Not sure why it's so difficult for you to accept that well-informed teachers would genuinely like IB, and prefer it to the alternatives.

I know a number of teachers who taught the same two curriculums. Some preferred one, others preferred the other.
We all have our individual preferences, and we can think differently about what exactly makes a curriculum good or bad. You obviously don't prefer IB, and that's fine too of course. But well-informed and experienced teachers can certainly prefer the IB without being a cheerleader, or without any Kool-Aid involved.

Coimbra wrote:
> @Heliotrope
> It is no longer on the list because of the taxations of benefits and the
> weakened yen. I love Tokyo and the school seems truly excellent but
> unfortunately I have financial obligations that I need to meet and that
> wouldn't be possible there.

I understand, that weakened yen is a bummer for many teachers currently in Japan, especially whose with US mortgages or university tuition bills for their kids.
I doubt the school will get a lot fewer applications though.

@secondplace
Just a heads up:

When it suits him, @PsyGuy pretends not to detect sarcasm, so he will likely accept your 'apology' and thank you for 'agreeing' with him.

And he might also pretend to think that you meant 'mentalist' as 'being a magician who performs feats that apparently demonstrate extraordinary mental powers', instead of the 'British derogatory slang used to call a person insane, referring to a diminished state of cognition'.

It's the easy way out for him.

> Now that a certain American school in Japan is no longer on the current list of my
> top 10 dream schools

Just out of curiosity: why did you drop that American school in Japan from your list?

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Heliotrope
>
> Its also what a IBO cheerleading cultist would say.

So then they're either a IB cheerleader OR a well-informed teacher familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of IB and who has reached the conclusion that he likes IB better than the alternatives (or both), since they would both say the same.

And with regards to needing the IB experience needed for the visa: even if there isn't a rule that explicitly mentions IB (there might be, there might not be), if you still need the IB experience to get the work permit for that country, then the supposed fact that IB isn't explicitly mentioned is irrelevant if you can't get the permit without the IB experience.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Its closer to about half than 80% of tier 1 ISs that have a DIP program.
> Its a higher proportion of 2nd tier ISs, but the second tier is I wrote
> previously has a higher concentration of IB ISs. @Coimbra is probably
> thinking the first tier is bigger than it is with misidentifying 2nd tier
> ISs as 2st tier ISs.
> DIP experience is still more marketable than MYP experience regardless of
> the IS. MYP isnt harder to do well, simply because doing MYP well is harder
> to determine and define. With the exception of a few founding IBWSs doing
> MYP well isnt a high priority, as MYP in of itself is underwhelming
> compared to DIP.

It's actually 91% of tier 1 schools that offer DP, going by what most people (and not just one individual) list as tier 1 schools.

We've discussed many times what makes a tier 1 a tier 1, but most teachers will say that a tier 1 is designated as such if most teachers agree it is. There are certainly no OFFICIAL criteria for tier 1s, there's merely a sizeable overlap of preferences (a good savings potential being at the top of most teachers' list of criteria) and tier 1 designations, which is what the tier 1-list I made is based on.

But I'm happy to call it 80%, which is pretty close to what I personally believe (just like PsyGuy, my personal tier 1 list is shorter than the one I've made based on what most teachers say are tier 1 schools).

MYP is offered by less than half of the tier 1 schools: 41%.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Philzim
> Thats exactly what a cult cheerleader would write.

It's also what a well-informed teacher, familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of IB, who has reached the conclusion that he likes IB better than the alternatives, would say.

buffalofan wrote:
> Loads of factors at play here, but I also think your location is a big one.
> You are in SE Asia where the labor laws that are on paper are worth about
> as much as an m&m's wrapper, so I don't think you can play up the
> maternity/newborn angle (I've seen (female) admin harass pregnant teachers
> for taking maternity leave "too early"). Best of luck.

Yeah, @buffalofan is right, you're not entitled to anything, even if your contract says otherwise. Then again, some schools do actually respect the contract, even if it inconveniences them.
All you can do is hope your admin is sympathetic - you can probably already make an educated guess about that -, flexible, and that the schedule allows for it.
If it's not possible or they just don't feel like it, it you can also look into tutoring (online or in-person) and/or being a sub, and then go back into teaching when/if you feel ready again.
To be fair, admin at my previous school actually advised a pregnant colleague to take maternity leave earlier than she was planning to, because that way it would end right when Summer holiday would start and she'd have the maximum time off possible.

I've seen it happen twice and I've heard about it happening a bunch of times at other schools, but most schools won't be open to it.

How likely it is that they'll accommodate you will probably depend on (amongst other things) your subject and the number of cross-certified teachers that happen to also be certified in that subject, the size of the school (the bigger it is the easier they can make the schedule work for this), how much they like you and how keen they are to keep you (and your husband if you want to play hardball). Being part of a teaching couple definitely helps a lot (as in, otherwise you'd have almost no chance).

Sometimes there are departments that have (for example) 5 FT teachers but would be better served with either 4.5 or 5.5 FTE, and you could be that 0.5, or have a cross-certified teacher in another department that has too few hours and could take part of your fulltime load.

I doubt you can set a percentage yourself, they'll offer you what what will work for the schedule (if you're lucky), not what will be ideal for you.
You will likely be considered part-time though and lose some of the benefits, although with your husband also teaching there that might not be a huge issue. It might help if you can tell them you'll be willing to go back to full-time after one or two years.

