Become an ISC Mayor and Get Unlimited Free Premium Membership

Our mission for the International School Community website is to have the most up-to-date information about what it is like to work at numerous international schools around the world. One way to help us achieve that mission is to have Mayors.

Being a Mayor is super easy, and the best part is that you get unlimited free premium membership to our website!

And ANYONE can be the Mayor of their school. Most of our active Mayors are just regular teachers at their schools, but we also have heads of schools, HR representatives, principals, etc., as Mayors as well.

Mayors are commenting on the school and the benefits information, but they also comment on the city and travel information of the country as well. Mayors also don’t need to represent all aspects and perspectives of the school. They are recommended to just share their experience and perspective on living and working at that international school and in that city/country.

Mayor Responsibilities:

• Submit at least 3-6 new comments on your school every 1-2 months (on the 79 different comment topics). It takes about 5-8 minutes to do this. It will take a Mayor two years to submit one comment in all 79 comment topics.

• Make sure that your school has the most up-to-date and correct information (e.g., basic info, links, Facebook page, YouTube video, etc.) on the Overview and Social Media tabs.

• Submit job vacancies that are currently available at your school.

Here are just a few of the many schools that have or have had a Mayor on our website:

• Western International School of Shanghai (Shanghai, China) – 572 Comments

• NIST International School (Bangkok, Thailand) – 333 Comments

• Tarsus American College (Mersin, Turkey) – 283 Comments

• Canadian International School (Hong Kong) (Hong Kong, China) – 185 Comments

• American School Foundation of Monterrey (Monterrey, Mexico) – 195 Comments

• Concordia International School (Shanghai) (Shanghai, China) – 187 Comments

• Yongsan International School of Seoul (Seoul, South Korea) – 145 Comments

• Copenhagen International School (Copenhagen, Denmark) – 458 Comments

• Seoul Foreign School (Seoul, South Korea) – 270 Comments

• American International School Dhaka (Dhaka, Bangladesh) – 168 Comments

• International School of Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) – 129 Comments

• Tsinghua International School (Beijing) (Beijing, China) – 284 Comments

• Hong Kong International School (Hong Kong, China) – 161 Comments

The more Mayors we have on our website, the better informed our members will be, as there will be more up-to-date information about the schools they want to know about!

Become the Mayor of an international school where you work today!

* Please note that being the Mayor of a school is anonymous and that all comments and job vacancies submitted on our website are also done so anonymously.

Comparing the Schools and Comments: Working in Shanghai, China (2026)

Around the world, some cities have more than one international school. Many times there is an American school, a British School, and an international school that uses an international curriculum.

Some cities, though, have MANY international schools! When that is the case, how do the comments about each school compare to each other?

This blog series will look at comparing some of these comments submitted by ISC members, all coming from international schools in the same city.

Currently, we have 32 schools listed in Shanghai on International School Community.

Schools with the most submitted comments (number count from August 2026):
Yew Chung International School (Shanghai) – 53 Comments
Shanghai Community International School – 82 Comments
Shanghai American School – Puxi – 56 Comments
Concordia International School (Shanghai) – 187 Comments
British International School Shanghai – Puxi – 35 Comments
Western International School of Shanghai – 572 Comments
Shanghai American School (Pudong) – 209 Comments
Shanghai United International School (Hongqiao) – 101 Comments
Shanghai Singapore International School – 99 Comments
Lycee Francais de Shanghai – 82 Comments
British International School Shanghai – Pudong – 12 Comments

Salaries

“Base pay for teachers with 3 or more yrs of experience is between $32,000 and $39,000 (tax-free). Entry level is a little bit lower at $26,000-$32,000.” – Shanghai Community International School

“You can expect to make 16000 RMB a month after taxes.” – Shanghai Singapore International School

“I would say that teachers’ NET is around 21000 – this must be dependent on teaching experience, etc.” – Shanghai United International School (Hongqiao)

“The full salary is paid in RMB. The school adds an extra 500 RMB towards utility bills. The yearly pay is divided into 12 months. For newcomers, their first pay is on September 20th, although school starts in early August. This is clearly stated in the contract, but those new teachers coming in need to be aware of this that they won’t see money until September.” – Western International School of Shanghai

“Take-home per month is around 30,000 RMB (approximately 3500). You’ll be paid over time for any hours over your contracted 18. This is not paid throughout the summer. You receive 12 paychecks a year.” – Lycee Francais de Shanghai

Hiring Policy

“Teachers need to have at least two years of teaching experience in order to be considered.” – Concordia International School (Shanghai)

“WISS starts recruiting early but is very fair to its teachers. Those who “may” leave have their position advertised and only have to make a final decision when someone has been found as a replacement.” – Western International School of Shanghai

“They rely a lot on hiring people who are recommended by current employees. You still go through the interview process, etc. My initial contact to the school was through a connection I had to somebody already working here.” – Yew Chung International School (Shanghai)

