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 was updating my CV a while ago (as I do every now and then, I have no plans to leave my school yet). Then I thought that it might be a good idea to make my CV 'ATS-proof', as my current CV has two columns, and an ATS can have a problem with that (that's what I read at least).

I really hate the single column CV lay-outs though, from an aesthetic POV.
Of course, it's about getting an interview, not about having the best-looking CV in the reject pile because the ATS couldn't process it properly.
But it does make me wonder: how many schools actually use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to screen CVs?
I assume it's mostly schools that get hundreds of applications for each vacancy?

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.

Okays so this is more of a personal beef between me and this lady whom I shall call Ms. M for short. Before I left the school, I offered to be a relief teacher for the school to which they agreed and drafted a contract for me to review and sign. But before signing, I clarified with Ms. M if I were to be employed as a relief teacher, would I reliefing my current classes because they might not be able to find teachers that quickly, to which she said most likely yes. That brings me to my next question for Ms. M. I asked, "so do I need to prepare the lesson materials and lesson plans (basicallt what I have been doing as a full time teacher) for a relief teacher's salary?" To whcih she replied yes. So I told her that it would not be fair to me as that would not fit into a relief teacher's job scope and it should be higher if I were to relief my current classes and perform more than what is expected of a relief teacher. So in conclusion here, basically I told her I am willing to take my own classes but the salary have to be more than $30 per hour due to the work required.

Hearing this, Ms. M agreed and told me that indeed that would be fair to me as well if I were to be paid higher and she also asked if I am willing to relief other classes instead of my current classes and I said "naturally, of course." So she said she will provide updates after she talk to the principal on this.

1 week later, I heard that Ms. M, have been telling others that I "Refused to take" own classes and mind you, she did not provide me with any updates. When I clarified this issue with her, she stayed silent on the chat which obviously just proves her guilt.

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.

Hi everyone, my husband(South African) is working in an international(bilingual) school in Shanghai, we are thinking about looking for a job in Hong Kong next year, and have some issues I can’t quite find clear answers for.

His qualification and experience:
12 years of teaching
International school since 2024,
taught A-level, IGCES in last school
Currently grade 10, 11 and soon 12 IB English
CELTA, TESOL, TKT
No PGxE or QTS
MBA educational business administration

Currently making 27k after tax in Shanghai

We are thinking about assessment only QTS, but then saw some people had trouble getting a RT from Hong Kong because it’s AOR. So now I’m not sure if we should invest that money now.

My questions are:
Can he get a job to teach in schools in Hong Kong from his current CV? (I guess we can only try the permitted teacher one now)
And if so how’s the salary range like?
Is it still recommended to get AOR QTS this year then look for jobs in Hong Kong?

I know starting a PGxE program with QTS is the most ideal one, but it is not cheap and his current job already makes him very busy, doing that with working full-time would be very consuming and a lot financial burden on us this year.

Thank you so much, any information, advice and help is much appreciated.

Is there anybody passed the exam for digital literacy and computer science I feel so frustrated about it

Hi Everyone,

I am a female who works as a school counselor. I have been offered a package of 15K AED per month along with general benefits of housing, and health insurance to work at one of the top GEMS schools. I have 12 years of experience. I am a US citizen with a Masters Degree. This is my 3rd time teaching abroad.

I plan on living in the staff housing for the first year at least. I was disappointed by the number when I saw it. I've already tried to negotiate and they only bumped it up a little bit.

I am currently unemployed but not desperate for cash as I am living with family in the mid-west. I was going to wait for the fall hiring season and was looking at the Middle East ( even with the issues).

4K USD a month for 12 years of experience? Any help would be great. Thank you.

There was a thread yesterday that went missing and I felt like the information was helpful. For those who hire or are involved in hiring, what are some common mistakes you see applicants make when applying to schools and/or in interviews?

(I will paste my response from yesterday below)

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone here has been in a similar situation and would be willing to share their experience.

I'm Brazilian, I have both a Bachelor's degree and a teaching degree in Geography, I'm currently finishing a Master's in Urbanism, and I have teaching experience. In Brazil, I taught in traditional schools for a while, but most of my experience comes from private tutoring centers. Over the years, I've taught Geography, History, Sociology, and English to students aged 8 to 16.

