Search found 10789 matches

by PsyGuy
Sun Mar 11, 2012 4:18 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Re: PsyGuy – An Open Letter to the ISR Admin
Replies: 50
Views: 61666

*Sigh*

When your reading the forum your seeing post times reflected based on your own time zone. I'm 5/6 hours ahead of the east coast (depending on DST). So what looks like 1am to you is already morning for me.
by PsyGuy
Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:47 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Missing Home
Replies: 14
Views: 17258

Missing Home

Was reading the going home thread, and wanted to ask what newbies and veterans miss most about where they are from originally?
by PsyGuy
Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:46 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Going home
Replies: 9
Views: 11868

Returning Home

I have a couple issues with returning home:

1) Ive been out of the public school system so long now, and havent kept up on changes in laws regarding curriculum, special ed, assessment, for me going back would almost be like going back as a new teacher again.

2) My classroom management skills havent really been needed. Id maybe have one problem a month tops. My kids in the past have all benn motivated to learn. Not that i couldnt find that back in the USA but a public school would be tough.

3) Ive gotten use to the lifestyle and the money. I dont have a house of my own back in the sattes, and dont even have a car. When i think about registering it, and trying to explain to an insurance agent, why I havent carried liability insurance for 5 years thats not a conversation i want to have. Public schools are paying right around $50K a year and private schools around $35K a year, thats a pretty big cut once you start factoring in housing allowances, etc.

4) The respect and feeling like im part of a noble profession would vanish. Being an educator is values where Ive been, the USA doesnt respect the profession anymore. Attitudes towards teachers back in the states are toxic.

5) I do like the idea of being closer to my family, I havent had thanksgiving dinner with my family in almost a decade, and its been years since I spent Christmas. That would be nice. I also miss mass back home, that would be nice to get back into doing.
Voting would be easier, but I wouldnt miss actually having to do my taxes anymore. If your a big sports fan (outside football, sorry soccer), I could see how making due with televised games when you can would get boring. Its nothing like sitting in the stands at an actual game.

Things I miss about the States, sounds like a new thread
by PsyGuy
Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:30 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: PYP school experiences.
Replies: 4
Views: 7308

PYP

The last two schools (my current one included) had great PYP programs. they were the strongest part of the overall school curriculum. In both schools the success of the programs, rested almost entirely on having experienced veteran PYP trained teachers, who simply had been doing it for years. Neither school hired very many (one maybe 2 tops) new inexperienced PYP teachers, and when my previous school hired 2 new PYP teachers, those two teachers co taught a single classroom, and were heavily mentored.

I have been in schools that have "under developed" PYP programs, they arent bad so much as they just resemble american/european classrooms. Integrated learning isnt a foreign concept outside of PYP, but its not an all encompassing approach either.

PYP coordinators, really dont have anything too do classroom/curriculum wise as long as they have strong teachers. PYP really requires organization, and thinking many moves in advance.
by PsyGuy
Fri Mar 09, 2012 4:21 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Teachanywhere.com
Replies: 9
Views: 27499

Yeah, barely

They mainly work with university students and new graduates, and primarily the public school system (they specialize in internships). Most of their positions are all in low paying schools, and in undesirable locations (like the ME). They are legit, but they cant really do anything special for you, that a real teacher cant do themselves. There are lot of jobs in the ME practically all year. Lastly, they arent "free". If your not paying them the school is, which means that your still paying them.
by PsyGuy
Fri Mar 09, 2012 2:54 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: What does a Search Associates associate actually do?
Replies: 19
Views: 30196

Suggested

I agree with the problem of "expired" vacancies, were the vacancy appears to stay up forever. Id suggested that vacancies have an automatic expiration date, that ould need to be renewed if it was still open. That will never happen though, because the schools are the real clients not the candidates.
by PsyGuy
Fri Mar 09, 2012 1:52 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Istanbul, Turkey ? Opinions ?
Replies: 8
Views: 10823

Istanbul

Winters are generally mild, they feel more like late fall in the USA. It almost never freezes, being so close to the coast insulates them from extreme temperature conditions.

The good salary question is a trick question. Istanbul is a deceptively expensive city, and none of the school offer a truly great salary.
by PsyGuy
Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:42 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: AEON Corporation
Replies: 6
Views: 19700

Well

If your a real international teacher you can do a lot better. If your more interested in just going to Japan for whatever reason and cant get a real job, Aeon, is the best of the big three (Aeon, GEOS, and NOVA). Its a lot of teaching contract hours, but little preparation, and while the salary is the minimum 250KÂ¥ a month you need to really live of off, its about on par with the amount of work you do. Theres nothing to take home with you, so when you punch out for the day your down.
by PsyGuy
Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:37 am
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: APU International School--Ho Chi Minh City
Replies: 6
Views: 15502

Temporary

If you had nothing else to do, and it was JUST for the summer, and you had somewhere better to go at the end of summer it might be bearable. Summer programs arent like the traditional school year, but youd really have to have nothing better to do.
by PsyGuy
Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:45 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Advice/tips regarding Skype interview PLEASE
Replies: 5
Views: 7949

Past Post

There was a pretty complete post on this back in January that you may want to look at, as it addresses the issue pretty well.

http://internationalschoolsreview.com/v ... ight=skype
by PsyGuy
Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:07 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Teacher Skip Day???
Replies: 1
Views: 3743

Teacher Skip Day???

So was today International Teacher Skip day and I didnt get the memo? Usually i log on in the morning post some responses, then by the time bedtime comes around, someone else has posted something and the circle of life repeats itself?
I ask because if today was a Skip Day, and i didnt get forwarded the memo thats not cool.
by PsyGuy
Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:40 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Teacher market mid-February to April ????
Replies: 19
Views: 23915

Research

Keep us (me) updated Id be interested to see how long it takes for you to get a position, and how much time/effort you put into it.

Many veteran teachers get positions while only having to expend minimal resources. Even newbie teachers succeed eventually at some point (it just takes longer, due to shifts in the supply and demand market).
by PsyGuy
Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:37 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Yew Chung International Schools
Replies: 72
Views: 171334

Maybe

What this poster may be saying is they would have liked to stay, but they cant adapt to the particular culture/environment of the school, and they cant stay because the administration recognizes the uncompromisable fit and decided not to renew the contract. The poster is attempting to identify a primary factor in why the work relationship didnt work out.
by PsyGuy
Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:13 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Teacher market mid-February to April ????
Replies: 19
Views: 23915

Well

I hope youre successful, if for some reason your not, at least no one will be able to say you didnt give it your best shot.

Lastly, dont be too over dependent on job aggregators (like Search, Joy, TIE, etc), many positions never get posted on anything more then the schools own HR website. You might want to great a Bookmark page of your top pick schools and just visit their HR websites regulrley.
by PsyGuy
Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:26 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Yew Chung International Schools
Replies: 72
Views: 171334

Not Really

I havent heard anything really different about either location (HK or Shanghai) from last year. Most of the improvements were more talk then action, and certainly nothing thats created any noteworthy results. I dont expect anything to be truly different for next year either.