{"id":174,"date":"2011-12-10T18:38:51","date_gmt":"2011-12-10T18:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=174"},"modified":"2012-10-15T09:56:14","modified_gmt":"2012-10-15T09:56:14","slug":"out-of-the-thousands-of-international-schools-people-ask-me-why-did-i-choose-to-work-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/out-of-the-thousands-of-international-schools-people-ask-me-why-did-i-choose-to-work-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of the thousands of international schools, people ask me why did I choose to work here?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it\u2019s like life keeps throwing you those \u201dSliding Doors \u2013 moments.\u201d Remember that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow where one decision can change you entire life? It\u2019s these moments where you have to decide in a split-second, completely unaware of the repercussions, or how life-altering that decision might be. We have all been in that situation when you\u2019ve had an international school put a contract in front of you, to be signed by you<\/em>.\u00a0 When you start to think about it, it might take your breath away for a second, knowing that each decision you make is somehow unique, and to put it more metaphorically: is the beginning of yet a thread in the tapestry that is your life.<\/p>\n

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

In meteorology there is a term called \u201cbutterfly effect.\u201d It is derived from the chaos theory, and describes the contingent phenomena that when a butterfly flaps it wings on one side of the planet it can cause a hurricane several weeks later another place on the planet. It basically means that events are connected, and what may seem as something insignificant and small, has consequences way beyond the first perception. It\u2019s the obvious remark, in a somewhat grander scale, that there\u2019s consequence to everything we do, and the choices we make.\u00a0 One year you are thinking that Asia is the place for you to move to the following school year, but then suddenly you open your eyes and you are actually in South America having the time of your life!\u00a0 It is so hard to predict where is the best place for you at a future time in your life.<\/p>\n

There is a plethora of decisions to be made every day, some of them are of more significance than other, but we are faced with decision-making every single day of our lives. As we grow older, we learn about the term \u201cconsequence.\u201d\u00a0 We later learn that some decisions are to be based on solidarity and some solely on ourselves.\u00a0 We learn that we are part of a community or a society, where some of our decisions are expected to coincide with the norm, and that breaking away from that shows lack of solidarity and selfishness. It\u2019s all about making the right decision at the right time.<\/p>\n

In childhood it is given that we act selfish, and each decision is derived from our own needs, selfish needs. The older we get the more vital our decisions become, and suddenly we have to think about ethics and how that decision may affect everyone around us. And thus begins the never ever ending circle of think and decision.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAt the international school job fair in Toronto, I was faced with so many options. I had offers from schools in Okinawa, Japan; Izmir, Turkey; Istanbul, Turkey; Ibadan, Nigeria; Rangoon, Burma; Bahrain; Monterrey, Mexico and Mexico City, Mexico. I felt like the prettiest girl at the ball.\u201d\u00a0 Taken from the blog Thatsawesome<\/a>.\u00a0 Most international school teachers have also been in this position.\u00a0 So many cities in which to live and work, but only one can be possible.\u00a0 This international school teacher chose Izmir, Turkey (and he told us that he is quite happy working and living there), but have a look<\/a> at his influences and thought-process.\u00a0 At times there can be so many factors to consider!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Decisions can be tough, and of course their importance varies, but in the end there\u2019s only one person who can make them. Not every decision we make has the \u201cbutterfly effect\u201d etiquette, but they do change our lives in one way or another. It can chisel the engine of your mind to almost overload. What really is the best decision?\u00a0 How can we possibly choose from the plethora of choices that are sometimes placed in front of us?\u00a0 It is a fact though, at times in the international school community split-second decisions need to be made; even when you have only hours to decide after you have been offered a contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes it\u2019s like life keeps throwing you those \u201dSliding Doors \u2013 moments.\u201d Remember that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow where one decision can change you entire life? It\u2019s these moments where you have to decide in a split-second, completely unaware of the repercussions, or how life-altering that decision might be. We have all been in that […]<\/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":[453,42,454,29,43,184,455,456,151,60,414],"class_list":["post-174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discussion-topics","tag-choosing-where-to-go","tag-expat-life","tag-finding-a-job-abroad","tag-international-school","tag-international-school-educators","tag-international-school-teachers","tag-international-teaching-life","tag-moving-abroad","tag-recruiting","tag-teaching-abroad","tag-turkey"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-2O","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1520,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/survey-results-are-in-how-many-more-years-do-you-expect-to-keep-teaching-abroad-at-international-schools\/","url_meta":{"origin":174,"position":0},"title":"Survey results are in: How many more years do you expect to keep teaching abroad at international schools?","author":"ISCommunity","date":"November 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0survey results\u00a0are in, and it seems as if most visitors and members of\u00a0International School Community\u00a0who voted expect to keep working abroad at international schools for at least 1-3 more years. 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Our 43rd blog that we would like to highlight is called \"From the Principal's Office.\"\u00a0 Check out the blog entries of this international school educator who works at\u00a0Khartoum International Community School\u00a0in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs of International Teachers"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs of International Teachers","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/blogs-of-international-teachers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screenshot 2015-11-29 22.23.51","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-29-22.23.51.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-29-22.23.51.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-29-22.23.51.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2461,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/new-survey-thinking-leaving-current-post-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":174,"position":3},"title":"New Survey: Are you thinking of leaving your current post this year?","author":"ISCommunity","date":"November 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A new survey has arrived! Topic:\u00a0\u00a0Are you thinking of leaving your current post this year? Yourself: \u00a0Am I leaving or am I staying? Am I leaving or am I staying? Other colleagues: Are you leaving or are you staying? \u00a0Are you leaving or are you staying? 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Over the past 14 years, there has been a 35% increase in the number of teachers employed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Highlighted Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Highlighted Articles","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/highlighted-articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Screenshot-2014-11-30-00.13.20.png?fit=786%2C548&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Screenshot-2014-11-30-00.13.20.png?fit=786%2C548&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Screenshot-2014-11-30-00.13.20.png?fit=786%2C548&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Screenshot-2014-11-30-00.13.20.png?fit=786%2C548&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3080,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/blog-httpbanyangloballearning-wordpress-com201212185-tips-teaching-abroad\/","url_meta":{"origin":174,"position":5},"title":"Blogs for international school teachers: \u201cBanyan Global Learning\u201d (Provider of educational services to K-12 schools in Asia)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"April 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Our 36th blog that we would like to highlight is called\u00a0\u201cBanyan Global Learning\u201d\u00a0 Check out the blog entries of this organization that currently works with a variety of schools in Asia (e.g. Taiwan). A few entries that we would like to highlight: 5\u00a0Tips for Teachers Abroad \u201cI would have parents\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs of International Teachers"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs of International Teachers","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/blogs-of-international-teachers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2014-04-12 at 10.04.11 AM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Screen-Shot-2014-04-12-at-10.04.11-AM-300x56.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174","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=174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}