@dp22

That is quite an emotional take, but you did raise some valid points.

Firstly, international teachers aren't here to do charity or right the government's wrongs. They are here to make a living.

Secondly, several countries, including the U.S., have gone through a phase similar to Thailand and eventually, some form of normalcy was restored. Yes, the government isn't very competent and the vaccination rates are slow, but there are countries doing far worse in Africa, yet ITs continue to work there.

Thirdly, the baht weakened a little, but this is nothing out of the ordinary. This ain't N. Korea and once vaccination rates increase, the currency will gradually stabilise like it did in the past. Billions of baht have been injected into the economy and people are getting some relief from the government.

Fourthly and finally, if you are fully vaccinated and entered Thailand via the sandbox, you will do fine if you apply common sense and be aware of your surroundings.

However, if a teacher is looking at 2022-23 recruitment, you could definitely look beyond Thailand, but the fact is majority of schools' enrolment has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Yes, there are a few silver linings and the competition for fewer vacancies in these desirable locations (Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, Switzerland etc.) has only gotten more fierce. The bottomline is we need to look beyond the media headlines.

Agree 100% with TP. Come to SE Asia if you want to grow as a professional. You can easily afford European vacations if you can make it to the top tier schools in SEA.

Do they have the an alytical skills and quantitative thinking to solve difficult problems? Or do they simply evade such questions giving excuses? Leadership requires strong higher order thinking to address complex structural issues and not everyone is cut out for it. They also have a good ear and more or less, keep their word.
Here are some indicators that they don't care about your professional growth:
Send generic emails about P.D.
Don't appreciate teachers' hard work and achievements.
Intentionally delay your references or write superficial ones.
Promise the moon during the interview and forget everything after you land on campus.

We will be offering remote learning for a while and with 18 months of experience tinkering with our IT infrastructure and faculty training, I should say, we are better prepared for online teaching and learning. The global IT scenario will be a mix of hybrid and remote learning. I also know of schools that are fully opening up for in-person learning. Who knows, once a school reports infections and as the numbers go up locally, they will eventually close it down in phases. We'll all be going in circles for the foreseeable future until we have a booster dose that can effectively fight the new variants.

With increasing delta infections and extremely slow vaccination, Thailand has a long way to go. Most schools in the land of smiles will be offering remote learning over the next few months. The situation is quite dire and majority of hospitals ran out of beds. I suggest you speak to the admin to inquire about your options. Backing out is the easiest and also safest if you are genuinely concerned about your family welfare, but do let the recruiting agencies know if you used one. Alternatively, if the school is willing to accommodate, you could relocate to Phuket via the sandbox, rent an airbnb, and offer online lessons before you move to your desired destination. If I were fully vaccinated, I'd choose the latter.

Would it be feasible to relocate alone and leave the family behind for a while? They could join you in a few months, but this comes with the risk that nobody can tell you when the situation will normalise in this country. Do consult family, friends and speak to a couple of faculty on the ground at your new school.

You have a nice list there. I would add:
- Length of contract and conditions for renewal
- Type of health insurance (individual / family/ cashless/ deductible etc.)
- Annual Bonus
- Pension contributions
- Professional development (Differentiated / fixed allowance)
- Chances of internal promotion / growth

All right, folks. In which countries/cities could a teacher couple save up to 100K USD annually? Is this number even realistic during these times?

Terrific question, but there is no easy answers. With schools reluctant to hire senior teachers and some even not renewing contracts due to ageism, teachers' have to make the most appropriate compromise suiting their individual or family situation. International teaching will remain a buyers market into the foreseeable future. I settled down in late 30s at a school and city that checks most of the boxes (student profile, savings potential, decent health insurance, workload, admin support etc.). General contentment and peace of mind resulting from some form of work-life balance were at the top of the list rather than chasing few hundred dollar increments in an unknown city and school. Don't want to sound pessimistic, but most countries will eventually tax teachers' kids' tuition.

Being promoted from a department head to deputy principal followed by principal in a tier 1 school is cut-throat. Too many variables at play - nepotism, nationalism, loyalty etc. You need to cast a wider net outside of your current school if you want to grow faster. Very few schools promote internally as the SLT believes that the admin grass is greener on the other side, which is not always the case. There are also heads of schools who prefer outsiders with PhDs than experienced internal candidates who have a better understanding of school's issues. This is how discontent grows in an organization when the former fail to recognise home-grown talent.

The question is, what will a guy who never worked in SLT or at a premier school know anything about being a 'big fish?' "Unicorn farts and a pixie dust storybook" - my thoughts exactly on your IT insights.

If you want to climb the career ladder fast, here is another strategy:
1. Work as a teacher/department head at an established and reputed tier 1 school.
2. Get your master's in education and apply for assistant/deputy principal jobs at a tier 2 school.
3. Return to another tier 1 school as a principal/director of teaching and learning.

A few of my friends have worked this out.

Depends on your calibre, credentials, and professional experience as well. If you are an extrovert with strong networking skills and likeable, you can take a shot at becoming a middle level leader and work your way up to the senior leadership team at a tier 3 school. The perks are good, you have the freedom to hire and fire, and stay put for a number of years. The down side is that if this school is family-owned and if the owners view the school as a money-making machine, you too are at their mercy. The other fallout is that it'll be difficult for you to move to a similar position at a tier 1 school from here.

However, if you want to lead a low-stress life, enjoy your long breaks and build a solid nest egg, you can't go wrong working as a teacher at a tier 1 school. I spoke to teacher-millionaires (USD) retiring from elite schools in SE Asia and they don't have any regrets. These folks were happy with their classroom stints and if they had a choice, they would do it all over again.

If a tier 1 school with 2000 students loses about 100-200 over the next year due to COVID-related reasons or otherwise, new admissions can more or less make up for that. I don't have first-hand information about the lower tier schools, although I did hear in some cases they have been severely impacted and have difficulty flying newly hired faculty into the country. All of this might change between September 2021 and July 2022 as more countries open up and airlines slowly expand their flying network. The only way to return to some form of normalcy and minimise the damage is to vaccinate students in large numbers as we are currently doing with adults, albeit Thailand is slightly lagging in vaccination due to poor planning and a sudden spike in infections.

If you're an experienced teacher with solid credentials, I'd say target the top-tier schools in Thailand and Singapore. Based on my conversations, most faculty will stay put for another year or two. The number of vacancies might be slightly greater than the previous year, but personally, I think 2023-24 will be a good year to venture out.

Schools in SE Asia that I know of will be using Schrole, Search Associates, and their own websites to collect and peruse CVs. Skype and Zoom interviews will be the norm. Make sure you're fully vaccinated if you've to attend face to face interviews in London. Unless infection rates drop significantly and vaccination rates go up, the probability of holding a job fair in Bangkok is quite low. Be prepared to share your remote teaching and learning experiences and you might be even asked to demo a synchronous Zoom lesson. Enrolment at big schools in China is down, while this is not very significant at tier 1 schools in Thailand and Singapore.

Why is there such a mad rush for enrolling in a doctorate in education? Are all these folks going to become administrators? Wonder why so many want to leave the classroom.