How common is it at your school for admin to 'encourage' teachers to 'help' students so much with IB work that the teachers are basically doing the work for the student? In particular, the kind of work or writing that will be externally assessed.

Interesting. I've noticed a great number of PE teachers-turned-admin. These have their own set of issues in "leadership."

Is this school in a city that begins with a D, by any chance?

Psyguy, no American academic would agree with the following:

"No, of the Unis listed (Harvard, Yale) are members of the Ivy "League", an NCAA athletic conference, which @shopaholic identified. Its not equal to the term "Ivy" when used in context of IE. The UK also has its equivalent of 'Ivys', these are known as the golden triangle unis and I typically only include OxBridge of them when referring to 'Ivys' in the IE context."

PERHAPS some people in the UK refer to the Oxbridge unis as "Ivy", though I'm shocked that, given the number of people I know who attended these schools, I've never heard the term applied this way. But, OK, maybe?

The 8 schools I listed in the American Ivy League are the ONLY schools considered "Ivy" in American academia...this isn't just a sport league. There are some non-Ivies that enjoy a strong reputation, such as MIT, etc., but they aren't Ivy.

Evidence: I attended an "Ivy." I had professors from the UK Oxbridge schools, and they didn't refer to their universities as "Ivy." I work with someone who did a doctorate at Cambridge, and he insists that Cambridge is not "an Ivy."

I believe that you may have heard the term applied to schools such as Harvard, and somehow in your mind confused it as a sort of umbrella term for any prestigious uni.

What are your credentials, exactly, Psyguy? I've been following your posts for a while, and I'm interested.

Columbia IS Ivy League.

There are 8 Ivies. Ivy League schools are:

Havard
Yale
Princeton
Brown
Columbia
Dartmouth
Cornell
University of Pennsylvania

PsyGuy, the problem that has arisen in the past year or so is that, while both DO let you create a profile, many schools are now requiring Search candidate teachers to complete a Schrole profile in addition to a Search profile. These schools indicate this in their own Search profile and link to their Schrole app from their school Search profile. So you would create a profile on Search, and then find out that to apply to some schools in the Search database, you had to also complete a Schrole profile. My own Search agent acknowledged this and had no solution except to just complete the Schrole profile. Very time consuming, so it is good Search is trying to create an alternative.

Looking at Search's database now, it seems that they already have the "Apli" application system up and running, and there are schools using it instead of Schrole. I think Search is going to remain the stronger recruitment agency, to be honest.

In IT, it is possible. I've seen people with no teaching experience work as admin, usually because they have connections with the owner of a school or company. But none of these people were good at their jobs. Your husband might be the nicest person in the world, but if he hasn't ever taught, he has no business leading or advising teachers. He will not be good at it with no practical experience, and he will probably end up relying heavily on the advice of a select few teachers to inform his decisions. This will lead to mistakes. He will not be popular among his staff.

But I am sure he can get a job in IT admin if he wants anyway.

It means they are responding to Search's own solution to helping schools manage applications in a way that will render it unnecessary for teachers to fill out both Schrole and Search profiles.

Here's part of a message Search sent to its candidates in February:

"International schools are now accessible through a simple google search or through social media and many schools are receiving an overwhelming number of emails regarding open vacancies. The result is many of our schools are having a difficult time managing the high number of inquiries from educators around the globe. The answer, for some, was to begin directing candidates to complete an online application either through their school website or through a particular application management system they may be using. I am sure many of you have already had to go through this process in order to apply for a vacancy with one of our member schools. We also understand how frustrating this has been for many of you.

In response to this trend, Search Associates has now launched our own application management system specifically for our member schools. Let me introduce you to “APli by Search Associates”."

The message goes on to explain that APli will be a system that even teachers who are not Search candidates can use to apply.

It seems that Search is designing an application system meant to take on Schrole and make life easier for schools and teachers.

1. Wire the money from your European account to your US account,

or

2. Use Paypal to send the money from a PP account linked with your EU account to a PP accounted linked with your US account. Then use Paypal to transfer the money from the PP account linked with your US account to that US bank account.

I thought they contacted each place where you said you've worked? I hadn't realized one of the schools I worked at years ago had closed, and have no contact info from that year, so this worried me.

I just learned that not one but two of the schools where I have worked is closed. Does anybody know if this will affect my ability to get a visa in a WE country? I don't have contact info from anybody at one of the closed schools.

So you only had one pair of school pants, and when they split you were forced to wear jeans? I advise that you invest in a professional wardrobe for your new post. You should have multiple changes of clothes to wear to school. This is part of presenting yourself as a professional.

If your current school is really planning to contact your new school, even though there are only a few months left in the year, or to fire you, maybe you could take a "medical leave." I had a colleague who got a local physical to write him off for an extended period of time for "stress".

It really is important to return student work quickly, not just end of term assessments but all homework.

"When the school head does like you, what can you expect on the job?" The school head doesn't KNOW you yet. He doesn't like or dislike you at this point. You are a recently recruited teacher they expect to start in the autumn.

But it sounds like you have already decided that, despite the reassurance and advice of multiple posters, you are being badly treated and you plan to break the contract. In my opinion, this is a mistake, and it could/should hurt your job prospects for the future. It is unprofessional to sign a contract and then back out. Next time, ask about the visa process after they make you an offer and before you sign the contract. I suppose you will be unable/unwilling to work in any country whose visa process requires you to do some extra steps, but at least you'll know.

Sometimes you do have to do a lot of work for the visa yourself, and this isn't the school's fault. I'm moving to a very good school next year and am currently dong more work to obtain all documents for visa purposes than I have done for any other school/country in the past. This isn't the school's fault, but the regulations for this country are just tougher than others.

In my opinion, it would be very unprofessional for you to break contract now. I don't think you have been mistreated, and I don't see any red flags here. This is a busy time of the school year and it is important to remember that people at your new school are occupied with getting kids ready for May exams and other spring procedures.

But I would advise that you be sure about a school before signing a contract in the future. Coming in with a bad attitude about the school, or feeling prepared to look for mistreatment from the start, is not going to get you off to a smooth start.