[quote="PsyGuy"]Sorry, still getting use to this iPad, 40K RMB would be a VERY nice salary (I have the 8 years and a doctorate). OK, I'm just making excuses for lazy typing, when really for me 25K RMB would be a "good salary", but anything over 20K RMB would be fine for most people (which is what I meant to type).[/quote]

No problem. Just got a new IPhone and also getting used to typing on it. I meant to post something about DOB on another board and typed FOB. People were wondering wtf I was talking about and speculating on what FOB stood for (fresh off the boat was the best guess).

[quote="msteachkids"]I will be leaving soon for my first international position and have a meeting planned later in the week with my accountant. I just want to meet with her to make sure I know what I need to know about working abroad and paying taxes. However, I also want to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge here on this forum!

I have searched the forum and read all the information available on paying American taxes when teaching abroad, but would be interested to hear whether most people claim to be bonafide residents or physical residents. I will retain my home here with plans to come for Christmas break and summers, so I'm trying to decide what would be best for me.

All suggestions, information and tips would be appreciated.

Thanks![/quote]

As I recall it doesn't matter which one, as long as you qualify for one of them. The physical presence is more straightforward. If you are a teacher there is a good chance you have to file an extension your first year in order to get the 335? days you need to qualify. Your account should be able to help you with the details of the bono fide test if you plan on being back in the country more often than just summer.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Its a good school, you could do better (like the elite schools) but this is near the top of tier 1 schools in Beijing.

Whats a good package for me?

1) RT Airfare that the school pays upfront.

2) Furnished 2 bedroom apartment in a new and centrally located building (well kept building is fine).

3) Medical insurance that includes hospital, doctor, and prescription plans (not just the local clinic).

4) Covered expenses (medical exam, visa, etc)

5) Salary of around 40K RMB/month[/quote]

I was right there with you until you got to number 5. That would translate into over $74K a year and no one in China is paying that. WAB and ISB are only paying around $50,000 per year for 8 years and a Masters, which is like 28000 rmb a month.
If you have all of the above benefits then anything 20,000 rmb a month and up would allow you to live nicely and save a good chunk of your salary (IMHO).

Not unless you are truly desparate for a job, and/or to get out of or into a particular country.

[quote="mrwright"]Sounds like Search is a bad idea for new international teachers. What strategy is best for teachers without IB experience?[/quote]

I don't know that I agree with this. My first overseas job was with only two years experience (none of it IB) and it was through an SA job fair.

I also don't know if I agree that most schools registered with SA are looking for IB trained teachers. I don't know that it is NOT true, but would love to see what the actual number/percentages are of IB schools.

[quote="Open Communication"]Dear wrldtrvlr123 and others.
What if I had left the school I wanted to post about on ISR and had already secured a 2 year contract with another school and had arrived and started teaching. Would posting then in an honest and not bitter fashion haunt me later with certainty, in your opinion?[/quote]

No, not with any certainty (especially if you went on to have a good track record with your new school). The international school community is very small, however, and you couldn't know whether your former head (should they take it poorly) could ever have a negative influence on your career (or god forbid turn up as your new head someday).

Also, you would have to think about your new head's opininion/attitude about a teacher posting on ISR (and whether they would immediately wonder what you would be writing about them when you leave).

In any case, I applaud whatever you decide to do.

[quote="Open Communication"]Dear "wrldtrvlr123",
I guess what I mean is that if a specific problem at a school was posted by a teacher at ISR, I mean very specific, for example posting "there is not 1 computer on campus" as opposed to a vague statement such as "our schools lacks teaching materials". It may be difficult for a director to confront such as posting. Because what does stating "our school lacks teaching materials" really mean? Nothing. But if the posting "there is not 1 computer on campus", was true, a director may think twice about making a stink about that. Because they would not want to draw extra attention to their school and themselves by having a running dialogue posted here or ISR. And, a recruiting organization, if contacted by the director because of this specific posting by a teacher, may say "well, is it true that your school does not have 1 computer? I think this is a problem. Especially if you told the teacher in the hiring stage that your school had many computers".
Vague negative critiques posted by teachers may be disputed by a director. But specific ones which may also be easily proven may be less likely disputed by a director and may be more likely to be ignored. But, I may be wrong. :)[/quote]

That may be true in some cases, but I have also heard of/witnessed school heads/admin. say white is black and black is white to save face in front of parents, owners and inspectors.

