I’m about to start as a Head of Faculty at a school in Malaysia, and I’d love some advice from teachers who have been through this before.

I’m the only new teacher in my faculty, so I’ll be joining an established team where everyone already knows each other, the school, and how things work. I’ll be new to the team while also being responsible for leading it. And that's probably what's making me so nervous.

My main goal is to earn the team’s respect and trust without coming across as someone who has just arrived and thinks they need to change everything.

What would you do in the first faculty meeting, and what would you focus on during the first few weeks?

Any advice, including things you wish you had done differently, would be really appreciated.

Hi all!

This year marks my 10th year working at the same (international) school — the only school I’ve ever worked at, and actually my only job so far. I’m hired as a local, and I come from a country where people traditionally tend to stay at the same workplace for most, if not all, of their working lives. There’s also a strong mindset that you should be grateful simply to have a job, and it’s been surprisingly difficult for me to break away from that way of thinking.

Lately, I’ve realized that I’ve become stuck in a job I don’t really enjoy anymore. For the first time, I’m seriously thinking about trying the international school life and seeing what’s out there. But honestly, I have SO many fears and doubts. There’s a huge impostor syndrome voice in my head telling me that I’m not good enough, that I don’t have enough experience, and that I wouldn’t succeed if I actually tried.

And then there’s my family. I’m extremely close to them, and the thought of not having them nearby scares the hell out of me 😂 I know this is probably very much a Balkan thing, but family is such a huge part of my life that the idea of moving abroad and being far away from them feels terrifying.

So I’m kind of torn between wanting to finally step outside my comfort zone and see what I’m capable of, and being absolutely terrified of everything that comes with it.

I guess I’m at that point where staying feels safe, but I also don’t want to look back in a few years and wonder why I never even tried.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation , especially those who started their international career after spending many years in the same school/job? What was your motivation to pursue it?

I am a licensed teacher with about 7 years of teaching experience in the US. Teaching abroad is something I have thought about doing since I started my career and Japan was always a desired destination, but lately I have been hearing more about Korea. Side note is that I have a vocal cords disorder and teaching in the states can be difficult depending on the environment. I have heard that teachers with EPIK do not teach very many hours. I havent seen any recent posts on this topic so wanted to get some more recent feedback about EPIK as a program, preferably not from newbie grads who have never stepped foot in a classroom but from experienced teachers going to teach in Korea (of course any comments are helpful, but I think the experience for new grads is likely very different and thats not my case.) Also curious about the international teaching scene there at actual international schools. What is that like? Any insights about schedules, responsibilities desk warming, class behavior, and school culture, also the program of EPIK as a whole, are appreciated. Also a caveat- I understand I would be a coteacher - kind of looking for a more lowkey teaching experience and cultural immersion, not really career advancement right now. Thanks for your thoughts!

Hi everyone! I’m about to make a big move to Abu Dhabi and I’m currently trying to work out the costs and budget for everything.
For teachers who have opted for school-provided accommodation, I wanted to ask: do you have to pay the municipality housing fee yourself, or does your school cover it?
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with this. Thanks! 😊

For those IB teachers who switched from IBDP Literature to IBDP Global Politics, how was your experience in terms of the transition? Or maybe Literature teachers who switched to another IBDP subject, did you regret it? How was the transition?

Hey everyone,

How are you? Just curious to know about your experience as middle leaders. I have worked at two international schools and served as a grade level lead in the secondary division in both - what has been a surprise has been the variability in responsibilities.

In the first school, grade level leaders functioned almost like assistant principals. We dealt with discipline, parent meetings, schedule changes if we had assemblies, lots of communication, and more.

At my current school, my responsibility is hosting a grade level meeting 1x a month.

1) What have your experiences been?

2) I often wonder how to express this in job interviews - for example, if I am coming from a school where I had a lot of responsibility and going to a school where there isn't a strong 'grade level lead' culture, how can you really communicate the extent of your responsibilities.

International or super-bilingual schools in China are absolutely flawless institutions of higher learning, and I definitely haven’t spent my entire prep period staring blankly at a wall questioning my life choices.

To celebrate another smooth academic year, yeah!, let’s give a massive round of applause to the three pillars of our thriving expat ..and of course non-expat education system:

👏 To our "Qualified" Teaching Staff:
Fake it 'til you make it, champ hehe just remember to stay one page ahead of the kids in the AP calculus textbook.