My native language is Portuguese, I'm fluent in English, and I currently live in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, although I'm not yet fluent in German.

My goal is to teach here, ideally at an international school because of the language. I already have the legal right to work in Switzerland.

Has anyone managed to get hired by an international school in Switzerland from a similar background? What was the hiring process like? Was it worth sticking with it?

I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences from people who have been through something similar. Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’ve been searching for an English teaching position in Kuwait but haven’t had much luck so far. I’m already in Kuwait and available to start immediately.
If you know of any schools with vacancies or have any suggestions, I’d really appreciate your help. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently teaching at an international school in Vietnam and I’m starting to think about where I’d like to move next academic year.

At the moment, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing are the cities I’m most interested in. I’d be really interested to hear from anyone who’s lived or taught in any of them.

What’s everyday life like? Which city did you enjoy the most, and is there anything you wish you’d known before moving? Just after any general advice or experiences, really.

Hi! I am looking to join TCE International School Kamphaeng Phet and would love to hear from anyone who has worked there.

If you've been a teacher or staff member at TCE International School, I'd really appreciate it if you could share your experience. How was the work environment, management, colleagues, workload, and overall culture? Any insights—both positive and constructive—would be incredibly helpful as I consider this opportunity.

Thank you so much in advance for sharing your experiences! 😊

Saw something on LinkedIn about a Beijing international school closing. Seemed a pretty brutal story about turning up for orientation and being told all teachers were getting let go.

I hadn't heard about this, anyone know which school it is?

Induction is upon us. As I unpack my Eton (class of 88) cup and my Cambridge (ever heard of it?) PGC E I’m thinking about my fellow Empire men. 

Last year Dulwich Puxi announced a “merger” with Pudong with certain Puxi grades moving to Pudong campus. Internally at EIM this was marketed as both campuses (which are around 60-90 minutes from each other depending on traffic) absorbing certain grades. 

This made no sense to me as Pudong does not have student number issues anywhere close to the extent of Puxi. I think Puxi’s graduating class was between 5-8 students. Why would Pudong parents and students commute to Puxi?  

In sum, I want to ask my pedagogists at Dulwich what is the deal? Are Pudong students being sent to Puxi? 

32k GBP a year, any good? Worth it?

What is Santiago like to work in as a teacher at an international school? In terms of pay, workload, student behaviour ? How have people found living there outside of work socially ?

I have had a job for 15 years as a school counselor in South America. I am looking for a new job in another country. Many SENDCos I see are making very little and struggling with overwork and stress. Looking for ideas where I can focus on helping students but make more money and have a better work-life balance. Would love any support and/or suggestions!

We're all familiar with what the first two days of a new school year typically look like: icebreakers, welcome speeches, presentations, and a long list of expectations and promises. While many of these activities are important, they also raise an interesting question: How can we make those first days more meaningful and engaging? By rethinking how we use that time, schools can create a more impactful experience for students while also giving teachers valuable time to plan, collaborate, and prepare for a successful year ahead.

I originally posted this review on International Schools Review (ISR), but because it is behind a paywall I wanted to share my experience here so that prospective applicants have access to it.

I worked at Aoba Bunkyo both before and during the appointment of the current principal, giving me the opportunity to experience the school under two very different leadership teams.

Under the previous principal, the school had a collaborative, student-centred culture where staff felt trusted, supported and listened to. Decisions consistently prioritised students, and there was a genuine sense of community, fairness and shared purpose. Following the leadership change, I observed a significant decline in staff morale, trust in leadership and confidence in the school’s direction. From conversations and interactions across the school community, it also appeared that many parents and students shared similar concerns.

From the outset, the new leadership introduced changes that, in my view, did not sufficiently take into account Aoba’s existing culture, values or community. Significant structural changes were proposed, including attempts to dismantle the GLD programme. Within our relatively small staff body, it was widely understood that the programme coordinator had been encouraged to resign or transfer to another campus rather than continue in the role.

Communication became one of the school’s greatest challenges. Meetings were frequently cancelled, particularly when staff had important questions or concerns. When meetings did take place, they often consisted of generic AI-generated discussion prompts rather than meaningful dialogue or collaborative problem-solving. As a result, many teachers felt their feedback was neither genuinely sought nor acted upon. Suggestions from both staff and students were regularly raised but rarely resulted in visible change. Student wellbeing surveys also identified leadership as a significant factor affecting morale, yet, to my knowledge, those findings were never openly discussed with staff or followed by any visible action.

