{"id":125,"date":"2012-01-04T14:44:30","date_gmt":"2012-01-04T14:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=125"},"modified":"2012-10-15T09:44:39","modified_gmt":"2012-10-15T09:44:39","slug":"teaching-and-living-in-the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries-according-to-forbes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/teaching-and-living-in-the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries-according-to-forbes\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching and living in \u201cThe World\u2019s Happiest (And Saddest) Countries\u201d \u2013 According to Forbes"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to this Forbes article<\/a>, the top 10 happiest countries are: \u201cJoining Norway and Australia in the top 10 are their neighbors Denmark<\/a>, Finland<\/a>, Sweden<\/a> and New Zealand<\/a>. Equally small and civilized Switzerland<\/a> and the Netherlands<\/a> are also up there. Rounding out the top 10 is the United States<\/a> at 10th and Canada (sixth).\u201d There are many international schools in most of these countries, offering many opportunities for international school teachers to live very \u201chappy\u201d lives, or so it would appear\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Imagine a beach, warm white sand, water blue and transparent, a nice cabin right by the water\u2019s edge, maybe a nice cabana boy or girl, serving you cool drinks and then some\u2026 It\u2019s like a picture perfect postcard, and it just might exist out there in the international school teaching world, all included, semi-secluded, your own private paradise. Happiness among happy people. Perhaps the happiest people of the world, living daily life happily.<\/p>\n

Maybe you should scratch that, because according to the Legatum Prosperity Index of 2011<\/a> that place is so far from the description above, because that place is Norway<\/a>; yes the place of cow bells, handball, snowy hills and cheese, the recipe for happiness. Or perhaps more accurate, Norway scored big in the combined ingredients that are: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital.<\/p>\n

So the people of Norway have a good economy (this of course is thanks to a Danish minister who gladly gave away the Danish oil, but then again according to rumor he was drunk so\u2026). They have good ideas and know how to transform them to reality, and of course cash in. They have a government freed from scandal and corruption. They\u2019re highly educated, have good health, feel safe and feel free. They\u2019re social and solidarity. All combined a happy people.\u00a0 Who wouldn\u2019t want to live there and work at an international school there? There are currently 9 international schools listed in Norway on International School Community<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You really can\u2019t disagree that those ingredients listed might make you happy, if you can cross check all of them, you\u2019re successful, rich, and smart and have enough surplus to care about other people. But defining happiness is more than just looking at the bank account or how healthy you are. How about values that can\u2019t exactly be calculated or an international community somewhere that is very warm and supportive to you living there?\u00a0 What defines personal freedom and social capital? What\u2019s the percentage of divorces? How often do you go to church? What about culture?\u00a0 And for international school teachers, what about the amazing professional community at an international school somewhere (anywhere) that is very rewarding for you? Having an amazing professional community at your work can definitely make most teachers extremely happy no matter where you at living\u2026you do spend most of your time at work (most of the time).<\/p>\n

Besides the international school itself, if you have to move to another country would you look at the economy of that specific country or is it the more soft values? Are the happiest people really happy people, and does that guarantee happily ever after? Of course things aren\u2019t that black and white, which of course makes list like the one mentioned above quite redundant. So what\u2019s really point?<\/p>\n

Is there anything to learn from a list like this Forbes\u2019 article<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nIt\u2019s maybe just following that gut feeling, and try experiencing it yourself. Otherwise it\u2019s like wanting to read a book and then watching the movie adaptation instead, it\u2019s not your vision.<\/p>\n

There are different definitions of happiness, from happiness being a sweet little puppy, delicious chocolate, so maybe it\u2019s all in between, it\u2019s education, it\u2019s economy, it\u2019s Ferris Wheels and ice cream on a Sunday, it\u2019s love and freedom, it\u2019s good ideas and sleeping late after New Year\u2019s eve. Maybe it\u2019s a cabin or the beach or a small wooden house in the Norwegian Alps? Maybe it\u2019s the people you meet and the chances you take, experiencing life yourself, instead of being blindsided by some list.<\/p>\n

These are the things we look for as international school teachers, and we are definitely looking for happiness in our lives, especially when we can be quite far away from old friends and family.<\/p>\n

