Frankly, I wouldn't pay too much attention to the tiers. Apply broadly and see what happens. There is no point in not applying to a good school because you think you won't get the job. You never know unless you try and sending out one extra email is really not time consuming. You might have what that school is looking for. You never know. Furthermore, finding the right school is also about finding the right fit. It might be a Tier 1 school, but if it's not the right place for you, it won't matter.

Having previously worked in Africa, I would like to add that a large number of the teachers at my school were there because they wanted to be in Africa, not because there was no one else for them to go. Yes, maybe not everyone wants to go to Africa, but for some of us, it is a choice destination. Depends on what you are looking for.

To add to the data:

I teach in Asia

Hours (on average) worked per week (including weekends): about 55-60, which I'd say is about normal

- Number of students: roughly 70

- General disposition/ability of students: Generally pretty motivated, but there is the usual range. They're generally nice kids and I enjoy them.

- Classes are 90 minutes long. Teachers teach 5 out of 8 periods, which are on a rotating schedule (so three one day, two the next). In addition to this, we have meetings during school time and after school.

- Number of different classes (preps): 5

- Lunch: 45 minutes. Duty once every 8 school days.

- Pressure regarding expected student achievement: Reasonably high expectations.

- Teacher assistant/aide: There is a lab tech for the science department.

I think you need to take another look at the website. Some schools in France are reviewed and there is a France section.

The Cambridge fair was my first fair and to save money, I stayed with friends. I appreciated being able to remove myself from the fair at the end of every evening. It was as intense experience and it was nice to have some peace and quiet to think about what had happened during the day. I don't think staying away from the hotel had any negative effect on my ability to get a job.

I don't think that QSI has any sort of official religious official, however, when I interviewed with them, I was explicitly told that the school would not be a good place to work at if I was an atheist.

At my previous school, we had many children who had transfer from the QSI school because parents were not happy about religion creeping into the classroom. That may have just been as a result of the teachers teaching at that particular school though.

Sometimes, having an EU passport in Europe can be a disadvantage for tax purposes. At some of the schools, non-EU citizens get to live tax-free for a certain number of years, before being hit with the regular tax rate, which is usually quite high in Europe. Those with EU passports do not get this benefit, making the salary considerably less attractive. It's something to consider (but perhaps only after jobs are offered).

To be honest, I'd be a little worried about accepting a position at a school that hires year-round. One has to wonder why they are. Certainly, there are exceptions and the occasional rare need for last minute replacements, but if I school is consistently looking for new people, it isn't a good sign.

Just to offer a different perspective, I have had very little luck with applying directly. I teach a hard to fill subject (physics), have international experience and good qualifications, but found that I received no reply at all from most of the schools I tried to apply to directly. When I signed up to go to the job fair, some of these schools then did suddenly take notice, interview me, and offer me jobs. So for me, going to a job fair ended up being a much better experience.

Perhaps at the bottom of your list, but nowhere near the bottom of mine. Just because a country is in Africa does not make it a bad place to live.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Why would you want to work there? Cant say anything about the school but having been to the region, well you have to be nuts or have images of wildlife safaris in your mind...

Frankly, I find your assessment of life in Africa quite offensive. Having lived in the region for four years, I loved it. I would go back in a heart beat. Accra is certainly one of the easier (easiest?) West African capitals to live in and has a lot of amenities. I visited Ghana on a few occasions and enjoyed my visits.

As regards pets, I don't know what Ghana's importation rules are, but I do know people who brought their pets to other West African countries and left with them as well. It is actually not impossible to take pets back out of West Africa. To go to back to the US, I believe that only documentation of vaccination is required. Going to the EU is more complicated, since a blood test to prove rabies vaccination is required, in addition to a microchip. However, this is by no means impossible and has been done by many ex-pats. How the pets will cope depends on the individual pet. Obviously, the heat can be a problem as can disease, but pets can get sick anywhere. Limiting contact with the local pet population can help a lot in that respect.

I have to agree with wrldtrvlr123. I got my first job with Search, at a non-IB school, having only two years of teaching experience. Search may have a lot of IB positions open, but I wouldn't go as far as saying that it's not good for non-IB/new teachers.

I went to a Search fair this year and was offered three job for IB positions without any IB training or experience. It is true that some schools won't look at you, but others will. I suppose it depends on what other candidates are out there. The school that I accepted a position with paid for my IB training.

I found that when used TIE, I got no replies from schools. I then signed up for Search and many of the same schools that had previously ignored me were suddenly interested in me. So for me, using Search was worth it.

A student at my school is from Trinidad and has mentioned on various occasions that the crime rate is extremely high there.