Tell us about your background.  Where are you from?

Mabuhay! Let me take you to Manila, Philippines! I am Dr. Cherry Moriones- Doromal, Bachelor of Mass Communication, Bachelor of Laws, Master in Business Administration, Doctorate of Strategic Studies, Licensed Teacher, Secondary Education—specializing in English and Literature, multi-awarded educational and community leader, composer, blogger, Generalist Educator for MGIS International Primary Curriculum, Quad-Media Director of Mahatma Gandhi International School, and a lifelong learner .

My career, in sum, has been 19 years of exciting journey, allowing me to meet different kinds of people, in different walks of life, in different parts of the world. These experiences have not only molded me to become versatile and sociable, but also prompted me to devote my future in the academe. I believe that being an educator is the perfect avenue where I can best serve my purpose, and is the noblest profession where I can maximize, utilize and impart my God-given talents.

As to the other things about me, such as my quotes, family life, hobbies and writings, they may be found everywhere on the Web.

How did you get started in the international teaching community?

All my life, I worked as quad-media (that is radio, television, print and online) and public relations practitioner locally and internationally, such as in the United States and in my home country, with clientele in Malta, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, France, Hong Kong and many more. Along the way, I have been actively involved in political and non-governmental organizational and ecclesiastical leadership, as well as in community service. My teaching experience of more than 20 years is mostly evangelical church and community-based; and the first international school exposure I had was working with one owned and operated by a British national where I taught Social Sciences and Communication Arts. I have vast teaching experiences from pre-school to post graduate.

I am currently working at the Mahatma Gandhi International School Manila, or MGIS for brevity, and I am truly thankful to our Headmaster Lawrence M. Buck for this opportunity.

Which international schools have you worked at?  Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.

Mahatma Gandhi International School Manila , or MGIS, is exceptional in many aspects. My two sons are enrolled here. Here are some of its unique features, and please bear with me as I try my best to shorten my description:

• Individualized teaching – Generally, less than 10 students per class; in rare cases, maximum of 15 pax per class
• Comfortable indoor learning environment: air conditioned, spacious, sanitized classrooms; Smartboard facilities, computer sets, ICT Room, E-Library, Physical Library etc.
• Outdoor learning: students regularly explore different places outside of the school for experiential learning as integrated in their subjects/ units of learning.

At MGIS, potentials are determined, recognized, enhanced and supported. Here’s just one out of the many examples. There’s one 6th Grader, James Ketcher, who loves singing. When the teachers saw this interest in James, they believed and supported the kid’s potentials, such that he was diligently coached and guided by the MGIS Music and Theater Arts specialists making James Ketcher one of the most admired lead role actors in the series of theatrical shows of The King and I at Resorts World Manila.

At MGIS, we let your kids think. We don’t teach religion; we teach VALUES. We respect individual and inter-cultural differences and freedom of expression where the students are heard. Plus, there’s no haircut policy, which is common in our local schools where the boys are required to have their heads shaved or cut at a certain length.

Most of all, at MGIS, the teachers who are all specialists in their respective subject area are passionate about teaching, practicing empathy towards the learners. Our staff are supported towards being life-long learners where they are being sent to local and international conferences and seminars regularly; thus, assuring that MGIS 21st century educators will acquire the competence expected of them.

In this school, international and professional quality performing arts is taught to students at all levels. Each year, before the end of the last term, MGIS comes up with a school-wide play/musical, participated by all students, faculty and staff. Last SY 2011-2012, we had Notre Dame de Paris– French Version; the year before, we had Cats the Musical.

Another feature is that MGIS connects daily with parents and students through our state-of-the-art online facilities; and yes, we use Edmodo.

MGIS listens to suggestions, addresses needs, and cares for your kids the way you would at home. Simply said, MGIS serves the community, celebrates with the world, values nationalism, promotes internationalism, loves the earth, and makes a difference.

Describe your latest cultural encounter (or reverse cultural encounter) in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.

First off, MGIS is a small school with a total population not exceeding 250, inclusive of the staff.  So you can just imagine that the tendency is for “everybody to know everybody”.  Each day is a fresh cultural encounter for me, with a British headmaster, and colleagues whose nationalities vary. Although the school is situated in the Philippines where I am a local, our school community is home to, as far as I can recall, at least 13 nationalities—Australian, Israeli, Russian, Nigerian, Indian, Korean, American, Filipino, Japanese, British, French, Russian, and Hungarian – who live and learn together idyllically in harmony despite diversity.

