The Best is Yet to Come

…It’s hard to believe in just a few days 2019 will be upon us! With the best yet to come, ISR waves goodbye to 2018 and greets 2019 with words of worldly wisdom from philosopher and theologian, St. Augustine:

“The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page.”

–

From all of us at ISR, we Wish YOU Chapter after Chapter of Peace and Fulfillment in 2019 Visit ISR

On Retreat w/ ISR

…ISR is on retreat this week in Mexico, land of sun, sand & sea, art, music, dance, history, cheap tequila &, of major significance in this climate, legendary cerveza.

Team-building is part of any retreat. ISR’s planned activities have consisted of imbibing spirits, savoring local fare, more imbibing, more savoring, & of course, shopping for souvenirs.

Once we reach full relaxed mode, we’ll endeavour a few brainstorming sessions, our goal being to make ISR the best it can be to help YOU navigate the often treacherous waters of International Teacher recruiting.

Hmm…’navigate, treacherous waters…?’ The sun, sand & sea are influencing me already! Relaxed & rejuvenated….. it’s about time to start brainstorming a plan for the upcoming recruiting season!

Enjoy YOUR summer vacation wherever your travels may take you!

Hasta Luego,

Ben @ ISR

Help ISR Settle an Ongoing Debate

...Although it may seem trivial at first glance, there’s been much debate at ISR on the topic of whether or not we should convert the Open Forum and School Reviews sections of ISR to a cell phone friendly format. (Note: All other sections of the ISR web site have already been converted.)

The faction in favor of a conversion says….
Convert them both! Pure and simple. What are we waiting for?

The faction opposed to a conversion says….
Not so fast! Check out other popular web sites and you’ll see the forums have not been converted to a cell phone format, and for good reason:

If ISR changes the Open Forum and School Reviews sections to a cell phone format, the pages, because of the extensive information they contain, will become so long that a perspective of all that’s contained on a page will be lost on a cell phone. In other words, you won’t be able to see the trees for the forest, so to speak… The information is more easily available on a phone as it is now than extended to many, many pages in cell format.

…To resolve the issue of whether to convert the Open Forum and School Review sections of the ISR web site to cell phone format we invite YOU to participate in the decision-making process. Your input will help us continue developing International Schools Review as an ever more useful, evolving tool for making your important career decisions.

International Educators Keeping Each Other Informed is what International Schools Review is All About!

Please scroll down to take our short Survey. Feel free to comment, below.

Ushering in 2018 w/ ISR’s 18 TOP TOPICS

 

..Millions of International Educators frequent the ISR Forum & Blog venues to glean insights from colleagues & to contribute their own personal knowledge & experiences. Providing 46,457 posts from educators around the world, the ISR Forum is the place to find the information & support you’re seeking to make informed decisions. Additionally, the ISR Blog attracts well over a million educators, many of whom participate in over 300 timely topics introduced by ISR staff & site members alike.

Here’s the top 18 Form & Blog Topics from 2017:

Discussions from the ISR Forum

1. Best & Worst School Benefits Packages
2. Overseas & Over 50
3. Schools w/ High Savings Potentials
4. One Lying Director
5. Landmines That Can Blow an Interview
6. References Can End Your Career
7. Admin w/ Fake Credentials
8. Canceling a Contract After Signing
9. Is This Really a Career Anymore?

Discussions from the ISR Blog

10. Prospective New Teacher: Expectations & Advice
11. DODDS Hiring Question
12. American or Brit Certification/Credential for Non-Citizens
13. What’s your greatest motivator & biggest regret?
14. IB certificate or workshop?
15. Teaching in Singapore
16. Advice: Leaving Japan (JET), aiming for Europe
17. Single Parents
18. Canada – Foreign Teacher 

 

Happy Holidays from ISR

..To all our friends, family and colleagues around the world, we wish you a beautiful holiday season full of love and joy.  As always, ISR hopes you will celebrate this festive time by sending kindness out into the world and practicing the spirit of sharing with those less fortunate than yourselves.  Happy Holidays! from International Schools Review

The Last Slice of Information

..Still have a nagging concern about a specific International School? ISR highly recommends you take full advantage of the ISR Member Forum. It is, of course, included with your membership, yet often overlooked as a valuable resource.

Located inside the ISR Member Area that’s packed with 11,000+ in-depth School Reviews, the ISR Member Forum stands alone as an adjunct venue for ISR Members who may still have unique questions in regards to a specific International School.

Don’t leave your career to chance. Click HERE to visit the ISR Member Forum for that last slice of vital information you need to make an informed decision.

Should Have, Would Have, Wish I Had

Hindsight may be 20/20, but why learn the hard way when you can KNOW before you go?

With recruiting season basically over, those of us who haven’t yet landed a position for the upcoming school year are feeling a bit desperate and maybe a little more than willing to take a chance on a school with not-so-good Reviews.

“I wish I knew about International Schools Review before I took this job” is a recurring theme running through many ISR Reviews. There’s also ISR teacher-members who had read poor Reviews of a school, went anyway, and later commented that they should have heeded the Reviews but didn’t because they refused to accept that any school could be so bad.

Here’s some excerpts from recent Reviews posted by teachers who didn’t know about ISR before they accepted a position, and from those who chose to ignore the warnings of teachers already at the school:

A school in Cyprus
I honestly wish I had read the reviews prior to accepting a teaching job here. Believe me, these reviews are spot on concerning accuracy!

A school in the UAE
This is a miserable place to work. I wished I had looked at the reviews before I set foot in this school…

A school in Oman
Now that I know the reality of working here, I wish I had taken the reviews written on ISR more seriously…

A school in Vietnam
After joining this website, I feel compelled to warn people that I have been at four international schools that touted ‘high ideals and rigor with a strong commitment to students and faculty.’ Oh, how I wish I had found this website years ago! So much stress and heartache could have been avoided…

A school in Malaysia
The school has a notorious reputation of teachers and principals leaving in a short period of working. I wish I had known this fact before signing…

A school in China
I am writing this because these are things I wish I had known before going to work for this school. I hope that it helps people assess whether or not this is the right place for them…

Should Have, Would Have, Wish I Had sentiments are a thing of the past with ISR.

International Teachers Keeping Each Other Informed
is what International Schools is All About!

Comments? Please scroll down to participate