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Embarking on Your International Teaching Adventure: The Ultimate Guide

Are you ready to take your teaching career to new horizons? Venturing into the world of international school teaching can be a transformative and enriching experience. In this ultimate guide, we'll explore the key steps to kickstart your international teaching journey and highlight valuable resources to make the process seamless.

1. Research Destinations: Begin your journey by researching potential destinations. Consider factors like culture, language, lifestyle, and teaching opportunities. Websites like International School Community provide firsthand insights from teachers around the globe, offering a comprehensive view of various schools and locations.

2. Qualifications and Certifications: Ensure that you meet the qualifications and certifications required for international teaching positions. International schools often seek educators with relevant teaching credentials and experience. Consult reputable education organizations and certification bodies for guidance.

3. Networking: Building a network within the international teaching community is crucial. Join online forums, attend webinars, and engage with educators who have already embarked on this journey. International School Community's platform, in particular, facilitates connections with teachers worldwide, allowing you to gain valuable advice and perspectives.

4. Job Search: Explore job opportunities through reputable platforms such as Search Associates, ISS-Schrole Advantage, and Teach Away. These websites regularly update international teaching positions, providing a wide range of opportunities across different continents.

5. Crafting an International Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your international teaching aspirations and experiences. Emphasize your adaptability, cross-cultural communication skills, and any previous international exposure. Consult online resources and education-focused job boards for resume tips.

6. Interviews and Recruitment Fairs: Prepare for virtual or in-person interviews and consider attending international teacher recruitment fairs. These events bring together schools and educators, offering a unique opportunity to connect with potential employers. International School Community also shares experiences from teachers who have participated in such fairs.

7. Contract Negotiation: Before accepting an offer, carefully review your contract. Consider factors such as salary, benefits, housing, and professional development opportunities. International School Community's reviews can provide insights into contract negotiations and school policies.

8. Cultural Sensitivity and Adaptability: Developing cultural sensitivity and adaptability is crucial for success in an international teaching environment. Seek guidance from experienced educators and leverage online resources, including blogs and articles that share personal experiences.

9. Preparing for the Move: Once you've secured a position, start preparing for the move. Familiarize yourself with the local culture, obtain necessary visas, and connect with the school community through online platforms. International School Community's forums can be a valuable resource for advice on transitioning to a new country and school.

Embarking on your international teaching journey is an exciting and rewarding endeavor. By leveraging resources like International School Community, you can tap into a wealth of knowledge, connect with fellow educators, and make informed decisions that will shape your career and personal growth. Get ready to inspire and be inspired as you step into the diverse world of international education!

[doberty]

SFMC Einstein Release Highlights: Salesforce Marketing Cloud January 2021

The release notes for Salesforce Marketing Cloud January 2021 release have finally been published this weekend, and oh boy, do we have many exciting new features to look forward to! 

I already wrote about my favorite bits regarding customer journeys and messages in my previous post (and WhatsApp integration DID make it into this release! 🙃 ) but this time I wanted to share my Einstein favorites of the “season”!

Optimal Send Time can now be predicted (powered by machine learning) 

How cool that we now have securely derived insights about the best time to send email to our customer, utilizing not only our data to its fullest potential, but also offering an option to use global prediction data across other customer instances! Of course, you need to opt into contributing to the global pool, but that can be a fair tradeoff for what you could be getting in return!

Einstein engagement scoring for Mobile

Get an insight into customer's mobile interactions analyzed by the AI Model. Now we can see what types of inputs the models have used, the best application for the model, and all the ethical considerations to use the model with.

Segment by Send Frequency in Single Send Journeys

Just use the Frequency split! I predict we can see more and more features from the multistep journeys coming onto Single Send Journeys.

Business vector created by vectorjuice

[doberty]

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Spring ‘21 Release preview

Some exciting news is showing up on Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s Youtube channel. We can see important feature updates in Datorama and Customer Audiences 360, though personally, the most exciting news is that Google’s AMP for e-mail is landing on the Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform in the upcoming Spring ‘21 release! 

AMP is an open-source technology designed to improve the performance of web content, providing marketers with the opportunity to add AMP-powered interactivity to their emails by using a separate MIME-type.

In simple words, you will be able to make your e-mails more interactive and dynamic, providing your customers the opportunity to give you feedback or make an action directly without leaving their e-mail inbox!

