Walworth Barbour American International School is an independent, co-educational school that provides educational services for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12. WBAIS was founded in 1958. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges. This school has a great website with all the information that a prospective teacher wants to know about a school. I wish all school websites were like this.
WBAIS has about 540 students that represent 50 nationalities; about one-third of those students are American. 75 teachers work at the school; approximately 60% are Americans with the rest coming from Israel, Canada and other countries. The teacher/student ration is 1:9.
Mission
The school provides an American education that seeks to inspire students to become responsible citizens, develop their academic potentials, cultivate a love of life-long learning and learn to deal with conflict through dialogue.
Facilities
The new WBAIS 19-acre campus in Even Yehuda, about 20 kilometers from Tel Aviv, has 7 buildings. Facilities include a cafeteria, a gym, sports fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a swimming pool, a 380-seat auditorium, a library with 15,000 volumes, state-of-the-art technology, large classrooms, science labs, and a fine arts building.
Curriculum
The school uses an American-based college preparatory curriculum. The organization of the school follows the traditional American approach with an Elementary School, a Middle School and a High School. Graduates of WBAIS receive a diploma that allows them to enter American universities and colleges. The school offers Advanced Placement courses. WBAIS uses a variety of standardized tests including the PSAT, the SAT and the TOEFL. The school has a Special Education program and an ELL program.
Extracurricular Activities
WBAIS has an after school program for students from Grade 1 and up. Activities include arts and crafts, clubs, Little League, a soccer league, Model United Nations, National Honor Society and the student council. Senior students may participate in competitive sports such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball. The school is a member of the Peace League and the International Schools Sports Tournament.
Technology
WBAIS has Wi-Fi throughout the campus along with computer labs and state-of-the-art technology. IT classes are taught as part of the regular curriculum. The school has a on 1:1 laptop program for Middle School and High School students with the school providing laptops to Middle School students, while High School students are required to provide their own laptops for use in school; these may be Macs or PCs.
Professional Development
The school is committed to professional development and offers a variety of activities including in-services, attendance at professional conferences, coursework for advanced degrees and subscriptions to professional journals.
Employment
About 40% of the teachers at the school are international hires; the majority are English-speaking students who live in Israel. Openings are listed online. The school attend the major recruiting fairs. Interested teachers can send application documents to the Superintendent at wbaisisrael@wbais.net. An application form is online. A video about the school is available online. Also available for prospective teachers are a variety of informational downloadable booklets about salaries and benefits, a new faculty handbook, a faculty handbook and technology expectations for teachers.
Teachers that apply to the school for employment should agree with the educational philosophy of WBAIS. The school website has an extensive list of teacher requirements that include an ability to design effective lessons, flexibility in modifying teaching materials to fit changing circumstances, the ability to work well with colleagues and students, a current knowledge of curriculum, and much more. Take a look at all the requirements before you apply.
Salaries are paid in U.S. dollars and include a cost of living allowance that is adjusted monthly. International teachers do not pay Israeli taxes. Social Security and Medicare are deducted from salaries, as is 5% for a retirement fund. New teachers may start at Step 15 on the salary schedule. Minimum basic starting salary is around $37,000 with a maximum of $41,000. Benefits include a housing allowance, a settling-in allowance of $3,000, a shipping allowance, long term disability, annual home leave, medical and dental allowance, a loan program, bereavement, professional development allowance, evacuation pay, free tuition for dependents, and a stipend for sponsoring after school activities.
About Living in Israel
Israel has a small population of approximately 7 million located in the Middle East (for those of you who might be geographically challenged). It borders the Mediterranean, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, the Red Sea and the Syrian-African Rift. Summers are hot and humid, winters can be wet and cold.
In many ways living in Israel is like living back in the United States in terms of shopping, expressways and clothing. However, Israel is a foreign country with a culture significantly different in some ways from that which a new hire will be used to. The new teacher’s handbook addresses the issue of culture shock for new arrivals. The cost of living in Israel is high so new teachers will need to be prepared for that. The COLA makes up for this to some degree. Israeli’s enjoy outdoor activities, and there are some great beaches there from what I’ve been told. So if you’re a water person, you will have a lot of great opportunities to enjoy sunning, swimming and diving.
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