Search found 10 matches

by Banter1584
Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:17 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Hong Kong or Singapore?
Replies: 19
Views: 19123

Re: Hong Kong or Singapore?

That is dependent on the lifestyle that you would like to lead.
by Banter1584
Fri Dec 10, 2021 5:59 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Hong Kong or Singapore?
Replies: 19
Views: 19123

Re: Hong Kong or Singapore?

I have lived in both but only worked in Singapore, where I am currently based. Both places have their pros and cons but on the whole Singapore edges it, in terms of political stability, pollution, lower taxes, lower cost of accommodation (yes rent is cheaper here!) and its policies towards COVID.

However, Hong Kong has better food, more things to do and in your situation getting an offer from an ESF school you will get some of the best packages in the world ( I know people who work there and other supposedly "leading schools in HK) . Bear in mind the taxes in HK are slightly higher as well as the cost of living so all in all you will earn the same. Please check if the Hong kong school fees for your kids are taxed, as they are in Singapore around 15% of the total fees.

For your family the 200000 SGD gross would provide a comfortable lifestyle and I would consider that a mid tier salary, for Singapore. There schools that pay better but those are generally much harder to get into, one follows the American system, and the 2 or 3 others follow a more British/IB system.
by Banter1584
Fri Nov 26, 2021 6:56 am
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: How long to wait?
Replies: 3
Views: 14498

Re: How long to wait?

If they want you then they will let you know sooner rather rather than later, usually from my experience no longer than 2 days after my final interview. 2nd choice candidates wait longer as the school waits for an answer from the preferred candidate which may depend on the deadline set by the school, usually a week.
by Banter1584
Mon Oct 25, 2021 3:51 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Jerudong International School
Replies: 21
Views: 61153

Re: Jerudong International School

I had friends who worked there a few years back and from what they said they pay 20% of the full fee for each child, looking a the package, facilities and cost of living it was a good deal, but you have to live in Brunei a cultural backwater.
by Banter1584
Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:43 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Thank you email
Replies: 3
Views: 9415

Re: Thank you email

I have always sent thank you emails to the interviewers, to reiterate my desire for working at the school and to tie up any loose ends from my answers, which may have come across as being unclear or weak in detail.

This was recommended by a recruiter friend and just adds a little layer of polish to your interview, which may swing the decision in your favour, if it is in the balance. For me I have had good responses using this whereby in my last 5 interviews after sending a thank you email I ended up getting offers for all of them!

In the end anything that makes you stand out in this competitive job market however small, needs to be exercised!!!
by Banter1584
Mon Nov 16, 2020 6:58 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What should I do in 2021?
Replies: 10
Views: 9299

Re: What should I do in 2021?

I would agree that option 2 would be the better option on many fronts. Having participated in several recruiting fairs the consensus is that there is preference for teachers who have no pr fewer dependents and can hit the ground running and require no additional costs for training, or in other words experience teaching IB,A Levels,MYP IGCSE,etc. As a result the better schools will unlikely look too much into your application.

I hope in your experience that you choose a school with a more reputable profile and China despite all the issues and BS is much easier to break into due to the supply of schools. However, at this moment its not the time time to travel let alone throw chunk of money into something that in the current climate blow up in your face.

In your situation I would recommend preparing your CV and gather your references for the new recruitment session for fall postions 2021. Do some part time/ volunteer work/cover work in schools and build up some experiences and save up some money to make your transition better when the oppurtunities come. There will also be positions from schools who have sudden requirements in the spring of 2021 for the fall of 2021, those tend to be more lenient in requirements as a lot of the more experienced/better teachers looking for jobs will have found jobs already.

Oppurtunities will come, stay put build up your resources and experiences so that you are a better more prepared candidate.
by Banter1584
Mon Oct 26, 2020 1:08 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: China all benefits taxed from Jan 1 2022 update
Replies: 30
Views: 28859

Re: China all benefits taxed from Jan 1 2022 update

There were already rumblings about this from our HR department in my previous school in China back in late 2018, and signalled the end of my tenure at the school and China as a whole. The golden years of low cost living and comparably high salaries are long gone and in some tier one cities the cost of living is comparable to hong kong.

With all the hassle, red tape, pollution and increasing nationalistic nature of the country , China just is not worth the hassle anymore.
by Banter1584
Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:37 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: ISS Job Fair Review
Replies: 8
Views: 8518

Re: ISS Job Fair Review

I was an attendee of the ISS fair, it was the second of its kind I have attended in the last 2 months and to be honest like the first time, I was left unimpressed. The calibre of schools attending were also very subpar mostly tier 2/3 schools in China and the Middle east.

When I did find a position I was interested in, I just found my messages being drowned out by the many messages in the chat tab and after 20 mins of waiting no representative from the school replied, this was the case for two other schools and in the end I left frustrated.

Overall I hope the Search Online later this month fair will be better.
by Banter1584
Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:20 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Take it or wait for a better one.
Replies: 16
Views: 15310

Re: Take it or wait for a better one.

Thank you all for the advice given.

In the end, I rejected the offer given to me by the first school as even if I accepted it, my enjoyment of Singapore will turn to just surviving in Singapore as shadowjack said. I will save very little which will put my early retirement and investment targets in the backseat, which in my late 30s I need to consider.

The first school were disappointed, but respected my decision, but I cannot deny the words of PsyGuy did cross my mind, but in the end I just could not do it, perhaps being too moral in this business may cloud your practical judgement too much.

I am still waiting for the second school to get back to me to see if I made it to the final round, if I don't get it the search continues, if the worst comes to the worst.....then there is always...... BASIS........




[quote=shadowjack post_id=59747 time=1601307473 user_id=98854]
Quite honestly, do you WANT to work at a school with a lowball SG salary and benefits? Why - you won't enjoy Singapore and will come to resent the school.

That said, let them know you have an interview with School B. You can ask for an earlier interview, but I have had positions where doing so made schools cut me of entirely. I would simply ask School A to delay. You will have a sense from School B about how things go after your first interview. There are no guarantees - you can have 3 great interviews going up the food chain and lose out on the job after talking to the very top guy where, again, you have a great interview. Why? Who knows.

Good luck!
[/quote]
by Banter1584
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:32 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Take it or wait for a better one.
Replies: 16
Views: 15310

Take it or wait for a better one.

Hello, Everybody

Some advice needed or if anyone has ever experienced my situation, some insight and advice would be much appreciated.

I have an offer from a IB school in Singapore (my dream location), but the salary (below 6000 SGD), housing allowance (2000 SGD) and healthcare insurance are considerably below my expectations. If it was any other location I would not even think about it. The school has given me till Wednesday, of next week to accept the offer or it will be offered to the second choice candidate.

However, I have been shortlisted for one of my dream schools in the same area, with considerably better, terms and conditions. The interview for this school will be Friday next week with a final decision at least a couple of days later.

Should I accept the offer from the first school? As I understand with COVID and the increased difficulty of getting into Singapore as foreign workers, I should be grateful in getting an offer at all!

However, should I reject the offer and wait for what happens with the second school? This of course will mean the offer from the first school being withdrawn, and there is a possibility that I wont get the position, which means that I have to start from scratch again in the job search…

Should I even tell the second school that I already have an offer? Will it change anything from their part?

Some advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you!