ISNS values professional development and regularly supports teachers who would like to take part in workshops and conferences. Professional development at ISNS must be aligned with the school’s mission, vision and strategic plan. IB training is the first priority for our school but other worthwhile events are considered. All teachers must receive IB training at some point. Please speak to your coordinator or relevant supervisor prior to applying for PD. .
PD budgets should be used as follows:
A0100 – General (SST, Operations, etc)
A0150 – Senior Leadership (HoS and Principals)
A0200 – Lower and Upper Primary
A0300 – Middle School (6-8)
A0400 – Middle School and High School (9-12)
Other budget codes should not be used for professional development
Important Points:
The standard number of PD events a faculty member may expect to attend is one or two per year. If additional free or inexpensive opportunities arise, the faculty member is generally permitted to participate in more events. Please understand that the PD budget is limited and requests exceeding the standard limit are likely to be denied.
Any cancellation of a PD event by the teacher will result in the teacher having to pay for all nonrefundable expense related to the event such as hotel, airfare and registration.
PD forms submitted prior to contract renewal (for teachers whose contract is ending), may be held until the teacher renews his or her contract. PD requests from teachers who are departing from ISNS will likely be denied if the PD is to take place during their final semester. Any teacher who breaks his or her contract will be responsible for reimbursing PD costs for PD events that were approved with the assumption that the teacher would be continuing employment at ISNS.
The PYP, MYP and DP Coordinators will select PD that is relevant to the current needs of their programs. PD plans are approved prior to the beginning of the academic year and the budget is fixed. Changes or additions to the PD plans are approved by the appropriate administrator.
All staff attending workshops and conferences will be asked to debrief their coordinator or administrator and may be asked to create a workshop for the ISNS professional learning community.
We generally do not to send first-year teachers off-campus for PD unless it is an IB requirements (DP CAT 1, IB Coordinator training). Depending on relevance and need, events in nearby locations such as Hong Kong may be permitted, especially those related to inclusion, counseling or student support services.
Staff are required to produce coverage material for any classes missed, as well as coverage for any duties or activities missed.
Teachers are expected to arrange coverage of their classes with the assistance of the appropriate administrator.
Hotel, Transportation and Per Diem
All coordinators, teaching staff and counselors are required to share a room where appropriate (same gender). Faculty have the option to request (prior to the trip, on the PD request form) a single room accommodation with the understanding that they are responsible for paying the difference in cost out of their own pocket. Both individuals in the shared room must agree to do this. If an odd number of faculty are attending an event so that one individual gets a single accommodation, the individual with the most seniority at ISNS will be selected for the single accommodation. In order to receive discounts for early bookings, please submit this form 30-60 days before the event.
Ferry or local transportation (bus or subway), will be included in the per diem. Cross border vans must be approved by an administrator and should be reserved for large groups. Cost comparisons must be considered.
Expense for transportation to entertainment sites or personal site seeing are not to be submitted for reimbursement. Lunch expenses for events in Shenzhen will only be reimbursed if lunch is not provided for the event. Dinner expenses are not reimbursed for events in Shenzhen. Faculty should use their per diem responsibly and save costs whenever possible. Expenses reimbursements should be submitted within 30 days or they may be denied.
The school will provide travel insurance for staff who are Chinese passport holders while they are traveling outside of China for professional development or school business.
ISNS FACULTY 