What puts a smile on my face? Well, I am a satisfied parent- educator with two kids studying in MGIS! Witnessing how my own children and the rest of our international students get to easily adapt to MGIS upon entry, and how they develop camaraderie among their classmates and schoolmates, is such an affirmation of the kind of convivial environment we have here in MGIS where the school values of C.E.R.T. (Compassion, Empathy, Respect and Tolerance) are truly thriving.

What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?

All I want is a school that genuinely promotes a positive learning and working environment for all. One that empathizes with and cares for the teachers, administrative staff, and the students, hence, providing their needs to be more effective in teaching and in learning.

In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?

Successfully making a positive difference!

Thanks Cherry!

If you are a member of International School Community and would like to be our next member spotlight, contact us here.  If we choose to highlight you, you will get a coupon code to receive 6 months free of premium access to our website!

Want to work for an international school in Manila like Cherry?  Currently, we have 8 international schools listed in the Manila on International School Community. Here are a few that have had comments and information submitted on their profiles:

• The British School Manila (7 Comments)
• International School Manila (32 Comments)
• German European School Manila (12 Comments)
• Brent School Manila (4 Comments)

The post International School Community Member Spotlight #24: Cherry Doromal (An int’l school educator working at Mahatma Gandhi International School Manila) appeared first on International School Community Blog.

Topic:  Which region in the world would you most NOT want to move to next?

There is always going to be a region of the world that you would most NOT want to move to.  They always say at international school recruitment fairs to be open to positions in all areas of the world, but in reality that is just not likely for many candidates.  Though on the other hand, we also know some international school teachers that one time did take the risk and had selected a position in a region that they were not really interested in at the time, and then they ended up actually really enjoying their time living and working there.  Who knows then what the best advice is for teachers out on the look for a teaching job abroad at an international school?

Is there one region in the world that is more popular than the others?  We are not for sure.  The “popular” regions seem to keep on changing every few years or so.  On the other hand, there seems to be a group of international school teachers for each region of the world.  For those who will choose NOT to interview for a position in the Middle East, there are definitely a handful of other candidates that ARE interested in applying for that job in that region.

There are many reasons that you would NOT choose to live and work in a specific region: Love, Travel, Career, Money, School, Location, etc.  Which ever reason or reasons that are the most important to you (at that specific time period in your life) will help you decide on which region is the best for you and NOT the best for you.

For the very flexible candidate, the one that has the goal to live in as many regions of the world as they can, they will be on the look out for a region that they haven’t been to yet!  Is there an international school teacher out there that has lived and worked in all the regions in the world?  If so, we would like to interview that person for our member spotlight feature.

So, which region in the world would you most NOT want to move to next?  Go to the homepage of International School Community and submit your vote today!  You can check out the latest voting results here.

The post New Survey: Which region in the world would you most NOT want to move to next? appeared first on International School Community Blog.

Thank goodness that most members are finding is very easy to get reimbursed.  There is nothing worse than buying something for your school (even after getting approval to buy it) and then it being a big hassle to get your money back.

Some countries you need to really do everything by the book, otherwise there isn’t much hope for you to get your money back.

But what is it typically like for the international school teachers who are finding it very easy to get reimbursed?  These schools will most likely be not-for-profit ones.  They also will be in an excellent financial situation with great budgets for departments and for individual teachers.  When you buy something for this kind of school, all you have to do is hand in your receipt to the business department; and yes they will accept all kinds of receipts (or better said, the country that they live in doesn’t have a history of corruption amongst local businesses and the receipts that they use will be more universal and accepted).

Once you had in your receipt at a school where it is ‘very easy’ to get reimbursed, you will either get paid back straight away in cash (if the amount is under a certain amount) or you the business office manager will set up a bank transfer that day so that you can get your money back quickly in that manner instead.

Getting your money back in a timely manner is good for everyone at the school.  If you are waiting for money to be paid back to you then that most likely means that you are still thinking about getting that money back when you come to school each day.  As each day passes (without you getting paid), it starts distracting you (at times) from your work and doing the best job you can do.

Let’s share more about the international schools where it is ‘very easy’ to get reimbursed!  It would be very interesting to see which schools would show up on that list.

Luckily on International School Community, we have a School Information section in the comments and information part of each school’s profile page that discusses this very topic.

