Search found 40 matches

by jschott
Sun Aug 06, 2023 8:34 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Offered a half-time teaching job in a university at age 64--should I take it?
Replies: 1
Views: 12097

Offered a half-time teaching job in a university at age 64--should I take it?

Haven't been regularly in the classroom as a teacher for ~30 years. Now, at the end of my business (non-teaching) career, I've been offered what on paper looks like a lovely position at a German university teaching half-time for two years. I would view it as a transition into full-time retirement, or something even less than half-time, so it makes sense logistically at this time in my life.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone on this board on the following topics: Did you ever do this in the late stage of your career? If so, how did it pan out? Pleasant and unpleasant surprises? Given that the world in which I last taught full-time was quite different (30 years ago email was rare and cell phones were unheard of), what surprises might I face in the university classrooms of today? A friend of mine said the students had fundamentally changed and that I wouldn't like this. He's a disgruntled chap, though, and I have trouble believing that students are so much different.

Anyway, this is sort of an open-ended reflection on my part, so any opinions from your end will be welcome.

Thanks.
by jschott
Thu Dec 29, 2022 9:41 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Flexibility on age limits in China?
Replies: 4
Views: 6355

Re: Flexibility on age limits in China?

scooter93 wrote:
> In my experience, it seems to be more of a guideline than a rule. There are
> quite a few teachers at my school that are over the alleged age limit. Some
> are new to the school this year, some have been here a while. I can only
> speak for this one school, though.

I can corroborate this. So now we're talking two schools.
by jschott
Thu Dec 29, 2022 9:26 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Finland recognition of Masters as a teaching qualification?
Replies: 2
Views: 3551

Re: Finland recognition of Masters as a teaching qualification?

Alchemeister wrote:
> This may be a long shot, but I read that in Finland the teachers have to
> have a masters to teach. I have my masters, which had a practicum element,
> but I don’t have a teaching qualification yet. I’m wondering, will Finland
> recognize it as a teaching qualification? Has anyone been through that
> process with them?

My experience has been that Finland is a tough nut to crack, even with a teaching credential/certificate, in part because of the high standards to which teachers are held, in part because the country is small, and in part because there's really very little that a teacher from abroad can offer the educational system there that its home-grown talent cannot. "Native English speaker" is certainly not the commodity there that it is in, say, many Asian countries. (Might even be a disadvantage, as they are certainly aware that most educational systems are rated lower than their own.)

All you can do is try, though. Report back, please, with what happened. I loved Finland, but the winters can be trying! :)
by jschott
Sun Dec 25, 2022 8:06 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Morals and Contracts
Replies: 48
Views: 203385

Re: Morals and Contracts

Spawnboy99 wrote:
> @jschott,
>
> Thanks for your response, if you read the first page of the post the
> location is also an issue more to do with the family makeup which is vital
> as there will be fewer foreigners but also a specific ethnicity (which I'm
> not going to go into detail) but this aspect is essential for my family
> language development and to learn the correct customs of that culture.
> Different cities in the same country would provide this. Also, the
> accommodation is an issue as it's onsite— and on another post. I have been
> overseas teaching for over 18 years and always put my family first, but
> this is a great opportunity for career growth and development. Just can my
> family mentally handle it for a couple of years (million-dollar question)

If you've been offered a contract, you have a choice: sign it or don't sign it. If you have doubts about it, don't sign it. If you do sign it, do your very best to honor the agreement.

An interview process that leads to a contract offer is not a contract; it's an interview process. In the time between the interview and the contract offer, other stuff/offers/considerations could arise, and there's nothing wrong with politely saying no to the actual contract. I have done this several times myself and have even been given subsequent job offers from the same place. It's all in how you decline.

If someone gets pissed off that you said no, well, too bad.
by jschott
Sat Dec 24, 2022 6:35 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Morals and Contracts
Replies: 48
Views: 203385

Re: Morals and Contracts

Spawnboy99 wrote:
> Are there morals when it comes to signing a contract and then reneging on
> it? I have been given a contract for an area my family and I are not too
> thrilled about but a great job opportunity.
> The only thing both parties have invested in is time and the role doesn't
> start until August 2023.

