The International School of Kuala Lumpur
 

The International School of Kuala Lumpur is one of the leading schools in Southeast Asia. It has a large student population, excellent facilities, and is located in a very interesting and culturally rich country. The school has been around for a long time so it is well established, and it offers an attractive salary and benefit package. Many times when I write a review, I think “My I’d like to work there.” Well, ISKL is one of those places where I would like to work. The school, the region, the culture of Malaysia – everything is interesting, exciting and offers great challenges. If you want to work in a large school with a diverse population of students and teachers, this may be a place for you to check out carefully. After going through the entire rather extensive website, the only thing that I find worrying about the school is the rather large class sizes, even though the school claims on the website that they have small class sizes. 20-22 students in a class seems fairly large to me. I happen to be one of those folks who like to put the maximum at 15-18, but it sure isn’t 30-33 like you might find back in the States. So let’s take a look at the school.

ISKL was established in 1965 and was the first fully accredited international school with an American-based curriculum in Malaysia. It is a private, non-profit, parent-governed school that is accredited by WASC. ISKL is located in the heart of the city.

ISKL uses an American based curriculum. The school offers Advanced Placement courses and the IB Diploma for high school students.

ISKL has over 1400 students from 54 countries. Over two thirds of the faculty have Masters and Doctorate degrees.

ISKL participates in the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools. Member schools are located in Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Taipei, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The organization hosts activities in sports, fine and performing arts, The Model United Nations, the Leadership Convention and other cultural events. Students at ISKL are encouraged to participate in school activities.

Class sizes range from 16-22 and all classrooms are carpeted and air-conditioned. The libraries have over 40,000 books, periodicals, and reference materials. The libraries also have online computers and professional librarians to assist students and teachers. Each campus has several fully-equipped science labs. Classrooms have computers and labs are available at both Melawati and Ampang campuses. The school has both Mac and Windows machines. Every computer has access to the internet. Students have their own email accounts and communicate with their teachers and each other on class projects.

Both campuses have theaters and swimming pools. Other facilities include music rooms, dance studios, drama studios, and indoor cafeterias.

ISKL is a member of IASAS (Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools) which includes Jakarta, Bangkok, Taipei, Manila and Singapore. IASAS sponsors sports, arts, and cultural joint events for member schools.

The Elementary School

The Elementary School faculty is dedicated to educating the whole child using a balanced approach. ESL programs and Special Learning Needs are offered, as well as individual and family counseling. Special features of the Elementary School are:

• An international community dedicated to the needs of all students
• An excellent educational program
• A strong relationship and sense of cooperation with the home
• A well-defined set of beliefs
• A  purpose built facility for elementary student

Students in Elementary School may take part in an extensive list of after school activities. These include sports (such as soccer and baseball) and arts (such as drama). In addition to school sponsored activities, there are also activities available that are organized by professionals from outside the school community; these are available to students for a fee.

The Middle School

The middle school program is organized around Core and Encore teams of faculty and students. The program is designed so that teachers and students work together in teams of “learning communities”. The day is block-scheduled and activities are shared by members of each team. The middle school uses portfolios for student-led parent-teacher conferences. Middle school students have a wide range of elective and exploratory classes to choose from in addition to the core subjects. The school has a Student Council. French and Spanish are offered as foreign languages. Home Groups meet each day and consist of balanced groups by gender, age, and nationality.

The High School

The High School offers Advanced Placement courses as well as the IB Diploma. The curriculum is university prepatory. Students are required to take a core of five courses: mathematics, science, social studies, English and a foreign language. In addition to the core cores, there is a variety of elective courses available for students to choose from. The program emphasizes critical thinking, developing sound research skills, the application of knowledge to new situations and global awareness.

Technology at ISKL

ISKL is another school that utilizes electronic communications to create an interactive, informed school community. The school provides comprehensive Information Technology resources to meet the challenges of the 21^st century. These technology resources enable students to acquire the skills necessary to become the leaders of tomorrow. They have an electronic bulletin board service which provides an easy and effective way for members of the ISKL community to interact. The BBS (the Bulletin Board System) is used to :

• Schedule meetings
• Place announcements and the school bulletin
• Write and respond to e-mail
• Read special updates by departments
• Access the Friday Flash
• Access minutes to Board and PTA meetings
• Access information on cultural events
• Read the latest IB news

Teaching at ISKL

The requirements for a teaching candidate are a BA or MA in the field related to what they will be teaching, three years of recent experience, previous overseas teaching experience, and a teaching credential.

ISKL prefers teaching couples with no more than two children.

The school website notes that the salary is competitive which means that it should be in the range of Singapore American School, Jakarta International School, and the International School of Bangkok since these are the comparable schools in the region.

ISKL offers excellent benefits. These include:

·  Temporary hotel accommodation upon arrival and final departure from Malaysia.

·  Relocation allowance to defray initial set-up cost.

·  Air transportation to Malaysia (and on repatriation) and shipping of personal effects.

·  Heavily discounted tuition fee at USD500 per year per child for full time faculty. Busing fee is also discounted.

·  Home leave at the end of the initial two-year contract and annually thereafter.

·  Tax allowance for overseas-hired (head of household) teachers.

·  Monthly housing allowance.

·  Global medical and hospitalization insurance and outpatient reimbursement after deductible, long term disability insurance, personal accident coverage and an annual medical screening.

·  Provident Fund/Retirement Scheme (ISKL contributes 17% of your salary to the fund: teachers are required to contribute a minimum of 11%). The accumulated total is available to teachers upon leaving Malaysia.

·  Monthly transport allowance.

·  Re-signing bonus after completion of Year 4, 6 and 8.

·  Stipends available for additional activities.

·  Interest-free computer loan available.

·  Professional development fund allocated annually, cumulative up to three years.

·  Up to 50% reimbursement on accredited university course tuition.

An application form is available online. 

About Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia, one of the most dynamic of the Southeast Asian countries. Malaysia is a multiracial society. KL is home of the Petronas Twin Towers which was the tallest building in the world at one time. KL is one of the key cities of SE Asia. It’s known for it wonderful restaurants, modern shopping malls, new transit system, tropical weather, and varied nightlife. KL has a population of about 1.6 million.

ISKL has an excellent website. The website has testimonials from parents and students. This is an important part of researching a potential place of employment. Take a read and see what these folks have to say about ISKL.

 

 

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