{"id":2501,"date":"2026-08-09T21:02:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=2501"},"modified":"2026-08-09T21:03:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:03:02","slug":"new-teacher-orientation-must-haves-international-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/new-teacher-orientation-must-haves-international-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"New Teacher Orientation Must-Haves at International Schools: A tour of your new campus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this blog series, we will talk about the ins and outs of an excellent new teacher orientation programme at an international school.\u00a0 A new teacher orientation programme can really play a very important part in the start of your new school in your new host country.\u00a0 What are all the must-haves then?\u00a0 Check out our blog series\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to read all about the ones that we have discussed so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Image by Silviu on the street<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Must-have #12:\u00a0A tour of your new campus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Before you even interview with an international school, a prospective teacher is definitely scouring the school’s website for pictures of the campus (among other things as well!). \u00a0During the interview, you even take some time to ask some questions about the campus and its facilities. \u00a0The school might even have a neat video that some of their students made, showing off each part of the campus. \u00a0After the interview, you\u00a0still<\/em>\u00a0want to know more and can’t wait to actually see the campus in person; as we all know too well, pictures\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0at times be deceiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you finally arrive in your new city and country. Hopefully the director picked you up<\/a> from the airport and personally dropped you off at your new apartment. \u00a0You get settled in as much as you can in the first few days, and then it is time to go to your new school for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few questions though: how do you even get to your new school? \u00a0Maybe somebody in the business office comes to your apartment complex to drive you to your new school (how nice is that?!?). \u00a0Maybe you are with a small group of other\u00a0new teachers (who also live in the same apartment building), and you get directions on how to use public transport to get to the school campus. \u00a0You might even be greeted by a staff member in person at some predetermined location in the city, and then you and a group of other new teachers\u00a0take a walk to the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, you are at your new\u00a0school! \u00a0After the initial shock of seeing the campus for the first time and getting introduced to tons of important people at the school, you take a deep breath and get ready to really<\/em> see the campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is typically one of the first things that you do as a new teacher: get a tour around the whole campus and grounds. Who is doing that? \u00a0It could be the director himself\/herself that leads the tour; nice to have the person who hired you to be the one to do that. \u00a0It might also be your immediate boss who does the tour, or it might be a staff member who has been ‘elected’ to be the official welcomer of the new teachers (I put elected in quotes because sometimes this staff member is just volunteering their time and not always getting paid!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With your jet-lagged eyes, it is finally time to take everything in of your new school. \u00a0Is it well-manicured or old and falling apart? \u00a0It is easy to quickly judge things as you go around to the different areas of the campus (maybe they are skipping over some parts to not scare you too much!). \u00a0It is hard not to compare everything to your last school. \u00a0If luck is on your side, most things at your new school will be\u00a0way better than your previous one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the tour is over, and life goes on. \u00a0Soon the new campus becomes\u00a0very familiar to you, and thus you feel super comfortable again and can get yourself into the swing of things as you start your teaching. \u00a0Could it be that a nice school campus tour gets you starting on the right foot for your first year there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

******<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, on International School Community, we have a comment topic that specifically addresses the issue of the school campus. \u00a0It is called:\u00a0Describe the different aspects of the school building and the school grounds. Also, describe the surrounding area around the campus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have had a total of\u00a02289<\/strong>\u00a0separate comments in this topic\u00a0about\u00a0several international schools on our website. \u00a0Here are just a few:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zhuhai International School<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0–
“The school campus is really interesting and different. It’s in a building, originally built as a hotel, on a nature reserve island, 15 minutes north of the outskirts of Zhuhai city. The pluses: It’s got fabulous outdoor\/natural resources – huge outdoor playing areas, a track, an enormous banyan tree, plenty of space, and good-sized classrooms. The minuses: no gym or large meeting space indoors, 3, soon to be 4 floors with only stairs. But if you like a laid-back, open environment, surrounded by nature, you’ll love this campus.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buena Vista Concordia International School<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0–
“Beautiful, purpose-built school in the Buena Vista area of Bao’an. All buildings in the residential\/commercial area utilize an American Southwest theme with brown and orange being the main color scheme. School has a full indoor gymnasium, outdoor soccer pitch and track, space for art and music, as well as four large lab areas.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American School of Guatemala (Colegio Americano)<\/strong><\/a>
“Large campus, park-like setting with beautiful tropical landscaping. K-12 so each section has a different area (Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High School). Located in a high-end area of Guatemala City (still lots of traffic) but on campus you would never know you’re in the middle of a city.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

******<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, does your international school give a tour of the campus straight away to all the new hires?  Please share your experiences!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this blog series, we will talk about the ins and outs of an excellent new teacher orientation programme at an international school.\u00a0 A new teacher orientation programme can really play a very important part in the start of your new school in your new host country.\u00a0 What are all the must-haves then?\u00a0 Check out 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