Search found 38 matches

by IE_sciteacher
Mon Nov 02, 2020 3:08 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: chances for newbie teaching couple
Replies: 16
Views: 13964

Re: chances for newbie teaching couple

Bilingual schools are T4 with regards to the international-ness. As far as packages, work-life balance etc they range from T3 to high T2, however the average would be T3. At bilingual schools, you follow the Chinese system much more closely as far as curriculum, holidays and teaching style. Also, the school may give you less support with transitions and setting up day-to-day life like housing, banking and taxes. However, all of those can be figured out with help from the local teachers at your school and a translation app.


I know people who have had no problem working at bilingual schools, while others have struggled there.

TIP for looking for schools: go through the sports leagues to find less publicized schools that still interact with the bigger schools. Generally, if they play in the same sports/activities leagues they will not be too different. ACAMIS, and SISAC (Shanghai), Pearl River Delta Conference and ISAC (Beijing and Tianjin) are examples.
by IE_sciteacher
Sun Nov 01, 2020 8:43 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Professor Career Changer
Replies: 16
Views: 15272

Re: Professor Career Changer

"By decent, I mean a non-profit school where working conditions are tolerable and pay and benefits, initially at least, are sufficient to support a family."

This will be very hard to achieve based on your resume. If you are willing to look at For-Profit schools, with the PhD you could very well hit the other two requirements. Geographically you are looking China, SE Asia and Middle East most likely. Someone with better knowledge would be able to point you better but I feel a British school might be more approachable with your degrees than an IB or American school.

I recommend getting certified simply to help you do the job of teaching younger students. Or at least work on learning the general terminology that schools use (would also help in the interview process).
by IE_sciteacher
Sun Nov 01, 2020 8:33 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: chances for newbie teaching couple
Replies: 16
Views: 13964

Re: chances for newbie teaching couple

The two year rule is bendable (there are teachers at schools in China who do not have licenses). It does mean that you will be aiming for T3 schools or Chinese schools with a dual international program offering.

Often those people start at a school and get experience and then move to a better school in China after 1 or 2 years (often within the same city).
by IE_sciteacher
Sat Oct 24, 2020 8:13 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What are the chances at Frankfurt International School? Need some advice from the pros!!!
Replies: 19
Views: 20454

Re: What are the chances at Frankfurt International School? Need some advice from the pros!!!

Again these are my opinions. Also it comes down to how well you can sell it. If you are looking at a dp position PYP is harder to sell. But myp you can talk about having taught both ends of the spectrum and how you can transition students etc.
by IE_sciteacher
Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:04 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What are the chances at Frankfurt International School? Need some advice from the pros!!!
Replies: 19
Views: 20454

Re: What are the chances at Frankfurt International School? Need some advice from the pros!!!

I'll provide my opinion under the asterisks that it is very hard to predict openings will actually be available.

1. If they say in-person interviews are needed, they are probably serious about it for child safe-guarding reasons (other top schools in Europe have similar policies). I have seen first hand of a school in eastern Europe, flying teachers from China to their school for an in-person interview after a couple of rounds. They have also asked teachers to meet before a job fair, even if they were not currently signed up for that fair (they were prepared to fly the teaching couple to the city and interview). That said, this year and the actual ability of in-person interviews it might look different, if they change that it will probably be in the number of 3 interviews minimum.

2. As far as experience, both of you have enough to overcome that hurdle. To clarify for you, you have 16 years of teaching (12 in MYP/DP and most recently 4 in PYP). What would you be applying for? At the bottom of experience for PYP years and removed from MYP/DP experience would be a concern if my summary is accurate.

3. Visa purposes, your situation helps, doesn't hurt. Others who have more insight to German visa laws will have better idea. Your son not attending FIS does not help your case, maybe hurts if anything? Looking at daily and year school calendars meshing and conflicts that could cause. Why not have your son attend FIS?

You have a chance, nothing to me screams as a red flag that would hurt you. If the positions were available, it would come down to how well you interview, who else is applying and what else you have done that can benefit the school that they currently need (DoE, Athletics, Activities, Curriculum adoption experience, Accreditation/Authorization experience etc). How have you kept up with relevant educational theory and implementation of pedagogy in your classroom? Top schools like FIS, that is how you would start separating yourself form the pack.
by IE_sciteacher
Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:58 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Beginning Of The End for China Foreign Teachers?
Replies: 54
Views: 66719

Re: Beginning Of The End for China Foreign Teachers?

They arrested a teacher who was smuggling substantial quantities of narcotics. The other two were a politician and business man who were high profile cases. The teacher was a "bonus" he was getting dinged regardless of the political circumstances and it just happened to be around the same time.


Teachers/expats in China should know by now that you can do almost whatever you want socially in China except drugs. Very little tolerance for it regardless of your nationality. It is easy to get whatever you drug of choice is but if you're caught the best case scenario is deportation.
by IE_sciteacher
Sun Oct 04, 2020 10:39 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: How do you get to work?
Replies: 14
Views: 15583

Re: How do you get to work?

School 1 = 8 minute walk (school provided housing)
School 2 = 10 minute school bus shuttle in year 1 (school housing) and then 45-60 minute school bus shuttle in year 2-3 when we moved into the city center
School 3 = 15 minute walk/5 minute scooter, live near the school in housing of our choice
by IE_sciteacher
Thu Oct 01, 2020 10:54 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Advice for a college student
Replies: 8
Views: 7367

Re: Advice for a college student

It is possible to get a job but like others have said it will be challenging. My advice would be to look at the recruiting organizations that have a larger percentage of new grads as their base (UNI Fair and Queen’s). However, I have no idea what those agencies/fairs will look like this year given the pandemic.

