Reddit Reviews: Not Understanding Priorities and Teeing Up for a Discounted Contract
The Global Teacher’s Guide to Mild Disappointment 11/04/2025
Yes. I am making some Reddit commentaries.
I don’t want to for the following reasons:
Every time I engage on Reddit, I am attacked and accused of all the “isms”, even if I post a job. Yes. Even if I post a job link.
I am not sure how many people on Reddit are actually working overseas, or just larping.
Mostly Larping.
Some of the comments depress me, because if this were a Nintendo NES World and not an infinite save Xbox Lego World, we would need to hit reset and start over.
Annual Subscription Sales Pitch
“Why pay for a subscription if I get free gold like this Reddit stuff?”
Good question, and thanks for being super cheap.
In the last seven days, I had a new paid subscriber who is looking to make a big move. I helped them make a plan, rebuild their CV, and even gave them a private list of target jobs. That entire process is not completed in a single email. It takes time for both parties, live chat, shared documents across multiple platforms, and some true Ninja-Level search skills.
You can send your money to Search or ISS, and they won’t even know your last name 5 minutes after you subscribe. Accessing big databases is part of the process, and you need to do that. However, to get from where you are to where you want to go, you need people like me. I don’t care about feelings or the ridiculous opinion your social media feed presents to you. I just tell you what I think, and try and help you win. Winning is you, getting a realistic outcome that improves your life.
Also, stop drinking soft drinks.
Disclaimer: These are public posts from Reddit. I read these without using an account. I was not logged in. The OP’s handle has been removed from the screenshots.
The end of this post is where I want to focus. The OP lists a set of criteria that are “Pros” of working at Tier 1 schools.
I rebuilt them for brevity:
Reliable Compensation:
Paychecks arrive on time, and HR processes run smoothly.
Salaries are strong, though living costs can offset the benefit.
Student Behavior:
Students are respectful and generally well-behaved.
Issues like plagiarism and overuse of AI tools exist, but are manageable.
Community Atmosphere:
Staff are kind and professional, with a supportive culture despite limited social overlap between newer and veteran teachers.
Facilities:
Ongoing renovations and updated equipment, such as new projectors and improved air conditioning, create a better teaching environment.
Safety & Environment:
The area is extremely safe, with excellent infrastructure and reliable public systems.
But, depending on your situation, a school with the “Pros” above might not be the BEST choice. If you do not have small children, no pets, and are a flexible person, you would be better off finding a school like this:
New or Developing Campus (Or New Campus Supporting a Developing Economic Zone)
Higher than Normal Reliable Compensation:
Salaries are exceptionally competitive, reflecting the school’s role in a growing region where companies often cover tuition to attract talent to help build something new. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Student Behavior:
Occasional challenges with attendance and study habits stem from the region’s rapid growth and shifting expectations, not from disrespect.
Community Atmosphere:
A pioneering spirit defines the staff. Many are drawn by the excitement of helping shape a school from the ground up.
Facilities:
The campus is expanding quickly, with new labs, classrooms, and tech infrastructure being added.
While some areas are still under construction, the sense of progress is constant and energizing.
Safety & Environment:
The surrounding community is developing fast, with improving infrastructure and growing amenities.
Occasional inconveniences are balanced by the sense of opportunity and the school’s clear trajectory toward long-term stability and success.
If you take the leap to work at a new and developing school, you won’t just earn a higher salary; you’ll earn something far more valuable: the badge that says you can build. Everyone knows that helping shape something from the ground up is tougher than stepping into a well-oiled machine, and that experience will open doors anywhere, even back home. It’s the difference between maintaining success and creating it.
This is not for everyone, but it needs to be on the table next to the Reddit logic of: Good School and Bad School.
And the next one…
There are many schools in Japan often looking for last minute employees. In those cases, they are looking for people in-country. The market is changing and growing, Japan is a great place to live, and a tough place to live. Even speaking Japanese, I would not want to work there now with small children and the currency issues.
This is not the NORM.
If you are recruiting for a job, never recruit inside the country you want to be in. Never.
You’ll likely end up with a lower offer than colleagues who were hired through external recruitment; it’s just how the system is designed.
I know. I know. You know someone who knows someone, who knows Mel Gibson.
I am always looking at the probability, not the possibility.
This does not just apply to teaching. My wife wanted to work for Emirates Airlines. We did the research, and she went to the interview in Denmark.
She landed the job in Denmark for Emirates at their recruitment fair. The local Emirates recruitment was known to be saturated and a horrible experience.
I was denied an interview once, from a school that was 20 minutes away from my home, for an IT Job, because they had an agreement not to recruit from other schools.
Local job fairs are great for quick hires and filling everyday roles, but they’re also crowded — which means the company holds most of the cards. It’s less about finding your dream job and more about getting people in the door fast.
Do I think this is logical? No! But, hiring teams seem to believe they get better people abroad (or they like the free trips around the world and will keep this train going as long as they can.)
Play the game you want to win.
Now, OPs actual statements and questions indicate that they don’t know anyone working in what many of you would consider Tier 1-3 international schools. They are getting bad information from a small group of people, social media, or they are larping.
Who knows.
If you know who it is, send them the newsletter, and I wil help them out. :)