I don't presume to speak for anyone else but maybe it wasn't the fact that classroom rules were a part of the prospective candidates answer but more that they were the first and/or most significant factor in their classroom management.

The location has rules. The school (presumably) has rules. I have rules in my classes but if you asked me about my classroom management, rules would likely be an afterthought (after establishing a positive relationship, working on a building welcoming/supportive classroom culture, maintaining a fun yet still engaging/productive learning environment, etc).
Presumably that is easier/harder with certain subjects, grade/age levels etc. but it has generally worked for me across grade levels (elementary to high school).

Maybe that type of answer would be a turn off/cop out for some admin types but would please/impress others. Luckily for me I plan on staying with my current organization for the foreseeable future so don't plan on having to interview much, if ever again. :D

PsyGuy wrote:
> Thats just your rationalization process to make your mammalian brain feel better.
=================
There seems to be a lot of that around here.

MartElla wrote:
> I feel there's far too little talk about equestrianism and aboriginal
> languages this time around.
>
> That was my favorite part of the other thread!
==================
True. I hear that the same school in Shangri-la is now looking for a .5 position for someone who knows "How to Train Your Dragon" combined with a .5 Works of Shakespeare in Dothraki.

TFF. It's like PG's greatest hits: The mythical Unicorn, er.. I mean Equestrian Specialist search for the school in Shangri-La er.. I mean Japan. Ranking Math Specialists as the LEAST difficult to fill, just to be different from virtually any other person even vaguely familiar with teaching as a profession, and feeling the need to list something like aboriginal expat teachers of subjects like Hawaiian language and culture.

And to top it off he missed the hardest positions to fill, like qualified instructors of left-handed, underwater basketweaving being taught in Latin (or even Pig-Latin).

For the OP, obviously the generally accepted definition of in-demand subjects refers to subjects that are actually offered/valued by a significant number of schools AND have a relatively small pool of well qualified applicants. I don't really have much to offer for a ranking beyond the obvious and usual suspects (e.g. Math and Science Specialists, SPED/SEN, Counselors, etc.). But thanks for the memories!

My experience and understanding (granted my main experience with Tier 1 schools is more from interviewing with them, rather than working for them) is that some changes/adjustment to the duties discussed at interview are not that uncommon.

Radical changes that do not seem to include the same qualifications and/or skill sets are generally more rare, especially at the bigger and/or "better" schools, from what I have seen, heard, read, etc. You could almost understand at smaller, less established/prestigious schools where everyone has to where a lot of hats and they cannot necessarily recruit and retain top notch qualified staff in all areas.

As for doing what you are asked because not doing it is a hassle, I think it goes well past that. I recall that many contracts and/or school policies give admin fairly extensive powers to assign and reassign staff based on the needs of the students/school (which is true in many/most home school countries as well). Finding it out AFTER you have moved around the world is certainly disconcerting and problematic and would be even more so if it turns out (or you believe) that admin knew all along that they were talking bollocks about the role you were offered and accepted at interview.

Good luck and hang in there!

As most people have said, the package is on the low side for a certified teacher for China. You wouldn't starve and would likely be able to save some money (not as much as many other schools could offer, but some is likely).

Make sure that you have had some very specific and detailed talks with your sister about the housing/financial situation (and discussions with your husband about what he will be doing). She is there on the ground and should know better than most of us the current situation with that school/location.

If you are satisfied that you wouldn't be hurting yourselves financially and are dying to share this experience with your sister (and your husband is keen as well) then decide if you want to take this leap for a couple of years. If so, then you will likely be able to use this experience as a stepping stone to bigger and better things future or you might get the live abroad bug out of your system.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Actually it was a poster named Hawkeye that claimed to have found PG's Search profile and was threatening to expose him. It all kicked off in this epic thread (sorry if someone posted this link recently):

https://internationalschoolsreview.com/ ... ted#p10302

It went back and forth and hither and yon and out there and back around again, but it was quite amusing and intriguing in it's day and worth a read/re-read.

It was interesting to re-read some of the posts (to me anyway) and see the evolution of thoughts and attitudes from some posters who are still around (and the things that never change).

At one point PG posted, "There is no more valid rational then my own experience". I'm not sure if that means he has changed his beliefs since he has chided posters for saying essentially similar things but it was an amusing walk down memory lane.

Agree. Salary and housing is low (more like an ESL salary than an int'l teaching position). You would likely be out of pocket at least another 2K rmb for a decent place for you and your family.

Also, any decent school will cover visas and flights for your family (for at least two dependents).

You could likely do better, unless you are just dying to get over there and be at the same school as your relative.

