Hello all,
I'm a veteran teacher soon to complete 20 years here in La. I'm seriously thinking of taking the 20-year retirement package and try international teaching. I've been searching and reading many websites for the past few weeks, and now I've stumbled upon this website!
There is certainly lots of food for thought here, and I realize that I have to carefully investigate schools, placement firms, etc. I certainly know what it can be like working under an administration who likes to micromanage and "lord it over" everyone. I definitely don't want this to happen to me. I was looking forward to enjoying myself living and working in a foreign country (I studied in France 2 years a long time ago) after working here for 20 years. What are your opinions, veteran teachers of the international circuit? Is it riskier than one would think? Do I need to rethink plunging into the international circuit?
I've been on the DODDS website, and I liked everything I read. They seem to "take care of you," and all information you could ever want to know is there for the reading.
Any thoughts on this drastic career move I am about to embark on?
Thank you,
William
World of Intl Schools Seems a Bit Scary???
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Doesn't have to be scary
From reading what's here, I understand your hesitation.
Having taught in public and private schools in the US as well as in international schools, I would say that most of what's written here could also apply to schools in the States. My guess is that if there were a website devoted to schools within any particular state in the US, there would be an equal amount of exceptionally negative commentary, just like there is here.
I think it's important to realize that there are a number of people who think that they may enjoy international education, but once they get into the field they find it's not for them. Sometimes they will admit it, sometimes they won't. I have worked at one of the schools that has received a number of very bad reviews on this site. I agree that it's a bad place to work, but I do disagree with most of the reviews. The bad reviews that I can verify have outright fabrications, significant ommissions and were mostly written by people who were miserable and had largely alienated themselves from the school community due to their own actions. The downside of this site is that it's pretty hard to figure out what's balanced commentary and what isn't. I'm particularly amused when administrators are called micro-managers, since most administrators I've worked with have been called near-criminally negligent and hopeless micro-managers in the same day at schools where I've worked.
At the same time, there is a risk associated with working in an international school, as the investment you make to get a job in one is higher, and it can be harder to get out of a bad situation. Then again, I have several colleagues in the States in truly horrible situations in both public and private schools who feel trapped where they are due to mortgages, difficulty finding a good job in the same area they're in, not wanting to have their kids change schools - there are many possible reasons. So in some ways it's not that different.
Having said that, here are a few things I've noticed over time that guide my own choices when looking for an international school:
1. If the salary is really low compared to the US, it's probably an under-resourced school where the educational enviroment (and compensation) isn't that important. While this is not universally true, I would be very careful about schools with low tuition and low salaries. I would be especially careful about school directors who claim that they low salaries are a reflection of a low local cost of living, and that you can easily get by on making substantially less than the average US salary. Many of your costs will the the same, you have to watch your savings more and you're going to want to travel - so the low cost of day-to-day living will only go so far.
2. Be wary of proprietary schools. Most US citizens wouldn't dream of working in a proprietary school in the US, yet are willing to do so overseas, which makes no sense to me. I can't speak for teachers from other English-speaking countries, since I don't know about proprietary schools in those countries. While there may be some good proprietary schools out there, I have yet to hear of one.
3. A parent-owned school with low tuition and salaries is probably going to be a disappointment, in that the main goal will be to keep costs low.
Even so, I have seen people thrive in situations that I have found intolerable. A lot of it comes down to knowing what you're going to find acceptable. Too many people get into international education thinking that it's going to be a lot like their experiences as tourists, get bad cases of culture shock, and get stuck in the place where they can't get perspective on it. The very worst culture shock I ever had was at a public school in the US with a fantastic reputation. I was completely out of place and miserable. It wasn't until after I left that I had enough perspective to see the extent that my own unrealistic expectations and lack of personal and professional flexibility contributed to the situation.
So if you're interested in international education, give it a shot. Just make sure you do your homework on the schools and on yourself. If you do that, the odds are that you'll have a very rewarding experience.
Having taught in public and private schools in the US as well as in international schools, I would say that most of what's written here could also apply to schools in the States. My guess is that if there were a website devoted to schools within any particular state in the US, there would be an equal amount of exceptionally negative commentary, just like there is here.