“They attend Search Associates in January. They advertise in TES and through Teachanywhere.com. They interview in person or via Skype.” – British International School Shanghai – Pudong

“They are prioritizing teachers in China. The interview process is 3 interviews, and it’s very competitive right now with so many vacancies.” – Shanghai American School (Pudong)

Recent things the school has taken on

“A few years ago, the school decided it was important to do open houses (like other international schools in Shanghai), and that added a lot more work for the teachers. But hopefully they discontinued that this year.” – Yew Chung International School (Shanghai)

“The school is now implementing the ‘high performance learning’ initiative, which is being implemented across all the Nord Anglia Schools” – British International School Shanghai – Puxi

“There were many accomplishments from staff and students. It is amazing how many different areas were top-notch: Sports, drama department, music program, Chinese language, and much more.” – Shanghai Community International School

“The school has another campus in Qingpu which is probably one of the best campuses in China.” – Shanghai United International School (Hongqiao)

Housing

“Furnished 2-bedroom for single & married teachers, not sure about families. Furnished means basic furnishings including TV, sofa, dining table & chairs, beds & bedding, bath linens, kitchen appliances, & basic cooking utensils & dishes. After one year, staff can opt to take a housing allowance instead of school housing. Most people are satisfied with housing overall, although sometimes it takes several “reminders” for repairs or service requests in school apts. Utility costs vary but are fairly cheap. My average for electricity, gas, & water is 100-200 RMB per month. Internet is 1,400 RMB per year. Mobile phone depends on plan/amount of data. – Yew Chung International School (Shanghai)

“Housing is provided by WISS for the 1st year. Teachers can decide for themselves for subsequent years whether they want to stay in the provided accommodation or find their own place.” – Western International School of Shanghai

“Housing allowance provided but most staff pay a bit more out of their own pocket to live in more desirable areas. Staff can choose to stay in school housing” – British International School Shanghai – Puxi

“Housing varies massively in price. If you are out of town and in a Chinese neighborhood, you can find a good deal. I live halfway between school and Jing’an and pay Y9000 a month (1500) for a two-bedroom, new apartment. My place is expensive, but I like it. The housing allowance is minimal. Y2600 a month for a couple (only one of you needs to be employed by the school), but there is a Y6000 living stipend. I’m not sure why it is separated like this, but I think it might be to do with taxes.” – Lycee Francais de Shanghai

“Staff housing in Jinqiao is huge and beautiful. The neighborhood has everything you need and has a metro line. You can take the allowance to live downtown instead, and with the allowance being raised for next year, some people will save money.” – Shanghai American School (Pudong)

(These are just 4 of the 73 different comment topics that are on each school profile page on our website.)

If you work at an international school in Shanghai, share what you know. Consider becoming a Mayor for unlimited premium membership!

Top 10 things you need to figure out when moving to a new country

Moving to another city is always a stressful thing. Stress can make us forget even the essential necessities that we need to settle down. Here’s a useful to-do list for all the newcomers:

1. Get your local ID and tax number

Getting or updating your documents is something to be made a top priority, as this can prevent you from doing many things on this list, such as opening a bank account or accessing local healthcare.

2. Choose your doctor/dentist

Secure your health first. In countries where public healthcare is available, you need to pick a personal doctor to whom you will be going first when something’s wrong with your health. Ask your colleagues at work to recommend a good dentist who wouldn’t rip you off.

3. Pick a bank

This is so much fun for some people, like myself. I love comparing conditions and benefits that banks are offering, but it is also of great importance. Check if the bank is offering all the services that you need, and what their conditions are for transferring the money back to your home country. Believe me, you want to do your research before you sign a bunch of papers without reading the “fine print”. Nobody wants to go through all that administration twice. You might want to bring someone who can speak the local language as well!

4. Find the best ways to commute

Ask around about the common ways that people commute in your new city. What is the availability of public transportation? In some cities, bicycles and taxis are more popular than dated trams or buses that are circulating. Use the Internet routing tools such as Google Maps to find the best way to get to work, the gym or your favorite green market.

5. Pick your favorite grocery store

We are spending too big a chunk of our lifetime shopping for groceries to waste it in some dump that looks like a warehouse. Surely, from time to time it is worth going to these places to get a good deal on some products, but you want to be enjoying your shopping at a nice place. Try it, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

6. Get new clothing and furniture

Moving to a new place is an excellent excuse to get rid of the clothes and the furniture that you always secretly hated. If your new city has IKEA or H&M, that’s great, but try to find out where locals are buying their clothes and furniture. Buying at those stores will help you immerse yourself in the local way of life.

7. Choose a hairdresser

Everyone needs a hairdresser. Ok, almost everyone. There are still the ones and twos of people whose hair-trimming skills are good enough for a self-haircut. But everyone else needs a professional to do it. Since the prices of their services can vary significantly, investigate before you are sorry.