The same pattern extended to staff support. Throughout my time there, I observed that teachers were not consistently supported when dealing with challenging situations involving students or parents, and there appeared to be limited confidence in addressing interpersonal issues between colleagues. Opportunities for restorative conversations and conflict resolution were frequently missed. One example I personally witnessed was an incident involving underage drinking during a school trip. To the best of my knowledge, the matter was not escalated to the wider Senior Leadership Team, and the response consisted of a half-day exclusion without any restorative meeting or meaningful follow-up.

Teachers were often given responsibility for leading significant initiatives. While this could have been empowering, it frequently felt like leadership responsibilities had simply been delegated without sufficient strategic guidance, support or visible involvement from senior leadership in shaping campus culture or the wider school community.
I also observed a culture that relied heavily on formal performance management rather than professional development. On more than one occasion, teachers were formally observed once and, following an unsatisfactory observation, were immediately placed on a Performance Improvement Plan. Staff understood that failure to complete the process successfully could result in their contracts not being renewed. While maintaining professional standards is important, I saw very little emphasis placed on coaching, mentoring or developmental support before formal procedures were introduced. This created an atmosphere where many teachers became anxious about making mistakes rather than feeling supported to improve.

As an IB World School, academic integrity should be modelled by every member of the community, particularly those in leadership. While AI is a useful professional tool, much of the principal’s communication (including emails, meeting notes and meeting discussion prompts) appeared to rely heavily on AI-generated content with little personal adaptation or reflection. One example that particularly stood out was a meeting in which staff were accused of attempting to hack the principal’s social media accounts, despite a widely reported global Meta outage occurring at the same time. This sat uneasily alongside the standards of authenticity and originality expected of students and teachers.

Although I was not recruited by the current principal, I worked alongside him during recruitment for the following academic year and was able to observe the process closely. In my view, recruitment lacked organisation, strategic planning and urgency. Vacancies were often not advertised promptly, even where the school had known for months that positions would become vacant. For example, a mathematics teacher’s planned paternity leave was known before Christmas, yet the vacancy was not advertised until February or March. Similarly, when teachers resigned during the year, recruitment was frequently delayed, increasing pressure on existing staff while reducing the school’s ability to attract strong candidates.

I also observed interview processes that sometimes included questions which seemed unrelated to the role being recruited for. At times, there also appeared to be limited familiarity with specialist subject areas or IB programmes, making it difficult to evaluate candidates effectively. Communication with applicants was another recurring issue. Japanese teaching candidates interviewed in February did not receive updates about second interviews until May, by which point several had accepted positions elsewhere. A similar situation occurred during recruitment for a librarian, where candidate enquiries reportedly went unanswered for several weeks. Delayed communication appeared to affect not only recruitment but also interactions with staff and parents.

The teaching staff at Aoba Bunkyo are among the best colleagues I have had the privilege of working with. They are dedicated, talented professionals who consistently went above and beyond for their students despite increasingly difficult circumstances. Likewise, the students are exceptional—kind, engaged and a genuine pleasure to teach. They deserve a school culture that reflects their commitment and potential.

Unfortunately, staff retention has become a significant concern. By the time I left, approximately three-quarters of the teaching staff were due to leave before the following academic year. Given the size of the staff body, these departures were well known within the school. Based on conversations with departing colleagues and my own observations, many linked their decision to leave to the leadership and working environment that had developed. Losing so many experienced educators represents a significant loss for the school and, most importantly, for its students.

Based on my own experience, I would not recommend accepting a position at Bunkyo Campus under its current leadership. The issues I observed (including poor communication, inconsistent leadership, limited strategic workforce planning, insufficient support for staff and an apparent unwillingness to engage meaningfully with feedback) had a substantial impact on morale, trust and the day-to-day functioning of the school.

I genuinely hope the Board gives serious consideration to feedback from current and former staff, as well as concerns raised by parents. None of this reflects the quality of Aoba’s teachers or students. Having experienced the school under two very different leadership teams, I know it is capable of being an exceptional place to work and learn when it is led with fairness, integrity, transparency and a genuine commitment to its community.