The International Schools Review Forum

We are a North American/European teaching couple and both primary/elementary (although one of has taught up to 8th Grade as a generalist and math/science teacher and would prefer to be in a middle school environment). We have nine years experience each, four years in North Africa (Canadian school), two years in China (American school), and three years in Southeast Asia (British school). All schools we've worked at would be considered upper third/lower second tier (all decent enough, no disasters). We'd prefer to move back to a North American or IB school (preferably not a British school). We have two kids below 12 years old. We would like to move somewhere where we can live comfortably and save US$30,000+ a year and stay for an extended period (we are late 40s/early 50s and concerned about how ageism/visa restrictions will affect us in the coming years).

My questions are;
1. Which countries should we target? We are quite open to location, so quirky locations welcomed.
2. Which recruitmentment agency and fair should we attend?

Thanks in advance.

Where do you want to go?

Having a dual salary means you really just need to achieve the average in IE salary (USD$30K) to save one whole salary and live of the other. Id avoid the LCSA region but the t1st and elite tier ISs would even get you around that salary. The real issues are what priority is your childrens education as they get older and move into secondary and your retirement options? Do you really need to save, the best coin is in the ME and a few corners of WE. Is it basically too late, then you should look at parking yourself somewhere in the WE. If Asia is in your sites you really need to find a location you can retire out of, as visa issues are going to creep up.

You are probably high enough in IT class, ISS would likely give you the boutique experience and their BKK fair is sooner than SAs.

However, if targeting Europe, especially WE, you are better off with Search than ISS. Lots of threads going round and round on the benefits of one agency over another, but the general feel for everyone but PG is that Search is better. That said, ISS is first, so they do have that edge. Make the choice that works for you.

Disagree with @Thames Pirate, youre better off with ISS, and COIS.

People shut out by Search will, of course, promote the others. Nothing wrong with ISS or CIS, but Search covers the same schools (and more) and is one signup.

@Thames Pirate

They may, Im a fully registered member of SA. The other agencies and services are also "one signup".

You got readmitted? Great!

I meant it's one signup for Search rather than one for ISS and one for CIS.

I guess Search no longer cares if their candidates can't spell or proofread.

And you're not an SA candidate. At all.

I never left SA, I continue to maintain my registration.

Dave, you do brighten up my vacation. Your comments re SEARCH reminded me of your old line about how it was a good job I wasn't drinking something when I read them or the bubbles would have come out of my nostrils...

Anyway, back to the thread. We both pay into a Euro pension, even though we don't live there, so we have some fixed retirement income covered. But yes, US$30,000 a year would be desirable, US$24,000 would be essential. Not really interested in Western Europe, but Eastern Europe is appealing, particularly the more southerly bits. We quite like the idea of Indonesia. Malaysia was high on the list, but there doesn't seem to be enough money there. Southeast Asia is generally appealing. Oman seems interesting, but also maybe not enough money. India might be worth a look, but not sure where to start with that. South/Central America is likely to be for retirement, not working. IB Dip would be prefered for the kids or Canadian Diploma (hard to come by in truly international schools).

@IAMBOG

You really answered your own question, what you are looking for at this point is an elite tier IS, in any of the regions you have identified, starting at the top of your list (even Malaysia and India will work for your savings target at that tier). Which means you really want to start recruiting and getting ready now. Early recruiting starts in September and goes through November, with the fairs more of a meet and greet for first night recruiting when youll shake hands, nod a lot and sign your contract (think of it more as a holiday). The real challenge for you is going to be divided organization, as you need to start with the idea that you need two different ISs in the same city, since the probability that one elite tier ISs is going to have vacancies for both of you, and depending on what the two of you teach more probable. As long as one of you can get an elite tier appointment it doesnt matter what or where the other spouse goes as long as they are doing something while being in the same city. Its going to be a long slog because what it essentially means is both of you have to do a job search during that Sept/Nov time frame with the purpose of getting that elite tier IS appointment and then the other spouse shifting to a standard recruiting schedule for the other spouse but focused on only the handful of other ISs in the city once that has been identified.

The other option is that one or both of you start looking at transitioning to leadership. Even without specific credentials in leadership you are at that point in your career where you could swing a leadership move into even a third tier floater IS that would meet your saving requirements and position you to move back though the tiers but this time within leadership. Your timing on this would be even tighter as most leadership contracts are a minimum three years and you need to successfully transition though that experience to position yourself for 2nd tier IB as your children are getting close to starting DIP. Leadership also starts early, with the fair for that in November.

Anywhere you can reasonably live on one salary will work financially if you just bank much of the other.

It sounds like you know what you want and what is interesting. Now it's just a matter of answering specific questions on cost of living in a city or about individual schools in the paid section. I would still say sign up with Search, but don't neglect other ways of looking including looking at individual school websites.

@IAMBOG

I would otherwise agree with @Thames Pirate, that with the global IT average of salary of USD$30K/yr as long as you can save one salary and live off the other you can go anywhere, if it werent for your children and your preference for IB.
Since CAN ISs are generally in lower third tier ISs. The IB is much more prevalent in the second tier with some in the third and first tier. What is limiting is that it wont be long before you really need to consider what your childrens needs are. While tier is restricted generally yo a region for comparisons, there is a very big difference in logistics between host national ISs of those you would find in Asia and those you would find in the WE. There are just a number of factors such as class ranking, etc. that you want to plan for when your children get to the point of DIP, in which case you want to be in an IS that most closely matches the student demographics of your own children. This means you really need a true international IS in regards to the composition of the student population, to be blunt you want to be in the same IS that all the expats are enrolled at, and thats an elite tier IS.

Lastly, you need to consider the WE heavily, if you dont intend for your children to go to Uni in CAN.

Thanks all. Most comments tally with what I thought (I thought) I knew.

One last question.....how about Switzerland? Are there many schools that would fit the bill? German side prefered, but anywhere would be good.