In our new blog series, we will give a review of the most informed member-submitted comments from a specific month. In this article, we look at ones submitted in December 2023.

We ask our members to submit comments that are detailed and full of useful information. With these informative comments submitted into our 68 comment topics about each school, ISC is the place to go to get the information you want, fast!

So here is the list for December 2023 that we thought stuck out as the most informative comments:

In general, why are people staying at or leaving this school

“In general, people stay for the bonuses given to staff who renew their contracts, the high salaries compared to other schools, and the friendly/supportive colleagues. People have left the school due to the long working hours, high expectations, micromanagement from administration, and behavior issues from students.”

Shen Wai International School (42 total comments) in Shenzhen, China.

What types of budgets do classroom teachers/departments get?

“A number of grade level and department budgets can be from DKK 40000-70000 a year. You make a list each year to give a good estimate of what your department will buy, and it is usually approved. Nobody is cross-referencing your list either, so you can basically manage the money how you would like. The team coordinator is in charge of the department’s budget.”

Copenhagen International School (429 total comments) in Copenhagen, Denmark

Describe the proximity of major airport hubs to the city center and give sample taxi, train, subway and/or bus fares to get there.

“To travel from the school to Aeroporto Afonso Pena, the Uber ride costs about 80 reais and takes approximately 45 minutes, while taking the bus is a more economical option at 18 reais, but with a longer travel time of about 2 hours at the rush-hour.”

International School of Curitiba (23 total comments) in Curitiba, Brazil

How do the school’s benefits compare to other international schools in the area/city?

“While the updated salary scale for 2023-24 does increase salaries and benefits for foreign faculty, ISD salaries remain lower than the nearby American International School of Dhaka.”

International School Dhaka (111 total comments) in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The average amount of money that is left to be saved. Describe the survivability for a family of four on one salary.

“I’m very impressed that the previous poster could save 2000/month. Perhaps their salary was higher than mine! However, I did save about 8000 USD in a year. And that is with a nice lifestyle (nothing crazy, but definitely nice, with holidays).”

Dwight School Seoul (61 total comments) in Seoul, South Korea

Explain how salaries are decided (e.g. is there a pay schedule? extra step for master’s degree? Annual pay raises? Bonuses?).

“In the past, there was a salary increase for a Masters degree. Unclear as to the process moving forward. No current salary scale with steps exists.”

Fundacion Liceo Ingles (Pereira) (87 total comments) in Pereira, Colombia

Sample prices for food, transportation, average hourly rates for a housekeeper, etc.

“A housekeeper is around 50 euros for a full clean. It costs around .5 euros for 30 minutes on public transport. The cost of food varies from grocery store to grocery store, with Spar seeming to be the most cost-effective if you purchase their branded foods. Restaurants also vary depe…”

American International School of Zagreb (52 total comments) in Zagreb, Croatia

In general, why are people staying at or leaving this school?

“People are leaving because communication is very poor especially from SLT to staff and parents. Lots of parents are very unhappy with how chaotic everything feels – this is having a negative impact on staff. Also, there is lots of uncertainty which is leading to teachers wanting …”

Colegio Gran Bretana (203 total comments) in Bogota, Colombia

Details about the current teacher appraisal process.

“There is a Professional Growth Process which is just a yearly goal setting with supervising admin. Admin will occasionally walk through classrooms but it’s a very casual and supportive environment.”

International School of Latvia (53 total comments) in Riga, Latvia

Languages of the host city and the level of English spoken there.

“In the tourist areas, some locals can speak pretty good English. But even in those areas, if you go to a random shop the store worker will just blankly stare at you with no interest in even trying to understand you. This was a recent experience of mine. In the end, I bought something, but it seems like a pain for her to sell it to me.”

British International School Hanoi (9 total comments) in Hanoi, Vietnam