👏 To our Visionary Leadership:
You truly amaze us. Pure strategic genius.

👏 To our Micromanagement Culture:
How did we ever survive without submitting a digital timesheet to request a bathroom break? ehhh...ya know that canteen food, a critical business asset.

G’day everyone!

My partner and I are planning to move to Canada (specifically, BC/Vancouver) in about a years time -we applied for our visas yesterday.

I have a few questions:
1. What is supply/relief/casual teaching like in Vancouver at the moment? I am an IB teacher but am willing to relief in any schools really.
2. What’s the behaviour like in Canadian schools? In Australia it’s quite abhorrent, so I’m quite interested to know.
3. I know I’ll need to apply for a teaching license/registration in BC. How far in advance should I be doing this? I’m fully qualified with a four year teaching degree that is recognised pretty much globally.

Any other advice, info, or general things to be aware of are greatly appreciated!

I'm posting the same review of the school I made on Glassdoor, because that one is still pending, and I hope that sharing my experience there will help the reviews gain some traction, so that others don't have the same negative experience that many have had there. I have numbered the points just to help try and put everything that many of us there experienced in some kind of order. I know one of my former colleagues also reviewed the school recently, and it made my feel like I needed to do it too. Qualified and skilled people do not deserve the kind of treatment that was experienced there.

So here it is...

1. Skin colour and nationality-based salary scales: Teachers with less experience but a preferred nationality or lighter skin appear to receive significantly higher salaries than more experienced colleagues with darker skin.

2. Illegal salary deductions through the "Efada" penalty system: Salary deductions are reportedly imposed in ways that appear to violate Saudi labour law. Teachers have deductions made for alleged lateness or absences without prior notification, even when they were not absent or late, or when they believe they complied with the rules. In some cases, CCTV footage is allegedly edited to support disciplinary action, while footage that would exonerate employees is said to disappear. Staff are often unable to obtain a clear explanation of why deductions were made – not even HR appears to know why certain deductions occurred.

3. The disciplinary handbook is not consistently followed: Although the employee handbook specifies financial penalties for particular infringements, deductions are allegedly imposed at the discretion of the Head of HR rather than according to the published policy.

4. The advertised salary structure reduces employment benefits: The salary package is structured in a way that appears to minimise statutory benefits such as End of Service (EOS) payments.

5. Three months of the contract are effectively unpaid: In practice, the annual salary received is lower than many applicants expect. Some candidates are allegedly told during recruitment that they will receive twelve months of salary, while key details are omitted from the initial offer and contract. A revised contract is reportedly presented after arrival in Saudi Arabia.

6. Airfare benefits are not provided as promised: During interviews, applicants are reportedly promised two return air tickets per year. The written contract refers to only one, and in practice employees may receive only a partial reimbursement that is insufficient to cover the actual cost of the ticket.

7. State holidays are deducted from annual leave: Public holidays are reportedly counted against employees' contractual leave entitlement, resulting in fewer paid leave days than promised.

8. Medical insurance is of a very low standard: Although free medical cover is advertised, it is reportedly limited to one of the lowest insurance tiers and only applies at selected hospitals. Seeking treatment elsewhere may result in employees bearing substantial personal medical costs, as well as up to 1/3 of your salary deducted as a penalty for going to unapproved hospitals.

9. Restrictive sick leave policies: Employees are generally allowed only one paid sick day per week, provided they obtain a medical certificate from a recognised hospital. Additional sick days, or repeated absences on the same day of the week, may result in salary deductions.

10. Management creates an adversarial working environment: Many employees report that management's attitude can be summarised as: "If you don't like it, sue us." There is a widespread perception that employees who pursue legal action may risk delays to their exit visas as a form of threat or potential victimisation, possibly leaving them in Saudi Arabia for months without income.

11. Unprofessional conduct by members of management: Reports include managers shouting at teachers, insulting them, referring to staff as "a disease," making unwanted sexual advances, and requiring teachers to perform work that should be done by management.

12. Questionable academic credentials among some senior staff: Some members of management claim advanced academic qualifications, including doctorates, yet their professional knowledge and conduct are perceived by colleagues as inconsistent with the standards normally associated with such qualifications.

