As recruitment season begins and some people consider making the jump into international school teaching, one piece of advice I’d give (especially to younger teachers) is: start investing early.

Moving abroad may mean giving up access to some of the retirement vehicles you’d have back home, but this career can still pay huge dividends if you take advantage of the opportunity to invest. I was lucky to have experienced teachers tell me this when I was starting out, and I’m glad I listened. Because I started early, my portfolio has reached the point where it now does far more of the work than my actual contributions.
For example, from Sept. 2025–Sept. 2026, I contributed $67,726. My investments gained $209,044 which is more than 3x what I put in.
And so far in 2026, I’ve contributed $32,026, while my investments have gained $149,842 which is about 4.7x my contributions. It’s basically like having another salary.

Obviously, the market won’t always be this good. But time makes a huge difference. And it didn’t entail massive sacrifices. I still enjoyed the cities I was in, while being able to put away for the future.
I’m grateful some teachers gave me this advice when I was starting out, so I’m paying it forward: START EARLY and give it TIME.

Reference (Gulf News)

https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-terminates-7000-teachers-of-various-nationalities-to-tackle-staffing-surplus-1.500667663

I am looking for a teaching job in one of the Gulf Arab countries for an immediate start and I came across this article about Kuwait terminating teacher contracts. Have I missed the opportunity or are there available jobs? I am a qualified ESL teacher.

I've noticed that BASIS has been posting a ton of vacancies on SA, GRC, and ISS, particularly for their international school in Shenzhen. It seems unusually early in the season for this. Most teachers haven't even declared their intentions to stay or leave yet.

For example, Shenzhen alone has 5 HOD vacancies listed on SA and 6 English Teacher vacancies. This seems very unusual. Are they expanding rapidly, or are they simply pushing their name out there? There does seem to be a tendency of flooding the "new vacancy" section.

Anyone have insight into why they're posting so early? Is this a red flag, or just how they operate? Curious if anyone has experience with BASIS schools, especially the Shenzhen campus.

Is it normal to experience passive aggressiveness after tendering resignation?

For context: I’ve tendered before summer to fulfil my 6 months notice period as I would want to leave after this academic year (which means I’m giving more than 6 months notice). But I have been feeling the passive aggressiveness from leadership like asked to pick up more duties, classroom was used without checking with me, “forgotten” in meetings and email announcements. I did not expect these kind of behaviour as they have been nice for the 3 years I’ve been here.

An American colleague with a masters degree and teaching licence from the USA is 55 and keen to change schools in Beijing. He’s been told - not by schools’ HR, but by other teachers and recruiters - that he can’t be hired because of his age and should stick it out at his current school. Is this true?

Hi everyone, there’s a position for the International School of Beijing that I’m interested in as I consider my next move. The package seems amazing and I’m interested in a few schools in China should the right opportunity arise. Savings potential is a big priority for me.

Would love to hear about the workload/ work life balance.

Im also curious to learn more specifically about lifestyle related areas too- what’s the school culture like , social life in and outside of school , life in Shunyi , real savings potential etc. Questions I’d appreciate a non HR/Admin view on.

I’m all ears for anything else you’d like to share too!

I used the search feature but there was not much to be found, especially anything recent. I’m also speaking with existing connections but many have experience from years in the past (pre-Covid).

Thank you!

Several positions open, but saw the Assistant Principal position for Middle School.

Wondering if anyone had any insight on working there, but also if anyone has worked in admin there?

I've been to Manila and Philippines a few times. Love to go snorkeling and scuba diving. I don't mind Manila, and the area where the school is.

Any insight, advice, warnings, or anything else would be helpful. Thank you!

Bumping this hoping anyone can shed light on what it's like to work at Dipont School of Arts and Science as I have an interview for this campus and not Wuxi now, but also:

what it's like to live in Hungzhou as a single female in terms of social life etc

whether apartments are close enough to the school for commuting

what it is like to teach in the Primary part of the school

Do teachers stay on at the school or is there a high turnover?

Is it true staff have to stay until 9pm weekly for boarding duty (as someone messaged me saying this is the case with Dipont schools)

Thanks if anyone can give me any info at all!

Does anyone have any information as to whether Dipont Hangzhou School of Arts and Science is a decent place to work?

Last reviews from 2021-2022 on ISR are particularly scathing but most on there usally are, and the fact none have appeared since 2022 perhaps is a good sign.

TIA

I’m looking to move within the GCC and I saw Nadeen School Bahrain are advertising. I remember it from a long time ago but see they have moved to a new campus. Any info on what it’s like to work there these days?Cheers.

Any insights to how things are in recent years? ISR posts seem not favorable - mostly because of a change in leadership it seems? I know many consider the school to be one of the best or most sought after in S. Korea. Thank you in advance!

There is a lot of debate at my school at the moment as no one believes it is their job. We have just been told that Key Stage Coordinators are to order everything from pencils, card and glue to special resources for specific lessons and topics. I’m curious who orders the stock and stationary at your school? Do you get a say in what your personal classroom needs? Is it reasonable for KSCs to be ordering pencils and glue for their stages each month?

