I have been following ISR for about a month and have noticed that most of the reviews are not positive in nature. I have also noticed that many of the schools reviewed have submissions from three or more teachers and, in most cases, the reviews seem to substantiate the same point of view. I am starting to get the picture that if a school is not reviewed in ISR it may be safe to assume that it is a positive place to work.
Yes, there are some very positive reviews in ISR but these are not the norm. It eems that people who are happy with their teaching situation are not motivated to write a review, while those teachers that are unhappy with their school are energized to tell the rest of us about their bad experience. This is just my perception of things and thought I would share it. Best of luck this recruiting season. ISR has already helped me to avoid what could be a bad situation.
ISR reviews cover many schools I want to avoid.
-
guest
Glad I joined ISR
Dear ISR,
I recently joined your site and am very glad I did. I was considering a particular school but after reading reviews by four different teachers about this school I could see that accepting a contract would be a big mistake. Thank you ISR!!!
I recently joined your site and am very glad I did. I was considering a particular school but after reading reviews by four different teachers about this school I could see that accepting a contract would be a big mistake. Thank you ISR!!!
-
Guest
Tom- I agree with you to a point. It seems that many disgruntled teachers find this a good place to vent. Because many schools only have 1-3 reviews, I am left to wonder whether it really *is* a bad school, or whether a few teachers have had bad experiences (which can happen at the best of schools).
-
Guest
Should have listened!
I worked with a couple that decided to move on to a new school. They were offered a job in Kuwait. The reviews of the school on the ISR web site painted a bleak picture. Still they went ahead and took the job. The last email I received from them described how poorly they were being treated and that they had resigned, effective at the end of this year. Yes, they broke contract. They also told me they wish they would have listened to what was being said on the ISR web site about the school. They just figured it was a couple of unhappy people blowing off steam. Wrong!!!
It looks to me that the same schools on this site continue to get poor reviews and the better schools continue to get good reviews. Some of the experiences these teachers had point out that some schools are strictly for profit and the teachers are just cogs in a big money making wheel. Go ahead and jump in - I've had my share of bad experiences and the ISR site has helped me avoid another. I'm at a great school now and it's a school that got great reviews on the site.
It looks to me that the same schools on this site continue to get poor reviews and the better schools continue to get good reviews. Some of the experiences these teachers had point out that some schools are strictly for profit and the teachers are just cogs in a big money making wheel. Go ahead and jump in - I've had my share of bad experiences and the ISR site has helped me avoid another. I'm at a great school now and it's a school that got great reviews on the site.
-
tere2147@yahoo.com
Using ISR
1.) I wish I had ISR when I started in overseas education 15 years ago.
2.) As one poster said it, take the reviews with a grain of salt, but just a grain. There are definitely two sides to every story.
3.) Find out how many years a negative poster has been overseas: Dhaka is not Peoria, Illinois.
4.) Even the bad experiences can teach you much about human nature. I once had the Italian Carabinieri draw their machine guns on me because my landlord didn't pay the garbage tax. We laugh now about it, but it's what makes you human.
5.) As a former head of school, I know I screwed up a few times, but never paint everyone with the same brush. This is the one rule I would never tolerate breaking.
2.) As one poster said it, take the reviews with a grain of salt, but just a grain. There are definitely two sides to every story.
3.) Find out how many years a negative poster has been overseas: Dhaka is not Peoria, Illinois.
4.) Even the bad experiences can teach you much about human nature. I once had the Italian Carabinieri draw their machine guns on me because my landlord didn't pay the garbage tax. We laugh now about it, but it's what makes you human.
5.) As a former head of school, I know I screwed up a few times, but never paint everyone with the same brush. This is the one rule I would never tolerate breaking.
-
Nutella
I think that this website is a valuable resource.
I have noticed over the last 2 years that there are indeed schools that keep receiving poor reviews.
There are schools and directors that are not on the list of reviewd schools/directors and I believe that this is because those schools are well-run.
I am glad to be a member of this site as it allows me to weigh my decisions carefully and gives a nice "smack of reality".
Even if I ever do end up at a school that received bad reviews, I will be prepared.
I have noticed over the last 2 years that there are indeed schools that keep receiving poor reviews.
There are schools and directors that are not on the list of reviewd schools/directors and I believe that this is because those schools are well-run.
I am glad to be a member of this site as it allows me to weigh my decisions carefully and gives a nice "smack of reality".
Even if I ever do end up at a school that received bad reviews, I will be prepared.