Texas will allow you to add it by exam.

Here's a link to the list of exams: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/c ... -chart.pdf

And here's a link to the informational page on it - there's a few things you cannot get added to your certificate by exam: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/c ... nformation

Each state has different guidelines as well for public schools. For example, in Texas you can choose to resign 45 days before the first day of school (which is usually sometime in July). So lots of people will wait until the last minute to resign at their current position to try and get another position in a different district. I think it works similarly in other states.

Private schools operate differently as they are independent of state rules.

My husband and I submit separate letters... because we are applying for separate positions. But we always mention the other in our letters. Then they can go to Search and see our spouse's resume if they want, if they haven't seen the letters already. We've gotten interest from schools that one of us applied to, and then the other hadn't applied yet, but they mentioned our spouse in the response with regards to another position.

Hmm, I have children and have applied to a few Thai schools but there's nothing about Thailand not taking families as far as I know. My Search agent has told me about issues with China but not any other countries.

There's no way she can renew it from abroad? My cert is in Texas and I can renew it online, I just have to have PD documentation.

I don't know if I would necessarily lump in countries with schools. True, China is a bit hard right now but there have been cases of dependents getting in. But largely that was because the school fought for it.

Search has information on schools where it tells you how many children they take with a single versus a teaching couple. That might be a good place to start.

My current school wired me the shipping and flight allowance as soon as the contract was signed and sent back, and then I provided receipts in order to reduce the tax burden.

Most US states offer technology certifications. It might be called ICT, Technology Applications, Technology Education, Computer Science, etc. You just have to look at the different states certifications offered. But honestly, I'm not sure how helpful getting a US certificate would be for you.

Hello,

Okay, so I did read through some of the posts but I'm still not totally clear...

If a school is listed on both Search and ISS-Schrole, but they only list the jobs on ISS-Schrole, and I am signed up for both services... am I to apply through ISS-Schrole and let my Search recruiter person know I did apply through ISS-Schrole? Because the jobs just aren't listed on Search, so it seems that it wouldn't make sense to send an application through Search. (I'm also not sure about letting my Search recruiter person know, either.) And I'm not sure if they will be posting jobs on Search. Or how long should I wait to see if it will be posted on Search...? Should I ask the school if they are going to post on Search? Because some schools explicitly say to apply through ISS-Schrole, but this school says nothing about it on their Web site.

Thanks!

I've been to several places now that don't accept cash or accept my bank card. They prefer Alipay or WeChat because the fee is lower for those. Which is fine and all, I have both so it isn't a problem. But it is something to be aware of. My husband is tech-inept so only ever uses cash, so he will just walk away.

Honestly, flying out of the country and back in to get a cheaper fare seems a bit inconvenient to me, especially with three children. There's more to it than simple price.

Tampons are widely available, of course, but they are the kind without an applicator. (Well, until recently, as I noted above.) Asian culture doesn't tend to skew toward tampons because they feel it compromises your body or some such. One of my Chinese friends tried to explain it to me, but I didn't quite understand. There's a lot of issues regarding natural feminine processes. When that Chinese Olympian who competed in Brazil talked about using tampons for the swimming competition it made big waves. (Get it? Big waves??) Here's an article that talks about it a little. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/ ... iods-taboo

I live in northern China. I will say that since moving here several years ago getting around and living has gotten much easier. My husband cannot speak Chinese at all, I know "survival" Chinese. Part of the reason we wanted to move here was economic, and the other was so that our children would learn Chinese. (Which they have.) But in the last couple of years, development of foreigner-friendly things has multiplied drastically. For example, now I can use Didi (a taxi app, kind of like uber) in English! It means we don't need to hire a driver, and it makes it so much easier to get taxis to take us exactly where we want to go. Gone are the days when taxis would pass us up telling us they didn't want to take us to whatever place we wanted to go, or just taking us to a different place than we asked for!

Deliveries are super convenient. You can get cooked food delivered as well as groceries and all other sorts of sundries. Even at the wet markets you can pay with electronic payments so you never have to keep track of cash. (I hate carrying cash.)

If you really want food from home (assuming your home is North American or Europe), it is widely available via regular Chinese stores now carrying more import goods, as well as specialized import stores and... of course... JD and Taobao/Tmall. Just since I've moved here I can now buy cheese and flavored yogurts in Chinese supermarkets. (I used to have to buy it in large quantities, like a wheel, which I cut up and froze and then pulled from during the next few months.) Decent cheese, even! (Granted, they did sell flavored yogurts before, but now there are European and US brands available, like Yoplait and Lepur. They are thicker and creamier, Chinese yogurt tends to be thinner and more apt to be drunk rather than mixed with muesli.)

Asian foods are readily available as well - Thai, Japanese, etc. I even bought a sushi kit and started making my own vegetable sushi for my kids. It was super easy!

You might not care about this, but now they are selling tampons with applicators! This is a major move for me, since I would buy them when in the US and bring back boxes with me to China. They are definitely more expensive... but at least now I CAN purchase them here.

Western goods are definitely way more accessible here, if that is something you are concerned about.

Family wise - we have three children so it is more expensive for us to travel since Chinese hotels aren't made up for families of five, so we have to get two rooms or a suite. Also, flying or traveling within China is actually more expensive than traveling outside China. For example, flying to Sanya from northern China, versus traveling to Phuket... Phuket is actually less expensive, so we went there for our holiday instead. We looked at going to Shanghai versus Osaka... Osaka was cheaper.

Trains are actually quite nice, we do use them but they are not necessarily cheaper than flying. But it is nice not having to go through the additional security and they are very comfortable. For our school trips we use them quite frequently.

Northern China is quite cold and pollution in winter is quite bad due to the government heating, but it is getting better. China recently passed some legislation moving a lot of the most polluting industry outside of city limits, so while they are still polluting it isn't as intense as it once was. The AQI has gone down a lot since we first moved here. First year here lots of 300+ days... now it usually ranges below 200.

Southern China definitely has more warmth and less AQI.

I hope this helps - good luck with your search!