I have info. What would you like to know?

I was hired by a 'good' South American school after interviewing via Skype, however I had experience at other top -tier international schools.

Yesterday my answer would have been "Me too"

Until this morning, when I opened up my email and saw an email requesting an interview from a school that I had sent my CV to a month ago & had completely given up hope on. So, I guess you never know.

In S. America, teach 5 out of 8, but one of the plan periods is used for team meetings.

During a particularly wonderful stint in SE Asia, taught 4 of 8, but also had a lot of meetings during plan blocks.

Be very careful with Brazil. I would ask to speak with some employees currently on staff. Brazil is shockingly expensive- for just about everything- and the quality is not good. Also, the taxes are quite high. You pay a lot and get very little in return. The infrastructure is poor, the roads & sidewalks are not well maintained. There is not good public transport available or nice parks to enjoy. So, make sure you will be making enough to live on. While I was in Brazil, they didn't take enough out of my pay so suddenly I would get an email from HR letting me know I owed $4000 for taxes this year- not fun.

I have heard legends about schools flying their employees business class (usually just for the first flight into the school & last flight out back home after completing their contract) but is it actually true?

Does anyone know of schools that actually do this? And if so, could you tell us which schools?

My thought (hope) is that interviews are going to people that are applying to many schools. This time around, I am applying only to a few selective schools where I really want to work.

So, the people that are garnering these early interviews, and thus jobs, are hopefully getting them at schools that were not on my radar.

In actuality, that's kind of what it sounds like. I have no desire to work in Southeast Asia (it's a great area, but I have already been there, so I am setting my sights elsewhere) and it seems that some people who are having success getting interviews are doing so in just that area.

Really, it works in my favor. When the jobs/interviews do become available at the schools I want to work at, people who have already accepted jobs at the schools they want to work at will not be competition.

FYI- I recently applied and was told that they are exclusively hiring teaching couples at this time.

Hi-

I have put out a couple CV's and nothing.

I have seen on here that a few people have already managed to get interviews. So, for those of you that have, congratulations! And a few questions.

1. Are you applying as a single or a couple?
2. What geographic region are the schools that are interviewing located in?
3. Do you teach a hard to fill subject area?

Thanks!

I say wait for the letters of reference

" No admin in their right mind is going to write a different reference for each application."

I think that's a pretty sad statement. After dedicating years of your professional life to a school, I feel that's the least your admin can do for you. If your direct supervisor can not comment on your instructional practice in the class and what makes it outstanding, then I think that's a poor reflection of people's priorities within a school. Shouldn't admin know what;s going on in people's classes?

I agree putting all these documents together for recruiting is frustrating, and that the schools we apply to could just as easily look at our files on Search but maybe they have a process where they begin by looking at the files we send in & if they see something they like, then they move onto the confidential references on the Search file?

It is by far the best package in Sao Paulo. Regionally I think it is pretty good. If you have a lot of bills in the States you will not fare as well as the value of the real against the dollar continues to fall.

American kids do fine. There are a lot of teacher kids and a lot of kids whose parents work for companies of for the US consulate. That being said, the majority of kids are Brazilian - maybe 45%, but Americans probably make up the next largest demographic. There are also a lot of kids from Korea & other parts of South & Central America.

Portuguese is spoken in the hallways. Brazilian is the dominant culture of the school, but it does still have an international flavor. The international kids tend to do well socially and academically.

The working hours were officially 8-4, though everyone put in additional time either at school or at home planning, grading, emailing. It is a demanding school. Prep periods were often taken up with meetings, so you were left to find time to get these things done on your own time.

It is rather tight - knit, but because of the size & layout of the city, people tend to cluster with those in their neighborhood. I believe the retention rate was around 5-6 years. The school is good but demanding, Sao Paulo can be a difficult city.

As far as safety, in my personal experience, I had heard of people being careless & being involved in theft (purse or cell phone stolen) but no one had come to any physical danger that I was aware of in my time there.

What specifically do you want to know about Graded? It is a very good school. In a lot of ways it is more American than International. You will work very hard there. The hours are long and a lot is expected of you. That being said, the kids are wonderful and you will have some amazing, professional colleagues that you can potentially learn a great deal from.

The package can vary from great to fair depending on how the real (local currency in which you are paid) is faring against your home currency.

If you have more specific questions, just ask!

Thanks for the reply Walter. But actually, I as interested in schools that specifically will hire people with US passports- American School of the Hague, American School of London, American International School of Budapest, International School of Prague, etc.

I know I could go to Search London but since it is in January will all those schools know of their available positions at that time? I thought employees of schools in Europe sometimes had a little more time to decide if they were leaving. Could some of these schools be recruiting at Cambridge as well? or is that too late in the season?

I am registered with Search & would really like to work in Europe. I know it is highly competitive, but I have done my time in Asia & Africa, both at top tier schools.

I would be attending the job fair as a single. Which job fair would afford me the best chance of being hired at an international school in Europe?