Listing for admin position, full admin duties listed in great detail with no teaching in any way in the description. At the very end of the first interview, "BTW you would be teaching 2-3 periods a day on top of the other requirements". SMH. Just be honest with your postings. Please.

I've noticed a lot of recent discussions on Reddit about choosing college majors and which degrees to pursue.

This topic has come up both from the perspective of college counseling in high school and for teachers considering which specializations they’d like to focus on.

CollegeNPV program rankings provide an excellent overview of which degrees are currently most in demand, along with a cost-benefit analysis for each program. The link is updated for 2024, so the information is current.

In particular, there’s been some debate on Reddit recently around computer science (CS) being less valuable or in demand in 2024 due to a perceived scarcity of jobs. My perspective -> this is Reddit self-affirmation bias and absolutely does not correlate with the job market. The data simply doesn't support this.

In fact, the data (US degrees) indicates that 17 out of the 20 most valuable degrees are in CS or a related field.

40 out of the top 50 most valuable degrees are CS.

62 out of the top 100 most valuable degrees are CS.

When it comes to teaching, it's generally a good idea to pick a specialism with a strong market value outside of teaching, as these tend to be the specialisms that have an easier time finding a job, and less competition.

I hope this helps anyone considering CS, or perhaps giving students advice in the area.

Relatively new school so hard to get any relevant info on this school. Can anyone comment on management, housing, packages. Is there an expat teacher community in Lingang given that Yew Wah is also across the road? Sounds like they have stopped paying dependent(s) insurance and flights post Covid which isn't obviously great, but would this be a good first international placement?

And yes, I understand this is in the boonies and most joke this isn't even in Shanghai :-)

Hi,

I am looking for some experiences with Dulwich High School Suzhou.

I know they have been taken over by a different investor (Hillside). But want to hear some info from people who are teaching/have been teaching there!

Thanks!

Somehow, I landed interviews with these places. I’m on round 2 of Concordia International. This week I have Round 1 for ISB (Beijing) and ASIJ.

I’m curious about interview experiences that anyone has had for these institutions as well as any tips or suggestions. I’ve researched all three very heavily, and all three have ethos I’ve aligned with.

I’m also curious if anyone has worked at any of these recently or currently works there and can speak to work culture, work-life balance, etc. For ASIJ, I’m specifically interested in how the yen has affected pay or quality of life + the process of finding an apartment in Japan.

Thanks in advance! I am so stoked to interview!

Hi everyone,

I am new here. I currently work at a private secondary school as a dance teacher. I am looking to teach in the EU, possibly Canada. I have an MFA in dance in the US. I was thinking perhaps Ireland or the Netherlands because I only speak English. I did some research and I don’t see schools that have a dance program only independent dance studios. I don’t know where to start. I read that Canada is easier to teach when you are a EU citizen. Any leads where to start researching? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m working on receiving my US teaching license right now, and then I’m applying for schools internationally. I am interested in taking the Praxis in general science for secondary, but my degree is in humanities and I don’t have any specific experience in science other than working on farms. Do you think it would be better to do my student teaching and instead do the praxis in social studies? I’m worried about not getting a job if my background is not in science.

Thanks!

Has anyone worked at this school before? They have no ISR reviews, and seem to be a bilingual rather than true international school. The only info I found online mentioned them working teachers very hard (similar to a BASIS model?) and that some staff at the school were high up in the IB. Location as far as ease of getting to other areas of Shanghai? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I applied for a job a week ago and I saw the same advertisement being reposted yesterday. Does it imply I am not the one the school wants ? Should I ignore that job and find the other positions elsewhere?

Hi everyone, I have a question I can’t seem to find a direct answer to so I’m hoping someone can answer this for me. I’m a qualified teacher from the UK with a Psychology degree, QTS, and P g c e in education. I have 4 years public and ESL experience in Korea and now almost 2 years experience as a Primary school teacher in the UK.

Is having a degree in Psychology instead of Primary education going to stop me from getting a job at international schools as a primary teacher due to their own requirements / visa requirements? I’m looking at schools mostly in Asia (Korea, China, Singapore and Hong Kong). For your information, my QTS I did after my Psychology degree, but my P g c e is in education.

I would appreciate all the advice on this as I’ve not found any information on this on this Reddit page or online.

I am a licensed teacher from Canada. I am thinking of travelling to Thailand (on a Tourist Visa). What is my chance of me landing a part-time teaching position at a well respected International School? I know the school will need to issue a work permit for me first before I can work. My teaching specialties are Business, Economics, and ICT.

