New Survey: Which region in the world would you most NOT want to move to next? May 16, 2013A new survey has arrived! 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.
Surveys
 benefits, benefits package, international school, international school community, international school educators, international school recruitment fair, international teachers, International teaching, interviewing for an international school, life of an international school teacher, living abroad, living overseas, region, survey, teaching abroad, working at international schools,
New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves at International Schools: Resource person with a contact number and email address April 26, 2013
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
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! ****** 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!
New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves
apartment, benefits, buying groceries, culture shock, furniture, grocery store, housing, ikea, International School Community members, international school educator, international school teacher, international schools, living abroad, local currency, Must-Haves, new home, new teacher orientation, settling-in allowance, super market, teacher induction program, teaching abroad,
Another new feature on International School Community: The ‘Compare School Salaries’ page has arrived! April 5, 2013Have you ever wanted a website where you could compare the salaries of different international schools? What if you are only considering working in Shanghai? Or maybe you are only interested in working in Germany and flexible about the city in which you would live. It would be invaluable information if you could access specific details about the salaries of all the international schools in that area in which you are interested in living. Once you are able to look at the different salary details, it could help you make a better decision on whether to accept an offer or not.
Currently, we have almost 600 individual comments about international school salaries that have been submitted on our website. The specific comments and information about salaries have been submitted on almost 500 different international schools. The topic related to salaries (that members have left comments on) is on the Benefits tab which can be found on each school profile page. The comment topic is called “Average monthly salary after taxes and in what currency (explain taxation situation). How often do you get paid throughout the year?” Members are encouraged to leave informative details on a typical teacher’s monthly take-home salary at that school.
When you first visit the School Salaries page, you will find that all the international schools (that have comments about salaries on their profile pages) are listed in alphabetical order. You can have a browse though all the schools there. But if you want to just view the schools from a specific region, country or city in the world, then make sure to use the ‘Sort the School’ feature on the right. The sorting feature allows you to search the schools listed here and narrow down the list. You can more quickly find the specific schools at which you are most interested in checking-out. For example, let’s say you are only interested in working at an international school in Germany. Just click on the Western Europe region. Then click on Germany in the country drop down menu. Finally, press the green Sort button and voila…only the schools matching your criteria are showing.
You could say that international schools like to keep their exact salary details secret. Rarely do you find specific details about take-home salary on their websites. Even on other websites where international schools display their vacancies, specific salary details are sometimes hard to find. In turn, we are excited to finally unveil our Compare School Salaries page on International School Community!
Information for Members
benefits, benefits package, compare salary benefits, international school community, international school salaries, international school salary, international schools, salary, salary at international schools, salary benefits, salary package, teaching at international schools, teaching in beijing., teaching in germany, working at international schools,
New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves at International Schools: A starter supply of groceries for your new home. March 16, 2013
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 about the ones that we have discussed so far. Must-have #8: A starter supply of groceries for your new home.
Luckily, many international schools out there are getting this one right. Someone in the “new teacher orientation” committee is going out to a grocery store before you arrive and getting you the basic necessities for you. What are the basic necessities? Typically you get some a carton of milk, a loaf of bread, a box of crackers, a roll of cookies, etc. You will also get a package of toilet paper and some paper towels maybe. In countries where you cannot drink the water, you will most certainly get some fresh water supplies as well. Some international schools even provide you with a couple cans of beer! It is possible that you will not even end up using some of these items, but it is definitely the thought that counts. You will probably end up using the unused food supplies at your house warming party that you should hopefully be having during the first month of so. Some might think that the new teacher can just go out and get their own groceries after they arrive, what is the big deal? Well many times new teachers arrive at odd hours (read: your flight might be delayed!) and the nearby grocery store just might not be open. Also, just leaving your new home for the first time in the first few days can be a daunting experience. You might be a bit nervous about where everything is in the neighborhood and not be ready to “explore around” just yet. You also might maybe be preoccupied with not locking yourself out of your new place to even think about getting up and out to the nearest super market! Many people though who live abroad do though enjoy exploring around foreign grocery stores. And there will for sure be time for you to explore all the grocery stores around the city, especially all the ones with expat products in them! Who knows what they might have that will be your new favorite thing to buy?! So why wouldn’t an international school provide a new teacher to their school with an emergency bag of groceries/supplies? Are there any out there that don’t do this? It does take some man power and time to get the emergency supplies all prepared and ready. Imagine if you had to get these same supplies for 10 or 20 new teachers; not an easy task (read: many international school teachers, even veteran ones, don’t have a car). But if the international school budgets for this, then they will most likely budget paying for a veteran staff member to find a way to organize getting these groceries and supplies. Kind of fun I bet to be one of the first people that the new teacher sees. After a long journey, it will most definitely put a smile on the new teacher’s face when they realize that his/her new school has thought about them. And that is what new teacher orientation must-haves are all about…making sure the new teachers are happy and comfortable. ****** So, does your international school supply you with a starter supply of groceries for your new home? Please share your experiences!
New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves
apartment, benefits, buying groceries, culture shock, furniture, grocery store, housing, ikea, International School Community members, international school educator, international school teacher, international schools, living abroad, local currency, Must-Haves, new home, new teacher orientation, settling-in allowance, super market, teacher induction program, teaching abroad,
New Survey: How easy it is for you get reimbursed for things at your school? March 13, 2013A new survey has arrived! Topic: How easy it is for you get reimbursed for things at your school?
There is nothing good about not getting reimbursed for things that are a part of your contract/benefits. It is also not fun when you purchase things for the school and the process of getting reimbursed for those things is either nearly impossible or you must wait for 3-5 months to get your money back (or even longer at some international schools!). When international school teachers are worried about the money that is owed to them by the school, things can get even more stressful when living abroad in a foreign country. Many international school teachers would very much appreciate a quick and easy system in place to get the money that is owed to them by the school. However, that is not always the case…as we all know all too well. The issue with a quick reimbursement might be related to what country your school is in (or what city), whether your school is a for-profit one or non-profit, or it might be related to the competency and effectiveness of the business department. It is also important to remember that there might also be a language and/or cultural barrier that delays your reimbursement. Some countries have specific ways of getting “official” receipts, and knowing about these specific ways can speed up the reimbursement process for you. If you don’t follow the guidelines of the school and country for getting the right receipt, you will soon find out those guidelines after you try and hand in your first receipts! So, how easy it is for you get reimbursed for things at your international school?? Go to the homepage of International School Community and submit your vote today! You can check out the latest voting results here. From the staff at International School Community.
Surveys
benefits, benefits package, flight allowance, getting reimbursed, international school, international school community, international school educators, international teachers, International teaching, learning language, life of an international school teacher, living abroad, living overseas, reimbursement, survey, teaching abroad, working at international schools,
|
Search Our Blog::Categories:
Top Entries: |
Go to comments
Like this post
