Blogs of international school teachers: “Creating Collaborating Sharing” (A veteran int’l educator at Sinarmas World Academy)

Are 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:

New Beginnings

“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)
• Green School Bali (9 Comments)
• Australian International School (Indonesia) (39 Comments)
• Beacon Academy (Indonesia) (10 Comments)
• Bina Bangsa School (13 Comments)
• North Jakarta International School (20 Comments)
• Surabaya International School (17 Comments)
• Hillcrest International School (11 Comments)

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

New Survey: How easy it is for you get reimbursed for things at your school?

A 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.

Survey results are in: On average, how many interviews do you go to at an international school recruitment fair?

The 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.
• You have a lot of experience, but you are now very specific on where exactly that you would like to move to next in the world.
• You have a lot of experience, and you are very specific about which top international school that you would like to work at next in your career.
• Or there is a lot of competition this year which means there might be many other candidates vying for the same position vacancy.

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?

Taken from the Dhahran Ahliyya Schools (60 Total 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 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.

Traveling Around: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (The life of an international school teacher is good!)

Traveling Around: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Can you relate?

• Realizing that the expat life there can be very, very nice!
• Enjoying the Middle Eastern cuisine and wishing it was the cuisine where I live.
• Going to mall after mall after mall after mall.
• Feeling jealous about how big the grocery stores were there compared to my host country, so many products that I would buy if I lived there.
• Walking along the corniche. Corniches in the Middle East are just cool places to walk around, especially during sunset.
• Stopping many times in a taxi as my taxi driver asks stranger after kind stranger if they know where to go to find my friend’s house.
• Checking out the new, modernized souk and conversing with a souvenir store manager about where I could find original artwork. (Fail)
• Pulling up to hotels and restaurants and there always being a valet person to park our car for us.
• Meeting expat after expat and asking them many questions about their lives living in Abu Dhabi.
• Thinking how interesting that all the restaurants have a mock-tail menu rather than a regular cocktail menu (alcohol is prohibited in this country).
• Getting accustomed to taking taxis around town or driving in my friend’s car around town. Still a bit strange sometimes when many international school teachers live their lives abroad car-less.
• Hearing all about the different customs related to the clothing of the UAE man and woman.
• Being amazed at how diverse the city is. The majority of people here appear to be from India.
• Choosing almost not to go into the grand mosque because I wasn’t dressed appropriately. (I did end up going in and wearing the free robe on offer at the mosque entrance)
• Having a moment of surprise when finding out that the weekend here includes Friday and Saturday, not Saturday and Sunday.
• Taking a trip out to the desert and doing a dune bashing ride as our driver drove crazily around and on top of really high dune hills.
• Buying some excellent dates at the date market. Felt happy about my purchase until somebody reminded me that I should have bargained down the price!

Currently we have 14 international schools listed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on International School Community. Here are a few that have had comments and information submitted on their profile pages:

• Al Raha International School Abu Dhabi (5 Comments)
• American Community School Abu Dhabi (12 Comments)
• American International School (Abu Dhabi) (11 Comments)
• Sheikh Zayed Private Academy (7 Comments)
• Glenelg School of Abu Dhabi (10 Comments)
• Institute of Applied Technology (Abu Dhabi) (12 Comments)
• GEMS American Academy (Abu Dhabi) (37 Comments)
• Horizon Private School (10 Comments)

If you are on a trip right now, away from your host country, write to us at admin@internationalschoolcommunity.com with your “Can you relate?” traveling experiences. Tell us where you are traveling in the world, what you are seeing and how you are coping with any culture shock. Once your Traveling Around experience is posted on our blog, International School Community will give 6 free months of premium membership!

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Categories

Blogs of international school teachers: “Creating Collaborating Sharing” (A veteran int’l educator at Sinarmas World Academy)

New Survey: How easy it is for you get reimbursed for things at your school?

Survey results are in: On average, how many interviews do you go to at an international school recruitment fair?

Traveling Around: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (The life of an international school teacher is good!)

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