Does anyone want to share any experiences about working in Islamabad? Int'l School of Islamabad?
Thanks,
SW
Islamabad: Thoughts?
ISOI
Hmmm, how to answer on Islamabad? You will see things there, virtually every day, that you have never seen before and will never see again. Some will make you smile, some cringe, some want to weep. How resilient are you is the question? When ANYTHING in the world happens that directly or indircectly affects Islam, you willl be impacted. Are you ready for that? The country is beautiful and laden with historical impact and, for the most part, not yet even third world. Not true for Islamabad, but true for the country.
The school has about 2/3 host country nationals - for the most part, terrific kids. The middle school and high school are more local than the elementary school. Even though students might have various other passports, they are Pakistani - know that going in. The campus is beautiful - once you get beyond the "cattle chute" security system, the concertina wire, the armed guards and the video cameras, it is peaceful and open and lovely. That is not meant facetiously - truly, it is one of the most secure facilities imaginable - and truly, as disconcerting as it is at first and even later when in a rush, the security measures do recede in the background once you're used to them.
The super has been in the country a long time. She is an incredibly kind person but not so sure if that translates into a good super - left before that was apparent. Maybe she has settled into it - a current teacher could tell you. She has upped the salary scale and various benefits - it is cheap to live there so the pay package is good. The benefit of a vehicle for a nominal fee per month is an incredible plus. Housing is very nice - a variety of villas and houses, all spacious. School maintains all, and if you treat the maintenance people well, they treat you well.
The secondary principal is new since I left but all reports are good - middle and high school seem well served. The elementary school principal was leaving this year, and many teacher consequently signed on to stay for additional years, then after the due date - she announced she was staying. Simply put, had her announcemet been a week earlier, the retention ratio of teachers resigning would have been significantly different.
The question any teacher going into Islamabad has to ask him/herself is - how much can I take? There have been massive protests against the govt. in recent months - are you wiling to move into that turmoil? Do you have children? If so - don't go. Seriously - while you may be willing to endure the uncertainties there, it is not fair to expect children to.
Some people seem to exist outside the political sphere - if this is you, then you may well like this fascinating country. The weather is mostly good, the scenery (when the pollution isn't bad) is terrific, the school a pleasant place to work. It's kind of pricey to fly out of there for vacation, but your pay will cover it. You can hire a terrific person to run your household and live a very comfortable life. The school offers plenty of service learning opportunities so you can feel like you contribute to the country as well.
Okay, is that contradictory enough and detailed enough for you? It should allow you to take what you want and ignore the rest - which is what we all pretty much do when going to an unknown place anyway. Good luck.
The school has about 2/3 host country nationals - for the most part, terrific kids. The middle school and high school are more local than the elementary school. Even though students might have various other passports, they are Pakistani - know that going in. The campus is beautiful - once you get beyond the "cattle chute" security system, the concertina wire, the armed guards and the video cameras, it is peaceful and open and lovely. That is not meant facetiously - truly, it is one of the most secure facilities imaginable - and truly, as disconcerting as it is at first and even later when in a rush, the security measures do recede in the background once you're used to them.
The super has been in the country a long time. She is an incredibly kind person but not so sure if that translates into a good super - left before that was apparent. Maybe she has settled into it - a current teacher could tell you. She has upped the salary scale and various benefits - it is cheap to live there so the pay package is good. The benefit of a vehicle for a nominal fee per month is an incredible plus. Housing is very nice - a variety of villas and houses, all spacious. School maintains all, and if you treat the maintenance people well, they treat you well.
The secondary principal is new since I left but all reports are good - middle and high school seem well served. The elementary school principal was leaving this year, and many teacher consequently signed on to stay for additional years, then after the due date - she announced she was staying. Simply put, had her announcemet been a week earlier, the retention ratio of teachers resigning would have been significantly different.
The question any teacher going into Islamabad has to ask him/herself is - how much can I take? There have been massive protests against the govt. in recent months - are you wiling to move into that turmoil? Do you have children? If so - don't go. Seriously - while you may be willing to endure the uncertainties there, it is not fair to expect children to.
Some people seem to exist outside the political sphere - if this is you, then you may well like this fascinating country. The weather is mostly good, the scenery (when the pollution isn't bad) is terrific, the school a pleasant place to work. It's kind of pricey to fly out of there for vacation, but your pay will cover it. You can hire a terrific person to run your household and live a very comfortable life. The school offers plenty of service learning opportunities so you can feel like you contribute to the country as well.
Okay, is that contradictory enough and detailed enough for you? It should allow you to take what you want and ignore the rest - which is what we all pretty much do when going to an unknown place anyway. Good luck.