New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves at International Schools: A starter supply of groceries for your new home.

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.

patquinnrefrigeratorThere is nothing worse than arriving to your new home with an empty fridge.  Even though you will probably be going out to eat a lot for the new few days, it is nice to have at least a few things in your kitchen on which you can eat/snack.

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.

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So, does your international school supply you with a starter supply of groceries for your new home?  Please share your experiences!

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?

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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.images

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.

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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?

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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.

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