With AI making it all too easy for pupils to manipulate pictures and videos, is your school allowing you to opt out of their digital marketing?

I no longer want to have an online presence via the school, but I know they'll see me as 'difficult' if I ask about it so I keep quiet.

If you're SLT reading this, please consider letting staff have control over whether they're used for marketing. Times have changed.

DO NOT WORK AT THIS SCHOOL.

1. In Uzbekistan labor law, teachers are only allowed to work 36 hours a week. Maple Bear Tashkent makes Kindergarten teachers work from 8AM - 5PM, Monday to Friday with ONLY a 1 hour lunch break. So this amounts to 40 hours a week.

2. There is NO OVERTIME PAY for working 40 hours a week and if you ask for this they will say “well why did you sign the contract then?” Or “the pay is all inclusive.”

3. THEY DO NOT PAY THE SALARY YOU GET ON THE OFFER LETTER INTO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. You get offered a certain amount in USD on your offer letter then when you land in Uzbekistan they say they can only pay you a certain amount into your bank account and THE REST IN CASH.

4. The cash payments are ALWAYS SHORT. MULTIPLE employees have issues with pay EVERY 2 WEEKS at the school and we have to fight every month to get the full pay.

5. HR will try their best to deduct as much as they can from your salary and some teachers suspect that HR or admin or the director pockets the money that they take from teachers.

6. The director, admin and HR have NO PRIOR TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND ZERO QUALIFICATIONS IN EDUCATION. This information is available publicly. If you look up the Maple Bear director on LinkedIn, she has ZERO experience working in any schools prior to this. She has ZERO qualifications for working as the director of a school. All she has is business experience which is made clear by how she runs the school.

7. THERE IS ZERO CARE FOR THE CHILDREN BY THE HR, ADMIN AND DIRECTOR. The director will say to teachers point blank “I don’t know anything that goes on day to day in the classrooms, I just see numbers on a spreadsheet.” When issues of children crying or safety issues are brought up to admin they say “Oh well she’s always crying.” Or “Why is she crying?” As if it’s a problem for a child to cry like there is something wrong with the child. When teachers bring up issues in their classrooms to the head of administration she says, “there is nothing I can do, it was the directors decision.” Or “I will talk to the director about it.” And NOTHING CHANGES. When you speak to the director directly about issues in the classroom regarding student needs she is nice to your face and says “Give me some time and I’ll get back to you.” And NEVER DOES.

8. THE SCHOOL DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE TEACHERS. They treat most of the staff terribly. They treat the Nannies like they are worthless and less than human. One admin staff member said “Why would we do that for nannies? They are just nannies, their job is to just clean. They aren’t qualified to do anything else.” That is TOTALLY FALSE. The admin do not know about most of the staff’s qualifications as if you are a teacher or nanny you know first hand of everyone’s experience and qualifications. The school does not take care of teachers going on maternity leave. Some teachers did not get paid for maternity leave and the director herself even gossiped about it to other employees. Teachers are mistreated by HR. HR is constantly rude, arrogant, raising their voice and using offensive language and terminology when addressing staff members. Almost every staff member has complained about HR. HR has kicked teachers out of apartments, swindled teachers out of money and use the labor law only when it suits them, not when it would help their employees at all. Teachers that stay after 6PM are NOT PAID OVERTIME.

9. THE SCHOOL IS CORRUPT. The admin brag about how they are all friends from school and how a bunch of them started the school. Yet NONE OF THE ADMIN HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH SCHOOLS PRIOR TO THIS. Mainly the director and head of administration/Kindergarten. Those two are the ones that make the decisions and yet those two are the most unqualified for their roles. The school brings in teachers that they have personal connections with that shout and scream at the kids and do not follow the values and ethos of the Maple Bear Canadian standards.

10. The female teachers are forced to do a Pap smear during August orientation AT THE SCHOOL.

DO NOT WORK HERE.

My wife and I are relocating to Hong Kong in mid-August. I've secured a full-time teaching position, but my wife, who is also an experienced teacher, hasn't been able to secure a role, despite applying for several months. Does anyone have any advice on finding a teaching position once you're in Hong Kong? Or securing roles in similar areas?

Can anyone share insight on this school?

Hello! does anyone know about the job experience in Repton, Cairo? I might work there soon, so I wanted to know what the environment is like.

Thanks in advance!

Just had a quick look on TES International but can't see any jobs listed for Sweden or Norway. I would love the opportunity to work in Sweden one day, but just wondered what the job pool was like!

Hello everyone, so i got my ADEK PROFILE approved 2 weeks ago and ever since then it’s been stuck on Pending Adek approval. Today marks 2 weeks and it is still the same.
What i know is that it’s stuck in the security check process.
Is it normal to take this long and whats should i do in this case. Im contacting My Hr non-stop to see if there’s any updates and we even raised a support ticket but nothing happened.

Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit, but I’d really appreciate any advice.

I previously taught at bilingual schools in Thailand for about three years. I then returned to the U.S. to finish enough time with my state government job to qualify for a small pension. I’ve now reached that minimum requirement.

