Blogs of international school teachers: “Life in Kunshan, China” (An international school PARENT at Kunshan International School) April 30, 2013Are you inspired to start up a blog about your adventures living abroad? 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) If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here.
Blogs of International Teachers
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Blogs of international school teachers: “Creating Collaborating Sharing” (A veteran int’l educator at Sinarmas World Academy) March 23, 2013Are you inspired to start up a blog about your adventures living abroad? Our 29th blog that we would like to highlight is called “Creating Collaborating Sharing” Check out the blog entries of this international school educator who currently works at Sinarmas World Academy (10 Total Comments on our website.) in Indonesia.
A few entries that we would like to highlight: “Some of you may have known that I have moved schools this year and have just started my job as the Elementary School IT Coach at Sinarmas World Academy. It is located in West Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a relatively new school (4 years old) and an absolutely beautiful campus. There is lots going on technology-wise as we are a 1:1 school from Grades 4-12 and then shared laptops for Grades 1-3. We have over 70 ipads in addition to that. The school is warm, has a community feel and a strong vision. One of the things I enjoy about the school is the fact that there is a strong blogging culture and all students, teachers and administrators have blogs which creates a learning community…” How great to work at a beautiful campus and to have such excellent technology resources! That is amazing that all teachers and administration have a blog. Working at a newer international school has it pros and cons, but this one seems to have a lot of pros! Why International Schools Should Remember Maslow “Moving to a new country and working at a new school forces everyone to seek out all these needs. You need to find a new home, car, friends and learn the culture before you can even think about the school. I believe administrators need to really consider their faculty and where they are at any given point in the school year. Obviously, the goal is to have all teachers at the top at self-actualization where people feel a genuine sense of purpose, intrinsic rewards and contributing to the community. During the 1-2 weeks of new teacher orientation, it is critical that administrators help teachers attain their basic and safety needs BEFORE even trying to talk to them about the curriculum. The other challenging is building community and helping new teachers integrate into the new community and feel a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen at one of the schools I worked at and resulted in new teachers being extremely stressed, frantic and behind the 8 ball from day 1. International schools need so spend that time supporting teachers in finding housing, setting up utilities, finding nannies, places to shop and eat, etc.…” I like that idea about how administration should make sure their new teachers have all their basic needs met before they talk to them about curriculum. It is important that international school administrators take note that their job also entails making sure their new hires are alright and adjusting well to their new environment. And as this blogger stated, it can all backfire very quickly if the new teachers are still not having their basic needs met by the first week of school with the students. Want to work for an international school in Indonesia like this blogger? Currently, we have 37 international schools listed in Indonesia on International School Community. Here are a few that have had comments and information submitted on their profiles: • Canggu Community School (10 Comments) If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here.
Blogs of International Teachers
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Survey results are in: On average, how many interviews do you go to at an international school recruitment fair? March 10, 2013The survey results are in, and it seems as if most visitors and members of International School Community who voted have had 1-2 interviews when they attend international school recruitment fairs.
Going to one to two interviews at an international school recruitment fair can probably mean one of four things: • You probably don’t have very much experience teaching in general and teaching at international schools and are finding it hard to get schools’ attention. Additionally, you just might not be up for going to five, six, seven interviews. More interview can equal to more stress for you at the fair. On the other hand, if you are very desirable to international schools at the fair and are open to where you would like to go, the more interviews you secure the better the odds that you will get some job offers! There are many factors to consider when deciding on which international school at which to work. Figuring out how and where an international school recruits can prove to be helpful information to know; just so that you are prepared and can make the necessary and appropriate plans. 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. • 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?
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 Misr American College (37 Comments): “M.A.C. attends the Cambridge job fair in Boston which is hosted by Search Associates and they have also attended the Dubai fair. I have seen their ads on TIEonline as well. They will also do skype interviewing. They employ a variety of ways to get their teachers. I was able to bring my spouse when I signed on with them and they helped get his residency. Not sure if they are still doing this though.” Another member said about working at Seoul International School (69 Comments): “They use Search & ISS and do a lot of recruiting in Canada (all of the heads of the school are Canadian). Last year the HS principal did a lot of interviewing via Skype.” Another member submitted a comment about working at Colegio Granadino Manizales (43 Comments): “I was hired at the recruiting fair in Kingston, Ontario, As far as I know, they also attend the Iowa fair and some teachers are hired via Skype.” If you are currently a premium member of International School Community, please take a moment to share what you know by submitting some comments and information about how your international school recruits and what recruitment fairs that they go to each year. You can start by logging on here. Stay tuned for our next survey topic which is to come out in a few days time.
