I wish I could wake up every day with a view like this. Maybe one day! This was taken in Puerta La Cruz, Venezuela and they have an international School!
I am an international teacher. I like to travel. I love teaching. I have been teaching abroad for the past four years and I can honestly see myself doing this for the rest of my life!
Periodically, on the blog, I will post a more in depth post regarding schools I would like to work at (or that I would suggest my friends work at). I keep a spreadsheet of my first, second, and third choice schools…and I realize that a lot of other teachers don’t do this. So, to further flesh out my dream, and to help inform any teachers looking for a new school to work at, I will be posting pages about schools I would love to work at!
I would consider working at a lot of places (230 schools are in my spreadsheet that I mentioned), so it was really hard to make my Top 10! I look mostly at things like the school’s reputation/quality, salsa dancing potential (only once a week in Islamabad!), quality of life in the city, and benefits offered.
My Top 10 Dream Schools (not necessarily in order):
1. American School of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)- my review
2. Lincoln School (Buenos Aires, Argentina)- my review
3. American Overseas School of Rome (Rome, Italy)- my review
4. International School of Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)- my review
5. International School Bangkok (Bangkok, Thailand)- my review
6. Shanghai American School (Shanghai, China)- my review
7. The Columbus School (Medellin, Colombia)- my review
8. International School of Islamabad (Islamabad, Pakistan)- my review
9. American International School of Johannesburg (Johannesburg, South Africa)- my review
10. Green School Bali (Bali, Indonesia)- other alternative schools
Teaching Wanderlust 
I go to ISKL (international school of Kuala Lumpur)! Did you ever teach there? I love that place and all the teachers are so inspiring and passionate in what they do
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Hi Ida! Thanks for visiting. How lucky your are that you get to go to ISKL! I have never taught there, but I have read a lot about it and would love to work there one day. I plan on teaching at international schools for the rest of my life, so whenever I find a school I’m interested in I add it to a list. ISKL is right at the top of my list of places I would like to work at!
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Well if you ever do get the opportunity do try it! Not only is ISKL a great school, but Kuala Lumpur has so much to offer. I’ve also been to ISB (International School of Bangkok) and I really enjoy it. Another great school to check out would be ISM (International School of Manila). They have a great reputation and I know that teachers that work there are very happy. In fact I went to ISM for two years and my mum was a third grade teacher there. She keep coming back to ISM saying she really liked it there.
Growing up as a third culture child I highly value my experiences at international school and love the environment it puts you in. You learn from so many cultures and make friends from across the globe. Another thing I really like about it are the teachers. In my opinion they seam to care so much about us and out education and it really does give us the best possible education we could ever imagine and such a big head start when entering the “real” world later in life!
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Ida, I would love to interview you one day! I work as an international elementary teacher working with pre-K through 3rd grade so I see what life is like for my students, and I know what life is like for myself and other teachers, but I never really thought about what my students are like when they are all grown up!
ISB and ISM are definitely schools that I would like to work at one day…but everyone else also wants to work there so competition is fierce. hahaha. For now I will stick to Latin America.
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How do I get a job opportunity like this? I would love to become an international teacher!
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Hi Isabelle! The first step would be to get a Bachelor’s degree. After that, you could give international teaching a try by becoming an intern for a major international school. I think Search Associates helps place interns as well.
Here is a link to some posts I’ve written for people who are just getting started: https://teachingwanderlust.com/tag/getting-started/
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Dream school: NIST International School in Bankgok. Lucky for me, I work there! In all seriousness, I’d be happy at any one of the big three in Thailand: NIST, Bangkok Patana or, as you already mentioned, ISB.
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Hi JD,
How lucky that you can work at your dream school! Would you mind answering some questions for my blog about your experience there?
I would also be happy to work at any of the top schools in Bangkok! The next time I apply for jobs I will be applying to all three of those schools, but that probably wont be for another year or two.
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I stumbled across your post again and never realized that you had replied. 🙂 I can definitely answer any questions you have about working here.
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Sorry – I came across your post again and had never realized you asked a question! I can definitely answer any questions you have about working here.
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Interesting to see your top 10 list. It’s totally different from mine.
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I wrote this post a couple years ago and keep meaning to make a new one! I think I would only keep about half of the ones on my list right now. Haha. Which schools are in your top ten?
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I would love to read your updated list! Which ones have changed?
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Interesting List, any specificCambridge Schools in Asia you recommend ?
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Sorry, I haven’t heard anything about them, nor do I know anyone who has worked at one. So I can’t say I have an opinion about them. Maybe they are geared toward UK teachers?
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Hello! My name is Hannah and I live about an hour away from Seattle, not too far from where you grew up! I recently received my Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (K-8) with an endorsement in Elementary Education from Western Governors University and have my teaching license in WA. I have always dreamed of becoming a teacher abroad, but never knew the right steps to take. I want to continue my education to get my master’s in the near future, but I was wondering if you went through a teaching abroad company when you first taught in a school? (Besides through a college, as I am not enrolled right now) There are so many sites out there, it’s kind of overwhelming. Please let me know if you have any tips for a first timer! Thank you!! 🙂
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