The International Schools Review Forum

There just seems to be so many schools in Shanghai that choosing where to apply is far from easy.

I'd really appreciate any perspectives on Shanghai's top 5?

Also, any thoughts on best PYP schools there?

Finally, what's the money really like there? I often hear about how China is booming and that's the place to be, but for money is it really all that? What's the minimum that an experienced teacher should be aiming for in a relatively decent school there?

It's quite a few years since I was in Beijing and I hadn't really thought of applying to China again, but I heard a lot of good things about Shanghai and have opened my mind to it.

Regards,

Inman

Shanghai American School
British International School
Dulwich
Shanghai Community International School
Yew Chung

WIS (Western International School of Shanghai) is pretty new, there a clone attempt of WAB.

A salary approaching or at $40K would be the goal for an experienced teacher at a good school.
Shanghai, can still be very reasonable, there are just more options now to spend a lot of money if you want. Many locals and other professionals live in Shanghai on very modest salaries. Your package is going to include housing, so your other expenses are going to revolve around entertainment and food (eating in, eating out, etc). Shangahi has a new elite, and while it would be near impossible to live their lifestyle, you can still live very well inexpensively.

I would add Concordia to that list.

Most of those schools have multiple campuses and the environment can be very different depending on which campus you are found.

$40,000 is a very good salary but if you are experienced you will be earning more than that at a good Shanghai school.

You can live life cheaply in Shanghai if you choose to. Food can be cheap if you eat local but expensive if you like your canned and other foreign items. If you like air travel and expect to holiday either in the distant reaches of China or SE Asia then that will cost you as well. There are hundreds if not thousands of clubs but drinking can be expensive, even drinking at dinner can be expensive.

You will never approach the lifestyle of the new Shanghai Elite on a teachers salary.

Concordia seemed ideal to me, and all the comments on ISR seem to point towards it being a great place to work. Unfortunately though, they seem to have a VERY strong Christian side to the place and expect teachers to follow accordingly. Personally, I respect the values of Christianity
but I'm not going to start going to church. Doesn't take away from it being a top school though. It just means they won't consider me no matter how well qualified and experienced I am :(

See I disagree, and there ethos it why it just didnt make my list. If a schools environment dictates a certain belief system that you have to actually practice, and your not "into' that your going to be very uncomfortable. Schools are businesses, and what I do outside of the business/classroom (as long as its not illegal, etc), shouldnt be a concern for the business. Im sure someone will say that "well our faith is our business", and thats fine, I just dont agree with that conclusion.

I don't understand why it would be unreasonable for a Christian school to expect their teachers will be Christians? It's a major part of the curriculum. If the school teaches about the Christian faith and Christian values, the teachers have to be on board.

No it doesn't. I have don't have to be a believer to be an academic on a subject. I don't have to be a Buddhist to teach Budisim, just as I don't need to be a chemist to teach chemistry. I don't need to be a bibliographer to teach history. I don't need to be a writer to teach literature. I don't need to be a professional athlete to teach PE. I don't need to practice Christian faith and values, or dogma, or ideology to teach it, I just need to know it.

Wrong. They don't want you just to teach the ideology of it. They want your life to exemplify it. They want you to be able to show students how it has impacted your own life. It's totally different than any other kind of school setting. Teachers at evangelical Christian schools pray with their students when requested. You can't do that with any authenticity if it's not what you believe yourself. Again, with all due respect, it should not offend you if a Christian school will only hire Christian teachers. The same goes for any other religious school. It's way more than just teaching theory.

PsyGuy is dead wrong.

If, for example a school follows the IB program a teacher is MUST follow and teach that curriculum. If a teacher does not believe in IB or does not want to teach the program, he/she should not accept employment at that school.

Christianity is the same. If you want to accept money from a school, be a PROFESSIONAL and FOLLOW THEIR PROGRAM. This is not a U.S. public school situation where separation of church and state is law.

And I say this as a man who is NOT religious in any way, shape, or form.

I would find it very difficult and uncomfortable if my job description were to include praying with students, and I would not apply for a job that required that. I think if such activities are a requirement then schools should put that clearly on their employment pages. Even saying something like "Teachers at this school are required to model prayers for students within our school" would put off most non-believers of a faith, but saying "Candidates should be Christians" or words to that effect, to me passes a message of closed mindedness, and I lose a bit of respect for them.

The many cases where freaks and weirdo's have been able to wriggle their way into some organizations by embedding themselves into a faith first and then using their status within it to commit despicable acts suggests that voicing religious preference doesn't necessarily mean you're getting a good person.

As a Christian I have considered teaching at Christian international schools. All the schools I have looked at are clear about hiring teachers that agree with a statement of faith that they have available. I'm not really sure why that is being close minded. It's a school that follows a certain set of beliefs that are based on the bible. It's equally close minded to find the fact that they do that close minded and unacceptable. I do understand how that would make a Non-Christian uncomfortable with applying as quite honestly they would likely be uncomfortable with the whole culture of the school.

I know what the schools want, the issue is if what they want is relevant to fulfilling the job duties.

So are you saying I have to be a believer to pray? That prayer is a privilege reserved only for those with a certain degree of faith? That's narcissistic, when you are praying with or for someone it's not about you, it's about the other persons, not yours. I have prayed in a variety of religions, some very anti Christian, and in every single one there is an element that whatever the deity is, they listen to all petioners.

I don't have to believe the IB methodology and pedagogy is good, to practice it. I know a lot of teachers that actually disagree with it (you ever hear how many people think "MYP is lacking in structure")? I just have to competent in the curriculum, and deliver it, personal feelings are not an issue, for a professional.

Whether someone is uncomfortable or not in that environment is an issue for and with the teacher, not the school. If your uncomfortable, that's because of YOU not the curriculum, the school, and doesn't extrapolate to other teachers in any way shape or form. Essentially, just because you would be uncomfortable, doesn't mean I would be uncomfortable.

I have no problems with someone saying you should agree with a statement of faith to work here. I find it closed minded that a school would say "Christian's only" or words to that effect. After all, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics and Church of England are all Christian Faiths, but their beliefs are quite different. So, if they are Christian (of any kind) they must be OK?

In Concordia's website, under qualificatins for employment, they have written
"Membership in a Christian church".

http://www.concordiashanghai.org/about- ... ifications

They don't talk about supporting a mission statement or about faith, they just want you to be a church goer. Any Christian church would be fine it seems.

To clarify: Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses are not recognized by mainstream Christianity as Christian denominations. Their ideology and even what they consider to be the bible are very different. Concordia's requirement of Christian Church membership is quite vague. Some of the other schools ive looked at have much more specific missional statements and it would be really easy to tell if you agreed with it or not. I do believe faith based schools need to be very clear and up front about what they believe in and are looking for in teachers who are applying, I think schools like QSI that have major grey areas when it comes to who they hire and even Concordia with this vague "church membership" thing make it confusing for potential applicants.

If you're interested in Concordia, why not take a look at their website and their application? In the application it asks how you would model your faith in the classroom.

I do know that homeroom teachers have devotions with their students each morning, and that there are Bible classes taught. The school is a Lutheran School and their teachers are Christians. Teachers don't have to hand in a report of where they went to church on Sunday, but they are asked to model Christ to their students, pray with them, and support the mission of the school which is first of all, "To reflect Christ today, tomorrow, and forever." (Under their core values on their website.)

There are a lot of great schools in Shanghai--this is just one of them, so if it's not the right fit for you, no worries! That said, their teachers are top-notch and their head of school has a great reputation.