Good luck!

falloutmike wrote:
> Yea it seems to be based off if you contribute to your local pension program or if
> they have a SS agreement. https://www.ssa.gov/international/agree ... rview.html
>
> I've been checking for weeks and almost always find that I have to pay if working
> in SG but then a lot of people don't pay. I am hoping to get some more concrete
> answers, as that 15% is a huge make or break!
>
> Also greetings from Japan as well!
================
Yes, we love Japan and have no plans of leaving anytime soon.

I read through most of that and I really don't see anything that applies to "us" being required to pay SS unless your company/school is a US entity of some sort or you are self-employed.

We also worked in Egypt and never dealt with SS. We do pay into SS now because we are with DoDEA and pay all US taxes (but are not subject to any Japanese/local taxes).

I've not worked in either of those countries but my understanding is that in general you are not required to pay into SS while living/working overseas unless you are self-employed or working for an American company (or some other related circumstances). The IRS page is pretty straightforward on the subject, unless I am missing something"

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/interna ... n-employer

We've worked overseas in 4 different countries for int'l schools (all foreign owned), filed our taxes every year and never had to deal with SS taxes. But, like I said, not in either of the countries you mentioned, so I would also be interested in what people with experience there have to say.

MartElla wrote:
> That's incredible. I'm befuddled, discombobulated and gobsmacked.
>
> For the first time in the history of ISR, PsyGuy has described ISS without uttering
> the words, "Boutique experience".
>
> I didn't think it was possible. We live to proven wrong.
===================
It is one of the 7 signs of the apocalypse. But, he's still not using apostrophes yet, so I think we're safe for a while longer at least.

I would agree that it can be a factor in int'l school hiring since the science generally does show that being attractive does correlate to a higher degree of success in general (depending on how you define success). I would also agree that it is just one factor and not necessarily the most important one. Thankfully many/most admin types will eventually hire the best overall candidate, not just the "best" looking one (although most everyone has seen the clueless seeming and inappropriately dressed young candidates walking out of the job fair with better offers than they probably merit on education/experience alone).

And to play Devil's Advocate (with myself), I've also seen specific examples where admin (consciously or unconsciously) go out of their way to NOT hire the most attractive candidates, especially when they are the same sex as the one doing the hiring (for whatever reason). So, in some circumstances it can be a bit of a wash. Interesting topic though.

Well, I would say that giving the grade that will make your life easier rather than the grade that they earned is much more akin to being pragmatic, rather than ethical, but I don;t really have the energy for a philosophical debate.

On the practical side, local students in Egypt are not known for their maturity and good behavior (also speaking from practical experience). There seems to be an inverse maturity pattern at work, especially with many Egyptian boys in that the older they get, the less mature they act (e.g. wrestling and power wedgies in the HS hallways are not uncommon in many int'l schools).

With that being the likely case, what is going to happen to behavior when they realize they don't really have to do any work or really even pay attention to get "good" grades? Certainly many teachers just go with the flow and it is difficult not to if that is the accepted school culture and the expectation of students and parents (and admin to some extent).

So it is not ethical in most senses of the word, but it is certainly common and something you should be ready for in many/most schools in Egypt (and the ME in general, IMHO).

It will vary wildly from school to school, location to location. The majority of Learning Support positions/programs will likely involve some combination of push in support (by the teacher or an asst.) and a resource room type set up. The majority of students in learning support programs in int'l schools will have been judged to have "mild" disabilities and will be included for the vast majority of classes (if not all). A relatively few schools will have the LS teacher teaching a given subject, such as ELA/Social Studies and then put their students with some deficits in those classes (one of the big schools in Singapore uses/used to use that model).

So what your day would look is tough to say without further information. It's highly likely that it will generally involve assisting students complete their work for other classes with possibly some remediation, enrichment, study skills/organizational skills, etc. depending on the age/grade level. A very few schools will have more comprehensive programs, similar to the US/UK.

Many/most schools will have some type of IEP/SEN document that lays out accommodations, supports, present levels of performance, goals, etc. but they are obviously not binding, legal documents in most cases.

LS/SPED has been a great certification to have and has helped me find jobs in two states and 5 countries (and ultimately land us our dream gig/location with DoDEA).

Good luck!

Heliotrope wrote:
> wrldtrvlr123 wrote:
> > (but you may not want to mention that you saw
> > "your" job reposted).
>
> Why not?
> Not saying I disagree, but for now I can't think of a reason not to mention it.
==============
It's totally a personal preference i suppose (and people should always do what they feel comfortable with). Checking in to make sure everything is on track, asking what the next steps are, etc. should get you the information you need (e.g. is the job you were offered/accepted still/really yours). Bringing up that you saw the "same" position posted and need reassurance that you haven't been dumped/aren't being hosed, would feel a little to desperate/presumptuous for me. This is on the presumption that there is a logical reason for the posting of course.