• What types of budgets to classroom teachers/departments get?

Taken from the Misr American College (37 Comments) school profile page.

There have been many comments and information submitted in this topic on numerous school profiles on our website.

One International School Community member said about working at Vietnam American International School (27 Comments): “There were no budgets. No one ever knew how much they could spend. Most of the supplies requested and ordered did not come in. Even basic supplies like teacher’s editions to lab supplies to art supplies were not purchased during the 2011-2 school year. However, there were two very good copiers and plenty of paper available.”

Another member said about working at American School of Barcelona (98 Comments): “Getting supplies at ASB can be quite the challenge as all the supplies are “guarded” by 1 person. You must go through him to request these supplies and sometimes he is not so forthcoming with them to you. If you ask for pencils, you might get 10 from him!”

Another member submitted a comment about working at Harbin No. 9 High School International Division (Songbei Campus) (45 Comments): “I was not aware of any budget process. The man financing this for profit school was Mr. Cao Ying Hua. He seemed to wield the purse strings as he saw fit. I believe that his primary intention for the school was to make money. He showed very little concern for anything else. Certainly not for the well being of staff or even long range student well being. Oligarch maybe!”

If you are currently a premium member of International School Community, please take a moment to share your experience of what it is like to get reimbursed (or NOT reimbursed) at the international schools at which you have worked. You can start by logging on here.

Stay tuned for our next survey topic which is to come out in a few days time.

The post Survey results are in: How easy is it for you get reimbursed for things at your school? appeared first on International School Community Blog.

Tip #10 – Does the school facilitate learning about the host country?  (This may seem obvious, but some international schools make inadequate efforts in this area.)

One of the exciting reasons to work at international schools is to live, work and learn about a different culture and region. Many international schools strive to embed the local culture into the academic curriculum, extra-curricular activities and overall vision/mission of the school. The benefits of doing so are enormous. It helps to create open-mindedness, a sense of belonging to a community, create local partnerships, inspire community action and outreach projects, and promote understanding of language and local customs. However, this does not happen by accident and a school must make a conscious decision to design this all areas of the school; starting with the vision, mission and core values of the school.

Assessing how much value an international school puts into its local culture can start with looking at the school’s mission, vision and core values. For example, the International School of the Hague’s mission statement states part of its mission is “to make an active contribution to global, international and local communities” while “interacting with global, international and local communities through the exchange of resources and knowledge.” Another international school in Indonesia, Sinarmas World Academy, has their mission to “engage, act, thrive” by engaging in service to solve local, Asian and global issues. So why does this matter? All school-wide goals, projects and action items must be aligned with an overall school’s mission, vision and values. Therefore, if you have an interest in engaging in the local culture, this is a good place to start your research.

The second place to start is within the formal curriculum. Does the school offer authentic ways to engage and connect with the local community within a unit of study? Some international accreditation bodies have it as part of their framework. For example, the IBO (international baccalaureate organization) has a strong action and community service component of the PYP, MYP and DP programs. The DP program has a creativity action service (CAS) program where students use local issues to take up action projects. Both the MYP and PYP have strong action components as well that are integrates into units of inquiry and cross-curricular units. This often leads to relevant and meaningful action projects where students get to learn about and help solve local issues. Often schools have CAS coordinators that help to coordinate these projects across the school. These projects do not just happen outside of school walls, but can happen inside school. For instance, local schools are often invited into the school for a mutual learning experiences tied to a unit of study.

Photo: An example of authentic learning in action. A Grade 3 student working with students from a local school using iPads to take photos for an art activity.

Another area to integrate with the local community is through extra-curricular activities, conferences, special events and sporting programs. An important question to ask your prospective school is what types of extra-curricular activities do they offer with the local community? Do they offer local conferences for teachers or parents? Do they offer sports tournaments with local teams? Do they offer cultural events celebrating local traditions or customs? These are often questions that are way down the list but contribute to the overall school culture and climate. They provide unique opportunities for students and staff to learn and develop friendships with local members of the community. For example, in some international schools in Asia, they celebrate Chinese New Year and often invite local performers, artisans and experts to offer musical, arts, culinary activities for students to engage with. This can really enrich the informal areas of the curriculum that can have long lasting effects.

The opportunity to learn another language is another popular reason for choosing to work at an international school. The ability to converse in another language opens doors for our future learners as well as professionals. Thus, a critical question to ask is what languages are offered at the school and what language levels? Do they offer language instruction in the local language, either in the formal curriculum or as an after-school activity? Do they offer language lessons for staff? Often being able to speak even a few words of the local language goes a long way and is often appreciated by locals.