Morals? Well, there are consequences. We all know that. Usually you can work around the consequences in the outside world, as there are many options.

The consequences internally may be tougher to handle. Ultimately here the important thing is to be honest with yourself about why you're backing out. You'll learn the most that way. If it's fear, call it fear, and own it. We can't grow by lying to ourselves.

I'm not in a position to tell you what to do regarding this dilemma, as I do not know the complexities of your situation. I would, though, advise you to think deeply and honestly about what led you to this dilemma so that you can try to avoid it in the future. Mind you, I know people who when they sign a contract, do not think at all about backing out, regardless of what comes up. So you are different from them. The question is why, and how can you be more resolute in the future. One thing is certain: You will not want to repeat this behavior, this type of vacillation, because that would be detrimental to both your career and your well being.
by jschott
Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:58 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Healthcare in Retirement
Replies: 14
Views: 36365

Re: Healthcare in Retirement

This is a good discussion. I hope people are thinking through this issue seriously early in their lives. If we're lucky, we all get old (take it from me), and what you hear about getting old and rising medical costs is true: they happen. And most often these costs (and conditions) are unforeseen.

As much fun as it might be to bop around from country to country as a teacher in your 20s and 30s, I think you should seek to establish yourself in a single school or country so that you can pay into whatever social security system exists there and obtain permanent residency and eligibility as soon as possible for retiree healthcare.
by jschott
Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:58 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Search Job Fair Demise
Replies: 38
Views: 55023

Re: Search Job Fair Demise

buffalofan wrote:
> Their model worked fine 10 years ago.

It did? Nothing ever made me feel like I was a bottom-feeding loser in the wrong profession like attending one of those meat-market fairs.

Honestly I suspect that interviewing at McDonald's would offer more dignity for the applicant.
by jschott
Fri Jan 14, 2022 10:57 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: When is the recruiting season in the USA?
Replies: 8
Views: 9548

Re: When is the recruiting season in the USA?

Teaching in the USA at the moment is a bit like being sent to the front lines in a world war.

The question is, "why would anyone do it?"

I recognize that spending years in university/teacher training makes it really hard to entertain doing anything else. But gosh, this pandemic has shown just how much (or little) teachers are valued--if salary in most places had not already driven the point home. Certainly teachers' roles as babysitters are valued much more than their worth as actual educators, in many places. Opinions from non-educators like this are not so uncommon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... fire-them/

Going into teaching in the USA...I hate to echo Nancy Reagan, but I will: Just say no.
by jschott
Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:48 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: It's raining jobs in SE Asia.
Replies: 8
Views: 17858

Re: It's raining jobs in SE Asia.

fine dude wrote:
> SE Asia, one of the competitive regions for ITs, has a significant number
> of teacher vacancies for the next school year. Two sought-after schools in
> BKK alone have a combined total of 46 faculty opportunities. Wondering how
> many of these are pandemic-related. How many schools out there are lowering
> the pay due to weaker enrolment and merging teaching responsibilities to
> save on costs?

Well, teaching is one of the last professions I'd want to be a part of during a pandemic, and plenty of places/schools have had ample opportunity now to demonstrate just how much or how little they care about the health of their staff.
by jschott
Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:14 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Questions about timing
Replies: 27
Views: 43599

Re: Questions about timing

Heliotrope wrote:
> jschott wrote:
> > But I've ruled other schools in or out by visiting the areas in which they're
> located
> > while on vacation. Helps a lot, and you have some time.
>
> Yeah, I do this as well nowadays.
> My last four or five holiday trips have all included at least one city with a good
> international school, and while there I always go to the area where the school is
> located to see what it'd be like to live there. My current school is in a city I've
> visited on one of these trips.

