I guess my question is, do you absolutely know that the city sucks - as in, have you had first-hand experience or is this what you have heard from others. I ask, because people's opinions do differ. One of my favorite places to live was considered to be dusty, hot, and boring my others, whereas where I am currently is considered to be paradise by some, yet I actually dislike it.

I have to disagree about Peace Corps not counting. It helped me quite a bit, particularly at schools that are not in cushy places to live. But in any case, my Peace Corps experience definitely helped me get my first international job.

I am currently doing the online IB training course with Triple A learning. I have been quite happy with it. The school I will be teaching at next year is paying for it, so apparently, they don't have a problem with the online aspect. Since I've never been to a regular workshop, I don't know how they compare.

This sounds similar to the experience I had interviewing with them a few years ago. In may case, the first hour also went well, until we hit the issue of morals. They continuously asked me about my religious background, in a whole variety of ways, which I refused to answer, because I don't believe it is any of their business. Ultimately, I was told that if I was an atheist, QSI was not the right place for me. Luckily, I had already come to the same conclusion myself. I was very put off by their delving into what I believe are personal matters.

I've run into a similar problem, having a California preliminary credential. I've looked into pursuing credentials in other states and Arizona and Missouri look the most promising. That being said, I would love to hear any other suggestions.

I flew with my dog from Africa to Europe. I found the paper work to be the primary problem, made more difficult by the fact that I was in Africa. If you are going to the EU, you will need to check EU regulations, because they are quite strict. I would not rely on what a vet/the airlines tell you. If you do all your research, you should be fine.

The curriculum is certainly different and can take some getting used to, although it depends somewhat on subject as well. I've found the different vocabulary to be a challenge, which is a surprise, considering that I teach match. However, this is something that can be overcome, particularly if one has helpful colleagues.

What I have found more difficult is that the school doesn't seem to be particularly internationally focused. It feels more like we're a British school that happens to be in another country rather than an international school. There seems to be an unwillingness to deal with people coming from other educational systems, particularly in the secondary school. The school also seems to keep itself very separate from other international schools.

Of course, these problems may be particular to my school, but on the whole, it hasn't made me want to teach at another British International School.

Yes, I am doing it. I'm not sure I would again though.