Interacting and learning from local cultures provides a tremendous opportunity for rich learning experiences for students, teachers and parents. I believe this is one reason why we travel and live overseas. Often, this is an area that is forgotten in job interviews but remains an important consideration when choosing an international school in the future.

This article was submitted by guest author and International School Community member: Mark Marshall
__________________________________________________________________________

Have a specific international school in mind that you thinking of applying at? Check out our “Where our Members have worked” page and start contacting some of our members that know about the international school you are interested in knowing more about. Our 2400+ members currently work at (or have worked at in the past) 430 different international schools.  Feel free to send them a private message about how much their international school facilitates learning about the host country.

The post Selecting an international school: Tip #10 – Does the school facilitate learning about the host country? appeared first on International School Community Blog.

So, what are the recent statistics about the School Information sections on all the school profile pages?  The current total number of submitted comments in the School Information section is 3641 (out of a total of 8050+ comments).

Example School Information page on International School of Kuala Lumpur (55 total comments)

There are 14 subtopics in the School Information section on each school profile page.  Check out each one of these subtopics below and find out out the total number of comments in that specific subtopic and also an example comment that has been submitted there.

• Describe the different aspects of the school building and the school grounds. Also, describe the surrounding area around the campus. (500 Total Comments)

Example comment: “The school is under construction right now. When finished we should have some really nice facilities for the elementary school. Now the classrooms are super tiny. The high school has good sized room and great resources, LCDs in every room for example. Whatever you ask for in terms of supplies, books, etc., you get.” – Seoul International School (69 Comments)

• What types of accreditation does this school have? When is the accreditation up for renewal? Any religious affiliations? (353 Total Comments)

Example comment: “The school is run by CJD which is Christian, but it does not affect the International School (CJD has three other schools in Braunschweig but contact is only at the Christmas and Summer Party. The school has Cambridge Accreditation for the Primary and Middle School (up to Y10) and IB for the Y11 andY12.” – International School Braunschweig (Wolfsburg) (19 Comments)

• Recent things that the school has taken on (i.e. new curriculum, specific professional development, etc.). (70 Total Comments)

Example comment: “We use the TC Reading/Writing Workshop model in our elementary classrooms and most or all of our teachers are trained at TC in the summers. Lots of discussion at the Board level and among teachers about being a “premier 21st century school” in Africa. SUNY program offered on-site, including the COETAIL certiifcate for learning and teaching with ed-tech. Currently adopting Atlas Rubicon, using a UbD unit planning template. The school recently adopted MAP testing for assessing learning. The school has embarked on a five-year plan to become more inclusive of children with special learning needs.” – International Community School Addis Ababa (35 Comments)

• Describe their hiring policies. Which recruiting fairs do they go to? How do they typically hire (e.g. face-to-face interview, Skype, etc.)? Are there any hiring restrictions mandated by the country? (630 Total Comments)

Example comment: “For expat hires, the school tends to hire single teachers. You also need to be a native speaker of English and have a university degree and teaching licensure.” – Metropolitan School Frankfurt (10 Comments)

• Describe school’s location in relation to the city center and to the teacher’s housing. How do staff get to school before and after school? (507 Total Comments)

Example comment: “The school is in beautiful setting – about 30 minutes from city centre. Staff live in a 40 minute radius from tthe school.” – Craighouse School (30 Comments)

• Are the expectations high of teaching staff? Are there extra curricular responsibilities? Describe workload details. (115 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Expectations are that staff be available whenever students or parents wish. Some meetings are called without warning, staff is expected to be present at extra curricular events, even if not involved directly. There are no assigned classes, so teachers and students move from room to room, in some cases, in the middle of a class. There is no space conducive to work for staff, so most all end up working 10-30 hours per week at home in evenings and weekends.” – Oeiras International School (14 Comments)

• Average class size for primary and secondary. Describe any aide support. (109 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Primary: max of 15 MYP and DP: Max of 20 average is below that.” – Strothoff International School (27 Comments)

• Describe language abilities of students at this school and what is the “common language spoken in the hallways”? Is there one dominate culture group? (414 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Some students speak Korean in the halls and playground, but for the most part, English is encouraged and spoken.” – Australian International School (Indonesia) (39 Comments)