Hi everyone. Just got an offer of 10000AED. Accomodation is provided for as well as schooling tuition. Will this be enough for me to live on and save.

Could someone guide me on some good online courses for NGSS

Hi all, I have been asked to submit a recorded lesson for a job application. It’s for a ‘Tier 1’ school which is in a dream location, has my pedagogical and social values, and is pedagogically aligned in my specialism. I really want to work in a ‘like minded’ school.

I’m currently working for what might be considered as ‘Tier 3’ (these Tiers are so subjective), in a dream location otherwise totally misaligned. I’ve put in a tremendous amount of effort into CPD, which I think is why I caught the Tier 1’s eye.

I’m going to film my video this week, I’ve prepared the learners for it- all activities we have done before but with new input. Essentially, a Visible Thinking routine, with language work. My class is on the lower end of literacy in MAP, I have a few IEPs, and half the class are EAL. My concern is that what I’m teaching might seem ‘easy’ but for this group, it’s at their challenge point. The content is aligned with the curriculum, but the tasks that are expected of the students eg. They should be writing essays, but we’re learning how to construct arguments with a claim, evidence, reason.

My concern is that the lesson might be perceived as too easy.

Also, I probably won’t be in the camera so much, except for setting up activities and plenaries. I’m hoping that they can hear my learners and my dialogue.

Could these be issues? Or not? I’m probably overthinking (because I really want this job!).

Hi all,

I'm looking to renew my California CTC Child Development Associate Teacher Permit from abroad as a UK citizen (with US social security number). Last time, I was easily able to complete modules through UCLAExtension as a foreigner. Are any other cheaper institutions that you complete recommended modules as foreign from outside the US?
Previously, I easily submitted evidence of teaching hours through international school experience abroad. I've now just been told by the CTC that they will not except international teaching evidence (only evidence from US schools)

Please let me know if you have any suggestions! How are others showing evidence of their experience form international schools?

Thanks so much!

Does anyone have any info on this school…package, conditions etc? Many thanks 😊😊

Not sure if the title is totally accurate, but I’m facing a dilemma where my probationary period has been extended due to challenges “collaborating” with a colleague. It has been made clear to me that this is due to a one time incident involving a colleague I collaborate with in one subject area, who also happens to be married to the Head of School. A few weeks ago, I raised concerns with this colleague about an assignment’s instructions being too complex and confusing for the grade level (I didn’t even understand the instructions), however, they took offense to the feedback/perceived criticism and immediately got upset. Our assessments need to be the same, so I wanted to ensure that I could successfully deliver this assignment to my class, without confusing students. I have avoided voicing my opinions about her assignments up to this point, as she teaches the majority of the classes in this area, has far more teaching experience than me, and has seemed resistant to change.

As the conversation escalated, she began to make offensive personal jabs at me, at which point I decided to end the conversation and leave the room. Since then, I have taken the high road and apologized for the feedback being misconstrued, and I offered to meet to see how we could move forward positively. All of this is in writing. Since then, we have collaborated in a friendly and collegial manner, and I assumed everything was fine.

However, my probation period was extended this week and I was told it was due to challenges with collaborating with colleagues, specifically this individual. I was told that she had a very different account of the incident and that she has been going to admin recently saying that she feels uncomfortable working with me. I told admin that I have email documentation that shows she is misconstruing the situation, however, they were completely unwilling to consider any perspective but hers.

This latest incident has come after a series of other issues with poor leadership and organization within the school and it has made me re-consider whether it is worth staying until the end of the year. When I asked for clarification on what will be expected of me during the extended probationary period, administration could not give me clear answers or define what successful completion would look like.

Has anyone experienced anything similar or have guidance on navigating this? I like the students and many of my co-workers, but the politics of the school heavily impact my job/well-being and I’m unsure whether there is an opportunity for me to succeed in this environment, given the nepotism and unclear expectations. Thanks in advance!

I'm new to International Teaching and I love it! Since it's my first year I'll receive a year end completion bonus, but I won't receive the more substantial contract renewal bonus, until next year (June 2026). Financially I could travel and/or stay with family. But I would prefer to work 2-5 weeks and invest the additional income.

My school (in China) has 2-6 weeks of summer camp available for teachers--but it doesn't pay a lot. Also, I'd prefer to be elsewhere.