8. Get involved in learning the local language

Going to these classes is a good way to meet other expats and expand your circle of friends. Plus, it makes your everyday life much easier. If you already know the local language, I suggest you get involved in learning a new language or a craft, or join a cause or a club (e.g., a drama club, pet rescue centre).

9. Ask people about the cheaper ways to get stuff

Flea markets, thrift stores, used bicycle auctions, and local bidding websites can save you some money that you can use for a day trip around the city or going to that amusement park that everyone is talking about.

10. And don’t forget to find your asylum

Find a special place where you can get yourself on a date from time to time. It can be a restaurant, a café, a park or just a bench in your neighborhood. But having that one spot that you love is really important to have, wherever in the world you are.

This top 10 list was submitted to us by a guest author and International School Community member.

All guest authors on our blog get one year of free premium membership to our website. Email us if you are interested in becoming one of the next guest authors on the ISC blog.

New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves at International Schools: A tour of your new campus

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 in the start of 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.

Image by Silviu on the street from Pixabay

Must-have #12: A tour of your new campus

Before you even interview with an international school, a prospective teacher is definitely scouring the school’s website for pictures of the campus (among other things as well!). During the interview, you even take some time to ask some questions about the campus and its facilities. The school might even have a neat video that some of their students made, showing off each part of the campus. After the interview, you still want to know more and can’t wait to actually see the campus in person; as we all know too well, pictures can at times be deceiving.

So you finally arrive in your new city and country. Hopefully the director picked you up from the airport and personally dropped you off at your new apartment. You get settled in as much as you can in the first few days, and then it is time to go to your new school for the first time.

A few questions though: how do you even get to your new school? Maybe somebody in the business office comes to your apartment complex to drive you to your new school (how nice is that?!?). Maybe you are with a small group of other new teachers (who also live in the same apartment building), and you get directions on how to use public transport to get to the school campus. You might even be greeted by a staff member in person at some predetermined location in the city, and then you and a group of other new teachers take a walk to the school.

Finally, you are at your new school! After the initial shock of seeing the campus for the first time and getting introduced to tons of important people at the school, you take a deep breath and get ready to really see the campus.

It is typically one of the first things that you do as a new teacher: get a tour around the whole campus and grounds. Who is doing that? It could be the director himself/herself that leads the tour; nice to have the person who hired you to be the one to do that. It might also be your immediate boss who does the tour, or it might be a staff member who has been ‘elected’ to be the official welcomer of the new teachers (I put elected in quotes because sometimes this staff member is just volunteering their time and not always getting paid!).

With your jet-lagged eyes, it is finally time to take everything in of your new school. Is it well-manicured or old and falling apart? It is easy to quickly judge things as you go around to the different areas of the campus (maybe they are skipping over some parts to not scare you too much!). It is hard not to compare everything to your last school. If luck is on your side, most things at your new school will be way better than your previous one!

Then the tour is over, and life goes on. Soon the new campus becomes very familiar to you, and thus you feel super comfortable again and can get yourself into the swing of things as you start your teaching. Could it be that a nice school campus tour gets you starting on the right foot for your first year there?

******

Luckily, on International School Community, we have a comment topic that specifically addresses the issue of the school campus. It is called: Describe the different aspects of the school building and the school grounds. Also, describe the surrounding area around the campus.

We have had a total of 2289 separate comments in this topic about several international schools on our website. Here are just a few:

Zhuhai International School –
“The school campus is really interesting and different. It’s in a building, originally built as a hotel, on a nature reserve island, 15 minutes north of the outskirts of Zhuhai city. The pluses: It’s got fabulous outdoor/natural resources – huge outdoor playing areas, a track, an enormous banyan tree, plenty of space, and good-sized classrooms. The minuses: no gym or large meeting space indoors, 3, soon to be 4 floors with only stairs. But if you like a laid-back, open environment, surrounded by nature, you’ll love this campus.”

Buena Vista Concordia International School –
“Beautiful, purpose-built school in the Buena Vista area of Bao’an. All buildings in the residential/commercial area utilize an American Southwest theme with brown and orange being the main color scheme. School has a full indoor gymnasium, outdoor soccer pitch and track, space for art and music, as well as four large lab areas.”

American School of Guatemala (Colegio Americano)
“Large campus, park-like setting with beautiful tropical landscaping. K-12 so each section has a different area (Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High School). Located in a high-end area of Guatemala City (still lots of traffic) but on campus you would never know you’re in the middle of a city.”

******

So, does your international school give a tour of the campus straight away to all the new hires? Please share your experiences!

Going home for the summer: No one cares about your international life!

Nine Benefits of Teaching Overseas

Teaching Abroad: Asia vs. Middle East – First Hand Teachers’ Experiences