• Describe what kinds of teachers work here (local vs. expat, nationality, qualifications [or lack there of], etc.) and staff turnover rate. (465 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Many teachers are from the UK, around one third of the staff.” – Oporto British School (10 Comments)

• What types of budgets to classroom teachers/departments get? (55 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Some departments get a specific budget. All spending is authorised by the director.” – Western International School of Shanghai (38 Comments)

• PARENTS ONLY – General comments from parents of students that go to this school (12 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Some grades are crowded: 30 kids per class in grade 4. There is no direct contact between parents and teachers, communication goes via Grade Coordinators.” – Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main (11 Comments)

• What types of sports programs and activities does the school offer? (138 Total Comments)

Example comment: “ISD offers PE sessions during the week and after-school programs in a variety of subjects (tennis, science, drama, etc.). The selection of the after-school programs changes from term to term. For one term, all students participate in the same sport, such as swimming or tennis.” – International School of Dublin (8 Comments)

• Name some special things about this school that makes it unique. (201 Total Comments)

Example comment: “It is unique that all lessons and meetings are conducted in English and at all other times you can only hear Thai being spoken by the children” – Harrow International School (Bangkok) (16 Comments)

• In general, describe the demeanor of the students. (72 Total Comments)

Example comment: “Whereas it cannot be described as a school for the gifted, DAS does have an exceptionally large number of gifted students. Whereas students with negative attitudes are definitely there – as everywhere – expat teachers regularly remark about their enjoyment of the teaching-learning process at DAS because of the eagerness of most of the students to learning.” – Dhahran Ahliyya Schools (60 Comments)

The post The total comments and information that we have in the School Information section on all the school profile pages: 3641! appeared first on International School Community Blog.

International School Community Newsletter v2013.05 – 4 May, 2013
Check out our latest newsletter here.

The post International School Community Newsletter v2013.05 – 4 May, 2013 appeared first on International School Community Blog.

As the Entry Point to their learning with the International Primary Curriculum Brainwave unit, the 8 and 9 year old children from Year 4 took part in a hands-on experience to learn about the composition and layout of the brain.

“We used cow brains from a local Turkish butchers (they are on the menu here)” says Tom, the Year 4 class teacher. “We initially decided on sheep brains which are more common, but they were actually a little too small [for the learning experience].” The children wore science lab coats, glasses and gloves to conduct the investigation and used scalpels for dissection on wooden boards.

The school has a Science lab with a highly qualified specialist teacher and lab assistant who supported Tom with the learning. “They prepared the lab in advance and delivered a presentation on the parts of the brain and how, in very simple terms, the brain works in relation to learning,” explains Tom. “They modelled good lab practice such as how to use a scalpel safely, and wearing safety glasses, gloves and lab coats.”

The children dissected the brains to explore and see for themselves the major areas that had been identified and discussed during the presentation by the Science teacher. “We looked closely at how the brain is connected and in particular why greater surface area (wrinklyness) is a key indicator of greater brain power. Rabbits have quite smooth brains compared to dolphins or humans,” Tom explains.

“The children were very surprised at how soft the brains were, they expected them to be quite hard and firm,” says Tom. “After some initial squeamishness, they all got stuck in and really enjoyed themselves. It was a profound learning experience. They still talk about it now.”

The British Embassy School in Ankara is one of over 1,500 schools in 85 countries around the world learning with the International Primary Curriculum. The IPC leads children through an engaging learning process that has clear outcomes for academic, personal and international learning. It helps children look at everything they learn through a local and global perspective, developing adaptable, globally-minded learners prepared for the world of tomorrow that they will be living and working in. For more information about learning with the IPC go to www.greatlearning.com/ipc

The post International Primary Curriculum: Children discover first-hand about the brain and learning appeared first on International School Community Blog.

Today there are international schools everywhere – over 6,500 schools in 236 countries – and some of the more unusual locations are providing the most stimulating and challenging opportunities for the more seasoned and adventurous international teachers.

Teach somewhere different

Corey Johnson is a Geography teacher currently working in Kazakhstan.  He’s been teaching internationally for seven years. “Being an international teacher, I can work and see the world at the same time,” he says. “Each time I move to a new country I am gaining more experience.  Knowing that a grand adventure is waiting for you out there is very enticing. Life in a new country is always challenging but it’s also rewarding. Things are very different here but that’s the adventure of it all.”