According to AMP’s website, currently supported (Major) e-mail clients are Gmail, Mail.ru, and YahooMail, with announced coming support for Outlook.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WGBkI36J2E

On another (slightly more controversial) note, Salesforce Marketing Cloud has published a video on their Youtube account announcing support for WhatsApp messaging through partnering with Sinch, an App Exchange provider, but the video has been taken down today for an unknown reason. 

I guess that it has to do with a lot of negative coverage WhatsApp is getting lately due to the update in their privacy policy requiring users to accept sharing their contact lists with Facebook?

Anyhow, we will have to wait and see the official release notes and cross our fingers that the WhatsApp feature still makes it to the Spring ‘21 release of SFMC!

[doberty]

Problem with AMPScript Lookup() in Cloud Pages

I have recently stumbled upon a particular limitation in SFMC AMPScript Lookup() function that I thought was interesting to markdown and share.

Namely, I was trying to look up a field in my data extension in a very ordinary way, checking that every field and data extension existed, but Lookup() would make my Cloud Page hang in the preview or throw Error 500 when published. It was a peculiar situation.

In the SFMC database, the lookup key field does not have an explicit length limit. It might have been the first time I've seen this, but it appears the UI allows the creation of MAX length fields by setting length to "-1".

Given the database SFMC is running on, the MAX equivalent for a text field is going to be 4000 characters. We may be able to work around this error by creating text fields with length set explicitly to that number, which achieves the same result or use another lookup key that has the length defined, which is what I ended up doing.

I took that expression and placed it in a CloudPage in a test account and was able to do a lookup on a text field of length 4000. Meanwhile, the preview wouldn't even load when I set the field length implicitly.

To cut a long story short, after some research and a chat with Salesforce support, I concluded the following:

"The Data Extension Key field for a Lookup function call is invalid. The key field has a MAX or unlimited length. Fields with MAX or unlimited length cannot be used as keys."

var @acid, @email, @dateOfBirth 

set @acid = AttributeValue("acid") 

if not empty(@acid) then   

set @email = Lookup("MAIN SUBSCRIBER", "EMAILADDRESS", "ACIDKEY", @acid)   

set @dateOfBirth = Lookup("MAIN SUBSCRIBER", "BIRTHDATE", "ACIDKEY", @acid) 

endif

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So finally I found some time to edit this video: In December 2019 I took a two-week road trip across Eastern Australia and that's how the material for this video was shot. Have a look and let me know what you think! From Melbourne through Great Ocean Road to Tasmania, this video contains a lot of interesting natural and animal life that I have seen along the way. Australia is truly an amazing continent. You will see koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, some strange geese and even arctic penguins!

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What can I see in Japan in 7 days?

Japan is, due to its remoteness and quirkiness, a dream destination for many Westerners. The common opinion is that to fully experience wonders of the land of the Rising Sun, one should plan for at least a ten-day long vacation. However, I still think that a week-long trip to Japan is a great idea for a spring or autumn break.

I traveled to Japan in the fall of 2018 when the weather was just perfect with almost no rain and the temperatures between 20 and 25°C. Itinerary-wise, I chose to do the best of (and ideal for the first trip to) Japan: Osaka – Kyoto – Tokyo tour, flying to Osaka and leaving from Tokyo, and I would like to present you the 10 highlights from my trip.

1.     Visit the Osaka Castle

Depending on where you are located, it is good to go visit Osaka Castle first, and during the day, as it is situated a bit separately from other tourists’ sights. This is a pre-Edo era fortress and a castle with a large moat, fortified with a wonderfully executed stone wall. The castle itself is an architectural eye candy rising in the middle, that you can climb and get a view of Osaka skyline for as cheap as 600 JPY (5 USD).

2.     Osaka City Center in the night: Dotombori, Takoyaki

In the evening, I suggest you hit up the Dotombori area for a postcard-worthy picture of the Moving Crab or the Swimmer neon poster. Take a stroll down the main shopping street that is so lit up with LEDs and neon lights in the night that you will lose every impression of the night sky above. This is a great place to try Takoyaki, the Japanese seafood balls that originate from this area. The big (moving) models of crabs, octopuses, and squids are to indicate the kind of food that the restaurant is serving, so use them as a guide.

3.     Walk the Shinsekai in Osaka, The Tsutenkaku Tower, Kushikatsu

Shinsekai is an old, colorful, part of Osaka ironically called the New World. Well, once it was new, in the 1920s that is, when it first emerged. The area was modeled by New York and Paris of that time, with the Tsutenkaku Tower dominating the neighborhood in the middle. It allows for another great view of Osaka skyline, but also to the Shinsekai from above. This area is famous for Kushikatsu –panko covered, deep-fried skewers made of vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese and the mixture of it. It is suitable for vegans as you can select only vegetables on your menu.

