I'm sorry, but how exactly will punishing students help this situation? Even if your complaints are valid, that seems like a terrible way to try and resolve the issue...not that I think you will have any luck in doing so.

I was unable to visit mine before signing the contract, but I would rate it very highly based on my interactions with prior/current staff members and the administration. The school caters primarily to dual-citizenship locals (something I prefer) and the available resources are impressive. There are also regular opportunities for PD and the compensation more than makes up for the less than desire able location.

I'm really quite excited for my move, as it seems like this is the perfect position for a first year teacher. Hopefully there won't be any negative surprises.

I'm actually interested in hearing the answer to this question myself, since my savings goal is rather ambitious ($300,000 in 10 years).

My school gives us an additional 15% of our salary at the end of the year to invest/spend as we please. In order to prepare for retirement, my husband and I will be putting the entire amount, plus an additional 50-60% of our take-home pay, into diversified mutual/index funds. Although we will have to pay 15% capital gain taxes when we divest, we feel that having complete control over our accounts - and not having to worry about early withdrawal penalties - is completely worth it.

Definitely get a hold of the teacher you'll be replacing (or any current teacher) if you can. A few email exchanges can provide you with a wealth of info as to what to expect.

As far as what you should do: take in everything, remain humble, and ask lots of questions. Watch other teacher's classes periodically so that you can learn new strategies. ASK QUESTIONS! As Cailin said, expect to work hard, but you may be pleasantly surprised. Meetings and after school activities (each teacher at my new school is required to sponsor at least one) can take up time, but some schools schedule these better than others. One last thing: try to keep your expectations in check, pick your battles wisely, and don't get involved in the teacher rumor mill that seems to be a staple of every school I've worked at. Keep your focus on creating and delivering excellent lessons and working as a team with the other teachers.

If you're interested in AP Chemistry and AP Physics modelling materials, let me know via PM. I have a ton on Google Drive. I'd also be interested in any physics/chem stuff you may have.

Micky is correct. You can do them at a US consulate or embassy. I went through the same process last week.

Ah, sorry. Those in the education field are preferred, obviously, but other professionals would also work. For example, I completed a one year internship as a dive instructor and put my supervisor down as a reference. If you have coteachers, principals, or heads of school, that would be better though.

References are generally in their own category at the end of the resume. If you need someone to take a look at yours, let me know. I'm not a pro, but i am (in my opinion) a good editor of these sorts of things.

My personal details include my nationality, marital status, and birth date. References is just their name, title, place of work, phone number and email (3 people).

My resume layout is similar to Lemonlily's, although I chose to highlight my experience instead of my education, solely because I don't have a B.Ed. That said, my first category was Relevant Experience, where I chronologically listed all of my classroom positions, to include my year of student teaching and my time in ESL. I found that this helped my interviewers to see my progression in the field and, and a few commented that they were pleased to see that I had experience managing my own classroom. For each of my positions. I also had 3-4 bullet points detailing my notable responsibilities and any measurable difference I had on student scores for tests like the IELTS and SAT. Like lemonlily said, make sure to focus on things that go "above and beyond" and not just your basic responsibilities. I also included curriculum info in this section.

I followed this with Education and Certification. For the latter, I made sure to mention exactly where I was in the certification process, including the fact that my final license would not be fully processed by the FLDOE until July. This was something I felt was important to point out, since some countries have stricter visa requirements than others.

If you do have Professional Development experience, list that next, and finish everything with a Reference section.

Regarding the layout, I used a heavily modified version of the following LaTeX template:
http://www.latextemplates.com/template/ ... ulum-vitae

The standard templates in Microsoft Word and IWork are also fine, however. Whichever one you use, make sure it is clean, simple, and that you include a small photo of yourself on the first page. I would shy away from anything creative or fancy for now.

Hope that helps!

I second what durianfan says about expanding your search to remote/less desirable locations. I also had hagwon experience only and did my student teaching at a bilingual school instead of a true IS. As you can imagine, schools in the better locations weren't interested, but my luck improved considerably once I started searching for job in more dangerous/questionable countries.

Thank you for the info, dis33!

The pay itself is not incredible, but the overall package is, and I'd be able to save almost all of my salary. It helps that travel within the city/country is restricted and the school covers most of our living expenses. Your point about kidnap/ransom are interesting...have there been any expats that have been kidnapped in recent years? That is something that I will keep in mind when I'm off of the school compound.

What you say about the weather is a shame though. It sounds exactly like Bangkok with the mozzies and the heat, which is unpleasant.

From your post and the other information I've received from other teachers, the risks do seem higher there, but a newly certified teacher with no post-cert experience, so are the professional rewards. I decided early on in the job search that I'd rather work at a solid school (IB/AP, good admin, experienced teachers, PD opportunities) in a dangerous country than a just-okay school (non-IB/AP, high turnover, for-profit) in a good location. At least, until I get more experience under my belt.

Godfather146 wrote:
> Can I ask which school it is within Pakistan? I may be able to provide
> some advice.

Godfather...I sent you a PM.

That made me chuckle. :) I realize that it's not the most....liberal (or safe)...place in the world, but there has to be something interesting to do in one's free time aside from sitting at home.

The school is fantastic and so is the pay, so I'll be happy regardless, but more information never hurts!

Has anyone here previously taught in Karachi or Lahore? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what life there is like outside of school. Thanks!