Nope, no boarding schools for me!

So now it's personal and about me?

I guess yes, to me and my circle, but that circle is pretty substantial and crosses regional and socio-economic lines (how many German billionaires do you know?)

I am sure the school is great. But if locals hardly know of it, it doesn't really compare to Eton, does it?

Ah, a secret Eton. Yes, of course.

Lots of locals here have not even heard of it. That said, I'm sure it's wonderful. But Germany really doesn't have an Eton--it's not a culture big on that kind of thing.

My other advice is to ignore the forum troll. Apply where you can when you can. It doesn't matter to an IS where you worked your way up or even how many years it took you to do so. They'll hire you when your skills and personality match their needs.

@PsyGuy

I would flatly refuse to play your game. But have fun with that.

I agree with Heliotrope. I have worked with amazing leaders, mediocre ones, and the odd poor one who causes harm. Leadership is made up of human beings with all their variety. I've also worked with amazing colleagues, mediocre ones, and the odd poor one who causes harm.

There are a lot of smaller or larger but less known international schools--some good, others less so--in Germany. Phorms (in several cities), accadis in Bad Homburg, IS Braunschweig, SIS (in several cities), tons in Berlin, QIS Muenster, and so on.

Many of these are quite international, great places to work, etc. They aren't big or known enough to be tier 1 or to get lots of applications, but don't discount them.

Pretty much!

shadylane wrote:
> Thames Pirate wrote:
>
> Their fees are all lower than Salem's. Some of them by about €12k per year. Salem has
> an international reputation amongst the world's elite that the others don't either.

Not among locals. There have even been some pretty awful negative reports. It has an outsider's elite status that falls flat within the host country.

shadylane wrote:

> It's Germany's most famous boarding school. It is what I believe you might call, an
> 'elite' school.

Perhaps, but Lund, Torgelow, Solling, Birklehof--they are generally all lumped in that category. Plenty of people--rich locals included--that have heard of one but not another of those. I don't know that there is a single school that tops the charts.

OP--If you are figuring on several years before getting to a school like MIS anyway, you may as well do them at either a smaller school in Germany or another IS where you can get curriculum experience, etc. There is nothing wrong with the DODEA option, but you would essentially be teaching in an American school that just happens to be in Germany and probably not IB, either. MIS would probably prefer curriculum experience and experience with an international student body to DODEA. So it really depends on what your ultimate goal is--just living in Germany? Teaching at MIS? Different goals have different routes.

If your goal is just living in Germany, the country is currently experience a teacher shortage. If you can get your language skills up to speed, you could absolutely do a Ref and become a teacher in a German school. Otherwise, just look at the myriad schools that teach in English. Even domestic schools with English as the language of instruction might be a good option. Or consider the DODEA.

But if your goal is MIS or FIS, you will likely be better off going to other ISs for a few years and just applying for every possible vacancy while you gather experience until you get the job you want.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @ Thames Pirate
>
> What would be the Eton or Exeter of Germany?

You are assuming there is one. I wouldn't say there is.

shadylane wrote:
> Thames Pirate wrote:
>
> You will want to move away
> > from big agencies for this; look instead for smaller schools, often
> > boarding schools--schools like Louisenlund or Schloss Salem.
>
> Are you sure about Salem ? I'd heard that it was extremely competitive. Maybe next
> the OP should apply to Eton College in the UK or Exeter Academy in the US if they
> fancy a jaunt in one of those countries ?

Salem is nowhere near the reputation of Eton/Exeter, though it is certainly more known than Lund or some of the myriad other small or boarding schools. I don't know whether or not they hire newly qualified teachers; they might not. But it is one of a great many schools that are off the beaten track of "International School [CityName]" and it was one of the first small schools that came to mind. But it certainly isn't the Eton of Germany.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Brexit will actually improve the situation

NOBODY believes this.

>
> There really isnt a third category of visa holders. Had the UK exited and
> it as the worse it would place UK ITs in the same non-EU category as US or
> other western passport holders. There is no Britan gets punished so it will
> be easier to hire US/AUS/CAN ITs over UK ones.

The biggest problem is and remains the limbo of UK teachers in the EU and vice versa. However, UK teachers who fall under EU rules in other countries might need to get new visas. This process might take time even though Brexit happens overnight, and how each country deals with that is going to be different. It creates uncertainty, and nobody likes that. If a country decides to temporarily send back its British expats, a school with lots of UK teachers could be left with a skeleton staff. It's unlikely, but it's possible. This uncertainty might have made recruiters hesitate.

Doctor wrote:
> In my experience, you will get more offers as an IB/A-level math teacher
> than as an IB/A-level physics teacher, although there are always plenty of
> job teaching physics.
>
> I have to agree with PsyGuy about libraries - they are fast becoming
> obsolete and could be replaced by a good, reliable internet connection. In
> fact, half the time they aren't even called libraries; they are called
> learning centers. Although I still prefer holding a book over a kindle,
> other than assigned reading or text work, I never see my students carrying
> a book.

Sad for your students. Ours can't get enough. Of course, there may be a chicken-egg thing going on.