Would you teach in a country on the brink of civil war? How about one experiencing long-term drought or a recent military coup? Incidents and events some of us consider dangerous and to be avoided are seen by others as exciting, challenging adventures.
COVID-19, commonly known as Coronavirus, poses a unique danger and could well deter some otherwise adventurous Educators from venturing overseas. Fatalities from COVID-19 stand just over the 5,000 figure, yet seasonal influenza claims 100 times that many lives on a yearly basis. The KICKER: There’s NO vaccine or standardized cure for Coronavirus and it’s spreading unbridled.
To learn how COVID-19 is affecting the careers of International Educators, we invite you to take a short ISR survey. Results are available in real time and should provide the information YOU need to make informed career decisions.
Select the statement that describes your situation in regards to
COVID-19:
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ISR Discussion Boards 
Shut down, onilne, but safer here than there. So staying put 🙂
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I agree that this platform should not presume that home is better. I have taught for 35 years and only 3 in my home country. Not going back there in a hurry!
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I returned to my family in NZ one week before the end of school year. My Director was not happy at all. However had I flown on my original ticket I would have been subject to the new restrictions i.e., 14 days self isolation. I had signed for 20-21. Now wondering if I will be able to return by the start of the new school year and if so what will the situation be like.
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Well, it made me cancel a cruise and trip this April to Europe; however, it seems summer will see it abate. By next Fall, all should be OK!
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That’s what I’ve been counting on, but, unfortunately, at least according to Michael Olsterholm, that’s not the case. Olsterholm is an expert in infectious diseases, bioterrorism, and biosecurity. He wrote a book in which he predicted exactly what is happening.
He says this virus is not seasonal. He says that SARS coincidentally wound down in the summer, but that was because patients were not contagious until about six days in when they were showing symptoms and were, therefore, able to effectively be quarantined, which eventually decreased the spread to zero, not because of the warming weather. But with this new coronavirus, he says, you are contagious throughout the 5 days (the typical length of time) before you start to show symptoms.
He predicts that as soon as the restrictions are lifted in China, there will be new outbreaks. He believes this won’t subside until there is a sort of herd immunity through exposure.
He says that a vaccine is a couple years out. He says it’s easy to create a vaccine, but to develop one that is safe and effective will take at least a couple of years of testing. The danger is in creating a vaccine that actually only gives you enough immunity to make your reaction worse when exposed to the live disease. He points to a vaccine that was being used for dengue fever in the Philippines. However, he says the development of a vaccine and the stockpiling of life-saving drugs and preventative equipment, such as N95 masks at hospitals is essential. He has been advising it for years.
He is not an alarmist, but he doesn’t sugar coat anything. He says that the comorbidity issue in China was smoking but in the US it will be obesity. He said that most predictions in the US say there will be 48 million hospitalizations due to the virus and 480,000 deaths. I guess that’s even more reason to “flatten the curve.” If we have the bulk of those 48 million hospitalizations all at once, the number of deaths will increase dramatically.
However, he does not come out and support the idea of extreme “social distancing.” He says we are in for 6 to 7 months of this and he asks how long we can sustain this, economically and socially.
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I’m presently teaching in Uzbekistan where, apparently, COVID-19 hasn’t yet arrived. However, students who travel anywhere abroad during the spring break this March must stay home for 2 weeks before they return to school. Teachers at my school are forbidden to travel abroad.
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This survey assumes we are safer in our home country. The US has done a terrible job in addressing COVID-19 so far. We feel far safer here in Panama, where they reacted quickly when the first cases were discovered. I am one of those people in “at risk” groups. I should not fly anywhere.
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Nope. This is a classic pandemic and will last 18 months. The 1918 pandemic had 4 waves . The first one didn’t kill many and was considered by the British army not an issue. The next waves killed 1 in 18 of every human on the planet, decimating nurses and doctors.
This one looks similar so far!
Btw I feel safer on South Korea than in UK so this survey makes a silly assumption that home is safer. Not with Bojo the clown in charge and a failing health service. UK has 2.5 beds per 1,000. Korea has 12.3 per 1,000.
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I will finish the school year in Kuwait and had already decided to retire; I would consider staying international in spite of the virus.
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I am completing the year and contract and then returning to Australia from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has closed all schools in the country. We started on-line “teaching” three days ago and it has been a big learning curve for most of us. I have had the best and most useful professional development in the last few days as I must use the learning platforms. Some international teachers have been told that if they take spring break vacations out of the country and are unable to return they will not be paid. I will be departing in mid June and could be quarantined on return home. At least I am not coughing [yet].
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This list doesn’t include those of us who were allowed to go home and work online. I wouldn’t renew my contract for many reasons, but not because of the virus.
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