I think it's important to realize that there are a number of people who think that they may enjoy international education, but once they get into the field they find it's not for them. Sometimes they will admit it, sometimes they won't. I have worked at one of the schools that has received a number of very bad reviews on this site. I agree that it's a bad place to work, but I do disagree with most of the reviews. The bad reviews that I can verify have outright fabrications, significant ommissions and were mostly written by people who were miserable and had largely alienated themselves from the school community due to their own actions. The downside of this site is that it's pretty hard to figure out what's balanced commentary and what isn't. I'm particularly amused when administrators are called micro-managers, since most administrators I've worked with have been called near-criminally negligent and hopeless micro-managers in the same day at schools where I've worked.
At the same time, there is a risk associated with working in an international school, as the investment you make to get a job in one is higher, and it can be harder to get out of a bad situation. Then again, I have several colleagues in the States in truly horrible situations in both public and private schools who feel trapped where they are due to mortgages, difficulty finding a good job in the same area they're in, not wanting to have their kids change schools - there are many possible reasons. So in some ways it's not that different.
Having said that, here are a few things I've noticed over time that guide my own choices when looking for an international school:
1. If the salary is really low compared to the US, it's probably an under-resourced school where the educational enviroment (and compensation) isn't that important. While this is not universally true, I would be very careful about schools with low tuition and low salaries. I would be especially careful about school directors who claim that they low salaries are a reflection of a low local cost of living, and that you can easily get by on making substantially less than the average US salary. Many of your costs will the the same, you have to watch your savings more and you're going to want to travel - so the low cost of day-to-day living will only go so far.
2. Be wary of proprietary schools. Most US citizens wouldn't dream of working in a proprietary school in the US, yet are willing to do so overseas, which makes no sense to me. I can't speak for teachers from other English-speaking countries, since I don't know about proprietary schools in those countries. While there may be some good proprietary schools out there, I have yet to hear of one.
3. A parent-owned school with low tuition and salaries is probably going to be a disappointment, in that the main goal will be to keep costs low.
Even so, I have seen people thrive in situations that I have found intolerable. A lot of it comes down to knowing what you're going to find acceptable. Too many people get into international education thinking that it's going to be a lot like their experiences as tourists, get bad cases of culture shock, and get stuck in the place where they can't get perspective on it. The very worst culture shock I ever had was at a public school in the US with a fantastic reputation. I was completely out of place and miserable. It wasn't until after I left that I had enough perspective to see the extent that my own unrealistic expectations and lack of personal and professional flexibility contributed to the situation.
So if you're interested in international education, give it a shot. Just make sure you do your homework on the schools and on yourself. If you do that, the odds are that you'll have a very rewarding experience.
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guesssst
The best thing about your situation
is that you have options. With retirement from the US, you won't starve, right? Remember that you will not pay US taxes on your salary, that in many situations your basic living expenses are covered and, often, in Latin America and Africa, for example, expenses are very low. So, a salary of something like $20,000 USD is very decent--I made just over that in South America last year, and managed to save $12,000 of it, while still going out to dinner 2-3 times a week and some reasonable travelling.
Also, if you find yourself in a bad situation, you can probably find a way to make the best of it, but if not, just quit. Being blackballed is not the worst thing in the world--in fact, there are so many routes to getting overseas jobs, that I would say being blackballed is hardly a hindrance.
Also, if you find yourself in a bad situation, you can probably find a way to make the best of it, but if not, just quit. Being blackballed is not the worst thing in the world--in fact, there are so many routes to getting overseas jobs, that I would say being blackballed is hardly a hindrance.
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muchogusto
Frenchy,
The replies above are excellent. I'll add that beacuse you lack overseas experience, you may not get an offer from a top-tier school. I worked in two mid-echelon schools before landing a plum. One Director was shockingly corrupt and incompetent. The other had an inferiority complex that led him to (try to) blackball and otherwise persecute teachers, including me. Yet, everything else about my experiences with those schools was wonderful: my students, fellow teachers, the community, the host country, etc. I think that it's well worth a gamble.
With your retirement package, you can afford to choose by location rather than salary. Go to a February fair or two and see what kind of offers you get. If nothing appeals, there's always next year.
The replies above are excellent. I'll add that beacuse you lack overseas experience, you may not get an offer from a top-tier school. I worked in two mid-echelon schools before landing a plum. One Director was shockingly corrupt and incompetent. The other had an inferiority complex that led him to (try to) blackball and otherwise persecute teachers, including me. Yet, everything else about my experiences with those schools was wonderful: my students, fellow teachers, the community, the host country, etc. I think that it's well worth a gamble.
With your retirement package, you can afford to choose by location rather than salary. Go to a February fair or two and see what kind of offers you get. If nothing appeals, there's always next year.