I'm not able to find a lot of summer camp employment information on the websites of my local community colleges or schools. Does anyone have any recommendations for summer employment? In the USA or elsewhere? If it included boarding, I could go anywhere. Otherwise, I'd prefer to be in Portland, OR.

Background: American with teaching license but less than two years teaching experience. Currently teaching English and Cultural Studies. 43-years-old. Previous career was in teaching tennis.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi all,

Wondering about people's experiences living in Jakarta. I understand that traffic and air quality can be bad. Just wondering about day to day life and if it compares to other cities in Asia.

I am interested in working in the Middle East. I have a masters in TESL with 2 years of teaching experience in an elementary school and 2 more as a private tutor. My husband is an American citizen but he was raised in Saudi Arabia. He’s a civil engineer with 5 years of experience.

We’re both planning on looking for jobs that start around August/September. Assuming I find a job before he does, how does that work? Can he enter the country as a dependent spouse and start looking for work? If offered a contract, is it easy to make the transition to a working visa?

If anyone has gone though this process, I’d love to hear about your experience. The countries we’re considering are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman.

If so, what school and what was it like?

Hey Reddit,

I’m in a bit of a tough spot and could really use some advice from those who’ve been through this. I’ve applied to over a thousand ESL teaching jobs—yes, you read that right—and I’m still stuck. Most of my applications have either been ignored or rejected, and the hardest part? I can’t find any schools offering visa sponsorship.

Here’s a bit about me:

• Single mom with 3 kids
• Over 10 years of teaching experience (high school and college levels)
• I’m passionate about moving to Thailand and making this work, but the visa sponsorship part has been my biggest hurdle.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

• Applying directly to schools and on job boards (just about everywhere)
• Tailoring my resume and cover letter for each application (using ATS-friendly formatting)
• Reaching out to recruiters, but haven’t had much luck there either

I’m feeling a little lost at the moment. Has anyone been in the same situation? How did you find visa-sponsored roles, and what else can I do to stand out? Any resources or tips I might be missing?

I’d love any advice you can share. Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: Struggling to find visa-sponsored ESL jobs in Thailand as a single mom with 10+ years of teaching experience. Applied everywhere but still no luck. Help a fellow job-seeker out!

I’ve been a headteacher now for 2 years in Jan and it’s not for me. I can’t decide if it’s the school or the UK system that’s grinding me down. For context, I have been a deputy head and senco for over 10 years and taught for over 15, but this recent headship also involved relocating within the UK. While considering my options, as a family we have discussed moving abroad for me to work in a school. I’m guessing I’d be better taking on a teaching role possibly with some kind of leadership, as it would be new to me, rather than senior leadership role. My partner who is not in education and my 7 year old son would come too. We are not married. Looking on TES salaries are often undisclosed which is tricky as I guess I’d be taking a significant reduction, and I have no idea which counties to even start looking at. I’d really appreciate any advice on the best locations to look at for an unmarried family with child, suggestions regarding moving from headship to teaching role and basically anything that would help us to look into this more seriously. Thank you.

Hi all, I searched through posts to see if I could find my answer but came up empty. I am flying from the Middle East to Bangkok for the job fair. Getting 2 days off from my current school was a CHORE so I am only going to make it Friday and Saturday. Would I be missing much by not attending on Sunday? Lastly, I teach French and positions are usually very limited. I know that the jobs fairs should be more for exposure and not getting your hopes up for a job offer but I am wondering if there will be any French positions at all. I would also appreciate any tips you have. Thanks!

I have had a couple years of teaching experience with a p g c e and Masters in Education from a top British university.

Wanted to know what the salary expectation is for someone of my experience and qualifications is here as an expat for a Tier 1 school. Was hoping I could use my qualifications to negotiate a higher salary but it didn’t seem to be the case

Been offered a job at a Tier 1 school with monthly salary of approximately 38k hkd - is this reasonable?

EDIT: To add this is only a temp cover however unsure if this affects pay. Also includes on site accommodation.

Hello! There are a lot of questions constantly about what countries are safest, etc. And a lot of people give their opinions, and anecdotal evidence is not evidence. I created this spreadsheet for me and my family to reference when looking at international teaching jobs. It takes the scores for the Global Peace Index (https://www.economicsandpeace.org/reports/) and the Women's Peace and Security Index (https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/). I normalize both scores and combine them, weighing the Global Peace index at 40% and the Women's Peace and Security Index at 60%. It is by no means perfect and is not intended to be as such, simply a guide. I hope some of you find it useful! I am open to suggested improvements as I am a huge spreadsheet nerd!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rlEEA7F5Mx2drIw_Rk74d8pwC_XDx6YLOpJNL7nuOC0/edit?usp=sharing

Hi everyone,

A job has come up in my organisation at another school and it is the PERFECT next step up. I am a one person department and have been my whole teaching career but this would be the step up to head of a department and team. I have done everything and been responsible for everything the job post requires but I have no managerial experience and I am struggling to put anything in my statement. I have been responsible and accountable for my subject right from ECT but not sure what to say?