Kazakhstan is one of the more unique places for teachers to work right now and it is the international schools, led by the NIS (Nazarbayev Intellectual School Network) schools that are changing the face of education throughout the country. The aim is to develop a new way of educating local Kazakh students and the NIS Network is enlisting the skills of qualified, English-speaking, experienced international teachers such as Corey to spearhead the progress.

From Mauritius to Bangkok

For international teaching couple, Jane and Gerry Young, an extreme location change was their priority when they were ready to move schools.

“We spent three years teaching at the international school in Mauritius,” says Gerry. “There were huge career benefits there and we loved the lifestyle. We spent most of our free time outdoors in the sunshine, on beaches. When our contract ended we decided to find something just as exciting but completely different so we them moved from our sleepy little school of 260 pupils to one of the biggest names in international education – Harrow International School in Bangkok – with almost 1,200 pupils, and traded mellow Mauritius for bustling Bangkok – a different corner of the world and a whole new adventure.”

Many options near and far

With today’s international schools employing over 300,000 English-speaking teachers and all competing for the most skilled and experienced ones, those already with international school experience really can have their pick of the best jobs.  Some of the more unique positions currently available are at the International School in Azerbaijan,  at the International School Moshi in Tanzania which is located in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, and at the International School in Montenegro, as well at the NIS schools in Kazakhstan.

“Don’t limit yourself to the oftentimes ‘cattle market’ frenzy of the recruitment fairs, or restrict yourself to just the jobs featured in the vacancies ads,” says recruitment expert Andrew Wigford. “Many international schools are now using recruitment agencies to handle all their placements and these agencies often know of some of the more unique jobs that aren’t publicised elsewhere. For example, the Harrow International Schools, which have a five year recruitment contract with us, hardly use job fairs at all. That’s why it’s important to register with a recruitment agency, as you’ll find jobs – great jobs – that you don’t hear about anywhere else.  The good recruitment agencies do not charge candidates any fee for this and still allow them the opportunity to look elsewhere, such as at the fairs. It’s an important part of keeping all your options open, especially if you’re looking for a really exciting or challenging next move and some agencies, such as TIC, provide a very personalised service to help you find exactly the right school and position for you.”

Andrew Wigford is Managing Director of Teachers International Consultancy (TIC), one of the leading specialist international school recruitment agencies in the world. TIC works with experienced international teachers and accredited and reputable international schools to provide a personalised placement and advisory service. For more information visit www.ticrecruitment.com

The post Teachers International Consultancy: Teach Somewhere Different appeared first on International School Community Blog.

Our 30th blog that we would like to highlight is called “Life in Kunshan, China”  It is not actually written by a teacher, but by a parent!  Check out the blog entries of this international school PARENT who currently sends their children to Kunshan American School in China.

A few entries that we would like to highlight:

The Kunshan International School & Ikea Shanghai

“The school is quite large.  We were only able to see the kindergarten area today – a meeting with teaching staff and tour of the school will occur later in the month – but what we saw was impressive:  the kindergarten has a room with beds for naps, a separate and large room with great play equipment, a traditional teaching room and a separate reading room with about a dozen PCs for the kids to work on.

I was struck by the cost of the school:  only 12,500 RMB/semester for Logan and 10,000 for Jordan.  That works out to a little over $3,000/year for our two boys, a small fraction of what we’d have to pay to send the kids to school in Shanghai, and even less than we were paying in California for Jordan’s pre-school…”

It is interesting to get the international school parents’ perspective once and awhile.  I actually just witnessed a “tour” going on today at work with our school secretary showing around a new/prospective family.  I was out on break duty and was wondering what the parents were thinking as they watched all the students running around.  Were they impressed by the school’s playground and how the students were using it?  We should have the school secretary share more about what kind of feedback/statements she/he hears when giving a tour of our school.  It could prove to be quite intriguing to hear what prospective/new parents (and their children) are saying!

And then there is the cost of sending children to the international school in question.  Typically it can be very expensive for expat parents paying for themselves.  But we all know that many expat parents don’t typically pay for the tuition themselves, their company pays for them.  What a nice surpise then to find out the tuition at Kunshan International School is actually low when compared to other international schools in China.

On a side note, we also have an article on our blog about international school teachers’ dependence on IKEA when living abroad.  Check out the article here.