4.     Go to the Osaka Aquarium

The central tank of this aquarium features a couple of whale sharks and that alone is a big reason to visit the Osaka Aquarium located in the eastern part of the city and easily reachable by the subway. Apart from the sharks, which is the aquarium’s main attraction, this place showcases not only a huge variety of marine life from the world’s seven seas but rivers, creeks, and lakes as well such as otters, birds, and even penguins!

5.     The Imperial Palace of Kyoto

Kyoto is Japan’s old capital and hosts the second active palace of the Emperor – The Imperial Palace of Kyoto. Enjoy the free tour of walking the vast courtyard with traditional Japanese architecture and gardens with lakes and bridges, posing for some fantastic photo opportunities. Located centrally, it is easily reachable from every part of the city.

6.     Kyoto downtown: Nishiki Market, Gion district and The Yasaka Shrine

If you are in for some shopping, check out the center of Kyoto – The Nishiki shopping area with both high-end boutiques and Asian covered bazaar markets. On a walking distance from there stands Gion, the old, geisha district of Kyoto. Stroll down the romantic streets on of Gion heading east and you will reach the Yasaka Shrine, a popular tourist spot. Before you enter the Shrine, I advise you to try Pablo’s cheesecake tarts which stand just a couple of hundreds of meters on the left side of the entrance.

7.     Kyoto - Kodaiji Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine, and climb the mountain for the views

For a more spiritual experience, walk south from the Yasaka shrine and experience the Kodaiji Temple, the ceremonial Japanese garden where traditional weddings happen and walk the mini bamboo forest that they have in the small hill behind the temple. The entrance fee is 600 JPY. Then you can take a train south from there to Fushimi Inari Shrine, (the main shrine of the god Inari) which is represented on most postcards from Kyoto: an array of orange arches called Torii leads towards the top of a hill where you may feel as a pilgrim, but the top promises you some great picture worthy openings.

8.     Tokyo – The Centers: Shinju-Ku and Shibuya

Take a bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo for a great traveling experience. Taking about 3 hours to reach it from Kyoto, Tokyo is a gigantic city, so one should not even dream of seeing it all in 3 days, but it is definitely enough to scratch the surface. After the traditional Kyoto, you may be hungry for some futuristic views. Head to Shinju-Ku in the evening and Shibuya in the night and experience the lights of Tokyo at their prime.

9.     Tokyo - Akihabara and the Kitchenware district

Akihabara is the electronic and gamer’s town of Tokyo – “Otaku district”. For all the geeks and anime lovers, this is the right area to browse vintage video game stores, comic and toy collector stores, maid cafes and other quirky stuff. Not far away from there is the Kitchenware district in a street of Kapabashi. Here you can find any kind of kitchenware, but most of the people come to purchase a Japanese knife, known for their quality, precision, and durability.

10.  Tokyo – The Imperial Gardens, Roppongi and Akasaka

Scratch the surface of the cultural experience of Tokyo by walking the Imperial Palace garden. Only East garden is open for public admission, while you can preregister for an organized tour of the palace itself. You can have an afternoon tea in a bar of the Imperial Palace Hotel which is an attraction of Modernism architecture in itself, offering numerous restaurants and luxury shopping experience. Hit Roppongi and Akasaka for some excellent eats in the evening. Both of these neighborhoods are located close by and are in a walking distance from each other. They offer great bars, restaurants, and cafes for you to enjoy and relax after this amazing and trip.

Bonus tip: Try to book a hotel with a Japanese spa in Tokyo. It will help you unwind at the end of every day full of experience, and the sauna and hot water of the spa will do miracles for your tired feet!

[doberty]

Salaries in Serbia: the Poverty Line, the Comfortable and the Wealthy

This blog post is a salary guide for all expats who are considering taking on a position in Serbia.

Serbia is one of the countries that had to regulate the minimum wage which is 27.022 Serbian Dinars (RSD), and it is estimated that around 350.000 people are earning exactly that much.

Now, the worker’s Unions are claiming that the minimum living wage (amount of money that covers all the essential costs of living) is at 36.000 RSD. So we can say that everything between 36.000 and 150.000 RSD would be counted as just comfortable living.

