Your ideal international teaching position could very well be in Mandalay at the high-caliber Ayeyarwaddy International School (AIS) Myanmar, now registered with Search Associates. Founded by a local entrepreneur in 2011, AIS nearly doubled in population by its second year, reflecting both the country's tremendous growth and the school's enormous success. Currently, 935 K-12, predominantly Burmese, students work towards a U.S. high school diploma. The teaching staff includes 36 from N. America and the U.K. In the coming years, Head of School Dr. Gary Robson plans to attend Search Associates fairs in Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Australia to recruit teachers already in the region.
Situated in the southeast corner of Mandalay, AIS is surrounded by fields and lovely views of the Shan Mountains. Dr. Robson gave us some insight into the beautiful culture that Myanmar has to offer:
"Myanmar is one of the "last frontier" locations where life runs at a different pace and where the Western world has only recently begun to exert an influence on the local culture. There are still plenty of places here where the local culture and traditions have been preserved. In addition, the people themselves are among the kindest people that anyone would hope to encounter. This holds true for our students. We just finished our Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation visit, and the chairman of the visiting committee - an educator who had conducted over 60 such visits in his career - announced to our community at the final day's meeting that our students were the best behaved and nicest students that he has ever encountered. Our own teachers, who work with these students, day in and day out, would certainly corroborate the Chair's statement."
The school is considered a leader in technology integration for the region. In addition to its well-equipped classrooms and dedicated spaces for art and music programs, the school boasts a natural grass football field, swimming pool, and an apartment complex for foreign faculty. Aside from AIS's beautiful and unique campus, Dr. Robson relayed that,
"The focus since day one has been on quality. Although this is a "for profit" school, we operate much more like a public non-profit school in that the students' needs come first. We have a high teacher retention rate (all figures are located in our Self Study, which is available for public viewing via our website), and that speaks to the level of comfort that teachers have both with how the school operates and with what it's like to live in Myanmar."
According to Dr. Robson, if you are considering a career working overseas, "be mindful that there's much to learn while living and working in Myanmar; it's the kind of experience that will have a positive effect throughout a person's lifetime." To view all open positions or learn more about the salary, benefits package, and teaching requirements, you can access Ayeyarwaddy International School's full profile on Search Associates by clicking here. Candidates already registered can easily access the school profile directly through their dashboard.
Please Note: The information presented about this school was valid on the date published. This information will change, and the most up-to-date information can be found on the school profile.