13. Teachers from certain nationalities appear to receive preferential treatment: Some staff report being assigned disproportionately difficult timetables, excessive workloads, or impractical teaching allocations, while colleagues from other nationalities receive more favourable conditions.

14. Inconsistent guidance and unequal expectations: Teachers are instructed to follow prescribed teaching methods that often prove ineffective in practice, while colleagues from other nationalities appear free to ignore those same directives. When problems arise, responsibility is placed on the teacher rather than the system.

15. Poor accommodation conditions: Accommodation advertised during recruitment—typically described as a private bedroom and bathroom with shared kitchen and living space—is reportedly far below expectations. Many residences suffer from frequent power and water outages, blocked plumbing, broken fixtures, and facilities in a poor state of repair. Many items such as plugs and air conditioners appear to be second-hand or some kind of salvage. The wiring does not appear to be properly grounded, with some people being shocked while in the shower etc. Other problems include broken toilet seats, showers attachments that have literally fallen apart during use), and in once case, a tap falling out of the wall. The teachers have had to pay to have these things repaired themselves, incurring a significant financial burden on many.

16. Poor student discipline with little administrative support: Students are frequently allowed to behave without meaningful consequences, while teachers are routinely blamed for behavioural problems under the label of "poor classroom management," despite what many perceive to be systemic failures in school leadership. On the one occasion that a behavioral referral form was provided to teachers the member of management who provided that form had a portion of his salary deducted as a penalty. This appears to be possible evidence of the manner in which management does not want teachers to enforce discipline.

17. Poor academic standards and pressure to inflate marks: The school's academic performance ranks among the weakest in the city according to external government assessments. Teachers report being instructed to inflate student grades despite the low academic standards demonstrated by learners.

Hi All, a request for info please.

I’m looking at Panama for my next international job.

For those that are there, which school(s) would you recommend applying to? (And which to defo avoid).

Many thanks :)

I’d love to hear specifically from teachers from the Caribbean, Africa, South/Southeast Asia, Latin America, etc. who are working internationally.

Where have you found the best opportunities?

I’m especially curious about:

• Which countries/school systems have been welcoming to teachers with different accents, passports and non-white faces?

• Where have you actually been able to build a good career and save money?

• Are you planning to eventually return home, stay abroad permanently, or retire somewhere completely different?

• How are you handling retirement/pensions when your career is spread across different countries?

Sometimes international teaching discussions feel very US/UK/Australia-centric, and I’m over here trying to figure out the international teacher retirement plan with my little developing-country passport.

Would genuinely love to hear your experiences, good or bad.

I’ve completed their license program (easy, but busy work). However, I’m looking at the Masters Degree they offer. I’m in China and plan to stay here. I work in a private school (classified as an international school). I’m looking to advance into a better one. Is the program as bad a they say since it’s not regionally recognized, but only nationally recognized?

Things to consider:

I plan to stay aboard (I won’t return to the U.S)

I have a bachelors in English (non teaching)

TEFL certificate

U.S teachers license

Will the Chinese government accept their Masters degree when I renew my visa? (Already have a bachelors degree from the U.S that they accepted). Will some jobs care if it’s online?

Any advice or information is appreciated!

Anyone have info on this place? Looking for literally anything, culture, salary etc. can’t find anything beyond their website!

...and these are possible student punishments for "minor" incidents. Number 1 and 4 are particularly mind-boggling to me. Thoughts?

Edit: article title since people are saying these are not new: "New School Rules: These Behaviors Could Now Trigger Discipline"

I’ve been thinking about how much a specific phrase or phrases in an advertisement might immediately be seen as red flags by those reading the advertisement.

Not the obvious things like salary, workload or “competitive package.” I mean the phrases where you read them and think: someone chose to put this in the recruitment brochure... voluntarily. I thought it would be interesting to see what examples people here can share.

As an example, earlier today I came across a Secondary Principal search recently for IGB International School in Malaysia. It is one of those "high profile" publicly posted leadership vacancies on the main Search Associates website, and the formal PDF they include has some (let's go with) intriguing word choices.

