We left China 2 years ago...my final year the Chinese government did institute a tax that foreigners did have to pay. It's a tax where you do get the money back when you leave China. Our school had worked out a deal where the collection and return were done through the school so we didn't have to work directly with the government to get the money back. At our income level, it was not a huge burden, but it was noticeable. If you are looking at working for school in China you may want to ask about that tax and how the school handles it.

For state/federal income tax, you don't pay it in China and you don't pay it in the US if you are under the exclusion.

I would say register with Search or ISS to be in the pool and see what's available. I would also be very open to places you might not think of...we've had great experiences personally and professionally in places we that weren't on our radar. For us as parents, having a good fit for our kids is as (or more) important for our peace of mind. Finally, we had a very good idea of what we needed to earn to meet our financial obligations and goals...then it was easy to see that some great places were just not right for us at that particular point in time. For CVs, emphasize your experience and ability to contribute--good schools want ambitious teachers who can contribute to areas beyond the classroom. We knew nothing about international education when we started and we landed great jobs. It can happen!

This legitimate question is a prime example of why people are so irritated on this forum.

The original poster asked, "But I'm wondering if there are schools out there that make provisions for more than two kids. I'm on my way to becoming an administrator as well - are there more provisions for admin than teachers in this regard? Do any of you out there have 3 or more kids that would care to comment on your experience?"

Several people chimed in that they either had 3 children and were teaching abroad or know families who were successful. Some of those posters acknowledged that it would add a another layer of potential challenge to the job search.

ASKED. AND. ANSWERED.

Everything else is arguing for the sake of scoring points on someone.

Being admin. would help you in some cases, as schools can be more flexible that way. We were overseas doing development work (experienced teachers but not working specifically as teachers and our first time overseas) in Africa. We were accepted by Search with 3 children. Things may have changed, though, in that respect. From our experience and people I've watched, 3 kids will limit your options.

I should also mention that we know a family with 3 children who were hired at the American School of Doha.

I would disagree that kids are career killers. Everywhere I go, everyone I meet, there are lots of kids at international schools that are teachers's kids. I know there are schools that for certain reasons do strongly prefer no kids or singles, but there are PLENTY of jobs for families with children. The 3rd child thing is tricky--we lucked out at a big resourced school that took 3, but definitely we would have had a lot of limitations trying to find a job at a school that would suit us and take 3 kids. We went overseas with 3 children, but if I had 2 children and was already overseas, I would definitely not have had a 3rd.

If you land a spot in SE Asia, you have the opportunity to have house help for child care so you don't have to be a stay home mom. Our current school in Saudi has nurseries on campus so parents can bring their babies in to work.

Again, it's not impossible but with 3 kids it is very challenging.

The International School of Beijing and Hong Kong International School allow 3 dependents. We're currently in Saudi which also allows 3 dependents--and a number of colleagues here worked for QSI schools and have 3+ kids. It seems that some schools with big money or schools that have a harder time recruiting may be more likely to allow more than 2, but having 3 children is definitely a compromising factor. At one point we thought we would have to change jobs with 3 children, one approaching his senior year. We were offered 2 jobs where we offered to pay for all costs of out oldest since it would be just for 1 year--flights, insurance, tuition--and were turned down.

I think the situation really highlights the vulnerability of international teachers and students, whatever the country. International schools don't have the community and social services that we often rely on in our home countries when something happens and we are often at the mercy of legal systems we don't understand and may not be transparent. Schools need to take steps to ensure that children are protected, and also that teachers are as well. The recent case of the teacher that molested children all over the world before killing himself showed that we are all vulnerable and need to take every precaution possible.

PsyGuy, your response shows why you are so disliked. Saying "that's not a success story..." is not an appropriate comment and it comes off as belligerent. We needed to make the transition and CHOSE Saudi for a 2-3 year period, primarily because the money allowed us to meet college tuition payments for our son as well as gain the experience. Yes, we could have gotten that without a fair, but the fact was, we didn't. So we chose a job fair. We took this particular job rather than waiting for tentative offers from other schools. WE considered it a success in that we were able to gain the experience needed and move on and we were able to move forward with college tuition. We knew what we were going into, we knew why we were doing it, and we ended up pulling out of other interviews in order to fit our needs--and we're not huge risk-takers, so we selected the position that ticked our boxes. Since this current job allowed us to do all of that, yes, I do consider it a success.

We told our principals and HOS in the fall (October) when we needed to ask for references. We told them we were going to be exploring options but would not be attending job fairs (which was true) so they would be prepared for calls. I think that that's fair time, since schools will start to think about possible openings in the fall and some ask for yes, no, or tentative (non-binding) feedback in the fall.

