I work for DoDEA/DoDDS now. We're DoDEA now. At any rate I'll try and answer all of your questions. I'm stationed in Japan.

In truth, yes you do get blackballed if you do not accept an assignment if you checked that you were willing to move to the region on your application profile. They do have a lot of applicants to choose from, however not all of them will be eligible to work for DoDEA/DoDDS.

You can ship your car to anywhere in the world, including Japan. In Japan you will pay a major tax on it and will have to have it modified to meet Japan's emission standards. Used cars a dirt cheap here in Japan. I paid $4,000 for a used mini-van with great miles and very clean.

We do get a very generous housing allowance, called LQA (Living Quarters Allowance) that varies based on where you live and how many dependents you bring over. We also get COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) which also depends on where you live and how many dependents you bring over. COLA is the % of cost-of-living over Washington D.C. In Japan, where I am stationed, with 3 dependents I make an addition $700 per paycheck.

We can live off-base, or on. Some bases require us to live off-base. Some bases require us to live on-base. It is up to the CO (Commanding Officer) of the base to set the policy.

We can shop tax-free on base at both the commissary and BX/NEX. Some bases have really nice, and big commissaries and BX/NEX's. Some have really small ones that are no larger than a 7-11, or even smaller. We can even eat on base tax-free at various fast food places like Burger King, McDonalds, or Subway. Some bases have Chilies. Others have Outback Steakhouse, or another chain like that.

Academic standards are about as low as you can get. There is no bar whatsoever. Due to the lact of professional development DoDEA/DoDDS is at least 5 years behind their stateside counterparts. The teachers have a very strong union that fights everything. Teachers show up to work in shorts and flip-flops, or jeans and tennis shoes. There isn't a high level of professionalism among the staff and they are all very old school in their teaching. There are very few teachers that would be considered cutting-edge.

Up until this year you could transfer to other locations, but budget cuts cut that down this year. Only about 140 teachers were able to get transfers.

The good news for those of you looking to join us is that there are a lot of open positions that didn't get filled, mostly in Korea, which they will be hiring from CONUS if there aren't any military dependents qualified to fill the position. We are 2nd class behind the military as we are here to support their mission. So while we make more money than they do, we get lower priority for everything. Korea is also a 1 year RAT (Return Authorized Travel). So if you get hired in Korea you'll get to go back to your HOR (Home of Record) every year. If you take RAT you are agreeing to teach for an additional year, 2 years if you are at a 2 year RAT location.

Behavior issues are generally mild depending on where you are. Here in Japan it's stupid stuff like sagging, ditching and smoking. Rarely any fights, or anything serious like drugs, since they are banned in Japan.

We do travel on Offical Passports, but they don't get you any special priviledges unless you are flying with an American carrier. Some of them will upgrade you to to Business Class when they see your passport. We also get issued Military ID cards which does get you military discounts on things back in States.

We are here under SOFA (Status of Forces Agreements) and are subjected to many of the same laws as our host-nation. Serious crimes committed off-base can be tried in their court system. We must follow their rules. Weapons of any kind are banned in Japan, so if a member of our bases security force leaves base with their weapon and they are caught they could go to Japanese prinson.

To be honest the gig isn't all that it's cracked up to be if you want to work with dedicated professionals that want to collaborate, and try new ideas. If you want to just get by by doing your mininium then DoDEA is the place for you. You'd be surprised at how many teachers barely even do that.

If I can answer any other questions please feel free to ask them. I'm new here as I'm looking at going the International School route. I really want to grow as a teacher and have access to the latest in PD, which DoDEA doesn't have. We are PowerPointed to death constantly.