Saigon South International School is another option for those folks who want to live and work in Saigon. SSIS is a college preparatory Pre-school to Grade 12 private school that uses an American style curriculum. Founded in 1997, SSIS is accredited by WASC and is a member of EARCOS and MRISA (Mekong River International School Association). It is also an IB World School with authorization to offer the IB Diploma.
SSIS has over 750 students that represent over 33 countries. The school has an excellent 10:1 student-teacher ratio.
Mission
The mission of SSIS is to prepare students intellectually and personally to live a good life as a global citizen.
Facilities
SSIS is located close to the new city center of Ho Chi Minh City – Saigon South. The 6-hectare campus is a new, state of the art facility with large classrooms, art rooms, a media center, 3 computer labs, a cafeteria, a music center, 2 libraries, science labs, a dance studio, a double size gym, and an Olympic sized swimming pool. Additionally there are playgrounds and sports fields outside the classrooms.
Curriculum
SSIS uses an American-style fusion curriculum which is based on American and international standards for the content areas. SSIS believes that the use of benchmarks and standards ensures that students will study an integrated, sequenced curriculum. As you might well expect, the core courses are mathematics, science, social studies and language arts. Specialist subjects are art, music, PE, host country studies, library, computer integration, and swimming. An education at SSIS will prepare students for entrance into universities around the world. SSIS offers AP courses and the IB Diploma for high school students.
Extra-curricular Activities
SSIS has Balance in Life as one of their core values. Their extra-curricular activities are a manifestation of that belief. Activities are offered throughout the year and include sports such as basketball, softball, volleyball, swimming, soccer and cross country. SSIS is a member of MRISA and they take part in international competitions sponsored by that organization. In addition to sports, students can also take part in activities such as cooking, dance, martial arts, music, movie club, book club, debate, and more.
Technology
SSIS is a school that believes in integrating technology throughout the school in order to enhance students’ educational experiences. The school has 400-networked computers that are connected to the internet. There are three IT labs. The Media Center, the Science Labs and the library all have computers as well as all classrooms. The school provides technology training for staff and students so that all of them are current with the most recent trends in technology and education. SSIS has a 1:1 laptop initiative that will enable students to expand their learning opportunities outside the traditional parameters. Students in Middle School must use school-issued notebooks, students in high school may use their own laptops. ICT skills are taught directly to Middle School students, but not to high school students. The school uses the Microsoft platform and discourages the use of Macs – too bad on that count. SSIS has a Learning Portal that students use to access material and information. For more details on the laptop initiative, see the school website.
Professional Development
SSIS is committed to lifelong learning in both staff and students. To this end, they strongly support professional development. PD at SSIS may take the form of local and international workshops, EARCOS conferences, university coursework, AP workshops, and outside consultants. Additionally, the school has a program called Teachers Teaching Teachers Professional Development where faculty shares their skills and knowledge with their colleagues.
Employment
SSIS is looking for candidates with a minimum of two years experience, a Master’s Degree, certification from their home country, a collaborative team player approach, a flexible attitude, an ability to use technology in their teaching and ESL experience. Teachers at SSIS are expected to take part in after school activities, work on professional development, participate in curriculum development and team planning. Starting salaries range from $32,500 to $41,000. Benefits include housing, travel allowance, relocation/settling-in allowance, health and life insurance, staff development opportunities, tuition wavers for two children, home leave, sick leave, personal leave, and a retirement plan of 10-12.5% of base pay. This is a nice little package. Jobs are listed online. Candidates can send contact the Head of School with a cover letter and resume at working@ssis.edu.vn.
Most schools also have special days throughout the year that teachers are expected to participate in. Some of the ones that are held at UNIS are United Nations Day, International Food Fair, and school concerts. UNIS also has a student council that you could participate in. And more still. Most international schools have programs where students participate in field trips. Students at UNIS from Grades 5-12 take part in field trips around Vietnam. I’ve been actively involved in field trips in all the international schools that I’ve worked in and while they are very exhausting, they’re great for developing your relationship with students and applying some of the concepts discussed in the classroom to the real world.
Extra Curricular Activities
Recent Comments