I might be leaving the elementary teaching position at my school next year and have some questions about how to handle getting references from someone at my school. Here is my situation. My old boss, the elementary principal, was let go at the end of the year last year, so I was unable to ask her for a written reference or a reference for ISS. However, I still keep in contact with her and we get along pretty well. The current principal doesn't know me very well, and the school's current administration is weird about teachers leaving and getting jobs at other international schools in the region (e.g., they have fired teachers for applying to their "competitors").

Here are my questions. Should I ask my former boss for a reference? If so, does it need to be on my school's letterhead with some kind of stamp (like my other reference letters)? How should I handle the confidential reference for ISS? ISS requires that I get a confidential reference for every school that I have worked at, right?

Or should I just ask the current principal for a letter and the confidential reference even though I don't know her very well and I feel hesitant about letting the administration know about my intentions before I get another job?

Any insight into this would be great!