Although you can live pretty comfortably in Serbia with a salary of 150.000 RSD, whenever you travel outside of Serbia, the prices increase and your 150.000 RSD salary suddenly isn’t worth that much anymore. That is why I would consider everyone earning more than 200.000 RSD wealthy, but with somewhat limited travel capacity.

[doberty]

Is it Dangerous to Travel in the Balkans?

Someone on Quora requested an answer to this question a couple of days ago, and I thought that it would be worth my while of posting it here, as I haven’t written anything for a long time anyway.

There are many aspects to danger and it all depends on who you are, what you plan to do in the Balkans and where you go.

I have been in almost every country in the Balkans (except Bulgaria and Romania) and the situation is pretty safe, though some minor things are good to take care of.

If you take a taxi, make sure that you have a cab that is clearly marked as TAXI and that they have turned a meter on as soon as you start the ride. Foreigners can get ripped off easily.

If you are gay, public displays of affection (even holding hands on the street) can get you into trouble. Checking in a hotel with a shared bed should be fine, although sometimes you can get a snotty comment.

Do not visibly point out symbols of one Balkan country in your car if you are traveling around multiple countries, or your car could be keyed or smashed. This especially goes for Serbian flag in Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, and vice versa.

Otherwise, you should be good to go.

In addition to this answer, I would like to share the itinerary of my Balkan road trip that Ron and I took together back in 2014, right before I moved to Denmark. Some may find it useful.

We started off in Belgrade, Serbia where we rented a car at the Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport, and immediately drove to our first destination - the Tara Mountain, seeing some stunning views along the way, too. Tara is located on the border between Serbia and Bosnia, on the Serbian side. It offers stunning viewpoints over Drina river and Perućac lake, amazing tracking paths and the cleanest air out there. 

After a couple of days, we continued our trip through Višegrad, Bosnia towards Sarajevo. Sarajevo is a beautiful, charming city with so much character, that it is hard to put in words. The incredible collision of cultures that have built this city, made our 3-days stay well packed with things to see and do. The food was marvelous and cheap and people are friendly and hospitable.

Mostar, Herzegovina was our next destination, and, if you thought that you’ve become a master of cultural diversity during your Sarajevo stay, Mostar will blow your mind and prove you wrong. The breathtaking bridge (Stari Most) that connects the traditionally Muslim and Catholic parts of the city over the emerald green river of Neretva is truly a sight you don’t want to miss. 

Through the canyons and gorges of Herzegovina, after two days in Mostar, we have finally reached the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, arriving in Makarska. Here you can take the ferry boat to the town of Bol on Brač island and visit one of the most photogenic beaches in the Mediterranean called Zlatni Rat (the golden horn). 

We spent four days in total on Brač and were ready to go back to the mainland Croatia and the city of Split, the second biggest city in Croatia. One could spend a long time here in the old town and the quays along the sea, but we were rushing to get to Zadar next, an equally charming Venetian city up north. 

Zadar was a better strategic location to visit Plitvice Lakes, nature’s wonder that will leave you speechless. A system of crystal clear lakes connected by waterfalls, carefully cultivated by man-made pathways (some over water, too), is something that many are rushing to see nowadays, so be ready for the queues at the entrance and a crowded parking. But it is well worth it! 

After Plitvice, we spent two nights in Rijeka with a short evening trip to Opatija, the summer home to many rich royal Austrian families in the past centuries. Finally, we arrived in Zagreb, the mellow capital of Croatia, where we had only one night left. But we need to come back! Coming back to Belgrade, we have closed the circle and the road trip was over.

I do hope that my itinerary was helpful to anyone who wants to explore more of the Western Balkans, the region with a wild but very captivating beauty.

[doberty]

Basic info when moving to Copenhagen, Denmark

New Expat: Just wanting to know the basics, like whats the usual expat package, how difficult it is to find a house, tax, and anything else I should know 😊

Me: It's one of the most expensive countries in Europe, but the salaries are higher, too, so are the taxes. The income tax rate in Copenhagen is normally around 44% (36% + 8% job market contribution). Healthcare is free for everybody, as well as public schools and universities.

Finding a place to live is a challenge, of course depending on the budget on your disposal.

The expat package depends on the company that sponsors your residence in Denmark. Some companies will sponsor an apartment search, spouse's visa, relocation fee, even help finding a job for the spouse. Good luck!

New Expat: Thank you so much for the information! Greatly appreciated! Another question, since I'm the spouse in the expat situation, would I be able to go to school or work? Should I learn Danish?