If you want to know what life is like working at an international school in the \u201cTop 10\u2033 become a member of International School Community<\/a>.\u00a0 International School Community members represent the following international schools<\/a>: The International School of Helsingborg<\/a>, TASIS The American School in Switzerland<\/a>, International School of Stavanger<\/a>, Copenhagen International School<\/a><\/strong>, American School of the Hague<\/a> and The British School of the Netherlands<\/a>.
\n
\n<\/strong>As a member you are able to send these members a private message and get the answers to the questions you may have about life as an international school teacher there. Networking made easy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to this Forbes article, the top 10 happiest countries are: \u201cJoining Norway and Australia in the top 10 are their neighbors Denmark, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand. Equally small and civilized Switzerland and the Netherlands are also up there. Rounding out the top 10 is the United States at 10th and Canada (sixth).\u201d There […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[71,237,41,42,353,30,250,32,33,354,60,85,355,356,357],"class_list":["post-125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discussion-topics","tag-american-school-of-the-hague","tag-copenhagen-international-school","tag-cultures","tag-expat-life","tag-forbes","tag-international-school-community","tag-international-school-of-stavanger","tag-international-schools","tag-international-teaching","tag-tasis-the-american-school-in-switzerland","tag-teaching-abroad","tag-the-british-school-of-the-netherlands","tag-the-international-school-of-helsingborg","tag-the-worlds-happiest-countries","tag-the-worlds-saddest-countries"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-21","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-newsletter-v2012-01-07-january-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":125,"position":0},"title":"International School Community Newsletter v2012.01 \u2013 07 January, 2012","author":"ISCommunity","date":"January 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"v2012.01 \u2013 7 January, 2012: The Wonderful World of International School Recruitment Fairs: Lesson #5 \u2013 \u201cCheck your ego at the\u00a0door.\u201d \u201cEvery normal person, in fact, is only normal on the average. His ego approximates to that of the psychotic in some part or other and to a greater or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ISCommunity Newsletters"","block_context":{"text":"ISCommunity Newsletters","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/is-community-newsletters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/screen-shot-2012-01-07-at-4-26-54-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/screen-shot-2012-01-07-at-4-26-54-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/screen-shot-2012-01-07-at-4-26-54-pm.png?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5357,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/journey-school-leysin-american-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":125,"position":1},"title":"The Journey to School: Leysin American School","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The journey to work is indeed an important one. \u00a0The journey though is not so clear for international school teachers when they are looking for jobs at schools in\u00a0cities\/countries to which they have never been. \u00a0So let's share what we know! One of our members, who works\u00a0at the\u00a0Leysin American School\u00a0(Leysin,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Journey to School"","block_context":{"text":"The Journey to School","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/the-journey-to-school\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1323.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1323.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1323.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1323.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1323.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/want-to-work-at-an-international-school-in-the-netherlands-%e2%80%93-tips-for-expats-in-holland\/","url_meta":{"origin":125,"position":2},"title":"Want to work at an international school in the Netherlands? \u2013 Tips for Expats in Holland","author":"ISCommunity","date":"February 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Life in Holland does indeed sound nice. \u00a0Riding your bike to work and watching the canals as you dart in and out of the streets of Amsterdam could be something very easy to get used to every morning. \u00a0The Insego website has highlighted some excellent tips that international teachers and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Great Resource"","block_context":{"text":"Great Resource","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/great-resource\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/02\/screen-shot-2012-02-14-at-9-57-28-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":418,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlight-4-noah-bohnen\/","url_meta":{"origin":125,"position":3},"title":"Member spotlight #4: Noah Bohnen","author":"ISCommunity","date":"May 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Each month International School Community will highlight one of our members.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Noah Bohnen: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? I am Canadian, born in Toronto Ontario.\u00a0 I have been teaching for 13 years, mostly MS, mostly math\/science. How did you get started in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.internationalschoolcommunity.com\/uploads_user\/1000\/558\/0_5580.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8308,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/lgbt-friendly-insight-into-12-international-schools-and-their-countries\/","url_meta":{"origin":125,"position":4},"title":"Is Your New Workplace a LGBTQ+ Friendly International School?","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It could very well be that you are going to an LGBTQ+ Friendly International School, but your host country culture is not.","rel":"","context":"In "Discussion Topics"","block_context":{"text":"Discussion Topics","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/discussion-topics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-19-at-10.46.26-1.png?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-19-at-10.46.26-1.png?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-19-at-10.46.26-1.png?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-19-at-10.46.26-1.png?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-19-at-10.46.26-1.png?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":590,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-school-community-newsletter-v2012-04-07-april-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":125,"position":5},"title":"International School Community Newsletter v2012.04 \u2013 07 April, 2012","author":"ISCommunity","date":"April 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"v2012.04 \u2013 7 April, 2012: We hope everyone is enjoying their spring break.\u00a0 The range of different countries being visited during this time of traveling (with the international school teachers that the ISCommunity staff know) is quite intreguing and exciting: Bucharest, Tbilisi, Aruba, Madrid, Amersterdam, Bangkok, Colombo, Almaty, Tenerife, London,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ISCommunity Newsletters"","block_context":{"text":"ISCommunity Newsletters","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/is-community-newsletters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gallery.mailchimp.com\/3ce778129346ad12b7b0d02fb\/images\/IMG_0004b14a9c.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}