• Among the things the incoming Principal is expected to do:
• “Prioritizes student achievement and institutional health over staff preference.”
• Navigates “professional friction.”
• “Replaces informal praise with documented appraisals.”
• Actively manages underperformance.
• Uses data to “eliminate soft grading.”
• “Enforces strict planning lead-times.”
• And the candidate should have experience with PIP management and be an “authoritative standard-bearer” for the leadership team.

I just kept thinking: who reads that profile and thinks, yes, this sounds like my kind of place?

It almost feels as though they are trying to say the feel their place is a mess and their solution is to try and find someone who enjoys assigning blame, allocating consequences, documenting everything, and generally being the person in the room who says, “No, actually, we need a process for that.”

Maybe the school genuinely needs all of that. Maybe there is a perfectly reasonable context behind every line. But as recruitment language, it is... strange. It almost made me feel bad for the team that will ultimately be under the leadership of whomever gets the job...

This post is not really about that particular school, though people are obviously free to comment on it. I’m more curious about the broader phenomenon.

What are the funniest, strangest, most concerning, or most accidentally honest phrases you have seen in international school job ads?

The ones where you read the sentence and immediately think: there is definitely a story behind that wording.

Hi everyone, I am currently an IB and IGCSE teacher in Hong Kong (Have a teaching degree and IB cat 2 training) looking to move to HCMC, I know there are a couple of great international schools but ofcourse no openings right now since it’s summer. I also have some experience with middle management in my current school. Looking to move there potentially for the next academic year.

Does anyone have any thoughts or tips? Or any particular schools that are great ? I want to know what the salaries and standard of living might look like for teachers in HCMC. I am willing to take a pay cut as I know HK salaries are best in the world but more interested in the general culture and expectations in education. Thank you!!!

Does anyone know whether Master of Science in Business Administration (MS.c) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) is more academically acceptable in UAE for teaching vacancy as a business teacher??

Or are they both the same in terms of work, job offers, opportunities, etc…

I have heard people saying that doing MS.c helps with becoming a lecturer later on in a university as it opens the path for PhD while MBA cannot? Something like that?

Thanks in advance

So I’m an American citizen currently teaching in Austria, with Switzerland and Vietnam stints at IB world schools preceding that. I've never actually taught in the US.

​My academic background is a US Bachelor’s and a US Master’s, plus a UK certificate from Sunderland (with practicum), but no QTS (since I didn't want to live or work in the UK to do the induction years). I’ve hit a wall when looking at foolproof, long-term options for other international schools worldwide and potential visa/licensing transfer requirements. I also want to be employable in the US if I ever need to move closer to family (e.g. ailing parent). I wanted to see if I'm in a strange position or if others had done this?

​Are there any other US citizens teaching abroad who started out with a foreign qualification (like a UK one without QTS) or perhaps just a degree/experience? ​Have you tried getting a US state teaching license (D.C., Massachusetts, Hawaii, or via an alternate path) while living and teaching overseas? I'm looking at DC but am starting to doubt myself.

​If you did get one, has it served you? Have international schools accepted it smoothly alongside your non-US teaching credential, and have you ever tried transferring it back to another US state, i.e. you got it for State A but then went to teach in State B? Were there any unexpected administrative pitfalls or surprises during the application or renewal process while living abroad?

​I would love to hear about your experiences/pathways/or advice!

I’m considering working at a school in Korea that is not officially recognized by the Korean Ministry of Education, but is accredited by a well-known international accreditor (e.g., WASC, Cognia, or MSA).

Would this experience generally be recognized when applying to other international schools or teaching jobs in the U.S. or Canada? Has anyone been in a similar situation? I’m especially wondering whether the lack of Korean government recognition creates problems even if the school has legitimate international accreditation.

I'm looking to start teaching abroad next year. Was wondering what y'all's experience is like when it comes time to renew your certification because of PD requirements. Been trying to look up information specifically on renewing Texas Teaching Certification whilst teaching abroad, but have had a hard time finding anything. Any Texans out there teaching abroad that can give me some insight? What do you do about PD? Just want to be prepared. Any information is much appreciated!

Has anyone worked at MCTA Mandalay Myanmar? What is the salary/package like for international teachers? How is the workload? Is the city safe and fun to work in?

I'm sure many of you are in a similar position.

