If you take the definition of smart as being to act without empathy, respect and compassion and integrity...

If the school's leadership knew these changes were likely then they should have been transparent and given teachers every opportunity to make an informed decision about their futures, and one that allowed them to act in a timely manner if their future lay elsewhere.

This is what good leaders do. They act with personal integrity.

Poor grammar also gets you to no pile....

In a less flippant vein here's another perspective.

There may be country specific visa issues that would lead to someone being either unemployable or difficult to get visas for. Some schools have their own rules regarding teaching couples and numbers of dependent children they will take. Some schools won't, or can't, employ people over a certain age or with a non-teaching/working spouse. And so on....

What though will make you get noticed, in a good way? If it's a Search file then strong references. If it's a CV then depth of experience including stints at several International Schools. However, a series of 2 year contracts does strongly suggest that you will fulfill your contract and move on, which is fine, but might cause you to be passed over in favour of someone who may be a longer term prospect.

The ability and willingness to offer After School Activities and/or coach teams or groups - e.g. swimming, soccer, MUN etc.

Ability to teach across disciplines can be helpful. The Primary school equivalent would be a willingness to, and experience of, work at different age levels. Being able to teach Art and French, for example, would be an advantage.

On a personal note I like it when people put their Twitter name so I can check out their professional facing social interactions as this can be quite instructive.

Any spelling or errors get you a one way trip to the 'no' pile.

A school I worked at in China held onto our Foreign Expert Certificates (FEC) as we never needed them for anything and if lost they were a huge hassle to replace. They were only needed by the school for the purpose of renewing them.

A couple of teachers demanded that they keep theirs in their possession, lost them and caused huge headaches for HR and themselves.

This wasn't passports though.

@FlakyFirend - Given my position in the schools I have been in, I would hope to know something about the ethical practices, or not, that happen.

For me, morals start at home and in the mirror. Am I happy with my conduct? Am I happy with the way I have chosen to act in a given situation?

Again, my choices may be different to yours. And yes, I act on my own principles and apply these to each situation. Am I right? I'm not sure that question enters into the the dialoguge. I do know I am happy with the choices I have made.

@LatnameZ and @PsyGuy

Perhaps I have been lucky but no school I have worked at has operated in this way.

Also, two wrongs etc.

It's for each person to operate according to their own moral code. Mine might be different to yours.

If you were to flip this and think about in terms of the school backing out because they had a better candidate than you, how would you feel?

Exactly.

So, it's up to you. You can keep your word and honour the contract or you can be untrustworthy, let people down, and risk losing everything.

I think you could ask for more time and see what they say, bearing in mind they may say no.

I wouldn't recommend negotiating as I would suggest that any decent school would, and should, stick to their offer as it is consistent with their package and policies. You could argue 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' but you also run the risk of annoying the school.

5 - wanted a different experience
10 - had lots of different experiences, but 10 years....
2 - school wasn't a great fit for me

Depends. My last two schools I asked to be able to pay the incoming flight so that I could make sure it was the airline and airmiles that I wanted. They told me the budget, I paid it and then got reimbursed. Their budgets were high enough for me to get business class flights.

Suzhou is a great city. Big enough to have everything you need, small enough to not be overwhelming, and close to Shanghai when you want to go there.

There is a range of housing available, depending on the budget you're given.

Transport in the city has greatly improved with the addition of the metro lines. I used to live about 11km from the school I worked at and cycled everyday.