Employment Contract Renewal Procedures and Timeline for Faculty

First all all, let me say that this is a wonderfully talented and dedicated faculty who provide an outstanding program for our students, and I would be very happy for all to stay on for many years at SSIS. However, I understand that, for a variety of reasons, a few of you may look for other opportunities this year and therefore, the information below is to inform you of the contract renewal procedures here at SSIS.

First Year at SSIS

If you are in your first year of teaching at SSIS and on your initial two-year contract, this letter provides useful information but does not apply to you this year.

After Year One

For all other faculty, here are some important dates and guidelines:

1. Friday, October 5, 2018 – In your contract, Monday, 01 October 2018 is the date for you to inform your principal and me, in writing via email, of your decision to resign if you have made up your mind that you are ready for a change and are not intending to return to SSIS next year. However we will extend that date to October 5, 2018. As school practice, a gratuity payment of USD $500 and up to five days “recruitment leave” will be provided as a token of our appreciation for informing us early in the hiring season of your intentions as this allows us to get a jumpstart on recruiting an equally qualified replacement. The letter constitutes a resignation at the end of your current contract. Anyone who communicates their decision to leave after this date is not eligible for this payment.

2. Thursday, 15 November 2018 – This is the date by which you need to inform us, again via email, if you are interested in a new contract for the 2019-2020 school year. If, after 05 October 2018, but on or before 15 November 2018, you inform us that you are not intending to return for the next year,  you may still be eligible to take recruitment leave but you are not eligible for the gratuity payment mentioned above.

Recruitment Leave Guidelines
To clarify some points which may arise for full-time faculty: (a) recruitment leave must be for attendance at a recruitment fair or an interview at a school, (b) it is a one-time use benefit (that is, it cannot be split into two or three shorter leaves), (c) it is only for recruitment and cannot be taken for packing or shipping at the end of the year. Please see HaNoi Nguyen, HR, for more details on recruitment leave guidelines.

Contract Signing
3. Friday, 30 November 2018 – On or before this day, we will distribute the contract renewal offers from the school. You must sign and return them by Wednesday, 05 December 2018 after which time offers are no longer valid and a new offer would have to be issued by the Head of School.

Frequently Asked Questions
Every year HR fields questions of the “what if” variety, so this next section is meant to answer some of those questions that may be on your mind.

• Q: Has SSIS finalized the budget for next year? Do we know what adjustment will be made to staff salaries or any changes to benefits such as housing?
  • A: You can all count on the contractual one-step raise that we have been able to offer each year in the past as the minimum we will offer for next year. If we can do more to adjust the overall base salaries we will, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.
• Q: Can I tell the school I am looking before Friday, 05 October 2018, without resigning, and, if I later take another job, get the USD $500 gratuity bonus?
  • A: No. The gratuity bonus is for resignations on, or before, 05 October 2018.
• Q: What if I am hired through a Skype interview? Can I use my recruitment leave for other things involved in transition to a new school?
  • A: No, there would be no recruitment leave necessary in this case. You also cannot split recruitment leave to use some for interviewing and later take school time for packing or shipping.
• Q: What if I’m still not sure on November 15, 2018? What happens to my job?
  • A: We understand this. If you cannot commit on 15 November, we will list your job as open and begin interviewing candidates. If we identify a great match for the school, we will contact you first to get your immediate decision to stay or leave.
• Q: What about after 5 December 2018?
  • A: This is more difficult. The search process and fairs run at a frenetic pace. If we identify a great candidate for an open position, after 5 December 2018 there may be no time to contact you before we make an offer. Once an offer is on the table to another candidate, it cannot be rescinded even if you change your mind and want to stay.

If you have any questions about this process, or the details within this letter, please feel free to discuss these with HR, your principal or drop by my office. We are happy to help and advise along the way.

Sincerely,

Catriona Moran
Head of School