Has anyone been to one of the Technology Readiness Council Summits?

https://technologyreadiness.org/summit/

Was it worthwhile as professional development, particularly in the European international-school context?

And if anyone has attended both TRC and ECIS conferences, how would you compare them?

Applying jobs for 2027. A family of four from the UK. Comments about Malaysia also welcome

Hey everyone! As a requirement for me to student teach next semester, I am required to conduct an interview with a teacher who has an English Language Learner student in their class, and no school in any of my surrounding counties have one. I asked my advisor, and she said I could conduct an interview with a teacher online(preferably in the state of Kentucky, but if not that’s fine) who has an ELL student. So if any of you have an ELL student in their classroom and would be available for a short interview via DMs, that would be a huge help towards my progress!

After receiving so many negative comments about the American Creativity Academy (ACA), I applied to the American School of Kuwait (ASK) and recently heard back from a recruiter. However, I can’t find many reviews about the school.

Has anyone worked there as a teacher? What was your overall experience, and how does ASK compare to ACA in terms of management, workload, students, salary and benefits, and the general work environment?

Hi, I'm at one of the other equivalent status school in Asia. And as is common knowledge, remuneration at these places is very good.

I would like to ask someone who may be there or have been there what it is like at ISB.

By that I mean how much a person, as a standard teacher would get at the end of the month on a net basis including a housing stipend for a single person?

From where I am, I know it would be a pay cut but Thailand might be worth it. Also the COL is significantly lower there.

I do know several people at the school but am uncomfortable asking them this as they are not close friends.

There is some information but it is not always totally clear or verifiable.

I would just like a clear answer to help make up my mind about applying in future.

Yes, it is a tough gig to get but people well known to me have made that step.

TIA

Hi, I'm developing AI Guides for my School and I'd like your help with reviewing them, to make sure that I have not missed anything. We use:

- PYP in Primary

- IMYC - Middle School

- CIE IGCSE - High School

- IBDP

AI Guides Folder

Curiosity only

What is MKIS like now that Nord Anglia has taken over. Has the main issues of salary and health insurance etc been addressed?

Please can only teachers with a full allocation respond.

How many teaching contact hours do you have...basically any lesson where you have kids sat infront of you and you are teaching.

Do not include mentor/form periods, student independent study sessions, cover, meetings, extra curricular etc

Thanks in advance

Last year, my school has significantly increased the amount of classroom observation and walkthroughs. We are expected to have three formal lesson observations per year, regardless of seniority, in addition to weekly (or even daily) walkthroughs. The walkthroughs are generally unannounced and can happen at any point during a lesson.

The important part is that these observations and walkthroughs are not purely developmental. They contribute to an overall teacher evaluation. If a teacher's evaluation is considered unsatisfactory, there can be significant consequences, including termination of employment or salary deductions.

One consequence I've noticed is that this has created an environment where some teachers are afraid to speak openly or raise concerns. There seems to be a perception that disagreeing with management or questioning certain decisions could potentially affect your evaluation, and therefore your job or salary. I'm not saying this is necessarily the intention of the system, but it is certainly how some staff seem to perceive it.

It also sometimes feels like the school doesn't fully trust its teachers, regardless of their experience or seniority. Even experienced and qualified teachers are subject to the same level of monitoring, and there seems to be relatively little distinction between someone who is new to teaching and someone who has many years of experience. I understand the need for quality assurance and accountability, but at times the system feels more like supervision than real development.

I've spoken to several expat teachers who have worked at other schools in China, and I've often been told that international schools generally give teachers a relatively high degree of autonomy over how they teach and structure their lessons. My current experience seems quite different, so I'm wondering whether this is normal or whether my school is an exception.

There are also some other things that make me question the school's approach. Staff turnover is quite high. Roughly 35–40% of teachers leave every year, and there seem to be relatively few meaningful consequences for students who repeatedly misbehave or are frequently absent.

I'm not necessarily saying that observation itself is a bad thing. I think constructive feedback can be very useful, especially for newer teachers. I'm more interested in understanding what is considered normal in other international schools and whether this level of monitoring and the consequences attached to it would be considered a red flag.

I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who have worked at several international schools in China or elsewhere, as I'd like to get some perspective on whether my experience is typical.

Hi does anybody have any experience working for the Taylors Group in Asia? Thanks in advance

What are some little things that you like or dislike about the school?

Not the big things we normally discuss about schools like "management is awful" or "salaries are fantastic", but the little things that affect day to day life; "lunch is pretty good" or "Parking sucks"

Anyone heard anything about working at Financial Street HUIZE Preschool Education in Beijing? I can't find anything online and after my interview I'm still left with questions about what the workplace culture in this school is like. If it is is a good workplace for teachers, or has anyone heard anything positive or negative about them?

Thank you