Also, in all cases, we applied to all schools directly as well before the fair season. Our goal is always to catch a job before the fairs! We had 2 interviews at different schools before taking the job this year (before the job fair) and all of them were schools that we had interviewed at 2 years before and were told "not current classroom experience" so that felt great, too--we had made a positive impression and were remembered. I would always recommend targeting schools and working (and it is HARD work) to make contact and get hired before the fairs, but also knowing that you may well end up at one anyway.

My husband had been an MS humanities teacher before doing admin (dean, principal, communications) before wanting to return to the classroom. The first feelers we put out were positive, but there was a pretty consistent concern about his time out of the classroom. Bangkok was the closest fair for us at that time, so we registered. Then friends told us about Melbourne--it really wasn't that much more to tack that onto the Bangkok fair so we decided to do both since they're back to back. Melbourne was great for our first fair--lots and lots of experienced teachers, but not many with international experience. Coming from a big tier 1 school we stood out very positively. The negative was that once they found out we would be at Bangkok many school wanted to wait before offering things. Because we had heard a consistent of needing classroom experience again message, we decided not to be too picky and ended up in Saudi--great money and we knew we'd only be here for a short time. Worked out for us--we were here 2 years and are moving onward and upward.

When we got to Bangkok I was astonished at how "game-on" it was. Everyone in suits, everyone very focused, very intense. We had interviews from Melbourne going into Bangkok as well, but I was glad that BKK wasn't my first job fair. I would have been really stressed.

Melbourne is not really near anywhere, but there were a lot of top tier schools as well as a variety of others. The asset for us was that our experience overseas with a good school made us stand out. That was a huge factor for our confidence and comfort. If you can find a fair with that feel, go for it--but don't shy away from the big fairs, either, if Search accepts you. I worked with 4-5 teachers that had 3-5 years of US only experience (elementary, learning support, MS humanities, and music) and were hired at our tier 1 school.

Yes, Saudi is repressive and has a terrible record of human rights. Yes, woman are 2nd class citizens--although the statistics that women still earn 77 cents to a man's dollar makes me remember that women are not on completely equal footing in developed countries as well. No, we can't drive. EVERYONE knows that. I'm here right now and have been for 2 years--and what PsyGuy is describing in terms of male behavior I have not observed. I won't say it doesn't happen, but in the Eastern Province where I live, and in the places I've visited, that would not be what I've experienced. We didn't come here for the money, but we got what we needed and are moving on--part of the reason is, in fact, the culture of life here. It is very sterile and, for us, boring--and we're homebodies. I don't have to cover my head (although I have when I've had to visit government offices that rarely deal with Westerners out of respect and a desire to get whatever it was I came there for). Not driving is a pain, but not the end of the world. Honestly, the biggest irritant is having to coordinate around the prayer schedule which, when you're working, hits right at the best times to get things done. Come for the money. Come for the experience. Come to get a peek inside a country that many only judge from the outside. There are lots of reasons to come, and there are lots of reasons not to. But make sure you get information from sources that are accurate.

I have not seen or heard of harassment, although i suppose it might happen--I've usually found it the opposite, except around one area on weekend nights when the young guys cruise and will shout and catcall just about anyone. Usually I'm overlooked or ignored by being a woman, even by Saudi cashiers sometimes. One benefit of being a 2nd class citizen, though, it that often you get ushered to the front of a line. I've bypassed long lines at the airport, at some shops and other service places. Often if they see you alone, they'll move you to the front. It's a small benefit, but if the lines are 2+ hours long at passport control at the airport, I'll take the attitude of getting rid of me if it gets me to the front of the line!

Saudi is definitely much more restrictive than the rest of the ME. Everyone knows about no pork, no drinking, no movies, no nightlife and that's true. The prayer schedule and Islam runs the daily life and so everything revolves around the prayer schedule which is inconvenient and inefficient at times. Right now there is an uptick in tensions so things feel less settled, but it will go back down, I'm sure. The overall life here is very much in a bubble and very safe. The biggest pain for single females is that because you can't drive, you are relegated to taxis all the time. My school provides a monthly stipend for single women for taxis and most compounds run buses to groceries stores and other places in town on a regular basis, so that does help. The single woman I work with have no complaints about life in Saudi other than the things that we all complain about on and off. The dating pool, of course, is liable to be somewhat limited, if that's a factor for a single person.

Those EAL positions are supported by 10 LS teachers, including early reading specialists, so they are actual EAL teachers that work with children to develop English language skills, especial academic language proficiency. They are not reading specialists.