photo-shopped in a provocative and suggestive way but they deleted the strongest ones out prior to the presentation.

We both decided together to conduct a 3-way-meeting with each student separately. One of the students was very apologetic and remorseful, another one was apologetic and confused, and the 3rd one was defiant and stimulated by the opportunity like it was a debate and did not express any apology. All 3 students claimed it was a response to my strict classroom management and specifically highlighted they did not like the seating plan as the other teachers let them sit where they want (Context Note: These are male boys from very rich families in an Asian region and a school body that is very small and we have a very soft approach with student discipline combined with a "Customer is King" mentality due to the fact that the school is financially suffering and in a desperate need for more students.)

We called in the parent of the defiant student and she brought her son with him. In behavior, the student remained unremorseful and very mechanical and cold and I highlighted this as a concern in the meeting. He started getting aggressive in his tone and explained that he can't give a forced apology and that he regrets what he did. The Mom remained silent the whole time, and when she finally chimed in, her energy was directed at me, stating in a loud voice, that "this is the way he says sorry" and then scolded me for "bringing up the past rather than focusing on the specific issue". I think she was referring to my cognitive behavioral counseling like approach as inquiry to establish what was really going on for the student to act out in this way. Anyways, her cognitive dissonance was shocking because I thought she was there to support us as she is a key member of the parent board and I did not really see this as a meeting to see who was in the wrong, the teacher or the student, which seems to be what they were thinking. We ended the meeting quickly and stated that we need to discuss the next response further. This meeting, for me, felt like a second violation in addition to the first, and I'm really disappointed about this. My Principal seems to be in unfamiliar territory here and is feeling the politics of being pulled in two directions. He also stated that, "in a way, it is up to me on the next direction to take with this". I am also getting the feeling that he would prefer for the consequences to be minimal and that the parents might not be cooperative because of "saving face".

At this stage, I am learning that we have to clearly identify what happened, how serious does the school see this, and what are the school policies on this? We should have done this from the start but I felt somewhat steered away from this, which is another issue. Anyways, I have come up with this form of clarity, and for those of you who have read this far, first of all- thank you, and secondly, can I ask for your input on this portion of the post:

1. I researched online about this and most schools are identifying this behavior as Bullying - even if it is the teacher being bullied. We have a school policy on Bullying, which supported and designed by the Board, with some helpful guidelines to use which also indicate for the Principal to take full control of the issue. Not me. It also states a list of consequences at the remedial stage and stronger stage, including suspensions and expulsions. We do not have a student behavior policy.
2. This also appears to be Defamation. The host country has very strict laws on Defamation. The student behavior and the incident is a very strong match.
3. I am learning that schools would rate this as a very high offense on the infractionary scale.

With this line of reasoning (if my reasoning is correct?), in addition to the very public nature of the offense, I plan to request support from my Principal in that the 3 students are not permitted back into the classroom until a public apology to the teacher and the students is made individually by each student for using our images in an inappropriate way and for disrespecting a highly sensitive issue that 1000s of unfortunate children are suffering from.

What is your opinion on an appropriate response?

I feel the consequence should be in this form at minimum and that the energy coming from those who would like me to just drop the matter at this stage is highly inappropriate. I need to feel safe and so do my students, for a sense of confidence that this won't happen again. Currently, I don't have this. If they would be so bold and vindictive to do this to a teacher they don't like, imagine the message it sends to the other 13 students (many of whom have transferred to our micro school due to bullying from the bigger local schools) in the captive audience who were also exposed to it, ie: If they'd do that to the Teacher and get away with it, what would they do if they don't like me?" I think letting this go would just be encouraging a climate of fear, not to mention a very real dangerous climate for me. This country already has a previous and very recent famous witch hunt issue on foreign expat teachers related to this issue.
by McQwaid
Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:28 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Return Flight Expectation for Infant dependent
Replies: 28
Views: 47294

Re: Return Flight Expectation for Infant dependent

Thanks again folks. The tickets are already bought. It's all "Baby On Lap" - I didn't request a baby seat. Let's see how the Bulkhead $100 bassinet seat fees go over when I submit my tickets for refunding next month. That should be fun. I paid with my own credit card - the school does not buy the tickets for you and there isn't fixed guideline on this. I went out of my way and on my initiative to make sure I was buying a fair ticket first. I know some people who would have just bought what they wanted and submitted the whole thing for reimbursement without a word of prior consideration.

The stipend issue is closed. Has been so for many weeks. I wrote a strong grievance letter and received a minimalist response. I'm fine with that. Everyone knows what's what, especially me ;)

Peace out and thanks again
by McQwaid
Mon Feb 27, 2017 4:14 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Return Flight Expectation for Infant dependent
Replies: 28
Views: 47294

Re: Return Flight Expectation for Infant dependent

@Sid

I know exactly what your saying Sid. I agree. Thanks.

To be more clear.... I signed a teaching faculty contract for MYP through Search Associates. Then, I received an email a day or two later saying that "I put you down as the DP Coordinator, I hope you don't mind" (no question mark included in the grammar there;) He did mention in the contract that he can't pay the stipend until the program is running and he sees it as one 50 minute block per week filling out the application, with more time given the second year" ( more time given to me for this or more time from me given towards this? LOL) Anyways, it turned out to be about 10+ per week. Perhaps he really didn't know how much work was involved in setting up an IB DP program? and nor did I for that matter- turned out it's not just "an Application". Plus, the new Principal came in organizing the coordinators as if we all had the same arrangement - example: " hey guys, can we start a week early"! that sorta thing. The whole thing went way out of the context I original saw. Just kinda happened really, I don't think it was sinisterly masterminded - at least I hope not. But there is a chance to right a now known wrong and that opportunity isn't really being met appropriately IMO.