I want to give an honest review of Changshu International School.

I have been here for 2 and a half years so far and have signed for a new contract. The majority of teachers currently working here have signed new contracts and are returning next year. There are many staff that have been here for 2 years now. For a school in China to keep so many staff year after year is positive and shows how the foreign staff feel about the school. A lot of teachers come to China to travel or for a short career break so a lot of schools experience some turnover each year but the retention rate at Changshu International School is rising. The school is new compared to the other established schools in the city. It has been open for 6 years now and has primary and secondary departments.

The foreign administration are friendly and very supportive. I have worked for training centres here in China and this is my first school that I have worked for and I have felt supported, welcomed and a part of the team the whole time I have been here. I have worked for places where I have felt like my health or well being was secondary and where I didn't have a voice, but at CIS the staff, both local and foreign, are supportive, open to new ideas and look after each other. My co teachers are amazing too. They are very hard working and have welcomed me since the first day that I got here.

The school teaches foreign curriculum to Chinese students who also keep up with their Chinese curriculum at the same time. It can be busy, but all schools are. The class sizes in the international department are between 18-30 per class and each class room on the international side has an interactive whiteboard (well they are interactive tablet things).

The school is about 8km from the city centre and I live closer to town. It is a distance that is easy to ride and the town is flat which is easy to negotiate. The smog levels here do get bad (compared to Australia) in winter but it is not bad in comparison to the rest of China. We get many days in spring, summer and autumn where we have blue skies. The city itself has a lot to offer. The art gallery gets regular interesting exhibitions, the museum has a good permanent display and there is a big mountain with parks and a cable car which is beautiful. There are a few foreign supermarkets, foreign bars, a new cocktail bar, different restaurants and we even have a uniqlo now. It is a small city but it is friendly and homely.

If your drug of choice is caffeine and you want to see your students grow in a friendly environment, then come here. The work is hard but it is rewarding and you will be working alongside professional staff.