Surveys
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Blogs of international school teachers: “Consider the Ordinary” (An educator at The American School of Tampico) February 19, 2013Are you inspired to start up a blog about your adventures living abroad? Our 28th blog that we would like to highlight is called “Consider the Ordinary” Check out the blog entries of this international school educator who currently works at The American School of Tampico (10 Total Comments on our website.) in Mexico.
A few entries that we would like to highlight: the American School of Tampico—my new home in mexico! “Here is my beautiful school!!!!:) It sits on over 33 acres of land…Here is my classroom from the outside (the one with the circle window)…Here are pictures from the outside and inside of the classroom…Here are the lovely stairs up to my class (before these there are 2 other flights! haha)…” It would be awesome if all international school teachers took as many photos of their campus to share with everyone. It is important and very helpful to know exactly what the school looks like before you sign the contract to work there. Thanks for sharing pictures of the The American School of Tampico campus! “My apartment is wonderful! The school provides it and they were so helpful, already had telephone hooked up, a little food and drinks in the fridge, and everything we needed set up!:) I’m so glad I’m here…Here is my roomies room- Her name is Robyn. We met her and her mom (Melissa) tonight..so far seems great!…There are 2 bedrooms (with AC) with bathrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, a large study room, a laundry room, and another room with bathroom that is in the back of the place—it’s all soooo big!!!…” What a nervous situation…arriving at a new, foreign country and finally seeing the apartment that you will be living in. Luckily for this educator, it turned out really well. It is definitely a relief after having seen your new place, and then get started with making it your new “home”. Also, meeting your new roommate can also be a bit nerve-wracking. But you never know, the person just might turn out to a really good friend of yours. What a nice surprise too when you take notice of the nice, big size of your new apartment. Sometimes international school teachers get lucky when they are living in a city where their benefits package or salary affords them the opportunity to live a bigger apartment than what they are used to. “I went to the beach for the first time last Saturday here in Tampico! It was great. I stuck my toes in and waded up to my ankles, but didn’t swim yet. The foreign staff from school went for a birthday barbeque for Michael—he’s our librarian. There was great food, a campfire, fun people, and sand, water, and sun—-all in all it was a beautiful day and a fun time:)…” It is great to take in all the new places that you can go to in your new city, especially if your new city is on the coast of an ocean so that you can enjoy its beaches. Some international school teachers are very luckily indeed! It is also important to say yes to any opportunities to go out with the school staff. Being open to exploring the city and to get to know the staff better are two important things to try and accomplish your first few months working at your new school. Want to work for an international school in Mexico like this blogger? Currently, we have 23 international schools listed in the Mexico on International School Community. Here are a few that have had comments and information submitted on their profiles: • American School Foundation of Guadalajara (15 Comments) If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here.
Blogs of International Teachers
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New Survey: On average, how many interviews do you go to at a recruitment fair? January 23, 2013A new survey has arrived! Topic: On average, how many interviews do you go to at a recruitment fair?
Around seven to ten years ago it really seemed like a different story; there were many positions available and not enough candidates to fill the positions. With the power more on the candidate’s side, you might feel like you are very much in demand at the fair. As of late, it seems like the international schools at the fair are very much in control. They have a number of candidates to choose from, and most likely quality candidates at that. More quality candidates competing with you to secure interviews might mean less interviews for you to attend. Putting the topic of who’s has the power aside, if you are a top candidate with a lot of domestic and international school teaching experience, you might still be looking at going to seven-plus interviews at certain fairs. On the other hand if you are just starting out in teaching and in the international school community, you possibly might be looking at only securing a few. As experienced international school teacher veterans know, it is not so cut and dry like that. There are too many factors at which to look. It all depends too on “luck and timing.” Anyone who is a quality teacher and a good fit for the school will most likely get short-listed disregarding your lack of experience. Some teachers, however, go to the fair with a plan. That plan is to seek out only a small handful of schools. If they are unsuccessful at securing an interview at those schools, then that is it for them. It is a bit stressful to attend a fair and have your hopes dashed as you find the two schools that you were most interested in is not interested in you “at this time”, the vacancy has gone away or it has already been filled. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, you potentially will end up not going to any interviews. Other teachers are very open to where they would like to go. For those teachers, they might indeed end up securing more interviews. Typically, they do say that you should be open-minded to attend an interview even if the school is not the one you are necessarily looking at or even if it is not in a location you were originally considering. It is a fine line though between being ‘open-minded’ and potentially just wasting your time and the school’s time. Because of the electric feeling in the air, sometimes you get caught up in all of the excitement at the fair that it is just fun to go to all interviews that are presented to you. You never know what will happen and smart networking is always a good thing! So, on average, how many interviews do you go to at a recruitment fair? 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
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