In the crazy life that is international education, November is the time we all start getting the fever. ISS, Search Associates, and The International Educator newspapers come out chock full of schools looking to hire for next school year. It is an exciting time and a terrifying time. Because Ryder and I have decided to move on next year, we are on this crazy roller coaster already. I am going for administration this time so our options are considerably less than before. But still... will it be Amman? Or Maybe Bombay? Can you believe Caltex has openings for both of us? Tunisia looks amazing. Part of the deal is to do mass amounts of research on each place. In doing that, I came across a review I wrote last year about Pan American School of Bahia in Salvador. I had forgotten about it actually. But, after rereading it (and having been away for a year and a half) I think it really does sum up our experiences in Brasil. So, I thought I would include it here. It gave me major saudades!
International Schools Review
The Pan American School of Bahia (in Salvador, Bahia)
by Cristiana Jurgensen
Salvador is a city like no other. It is a perfect place to watch the sunset from a barraca (an outdoor beach bar) while enjoying a cold beverage. There are concerts (mostly Brazilian music) every weekend. There are theaters, art shows and lots of beautiful people. The culture is one of openness and happiness. The locals are always smiling and willing to help. Many of the teachers live within walking distance of each other so there is usually always something going on. There are also restaurants, movie theaters, lots and lots of outdoor bars and of course, some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. There are many beautiful places to travel within Brazil. Travel is reasonable and many teachers travel together over long weekends. There is a beautiful five start resort complex (with hotels, golf, horseback riding, beach sports etc.) about an hour an a half away from Salvador.
PASB is a small school with around 450 students in G2 (two year olds) to 12th grade. It is located on a beautiful green campus with lots of trees, a swimming pool and covered gym. The classrooms are a little funky because they are always being changed around with dividers. Each classroom has a computer with internet and there are two computer labs with 15 computers in each. There is a full service open air lunch room. It is about 30 minutes from downtown Salvador. The school population is mostly very rich Brazilian kids. Most of them are well mannered and interested in learning. The academic standards are not very rigorous and since the classes are smaller (around 20 students) you can have fun with the students. Once you are inside your classroom, what you teach is pretty much up to you. Most of the graduates attend college in Brazil.
The board of directors and the director are primarily interested in the business side of running a school. The director does not come into the classroom much. The elementary principal and the middle and high school principal are the ones who really care about education and do their best to support you as a professional. As with many international schools, sometimes the parent community meddles a little too much in how the school is run.
One of the weaknesses of the school is the management. This includes not getting school books ordered on time, taking a long time for maintenance requests, providing low quality furnishings in the teacher housing, taking up to a month to get your phone installed, etc. As a result, I think this school is perfect for young singles who are looking to have fun and experience Brazil. It is a little harder for people with families who can’t really be without a phone for a month! The school also does not provide health insurance for dependents and only a partial scholarship for dependents. A final note, the salary is low to average (especially for South America) but you are also taxed 30% which can really put a dent in your take home pay!
My husband and I have really enjoyed our time here. We have met some amazing Brazilians who made us feel loved and welcome. The weather is sunny and beautiful, almost every single day! We have been here 6 years and now we have two little kids so we are ready to move on to a better paying job. But one thing is for sure, the quality of life here is some of the best we have ever experienced!
Recounting....
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It's changed a bit since we got a director who actually is involved. Dennis has been spectacular, and can multitask like no person I have ever met in my whole life. Things have really been moving well, right down to actually spraying for termites! The class sizes have grown too, I think there are 25 in every class now, from kinder on. The G4 already has 22 kids, I have no idea what they will do when a whole load come in in January. Even the G2 has 13 already. And many of them are still in diapers....
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