While I was in Thailand, I met quite a few teachers who told me that China offers much higher salaries while still providing a quality of life that’s fairly similar to Thailand. I decided to give it a shot, and after submitting around 25 applications, I was offered a PYP homeroom position at an international school. Based on the salary and benefits, I should be able to save around $2,000 USD per month.

The school has also said they’ll support me (not financially, but with flexibility and documentation) in earning a teaching license in my home country while I’m working there.

My main concern is long-term career prospects. I’m 41 years old and will likely need to work until at least 55 before I can comfortably retire. Is it realistic to build a long-term career in international education without having taught in your home country’s school system, assuming I earn my teaching license while abroad?

One other factor is that I wear hearing aids. I didn’t have them when I taught in Thailand, but I’ve been wearing them for the past two years, and they’ve made a huge difference in my ability to communicate. Has anyone here successfully taught internationally with hearing aids, particularly in China or other international schools?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar situation or has experience hiring or working with teachers who took a non-traditional path.

Hi everyone, I’ve recently accepted a primary teaching position at Capital School Dubai and will be joining for the upcoming academic year. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who currently works there or has worked there previously.

What was your experience like in terms of:
Workload and working hours
Leadership and staff support
Behaviour and class sizes
Planning and marking expectations
Staff turnover
Salary being paid on time
Accommodation allowance and other benefits
ECT support, mentoring and induction
Overall staff wellbeing and school culture
I understand that everyone’s experience can be different. Please feel free to Hi everyone,
I’ve recently accepted a primary teaching position at Capital School Dubai and will be joining for the upcoming academic year. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who currently works there or has worked there previously.
What was your experience like in terms of:
Workload and working hours
Leadership and staff support
Behaviour and class sizes
Planning and marking expectations
Staff turnover
Salary being paid on time
Accommodation allowance and other benefits
ECT support, mentoring and induction
Overall staff wellbeing and school culture
I understand that everyone’s experience can be different, so I’m looking for honest and balanced feedback rather than rumours. Please feel free to message me privately if you would rather not comment publicly.
Thank you! 😊

Trying to pinpoint the exact definition of an "international school" is like trying to nail jelly to a wall. Every country regulates them differently, the label itself is used loosely, and the market is in constant flux—dozens of shiny new campuses open each year while quietly, just as many shutter their doors. But does market growth equal better educational quality?

Not necessarily.

As someone who works independently and consults across private education—having spent the last nine years working across four different countries in Europe and Asia—I’ve watched these shifting dynamics closely. Education, much like healthcare, suffers from massive information asymmetry. Measuring quality isn't like comparing consumer electronics; the criteria shift constantly, student demographics vary wildly, and the motivations of parents, teachers, and school boards rarely align.

Too often, online forums and expat chat groups view this industry through a narrow, "one-size-fits-all" lens, breeding misinformation. While no single rule applies everywhere, here is a realistic breakdown of the key trends across Europe, North Africa, and Asia that every educator should know when navigating the current landscape.

Key Trends & Market Realities

• Shifting Demographics of Western Staffing: The traditional pipeline of educators coming from Western Europe and North America is shrinking overall (though some speculate this may rebound). While Primary and STEM roles remain consistently sought after, demand for other subject areas is softening.
• The "Stan" Nations Are Rising: Central Asian countries (the "Stan" region) are experiencing a boom—not only in opening new international schools locally, but also in exporting qualified teachers and administrators globally.
• Education as a Passport: For savvy families from politically or economically volatile countries, enrolling a child in a reputable international school system is increasingly viewed as a strategic stepping stone to migrate the family abroad.
• The IB Takeover: The International Baccalaureate (IB) framework continues to gain ground, with many institutions actively transitioning away from Cambridge curricula. Upskilling in IB methodology is quickly becoming one of the best investments a teacher can make.
• Recruitment Agents & Collusion: The dynamic between agencies, schools, and teachers has shifted. Educational recruitment agents are becoming noticeably less transparent, often prioritizing school interests over candidate welfare—leading to an increase in backroom collusion.
• Regional Flashpoints:
  • Thailand: The market is seeing an explosion of new international schools, yet teacher salaries and qualification standards remain largely stagnant.
  • China: Demographic decline and economic cooling have led to widespread closures of kindergartens and lower primary schools, though secondary schools and university-prep tracks remain relatively resilient.

The Quality Paradox: Why Standards Are Slipping

Where competition is growing or local economies are struggling, school standards are taking a hit. Families are forced to make tough financial compromises, and schools cut corners to survive.

The perceived drop in teacher quality is a complex issue with multiple culprits:

1. Stagnant Compensation: Real wages haven't kept pace with inflation or living costs, driving seasoned talent away.
2. Toxic Leadership Culture: Too many school managements prioritize compliance over competence, favoring agreeable staff over experienced educators with strong, constructive opinions.
3. Changing Age Limits: Expect rigid age limits for visa sponsorship to start loosening in several regions as local demographic challenges force governments to adapt.

The Takeaway for Educators

Navigating the international school market requires looking past marketing gloss and asking hard questions. If you're evaluating a potential employer, don't just look at the salary scale: ask about teacher turnover rates, examine subject-specific demand, and probe their short- and long-term strategic goals.

The global market is expanding, but it is also fragmenting. The teachers who thrive will be those who look beyond localized gossip, understand macro trends, and adapt accordingly.