Any help would be appreciated

My wife and I are both qualified counsellors, but she has two years of experience as a counsellor and I just finished my master's in Counselling. I do have several years of TEFL experience, two years' homeroom teaching experience, and a subject qualification in a saturated area that I've only ever used in the context of homeroom teaching (but have always been passionate about and would love to teach). Currently there is a school interested in her as a counsellor, but there is only one counselling position available. They have suggested that I apply for an open position in my teaching subject area so they can consider hiring us as a couple. The school seems amazing and it's definitely a location we'd like to be in, and I wouldn't mind teaching my subject for at least a little while. I'm wondering, though, what this could mean for my chances of landing a counselling position in the future. I have tried to pitch my counselling qualifications as a value-add for the school in the cover letter, in hopes that I can get at least some marginal experience with parent workshops on mental health, or lightening the caseload for one of the existing counsellors by providing some supplemental support. I'm concerned that taking a subject teaching role could sabotage my future prospects as a counsellor and "peg" me as a subject teacher in the eyes of schools, but maybe I'm being overly pessimistic? I would appreciate any feedback from those more experienced in the international scene, particularly teaching couples or specialists with other teaching credentials.

I've been looking at a few schools in China to apply to recently and stumbled upon this one, I couldn't find much information about them besides their website, does anyone know anything about this school?

[TLDR: I could just be overthinking this, and have been for a while now. However, I just hate the thought of a parent spending so much money only for their child to not learn English (or other language of instruction) or not obtain an experience that is, in my opinion, worth the price tag.]

Hi all,

I've been teaching in East/Southeast Asia for around seven years now. While I've enjoyed the experience and taught some wonderful students, one question keeps coming back to me: What exactly do parents see in some international and bilingual schools, where tuition can range from $6,000 to $25,000 per year?

I ask this because many of these schools don't seem worth the price tag. Most tier 2 and tier 3 schools have inadequate facilities (no full-size basketball court, swimming pool, or football pitch; subpar science and tech labs; small, disorganized libraries; understaffed health services, and so on). Academically, these schools struggle to juggle multiple programs (e.g., government-mandated English curricula, Cambridge programs (or another kind), and online supplementary programs), which leads to teacher burnout and leaves little time for quality teaching. Their extracurricular offerings are limited, often just gym classes or homework sessions, and many don’t have a proper EAL/ESL program, resulting in students with weak English skills.

I get that, as a teacher, I'm more aware of these issues. But how do parents not see this? And if they do, why are they willing to pay so much? I’ve considered a few reasons but still can’t quite wrap my head around it:

• Limited Alternatives: Wouldn't parent demand encourage these schools to improve? Also, most bustling metropolises in Asia have multiple options.
• Marketing and Branding: Sure, these can be persuasive, but shouldn't parents see past the facade?
• English-Language Instruction: I understand the appeal of English, but wouldn’t parents notice if their child still struggles with basic English at home despite passing classes? Many students I've taught “graduate” but need remedial English at international universities.
• Community Influence: Does the network effect truly play such a significant role in the global international school game? Does the concept of “saving/gaining/showing face” justify a $25,000 decision? Does the social validation make it worth it?
• Lack of Transition: I get the desire to avoid disrupting a child’s social environment, but is it worth it at the expense of quality education and holistic development?
• Some Parents Simply Don't Care: The sad reality is that just because someone is wealthy does not mean that they care about their children or are involved in their lives.
• Some Parents Want their Kids Babied: I've concluded that some parents do not want their kids to be challenged or stressed by their nation's typical testing requirements (like in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc), but their kid also isn't smart enough to get into a top school in their area.

To conclude:

• Has there been any research on this topic specifically?
• In "developing" countries, what motivates parents to take on such a significant expense, and how do they afford it? What are their jobs?
• If you're a former international school parent or student, was your experience at a lower-tier school worth the price?

Thanks for any insights or personal experiences you can share! I really appreciate it!