{"id":6351,"date":"2017-09-22T05:46:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T05:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=6351"},"modified":"2017-09-22T05:46:31","modified_gmt":"2017-09-22T05:46:31","slug":"journey-school-international-school-brussels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/journey-school-international-school-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"The Journey to School: International School of Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"

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!<\/p>\n

One of our members, who works\u00a0at the International School of Brussels<\/a>\u00a0(Belgium)<\/span>, described her\u00a0way to work there as follows:<\/p>\n

The road to International School of Brussels…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The International School of Brussels is located in a leafy suburb of Brussels and nestled along the ancient For\u00eat de Soignes which is filled with towering trees and a variety of paths. \u00a0The school began in an old chateau (that is still referred to as \u201cthe chateau\u201d) but has since expanded to fill a campus that has separate buildings for each division and a variety of facilities. \u00a0Today, the chateau is the main physical symbol of the school and houses administration, human resources, admissions as well as key personnel such as the school\u2019s director and team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brussels\"
\nArrival at the school takes many different forms. \u00a0Some teachers have settled into local life and come by car while others take advantage of the free yearly transport pass and arrive by bus, metro or tram. \u00a0The location of your home will determine the best form of transport. \u00a0Many of the younger teachers prefer to live in the Ixelles area near the Flagey ponds where they are between the center and the school. \u00a0From Flagey, they can catch a 366 TEC bus that takes them in 20 minutes to the doorstep of the school. \u00a0Departure times during the school year are at 6:48, 7:30 and 7:50 am and teachers often sit together as they ride into school. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brussels\"
Flagey Ponds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Brussels\"
Bus stop next to Ponds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"brussels\"
TEC bus entering Watermael Boitfort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another option from Ixelles or the other side of town in Woluwe St. \u00a0Pierre is the 94 tram which is more convenient for some as it leaves more frequently but it does require a 10 minute walk to school (The 94 tram cars are brand new and feature leather seats, laminate wood flooring and easy accessibility). \u00a0In the morning the walk from the tram stop at Delleur is a pleasant downhill stroll but in the afternoon, it can be a bit of a hike up. \u00a0The tram can be a bit slower than a bus, but it conveniently leaves at regular intervals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brussels\"<\/p>\n

Some teachers also enjoy biking to school. \u00a0There are marked paths along most major routes and this is a mode of transport that\u2019s becoming more popular. \u00a0While paths are marked, cyclists still need to be aware as drivers can sometimes get very close to the bike paths. \u00a0Biking along Franklin Roosevelt takes you past some beautiful embassy buildings as well as some architectural gems from the Art Nouveau era in Brussels. \u00a0There\u2019s also an option to cycle on the winding roads that pass through the Bois de la Cambre, a serene manicured park on the edge of the city that connects to the more wild For\u00eat de Soignes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brussels\"<\/p>\n

An area of growing popularity to live in has been the town where the school is located, Watermael Boitfort. \u00a0There is a lovely village and the walk to school is quick and pleasant. \u00a0This is a nice option if you\u2019re actively involved in coaching and need to arrive at school early in the AM or if you want the shortest commute possible and a chance to run home if you\u2019ve forgotten something. \u00a0Rent can be a bit more expensive in this area but the teachers who have moved there believe it\u2019s worth it for the convenience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brussels\"<\/p>\n

Parking on campus is getting more tight but there\u2019s generally always space if you come by car. \u00a0Brussels is an easy city to own a car in. \u00a0Expenses such as taxes and insurance are relatively low and gas is manageable if you\u2019re mostly using the car for commuting. \u00a0The school also offers financial assistance for kilometers traveled in lieu of the yearly Brussels transport pass as an option for drivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a good day, I set my alarm for 6:15 so that I can leave my apartment in Ixelles with my car and arrive at school by 7 to get in a morning workout in the school fitness center. \u00a0The fitness center has showers so if there aren\u2019t too many teachers working out, I can sneak in a quick shower before walking to my classroom by 8:10 to prepare for the start of the day at 8:40. \u00a0On a bad day (or after a late night), I can set my alarm for 7 and leave by 7:50 which gets me to school by 8:10 or 8:15. \u00a0Campus security has been beefed up after the terrorist attacks a few years ago so entering by the large double gates sometimes takes a few minutes if there is a line up of cars. Most teachers are on campus relatively early and until the late afternoon so in the darker winter months, everything is well-lit. \u00a0Some teachers stay later on campus taking advantage of faculty fitness classes or free language classes but others are just as eager to head out and try one of the many local beers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Brussels\"
Back entrance to ISB Campus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Brussels\"
Morning sports practice on the upper field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"155595-linebreak\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This Journey to School article was submitted to us by guest author and\u00a0International School Community\u00a0member.<\/em><\/p>\n

