I Need Advice From Fellow International Teachers!

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Bibury4
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:15 am

I Need Advice From Fellow International Teachers!

Post by Bibury4 »

My situation: I am 47 years old. I am currently teaching at an international school in the ME, teaching a non-IB job. I started this year looking for an IB job. I paid for all of my own IB professional development. I have no actual IB teaching experience.

I went to a job fair, applied for many jobs on Search looking for IB jobs. I was told for 3 months straight by schools that no one will hire me w/o IB experience. So in Jan. I accepted a job and signed a contract for a non-IB job thinking I would never be offered an IB job. Even though it was in a country I was not excited to move to, at least it was a job. I stopped looking for other jobs.

Early March: a close family member was diagnosed with cancer. I started checking the country I am moving to in order to see how the Coronavirus was developing in that country. At the same time a school that I applied to in December contacted me about an IB job in another country. Even though I had already signed the contract in country 1, I decided to interview for the IB job in country 2 because (1) it was IB, and (2) I was afraid that the Coronavirus conditions in country 1 would preclude me from being around my relative with cancer (I could pass it on to him when I see him, probably killing him).

Late March/right about now: I found out that the country I am moving to has horrible Coronavirus problems. In addition, the school in country 2 offered me the IB job.

I contacted Search and told them my dilemma that I did not want to work in Country 1 any more because with so many Coronavirus issues there, I could easily carry it and pass it on to my family member when I see him. I said that I wanted to accept the job in Country 2 because, as I learned from my research, Country 2 has almost no Coronavirus issues. Search said that if the school in Country 1 finds out you accept the job in Country 2, the school in Country 1 will call the school in Country 2, tell them I broke contract, and the school in Country 2 would rescind the offer. Plus, they said I would get blackballed.

Here are my questions:

1. HOW LIKELY DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT, IF I BREAK CONTRACT WITH THE SCHOOL IN COUNTRY 1 (the contract will actually begin in August 2020), HOW LIKELY DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT THE SCHOOL IN COUNTRY 1 WILL CONTACT THE SCHOOL IN COUNTRY 2?? HAS ANY ONE EVER HEARD OF THAT?

2. HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT I WOULD GET BLACKBALLED, WHICH WOULD BE THE END OF MY INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CAREER?

Sorry this is so long and thank you for your insight!!
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Its a shame you already told your associate the whole story. Did your associate state they would drop repping you if you withdrew your acceptance at IS 1? Are both ISs repped by SA?

Its exceedingly difficult for IS 2 and IS 1 to contact each other. They would have to know of each other and in the vast majority of cases the only way they would know is from you. However in this case youve advised your associate so they know. Typically you could just tell IS 1 a story in your case you dont even have to do that, your family member has cancer and IS one is in a region heavy with Wuhan . and IS 2 is relatively clear. You could then quietly go to IS 2 and no one would be the wiser. The complication then would be is if both ISs are repped by the same premium agency such as SA and IS 1 make an issue out of it to them, since SA is going to want to invoice for your placement and the IS isnt going to want to pay for an IT they lost. However, at that point your SA associate is just fear mongering, sure they could drop repping you, and they could threaten to file suite to recoup damages (though likely you can successfully claim force majeure), but the outcome of IS 2 rescinding your contract is up to that IS, its a coin flip if they would understand or not, its not something SA or IS 1 can enforce.

The Wuhan . actually puts ITs in strong positions with late cycle recruiting since the pandemic is going to be a likely acceptable excuse for ITs nullifying contracts, especially with very late vacancies opening up in high desire regions such as WE.

There is no black list. Its just doom and gloom fear mongering among leadership and recruiters.
Bibury4
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:15 am

Re: I Need Advice From Fellow International Teachers!

Post by Bibury4 »

No, the rep did not say she would drop me as part of Search, but she did not say she would keep me as part of Search, either. Yes, both schools are rep'ed by Search.

I am not so worried about being dropped by Search. There are other organizations such as ISS with whom I can work. I am worried about either (1) my associate telling school 1 that I accepted a job at school 2, and school 1 contacing school 2, causing them to rescind the contract, or (2) school 1 finding out some other way, and taking the same action.

I asked my associate if she would tell school 1 about school 2. She did not commit either way. She just said that, in 20 years, she had to tell school 1s in similar situations twice. I would hope she would not say anything, given my unique circumstances. But who knows for sure?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL INSIGHT!! IF YOU COULD PROVIDE SOME MORE I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT!!
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Response

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

PsyGuy wrote:
> The Wuhan actually puts ITs in strong positions with late cycle
> recruiting since the pandemic is going to be a likely acceptable excuse for
> ITs nullifying contracts, especially with very late vacancies opening up in
> high desire regions such as WE.

LOL @ "the Wuhan". The use of the term, not the unfortunate pandemic (obviously). It sounds like an older aunt telling you someone has "the Cancer" in a loud, dramatic whisper. Or are you trying to be different by not using the proper name, but not full on Trumpian, by getting out the old black sharpie and scrawling "Chinese" .?
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@Bibury4

Aside from you or someone associated (such as SA) telling them, ISs find out about such contract scenarios:
1) A site much like this one such as AISH or HeadNet. What happens is someone posts a message that if any other member is considering or has hired X IT to contact the leader. There membership is small however and the number of messages very few.
2) Leader Y and leader Z know each other well and are in the same circle and they talk and the topic of IT X comes up. IE is pretty big though, and given your description its very unlikely such a conversation would happen.
3) Serendipity.

Those arent your concerns however, your associate is going to talk. This is one of those rare situations where direct honesty with IS 2 has the best outcome for you, because youll get to frame this as a Wuhan . and health issue as opposed to your associate describing this as you got a better offer and using the Wuhan . as an excuse for an out.
Regardless its not IS 1s or your associates call and also depends on what protection you might have in the region of IS 2. Despite the whole speech about your word being your bond, its not a suicide pact and your not a slave. You dont owe IS 1 or 2 anything (assuming there isnt a prior commitments clause) if IS 1 wants to harbor a grudge their recourse is in a Court or some other arbitration process.

@WT123

Whats the proper name? The formal designation is SARS-CoV2, thats a mouthful. Corona ., there are lots of corona viruses, Wuhan . is just one of them. You couldnt have meant COVID-19 thats an unofficial designation. Historically diseases were named for their location such as "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome", it wasnt until 2015 that the WHO circulated an announcement that researchers should consider not using such designations with negative affective connotations as best practices, but thats just their opinion. The ICD and several other bodies determine final nomenclature and the aforementioned best practices do not apply to those agencies. The SARS-CoV2 . was discovered in Wuhan, PRC, its not inaccurate, inappropriate or misleading to refer to it as the Wuhan . absent some definitive authority otherwise.

Lastly I didnt state "The Wuhan" like "The Cancer", I stated the Wuhan v-i-r-u-s, but that was censored.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: I Need Advice From Fellow International Teachers!

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

Oh yes, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that your ego (and the belief that your opinion carries more weight than anyone else's, including WHO, the CDC, etc.), would eclipse your tendency towards pseudo-/intellectual/scientific trappings.

My mistake for engaging. Carry on.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@WT123

As opposed to what, your belief that the opinion of a non-authoritative source carries more weight than mine.
Walter
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Location: UK
Contact:

Re: I Need Advice From Fellow International Teachers!

Post by Walter »

And there I was, moping around my office, feeling sorry for myself because there were no children about and up pops Wuhan Dave on my screen. Excellent!
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Reply

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

PsyGuy wrote:
> @WT123
>
> As opposed to what, your belief that the opinion of a non-authoritative
> source carries more weight than mine.
TFF. Classic.
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