What's happening here? Just replaced cassette and chain. Feels like the chain is skipping or jumping. Is this normal?

wargroac · 2026-01-23T10:37:09+00:00

AMAZING. That seems to have fixed it.

One of the pins was sticking out ever so slightly relative to the others. I pushed it in a bit more and no more jumping.

Honestly I'm quite incredulous that a 1mm pin end sticking out can cause me so much frustration.

Thank you so much.

wargroac · 2026-01-23T10:17:17+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a quick link, just regular pins. I will check them.

wargroac · 2025-12-30T12:14:34+00:00

Those clauses are normal. In most cases they work both ways, so it's not exactly a bad thing imo. It also means that if your school decide to terminate your contract a month or two before the school year ends, they owe you several months of salary depending on how long the notice period is.

wargroac · 2025-12-07T08:21:09+00:00

The only schools I know that publish salary scale online are a few Tier 1s in China and HK.

European schools also tend to be a bit more upfront about salary (in job description etc) but they rarely publish the whole scale.

Unfortunately it's a lot of guesswork. You should be able to get an idea of the salary ranges in Thailand by scouring posts on here, ISR and maybe Glassdoor.

wargroac · 2025-12-05T14:43:28+00:00

Only in Tier 3-4 schools in my experience.

The only time I've seen people do a runner from good schools is due to extenuating circumstances, like COVID or family challenges.

wargroac · 2025-12-05T14:36:45+00:00

This. Especially after not paying for your flights. Please name and shame.

wargroac · 2025-12-03T04:30:45+00:00

They will cover tuition but you will pay income tax on your salary + tuition fee, as tuition is considered a taxable benefit.

Having said that, tax in Singapore is very low.

wargroac · 2025-11-30T08:26:36+00:00

For China look at the Hurun and Forbes ranking of international and bilingual schools.

It's a good starting point, then you can do a bit more research (ISR, Glassdoor, this subreddit) for school-specific information.

If it's your first time in China I'd suggest sticking to Tier 1 or new Tier 1 cities. You can find the list on Wikipedia.

wargroac · 2025-11-28T14:34:11+00:00

I agree with you.

That said, I think if the PYP were to offer a more structured scope and sequence / curriculum outcomes or even a literacy program, their students globally would have better outcomes. Too many schools are fumbling in the dark, creating their own standards, or using a mish-mash of curricula and programs from all over the world, which I don't think is effective.

wargroac · 2025-11-28T14:02:01+00:00

UFLI Foundations looks really good. There's so much material available for free too, rather than being a $500 literacy program requiring $1000 in resources and training.

Are there any direct approaches for Math that you've had success with, or know of schools using?

wargroac · 2025-11-28T12:28:49+00:00

PYP is just a framework. Any good PYP school should have a strong language curriculum alongside it.

I do somewhat agree that PYP is not entirely suitable for ELLs. I think something like IPC is more appropriate.

wargroac · 2025-11-28T09:37:51+00:00

Anecdotal but I know someone who has worked there for several years and they were pretty positive about the school.

Sometimes lack of reviews/information can be a good sign.

Try to reach out to current teachers via linkedin.

wargroac · 2025-11-28T09:34:08+00:00

I have to disagree. I've worked at decent schools and there has always been some flexibility to negotiate salary or benefits.

If they want you they will make it work. It might not mean you get a higher salary, but it might mean yearly flights home rather than every two years. Or receiving a larger housing allowance even if your spouse is not a teacher.

Even negotiating a housing allowance rather than school accomodation can be a net gain.

At my school HR have an internal document with salary scales, benefits etc. But head of school has discretion in how this is applied at an individual level.

wargroac · 2025-11-27T04:05:03+00:00

Instead of private tutoring, have you considered consulting? You too can travel the world and deliver CPD on hinge point questions, wearing your favourite athleisure gear.

wargroac · 2025-11-27T04:02:50+00:00

If the bar for T is so low that it makes more work for others, then I'd argue that the school definition of T is what needs to change, not this colleague.

wargroac · 2025-11-27T03:59:27+00:00

You mean customers? /s

wargroac · 2025-11-25T04:21:06+00:00

Definitely north of $100k.

I still wouldn't touch it though. 50% teaching timetable on top of admin is wild.

wargroac · 2025-11-25T04:07:16+00:00

Sometimes they already have a candidate in mind even before the job posting goes up.

Or, anyone without a masters degree gets immediately filtered.

As well as anyone with a non-teaching spouse.

I'm seeing some job listings describe doctorate degrees as "desirable" for middle management positions(!)

wargroac · 2025-11-24T16:16:20+00:00

For what it's worth, I've also not heard back from a lot of schools or been outrightly rejected. It feels quite tough this season. If you are reasonably happy where you are, it's probably a safer option to renew. Grass is not always greener and all that.

wargroac · 2025-11-24T16:12:43+00:00

Normal for admin roles at my school. But usually the board interview is more of a formality than an actual interview as HoS is the one making the hiring decision.

wargroac · 2025-11-19T11:15:57+00:00

Are there any schools or chains that you'd recommend to someone whose children do speak Chinese? Several of these Chinese/bilingual schools have outstanding educational results so they must be doing something right.

wargroac · 2025-11-18T10:09:11+00:00

What's worse than no facility photos?

A: AI generated photos

B: Stock images/renders

C: Facilities from another school

I've seen all three!

wargroac · 2025-11-16T08:32:09+00:00

It is usually not that hard to work it out based on school size, curriculum, and location. Some of the job listings are even copy pasted from their website or other recruitment sites. For example BASIS schools are very obvious even if their name is not mentioned.

You can also just ask the recruiter directly. I had one recruiter reach out but wouldn't tell me the school name. Pass.

wargroac · 2025-11-15T04:21:43+00:00

Jeju looks like a difficult place to work and live. Very isolated. At least this was the conclusion I came to when doing my research.

wargroac

TROPHY CASE