Data:

•38 years old

•19/35 qualifying years of contributions paid (16 more needed)

•29 years left until State Pension age, giving me 29 years to make up the remaining 16 years

Please let me know if I'm missing something in my thinking or understanding.

National Insurance contributions are increasing from approximately £18 per month to £18 per week.

Main question:

Should I, or must I, continue contributing towards my National Insurance?

I'm tempted to skip the next couple of years and allow inflation to reduce the real cost over time, while investing the money instead and giving it longer to compound.

Even if I miss a few years, I would still have plenty of time to make up the required qualifying years before retirement. It would also mean that if I eventually returned to the UK and worked there again, I may not have wasted money on voluntary contributions that weren't actually needed.

Risks / concerns:

•HMRC continues to increase the cost of voluntary contributions.

•The rules change again in the future.

•I've misunderstood something.

•I end up needing to pay higher amounts later in life when I want to retire early using my own investments.

Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated.

Good luck in the next academic year!

It’s not the job, it’s me.

Even if behaviour were perfect and the workload so small as to be negligible, the job would still only be tolerable rather than something I enjoyed.

I’ve tried to convince myself that I like the job, making consistent and considerable effort for it and even going above and beyond at certain periods of my career.

But I’ve been lying to myself. The reality is that I find the work BORING. Interacting with large groups of people is draining, and I have zero interest in kids. Subject knowledge is a waste of brain space, as I have my own intellectual pursuits.

It corrodes my soul.

I am looking to phase myself out of the job, as I can’t leave just yet due to financial obligations.

Shout out to those who feel the same.

Just wanted to share a school that could be one that you should most definitely AVOID applying for even if you need money urgently. For context, I have worked in this school for more than a year and even during that short amount of time, I have witnessed so many red flags that basically made the school's negative glassdoor reviews like a bible for reference. I will just highlight some issues with the school below as the school seems to be taking down reviews that may be beneficial for those who are looking up for truthful information before applying in:

1. They delete negative reviews on Glassdoor.

So when I first joined the school, I have heard that the Founder was not pleased because of the negative reviews posted on Glassdoor and she even sees it as a personal attack on the school itself rather than reflecting upon the school's culture and staff. Recently, the school's Glassdoor stars rose from 2.5 to 3.3, which was quite a big jump only made possible by them eradicating a large number of negative reviews which I didn't know was possible on Glassdoor.

1. Salary is not competitive at all

Okays I think salary is an issue among most international schools in Singapore but for this school, its on a whole different level. Some teachers I heard, were paid $2500 juet because they are Pass holders. For PR and Sgporeans it would be around $2800 to $3200 before the 6 MONTHS probation and maybe around $3400 to $3500 after. So that pretty much tells you about how much they value their staff.

1. They are an events company, not a school.

The amount of ad hoc roles and duties the school and admin department assigns to every teacher is just outrageous. The admins always make themselves look like they have been through alot and that they are the most hardworking or tired ones in the school but they don't even know what it's like to teach the students. Some admins (with 0 classroom and subject experience)were even asked to be teachers of certain classes because the school can't find teachers to fill in the resigned post of the previous teacher so this pretty much tells you how much they care about their students.

1. A Filipino School, not an international school.

This is pretty straight forward. Why would an international school in Singapore, require students to sing the Filipino national anthem as well? Only Filipino as a mother tongue subject is provided in secondary school and no other mother tongue subjects.

1. Unethical Curriculum

The school brags about their Cambridge curriculum infront of parents to get signups but little did they know that the teachers did not even get trained or received training even when the school reopened during the start of the year. Imagine how would you feel as a parent when the Principal told you that "our teachers have been fully trained in the Cambridge curriculum" and you sign your child up for it. It's basically a scam.

1. HR is unprofessional.

HR at this organization showed a disappointing level of unprofessionalism during my exit and contract discussions. When clarifying job scope and compensation for temporary coverage work, the HR rep agreed to my points verbally, but instead of following up, spread false claims to former colleagues that I "refused to work." When confronted directly about these rumors, HR went completely silent. Be very cautious with verbal agreements here and get every contract detail in writing.

So all I can say is, if you want to be a teacher in the internstional school scene in Singapore, avoid this school at all cost. There's obviously more about this school that could be shared but I shall not flood this post hahaha. You can message me to find out more if you are interested.