Yes, and having a goal or two on vacation is actually fun, I think.
by jschott
Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:05 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Questions about timing
Replies: 27
Views: 43599

Re: Questions about timing

Simbenbin wrote:
> I'm a veteran teacher thinking about teaching internationally, but not
> until the 24-25 school year. I know that's a long way from now - but I'm a
> planner.
>
> Is there anything I can or should be doing to prepare before the hiring
> begins in late 2023?

> Thanks for any advice.

That's not too far to plan ahead. The one piece of advice I would give is actually to visit some places where you are considering teaching or applying. Hopefully school will be just one part of your life, no matter where you end up, so actually enjoying the location should factor into your decision. When you visit, you might also consider visiting a school or two, meeting up with a principal.

I actually got the best teaching job I ever had when I was walking back home in Berlin one day after having applied to a non-teaching job. I passed this school that looked interesting, and I just walked in. It was in-between classes, so the place seemed chaotic, but the HS principal spied me from his cubbyhole of an office, asked me if he could help me, and then proceeded to interview me on the spot. He then took me to meet other principals. I didn't get a job there that year, but after a contract at a university was coming to an end, I gave this principal a call and asked whether he had anything available, and he said, "yes, you're hired." Best teaching conditions I ever experienced, and a year later, I had tenure.

But I've ruled other schools in or out by visiting the areas in which they're located while on vacation. Helps a lot, and you have some time.

I like having some control over where I work. There's nothing so inherently marvelous about teaching internationally that one should leave one's fate up to whichever school offers a job. There are plenty of lousy schools out there--stay away from the for-profit ones, for example--so do your best to collect as much information first-hand as you can. That's my take, anyway.
by jschott
Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:56 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: The only school *I* would consider working in...
Replies: 8
Views: 15294

Re: The only school *I* would consider working in...

Very hard to generalize about this. I don't know many teachers who have worked in more than a handful of schools in their entire career, so that says pretty much all you need to know.

Talk is cheap.
by jschott
Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:59 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Moving Home Success Stories?
Replies: 16
Views: 25813

Re: Moving Home Success Stories?

sciteach wrote:
> Has anyone had much luck with moving home and been happy with the choice -
> specifically looking on the job front?

Reverse culture shock: it was the worst thing ever. Took me about six years to readjust to the United States, and even then the readjustment was more like resignation than acceptance.

Also notable: The fantastic teaching experiences I had abroad meant next to nothing to local schools. They seemingly didn't know what to make of the experience. In many ways I regret ever coming back.
by jschott
Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:20 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Avoid Swiss boarding schools
Replies: 68
Views: 156766

Re: Avoid Swiss boarding schools

EyEyEy wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> Yesterday I talked with an old friend who is also a teacher.
> He said he was applying to a Swiss boarding school because he had read on
> this ISR forum that Swiss boarding schools are good places to work and that
> teachers there can save a lot of money.
> This post is only to tell you that that is NOT TRUE.
> AT ALL.
> I failed to find the post he was referring to so I cant add my warning
> there as a reply so this post will have to do.
>
> I work in Switzerland myself and know a many teachers at many schools here.
> The teachers teaching at boarding schools are generally miserable and they
> save even less than the ones teaching at normal Swiss international
> schools.
> And I am talking about the very fancy boarding schools with the highest
> tuitions in the world.
> You will be happier at the normal international schools and you will save
> more there than at these boarding schools.
>
> Apologies for the negative nature of the post but dont want to risk decent
> teachers being exposed to misinformation.
> This concludes my rant.

Good God. I would never work at a boarding school, even if it were in heaven. For crying out loud: Torture.
by jschott
Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:18 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Retirement Goal
Replies: 33
Views: 43676

Re: Retirement Goal

mysharona wrote:
> We're starting our next phase with $1,500,000 and hope that the 4% rule
> holds true.

The 4% rule was created when bonds in a 60/40 portfolio actually yielded something. 2.5 to 3% is the new normal--if you're lucky.