The Kunshan International School

“The teachers seem to take a deep interest in the kids.  About a week before the start of school, Jordan’s (who was going to start kindergarten) teacher came to our house to visit on a Saturday, speaking with Jordan and answering questions we had.  She was going to all the students’ homes, getting to know them and allow them to get comfortable with her (of course, this just doesn’t happen in the U.S.)…”

I have never heard of this happening!  How great that a teacher at this international school goes to each student’s house to answer questions that the student and family have!  Does any one know of any other international school that does this kind of orientation?

Want to work for an international school in China like this blogger sends their children to?  Currently, we have 142 international schools listed in China on International School Community. Here are a few that have had comments and information submitted on their profiles:

• Beijing City International School (31 Comments)
• Tsinghua International School (Beijing) (30 Comments)
• Changsha WES Academy (12 Comments)
• Guangdong Country Garden School (17 Comments)
• American International School of Guangzhou (12 Comments)
• Hangzhou International School (19 Comments)
• Hong Kong International School (33 Comments)
• Access International Academy (Ningbo) (20 Comments)

If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here.

The post Blogs of international school teachers: “Life in Kunshan, China” (An international school PARENT at Kunshan International School) appeared first on International School Community Blog.

In this blog series we will talk about the ins and outs of an excellent new teacher orientation programme at an international school.  A new teacher orientation programme can really play a very important part to the start at your new school, in your new host country.  What are all the must-haves then?  Check out our blog series here to read all about the ones that we have discussed so far.

Must-have #9: Resource person with a contact number and email address

There is so much going on for international school teachers in their first days, weeks and even months after starting at their new school.  There is just as much going on for you before you arrive at your new host country.  Being that there is so much to think about, one of the most important things that international schools can do for their new hires is set-up so that they have a resource person.  New teachers actually need to have a contact person from the moment they get offered their contract (e.g. when they are still in their home country or their current placement).  There are so many things going on in the new teacher’s mind, and that person needs somebody to talk to and ask questions to as the time gets closer and closer for his/her big move.

I remember getting the chance to talk over the phone (now it would be done via Skype I’m sure) with a contact person a few months before I moved.  The contact person was another teacher at the school who had worked there a year already.  In turn, it was fresh in her mind all the things that a new teacher would want to know about.  I had my list of ‘new teacher’ questions ready to ask her.  She was very real and forthcoming with her answers and it made me that much more comfortable, at the time, in my preparation for the big move which was in 2-3 months.  Sure I got some information and answers from the director who hired me, but it is many times much better to get a different perspective on things.  Also, there are some questions that you just might not ask a director (potentially your immediate supervisor). Once I got to the school, that initial ‘resource’ person then coordinated some new teacher orientation activities for me and the rest of the new teachers.  But then, that was it.  Also, I found out later that this contact person wasn’t actually getting paid any extra to do this; contacting and helping out the new teachers.  A year later, they changed that and made sure to give an appropriate stipend for the teacher/s that take on this role.

Other international schools have this initial contact person, but then that teacher turns into an official mentor. The mentor’s role is definitely to be the contact person for this new teacher.  Some mentorship programmes at international schools are quite helpful, others not so much.  Sometimes there isn’t a good match between the mentor and the new teacher.  That new teacher just might find a better, more compatible mentor in one of the teachers in their immediate team at the school.  It is nice though to have another contact person, an official one, if the other teacher isn’t available. Basically anyone can be a mentor at a new school.  Just because someone is your official mentor doesn’t mean that another teacher could turn into that role for you if you don’t think the first one is the best fit for you.

Not all international schools are that organized though with regards to assigning contact people to new staff.  It could be that the school doesn’t even have a mentor programme.  But the problems could also be related to an existing, ineffective mentor programme.  For example, there is nothing worse than when you email your ‘resource’ and then that contact person never gets back to you.  Maybe the person is just ignoring their ‘resource’ job or maybe the school just gave you the wrong email address (for example some teachers might not use their work email address very often or at all during the summer holiday).  Either way, when you don’t have communication with your new school during these pre-move months, then you can easily start to get a bit anxious and nervous about whether you are preparing the best way you can.  Some new teachers might even get “cold-feet” and call the whole thing off; it can happen!  The main point is though: to keep the new teacher as comfortable and as most informed as possible!

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So, does your international school assign a resource person with a contact number and email address to their newly hired teachers?  Please share your experiences!

The post New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves at International Schools: Resource person with a contact number and email address appeared first on International School Community Blog.