What to know more what it is like to visit and live in Western Europe<\/strong>? \u00a0Out of a total of 298 international schools we have listed in Western Europe, 137<\/b>\u00a0that have\u00a0had comments submitted on them. Here are just a few:<\/p>\n

Metropolitan School Frankfurt<\/a>\u00a0(60 comments)
\nBilingual European School of Milan<\/a>\u00a0(31 Comments)
\nAmerican International School of Rotterdam<\/a>\u00a0(45 Comments)
\nSkagerak International School<\/a>\u00a0(42 Comments)
\nAMADEUS International School Vienna<\/a>\u00a0(70 Comments)
\nInternational School of Paphos<\/a>\u00a0(105 Comments)
\nCopenhagen International School<\/a>\u00a0(316 Comments)
\nInternational School of Helsinki<\/a>\u00a0(41 Comments)
\nBerlin British School<\/a>\u00a0(31 Comments)
\nInternational School of Stuttgart<\/a>\u00a0(61 Comments)<\/p>\n

So what is\u00a0your\u00a0journey to the international school you work at? \u00a0Earn\u00a0one<\/strong> year\u00a0free of premium membership<\/strong>\u00a0to our website if you participate in this blog series – ‘The Journey to School’. \u00a0Email us\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0if you are interested.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 International School of Brussels\u00a0(Belgium), described her\u00a0way to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6372,"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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1883],"tags":[1096,1098,1566,2437,2307,638,2435,2436],"class_list":["post-6351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-journey-to-school","tag-belgium","tag-brussels","tag-international-school-of-brussels","tag-international-schools-in-brussels","tag-journey-to-school","tag-journey-to-work","tag-teaching-in-belgium","tag-working-in-brussels"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screenshot-2017-09-22-07.34.26.png?fit=1280%2C918&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-1Er","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":546,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-schools-that-were-founded-in-1970-salalah-nairobi-monterrey-san-josa-and-brussels\/","url_meta":{"origin":6351,"position":0},"title":"International schools that were founded in 1970 (Salalah, Nairobi, Monterrey, San Jose and Brussels)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Random year for international schools around the world: 1970 There is much history in the international teaching community.\u00a0 We have international schools with founding dates of 1838 and 1854 and we also have many, many international schools with founding dates in the 21st century.\u00a0 The numbers are increasing for sure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Highlighted Year for Int\u2019l Schools"","block_context":{"text":"Highlighted Year for Int\u2019l Schools","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/highlighted-year-for-intl-schools\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/screen-shot-2012-03-24-at-4-49-38-pm.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1649,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/international-schools-that-were-founded-in-1951-mexico-city-brussels-jakarta-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":6351,"position":1},"title":"International schools that were founded in 1951 (Mexico City, Brussels, Jakarta & more)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"February 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Random year for international schools around the world: 1951 There is much history in the international teaching community.\u00a0 We have international schools with founding dates of 1838 and 1854 and we also have many, many international schools with founding dates in the 21st century.\u00a0 The numbers are increasing for sure.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Highlighted Year for Int\u2019l Schools"","block_context":{"text":"Highlighted Year for Int\u2019l Schools","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/highlighted-year-for-intl-schools\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013-02-11 at 11.27.05 AM","src":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/screen-shot-2013-02-11-at-11-27-05-am.png?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8664,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/is-getting-to-work-dread-or-joy-23-journeys-to-international-schools-around-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":6351,"position":2},"title":"Is Getting to Work Dread or Joy: 23 Journeys to International Schools Around the World","author":"ISCommunity","date":"March 13, 2022","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 cities\/countries to which they have never been. On the ISC blog, we have a blog category called The Journey to School.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Information for Members"","block_context":{"text":"Information for Members","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/information-for-members\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Vector-Welcome-Back-to-School-Poster.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Vector-Welcome-Back-to-School-Poster.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Vector-Welcome-Back-to-School-Poster.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Vector-Welcome-Back-to-School-Poster.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Vector-Welcome-Back-to-School-Poster.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":204,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/blogs-of-international-school-teachers-tim-woods-preparing-tomorrows-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":6351,"position":3},"title":"Blogs of international school teachers: Tim Woods (Preparing Tomorrow\u2019s Leaders)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"November 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you inspired to start up a blog about your adventures living abroad? 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