Me: You will be able to work, even start your own company, I'm not sure about the school. But in order to find a job, it is very advisable to learn Danish. What is your profession? The market is very good at the moment for medical workers and it people.

New Expat: Is it free to learn Danish? Is it hard?

Me: The good news is that learning Danish IS free but it's not easy. It's somewhat similar to English (in written), and grammar is peace of cake, but pronunciation is the biggest challenge, so I've heard from my fellow Americans.

Oh, and we don't have the best weather around here... With 5-6 months of rainy winter and 1 month of summer, it's a bit colder than Ghanna Humørikonet smile But we try to make our homes as cozy as possible to survive the long and dark winter.

[doberty]

Homemade buffet ideas

I do not want this to be a blog about cooking. But lately I have only been creative in the kitchen, if we rule out all the random Instagram photos that I’ve taken. 

No recent trips, really, since my vacation in United States. Ron and I went to Museum of Contemporary Art - Louisiana near Copenhagen, during an exhibition of African contemporary art, which inspired me to learn more about what the African continent really looks like today, apart from the acacia tree in the sunset that I’m sure everyone imagines when we mention Africa. 

See Google images results for “africa wallpaper” for yourself:

But, back to the topic. Some months ago I decided that I was bored of standard dinners after work - mashed potato, a pork chop, chicken breast prepared in a thousand different ways etc. Instead I was trying to prepare several mini-meals and put them together into one. It looks nice + you get to enjoy many different tastes in one meal. That’s why I called it a mini homemade buffet. Here are some ideas how to make your meal more interesting:

Raviolli with pesto, sweet potato, bread, mushrooms, marinated salmon, organic ketchup.

Sweet potato chips with rosemary, peanut butter smothered celery, falafel, organic ketchup, sriracha, avocado+mango salad, sprouts over cucumber

Roma tomato, pomegranate, arugula salad, rye bread, mustard, Sriracha, pork chops in barbecue + Sriracha sauce.

Rice spinach arugula soup with tahini + roasted chickpeas

Arugula, spinach sauce, fried egg, cocktail tomato, vegan burger on rye bread with a layer of hummus.

[doberty]

The (dairy-free) crêpes are the best food that you can serve to your friends!

As Ron and I came back from our trip to USA one day later miscalculating the time difference, I had to work the next morning and he had to set off to Barcelona, which left me with several lonely afternoons in our apartment.

I know that for many of you this would mean PARTEEEY!!! but if you take into consideration that I was still well-jet-lagged from our 13h flight from San Francisco, for me, after work this meant only one thing: 

On Sunday, when I felt (somewhat) recovered, I invited friends over for crêpes. My favorite crêpes recipe is the dairy free one that I started making because of Ron, but they grew on me more than the milky ones (recipe below):

Recipe for the best dairy-free crêpes (srb. palachinke) ever: 

Ingredients (for 2 persons):

3 eggs 1 cup almond milk (I prefer unsweetened) 1 tbsp sunflower oil (I like the cold pressed one, it’s better for you) 1/3 cup sparkling water 1 heaping cup wheat flour (any type, but if you are a crepes beginner, avoid whole-grain until you get better making them) a pinch of salt and sugar Process:

1. In a large bowl, whisk in the eggs, then add almond milk and the oil and continue whisking until combined. 2. Start adding the flour one tablespoon at the time whisking it in all the time, to avoid flour-crumbles. When you’ve added all the flour, add salt and sugar and continue whisking until the mass is completely smooth. 3. Add the sparkling water and whisk it in. Then I recommend putting the mass in the fridge for a half an hour, but this isn’t really necessary... you can use it straight away if you want! 4. Heat a few drops of oil on a pan to a high heat, and disperse the mass on the pan using the ladle. If you have a standard, big ladle, it should be like 2/3 full for one crepe. When you think that side is done, use a wooden spatula to flip them to the other side, and watch that they don’t burn.

Serve them hot with honey, jams, Nutella, bananas, strawberries, roasted nuts, or whatever spread/nut/fruit you have in kitchen. You can make them savory as well with for example hummus, or pizza filling.

After your friends have eaten, your table should look something like this:

[doberty]

#foodstagram #vegan #healthyfood #instahealth #sundmad #sunhed

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The worse the day, the better the dinner.

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Thorgade. The Thor's Street. Thorova ulica. #copenhagen #københavn #nørrebro

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Copenhagen, January 2015

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Vega Koncerthallerne, 2015