As for ISR, a majority of admin. simply consider posting here akin to high treason and the truth or validity of the comments becomes very much besides the point. Best of luck to you in avoiding these kinds of problems in the future.

[quote="Open Communication"] I think if a posting is completely honest, stating facts in an almost journalistic fashion but also offering advice, it would make it very difficult for a director to get angry and cause trouble for you because it would give more publicity to their and their school's shortcomings, faults, etc.[/quote]

Sorry. This sounds logical and reasonable, but I do not believe it to be accurate or true in the real world. Many/Most school administrators could be very upset or disturbed by the mere fact that someone posted something about their school on ISR. This will be doubly true for schools with things to hide from prospective teachers/families. If those School Head's were open to advice or suggestions from teachers, they would not have many of the problems that are routinely reported on ISR. As for negative publicity, outside of ISR there are very few avenues for these types of shortcomings to be publicized which is why ISR is anathema to most school owners and administrators.

Are the only teacher that has been negatively impacted by these "errors"? What you describe is akin to theft and/or theft of services and should be posted on a review for this school.

There should be a way to get some of that information into a review without outing yourself (which yes, could be very damaging to your career).

Try throwing in some misinformation about kids/spouse, subject area/level taught. The misinformation about minor details could protect you, while not getting in the way of the important message about this school (e.g. not to be trusted).

The list looks fine. Some things are a bit subjective when attempting to classify schools. Maybe I missed it, but what are your areas of specialization and what experience/education do you have beyond the 3 years in Taiwan? Those could make a difference in attracting the attention of the upper echelon schools.

I would also encourage you to pursue some of the so-called 2nd tier schools in major Asian cities. New International in Bangkok and BCIS in Beijing spring to mind. BCIS in particular is a solid school that offers a package comparable in many respects with WAB and ISB. Those types of schools may not have the prestige of the big names but would be a move up for your resume and your finances while also widening the field for possible opportunities.

How much do you really know about the smaller IB school (from non-biased sources)?

Even smaller, newer schools that are truly going places will generally be offering competitive packages to attract quality teachers. If the QSI offer is double the IB school then maybe they are not oferring a competitive package.

The other consideration is location. Depending on the city, there may or may not be what you would consider acceptable healthcare for delivering your first baby. Even here in Beijing there are only a few options that most Westerners would feel comfortable.

I would do more research and ask for some more feedback on both schools and locations.

It's possible that they are good schools but I wouldn't count on it just based on the fact there are no reviews. Many of the top schools do have reviews on ISR and many of those reviews are mostly positive.

What schools are you enquiring about? May as well name names and see if anyone had 1st or 2nd hand experience/information about them.

Hi. You say you finished up your training slash degree in the US. How many years of experience do you have in the position you are applying for?

It's possible that an accent will put some interviewers off a bit, but it should not be a deal breaker (especially in a counseling position, as opposed to a classroom teacher). The reality is that a significant number of international school admin and teachers will have "accents" of one kind or another (e.g. British, Aussie, Kiwi). i've taught in Egypt, Japan and now China and have taught with and under educators from all over the world. There should be a school that is a match for your background and experience.

Congratulations! We've been in Beijing since August and really like it here (this is our third country).

Our parents weren't thrilled when we took our first overseas posts, especially as we were taking their only grandchild away from them. We had been talking about it for a few years but no one really took us seriously until we went to our first job fair.

They did have enough respect for us not to openly criticize us for our decision. They did what they thought was best for their family when they were younger and ultimately accepted that we were doing the same. Some will adjust, some will never understand why you could even think about leaving the US.

Accept that very little you do will impact how they think. Prepare for the adventure, stay positive, don't interact with the negativity and it will work itself out.

[quote="middleschoolteacher"]It's been awhile since I've posted. But I am so glad I went to the search fair in Boston last month! I am excited to have accepted my first international teaching job in China! I will say that the offer did come after the fair, when I had thought hope had been lost. Now I'm just going through the process of getting ready to go and finding all I can about China before I go :) Thanks again to everyone for the advice![/quote]

Congrats! What part of China? What school? I've been in Beijing since August and greatly enjoy living here.