If you get on well with the HoS then maybe float the idea, but only if you think they won't use it against you.

Coimbra wrote:
> How come I can't edit my previous post?
> In the past I was able to edit a post.

You can only edit (or delete) your post for a few minutes after posting. After that it's permanent and you'll have to live with whatever you wrote.

I've been at a school where bad teachers would get renewed over and over again, even after multiple complaints about their behaviour and failing to properly teach the curriculum, much to the chagrin of their students, the parents, and their colleagues.
Then again I've also worked at a school where the HoS was a bit too keen to fire perfectly good teachers after a singular parent complained.

What have been your experiences with non-renewals and terminations at your schools?

Obviously, this question doesn't really apply to schools in countries where it's nearly impossible to be fired, like some (or most) countries in Western Europe - not an ideal situation either imo.

Lcoleman1 wrote:
> It is very much a desire to travel and see the world.
> We definitely feel as though if we don't do it now, we never will. But if
> we stay, will we regret it. If we go, will we regret it.

If a desire to travel and see the world is your main motivation, and a loss of savings potential isn't a concern, then go for it.
There will certainly be schools willing to hire you (or go for cities with multiple schools where you each work at different schools), but I think you'll have to choose between either geographical proximity to the UK or your ability to employ an affordable cleaner/cook, assuming you still want to save *some* money.

I know a teaching couple with kids at what is regarded as the top school in Tunisia that saves around 30K per year, while employing a part-time cleaner/nanny/cook (one person, not three), travelling twice a year, in addition to taking two direct flights to the UK during other breaks (<100 USD pp round-trip). They like Tunis, but the city does have the reputation of being rather boring (to be fair, these city reviews paint a more positive picture: https://www.talesmag.com/real-post-repo ... isia/tunis).
There will be other cities that offer something similar, and if you drop the proximity to (or short flight to) UK as part of your wish list then the world is your oyster - go for Southeast Asia and you will tick all your other boxes with ease with a good savings potential.
Be sure to factor in your retirement costs - seeing the world is great, but financial security and a comfortable retirement are also important.

You're both highly employable.

Being close to the UK and a high savings potential are a bit at odds with each other. I would focus more on being somewhere with a direct and affordable (relative to your savings potential) flight to the UK rather than geographical proximity, as the countries closest to the UK offer some of the lowest savings potentials. With that in mind, the Middle East comes would make sense, even though imo that's a far less interesting experience than the other countries you mention.

If you don't mind me asking: why do you want to go international? Is it an innate desire to explore the rest of the world and get outside your comfort zone? Or is it mostly financially motivated?
Just asking because you say your current jobs are fabulous, so you might be disappointed with how some international schools are run. Also, be mindful that retirement should be part of the financial puzzle.

milesaway wrote:
> Of course no one wants either . to not honor contracts. I have personally
> experienced a school not honoring the contracts that were signed. When Covid
> started, the head of our school SELECTIVELY chose to honor some contracts and to
> dismiss some...she used it has a means to punish people who she did not like or did
> not fit into her little world of what the school should be like. Even SLT, like
> myself had their contracts voided. She made some people actually return to China and
> then after a month told them she was dismissing them...all, like myself, had signed
> three year contracts. None of the teachers or admin did anything wrong or warranted
> being forced to resign.
> Witnessing the complete lack of care that this woman had for her teachers was just
> amazing and in the end she paid a huge price. The school's reputation suffered and
> she eventually lost her job. I was like you before this happened to me, honor the
> contract you sign and even if the school changes things in the contract after signing
> it, you should still honor it. This changed for me after this incident, the
> consultants, the search firms and the school board ALL turned a blind eye to what was
> happening to people...but if we had done it, we would have been banned from firms and
> told that we would be penalized.
> Each case is different, do I think you should sign a contract and continue to look
> for a job that might be better...no. But I don't think a person has less morals if
> they do it.

If a school acts like that, I wouldn't say the teachers at that school should still honor their contracts. Screw that school! (well the Head at least)

And if a school changes things significantly in the contract after signing it, I don't think you have the obligation to still honor it, because it's not what you signed up for. It's like agreeing on a price for a house, and then they after signing they fill in the pool with concrete and demolish the shed in the backyard and still expect you to take it for the original price. It's not the same house anymore and you can back out without scrupules, or they have to lower the price or add another feature that you think is worth what they took out.

Search Associates and other firms not backing the teacher is a shame, it happens regularly and is very unfair. A school penalizing you legally is usually only possible if you're still in country, so if you just get on a plane during a break they are powerless. Not ideal, but it's a last resort sort of thing. It's also why the idea of some schools in Saudi hanging on their teachers' passports is scary, because it takes away that option if they start misbehaving.

I agree with you that you shouldn't sign a contract and continue to look for a job that might be better. However I do think if you do do it when the school doesn't do anything wrong, that that says something about your morals.

Luckily a large majority of the international schools will not drop you after a contract is signed, and similarly a large majority of teachers honors their contracts. The more one side (schools or teachers) stops doing this, the more the other side will start doing the same, until no one -school or teacher- can be sure of anything until the teacher arrives at the school just before the school year starts.