When I was in the same position as you a couple of years ago a lot of the job opportunities were in central and South America and the Middle East and less in south east Asia. I would believe this to be that and south east Asia is more desirable and closer to Australia and New Zealand which increases competition.

Focus on trying to find a school that has been around for a few years or part of an established company of schools and offers a non-local curriculum. This would be my bare requirements for a first teaching position school.
by IE_sciteacher
Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:15 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Thoughts on Search Online Fairs
Replies: 28
Views: 30209

Re: Thoughts on Search Online Fairs

We were talking about this the other day in the staff room (yes we are already back with students). Basically concluded that this will potentially shake up the recruiting scene as we know it. The economics of fairs are lucrative for SEARCH and costly for schools and teachers. SEARCH (and to a lesser extent ISS who have already shifted to blended options) will do everything they can to keep their piece of the recruiting puzzle.

However, like was mentioned, what is the value of what SEARCH is offering during an online fair and how is that different than just connecting via skype. How much does the SEARCH person actually do for you or for the school? We concluded that the main value of SEARCH is the database of postings and teachers. Schools posting them individually on their own websites wouldn't have the same exposure to the pool of teachers as a centralized database.

Could TIE-online, Linked-in, TES, or something similar that is simply a database with a subscription fee and no fairs or payments after accepted positions are the future?
by IE_sciteacher
Sun May 24, 2020 6:32 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Schools Unable To Employ Staff
Replies: 10
Views: 11837

Re: Schools Unable To Employ Staff

China right now is the Wild West. Some of the top schools who did not require staff to comeback before the borders closed are starting to scramble.

If you are in China it is a great opportunity to move up into some of those tier one schools. If you are currently outside this probably doesn’t apply to you. Friends I know who were let go of their current school for next year, unable to move to the country of their new school or have not had their contract confirmed yet for next year have been contacted for interviews. A potential silver lining to an unfortunate situation.

I can imagine this also playing out in the ME, teachers having opportunities to shuffle up the ladder due to openings and then leaving the bottom schools with out qualified staff.
by IE_sciteacher
Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:53 pm
Forum: Forum 2. Ask Recruiting Questions, Share Information. What's on Your Mind?
Topic: How competitive would I be?
Replies: 19
Views: 55403

Re: How competitive would I be?

You will be able to get a job in Taiwan with your credentials. The quality of school and package may be the big question mark, based on years of experience. I have found that the better the school the more weight they place on experience teaching compared to level of knowledge in the taught field. Top schools expect a competent knowledge of the subject but once that is checked they care more about the ability to teach the subject. Lower tier schools may get excited at the PhD as it would be a marketable feature for admissions.
by IE_sciteacher
Fri Apr 03, 2020 12:53 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: China closed
Replies: 67
Views: 80259

Re: China closed

To add to this, a NFP school in Tianjin has warned new staff that they may have to adjust their flights to arrive two weeks earlier than planned in case the 14 day quarantine is still in effect in July.

I am also in China currently in a different city and am starting to doubt being able to or it being logical to go home for the summer as there is a chance of a 14 day isolation once returning home and then a 14 day quarantine upon coming back to China. A month of isolation measures isn't worth it to me.
by IE_sciteacher
Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:20 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Corona . - affect on student numbers
Replies: 5
Views: 12069

Re: Corona . - affect on student numbers

I don't think it would be the top schools in each city but the 2nd and 3rd choice schools. As position, hypothetically, open at the top schools, the students who were on wait lists and are currently at other schools will move in to take their places.

That being said, the reason those students are in China probably isn't changing because of the .. Multinational companies and large manufacturing industries are not going to pack up and move due to this. Economically, China will make sure companies are not moving because of this, they will do whatever they can to not lose face.

Teachers are a different animal though.
by IE_sciteacher
Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:14 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: In 50s ready to relocate: comparing pension options
Replies: 10
Views: 19435

Re: In 50s ready to relocate: comparing pension options

I think you need to do a lot of research on the topic of pensions as there are many many factors that apply.

1. You probably will not be able to put in enough years at a school in Europe to contribute to a meaningful pension. Most of the European pensions assume a full/substantial career length for contributing. Also, many countries in Europe are currently unsure of the sustainability of their pensions due to an increase ageing population (Netherlands and France).
2. Where will you have to live to receive the pension? Does it include good medical everywhere? Yes Ontario has medical coverage however it’s not a comprehensive coverage.
3. How many years will it take you to get a reasonable job in Europe? It can take time to land a good enough job in Europe (it can also be quick).
4. The number of years left until retirement makes the investing strategy harder. However, I would recommend reading Hallam’s book like a previous poster mentioned. Many of your concerns about the stock market could be answered.

Advice. Go to a south east Asia country where you can make a lot of money with little expenses trying to build as much of a nest egg as possible. I do not think that the pension plan is a viable plan.

This is all based on my research of trying to figure out the finances of moving to Europe as well for work. Others living in Europe may have more specific information.
by IE_sciteacher
Fri Nov 29, 2019 2:44 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Unionpay annual withdraw limit time frame
Replies: 4
Views: 6698

Re: Unionpay annual withdraw limit time frame

The 100 000 rmb is for foreign withdrawls outside of China. What I have read and understand is it is calendar year. I do not think China differentiates between calendar and fiscal year like the west does.

Note the 100k rmb is per passport not per card. This was changed a few years ago. Bank transfers do not count towards the 100k. Only atm withdrawls and purchases.

https://www.thatsmags.com/china/post/21 ... bank-cards