Welcome to our vibrant community, your daily dose of school life inspiration, teacher information, and entertainment. Join us as we navigate the everyday journey of life.
International School of Brescia in Italy.
Looks like a great, small international school.
What great classrooms in the video. They look so inviting. With Smartboards and every students having access to I-pads, teaching at this school wouldn’t be that bad at all!
Each month International School Community will highlight one of our members. This month we interviewed Taylor Smith:
Tell us about your background. Where are you from?
I am from Edinburgh, Scotland and am extremely proud of my roots. A formal international swimmer, I travelled to many countries throughout the world as part of various swim teams. However when I retired from swimming in 2006, I realised that I had been to lots of countries but in fact had never seen much more than the airport, hotel and swimming pool. So I embarked on a career in Physical Education teaching with the dream of teaching abroad.
Which international schools have you worked at? Please share some aspects of the schools that made them unique and fun places in which to work.
I worked at Shanghai Rego International School and have recently started at Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur. Both schools are very different, mainly due to the size. Rego was a small school and had an intimate feel, whereas Garden has a huge number of students, which creates an incredible atmosphere. The bulk of my teaching thus far however, has been in China, and Rego school really did feel like (excuse the awful cliché) “a family”. Teachers had an enormous amount of freedom to explore new and creative ideas and they were well supported by parents and students. There was definitely never a feeling of having to navigate the red tape like non-international schools. In many ways it was a development curve that I honestly believe, I would not have experienced anywhere else.
Describe your latest cultural encounter in your current placement, one that put a smile on your face.
Moving to Kuala Lumpur from China brings many advantages. Things are just a little bit more like home here I guess. So the biggest smile on my face came when I was told I could take a loan to buy a car and it could be all done by the bank. I was not forced to pay thousands of pounds in cash. That is always a nice feeling.
What are some important things that you look for when you are searching for a new position at an international school?
I look for standard of living on the home front. I think this is the most important thing to consider when living abroad. Also travel opportunity is very important, as being away from friends and family can be a strain. Therefore it is always nice to know that it is easy to go home when you need to, and family are easily able to visit.
In exactly 5 words, how would you describe the international school teaching experience?
Eye opening, cultural, well paid, opportunity, life changing. (5 statements so not exactly 5 words sorry! I am a PE teacher after all).
Thanks Taylor! If you are a member of International School Community and would like to be our next member spotlight, contact us here. If we choose to highlight you, you will get a coupon code to receive 6 months free of premium access to our website!
v2011.05 – 10 September, 2011:
School is back now in session. Many teachers have been at work and teaching students for a few weeks already. A teacher just wrote to us talk to share what life was like starting year #2 at their “relatively new” international school. Things on the teacher’s mind during the first few weeks so far were related to the following topics:
Getting to know the new director starting this year, knowing the school’s curriculum better now, knowing where things are located in their city and not being new to everything like in year #1, feeling more at home now that their apartment is already decorated, getting used to all of the school’s new equipment and materials, working with new teams of teachers at school and also getting to know the new teachers, making a bit more money now that they are moving up the pay schedule a bit, planning new holidays and vacations to explore more of their region of the world, going to the new shops and stores that have opened up in their city which is making shopping for certain things a lot easier and lastly, getting to inherit the old things of departing teachers from the previous school year!
· Featured article: Moving Overseas with Children by Teachers International Consultancy (part 1)
“Moving abroad with children requires a lot of planning in advance to make the transition as easy as possible for everyone. There’s no doubt that you’ll be faced with hitches along the way, but everything…”
· The Wonderful World of Int’l School Hiring Fairs: Lesson #1 – Bad interviews are good things
“No matter the reputation of the school, the people sitting across from you in the hotel room asking you questions in that school’s name are a stronger indicator of how it would feel to work at that school …”
· Member Search Feature: What positions do International School Community members have?
“After using the member profile search feature on the main homepage of International School Community, we found the following results…”
· Great link: Want to work at an international school in Thailand?
“We are often asked for ‘foreign schools’ in Bangkok and Thailand. None of the international schools in Bangkok and Thailand is really a ‘foreign school’ since they are all accredited by the Ministry of Education in Thailand…”
· How to Break into International School Teaching
“Some of the applications for recruitment fairs like Search and ISS can take months to complete. Especially the confidential references that you need to get your references to submit….”
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 Site Stats: |
 Highlighted Link TIC website. Highlights from this page: TIC provides a personalised, reliable and responsive recruitment and training service tailored specifically to international schools and teachers worldwide. TIC are experts in international schools having over 25 years experience in international education. They have a huge network of contacts in great international schools all over the world; this enables them to help you find your perfect overseas teaching job. They offer a tailored recruitment service whether you are a teacher looking for a job overseas or a school looking to recruit. |
 Facebook page: A great facebook group page for international school teachers. Check it out here. It is a community of educators working in international schools across the globe. TIST is a site dedicated to a number of interests: – Sharing instructional strategies – Integrating instructional technology – Insights on international teaching – Questions and concerns about IB – Cross-curricular and cross-continental collaborative projects – Job fairs and the recruitment process – Advice about future teaching destinations and cultural adjustment – Keeping up with old colleagues and making new contacts |
School profile highlights #8: Yokohama Int’l School, Brent School Manila and Dhahran Ahliyya Schools
Members of International School Community have written some new and informative comments and information on the following schools:
Yokohama International School (4 new comments):
New information or comment: “In 2000, YIS became the first school in Japan to offer the Reggio Emilia programme for the early learners, and a year later became the first school in Japan authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme.”
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Brent School Manila (4 new comments):
New information or comment: “There are 296 full-time employees at Brent International School Manila. Faculty members are credentialed teachers. Many have earned a Master’s Degree.”
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Dhahran Ahliyya Schools (4 new comments):
New information or comment: “The Local Transportation Allowance is SR.600 for all employees who receive the allowance. Its purpose is to help with the costs of local transportation. It is paid throughout the year including periods of vacation and is included in the termination benefits.”