senator wrote:
> And the health problems may not show up for years.
>
> Think about this: You're in bed sucking on an oxygen mask. And you can't
> help wondering if it is all because you wanted to teach in China.
>
> And we haven't even talked about the food and water pollution.

My best friend is Chinese. Food safety is a real issue.

splendid wrote:
> Would the pollution in China stop you from taking on great
> teaching/international opportunities/experiences for you and your family? I
> am especially curious about Macao, Hong Kong, and Quingdao. Would
> appreciate any feedback from those of you who have lived or visited these
> cities. Thanks.

Hell, yes. There's nothing so important as your health.

Maybe you've never been somewhere where the pollution is so bad you're afraid to breathe and want to retreat to the inside as soon as possible. I have. It is NOT fun.

alexout wrote:
> It's really going to depend on the individual school, but I've seen more
> respect for older teachers in the Middle East than in Western Europe.

Thanks.

My experience suggests that Search will drop you faster than a hot potato if you prove to be a problem. You're like a share of stock to them. If the promise of dividend decreases or disappears, Search will move on. Search doesn't "work for you"; Search works for itself. You're a means to an end. And it's not your end they're worried about.

Thanks to both of you. What is "WE"?

I'm older now (57) and will soon be looking for a new job internationally. I'm fully aware that, by policy or not, age discrimination exists--or at least, in some places, a "preference" for younger teachers exists.

I'm not here to rail against this. Rather, I'm more interested in finding out where I should direct my energies and where I should just forget it.

In your experience, where are older teachers valued?

Thanks!

When I taught at a school in Germany, I was intensely happy, believing I had found the life I had always imagined. I had no desire to teach at another school. Yet some of my colleagues seemed to be following a different path, moving from one school to another every two years. I never understood that, for I knew how rare really good environments and schools were, and I knew we weren't likely to find much better out there. But they came and went anyway.

Are you a mover or a stayer? And if you're a mover, why?

I agree that places that house reviews are likely to get an abundance of negative ones. When people are happy, they tend not to need to vent their happiness. In fact, they might actually not want to spread the word in order to keep the place a relative secret.

What I've done in the past is contacted teachers actually working at a place. You can often find at least names and often contact information of teachers without too much trouble. One time this approach led me to believe that a place I was considering was a great bet. The other time it led me to turn down an offer.

On turning down an offer based upon personal conversations, though, I will say this: You do have to be careful of your source, whether written or spoken. For that reason, I think nothing beats a personal visit, when possible.

It's been my experience that the easiest places to apply to were also the best, most enlightened to work at. Just say no to the stupid, idiosyncratic forms. Behind them are often stupid, idiosyncratic people.

I expect two impacts to international educators as a result of the election of Trump:

1. There will be more teachers looking to "get out" and thus turning to international education as an option. Use me as a data point. Result: more competition for jobs.

2. The reputations of the United States and Americans as a whole, which have declined since the Bush years, will only get worse. Result: more reluctance to hire Americans, when other options are possible, justified by less demand for American teachers, especially at the university level. There was a time when America and Americans were seen as "in" and "cool." That time is gone.

All in all, not a good thing for American teachers in the international job market.