Cool, thanks PsyGuy, that lines up with how I'm thinking about approaching this. Like I said, I'm happy in upper elementary, I just know that's limiting myself within the already competitive elementary hiring scene even more (since I don't want to teach lower). I'll go ahead and add the credential and then apply for a mix of elementary and MS English positions next time I'm recruiting.

Great insights and advice, thank you all. I've told my current school I'd really like to move to middle school English if a position opens up, but it doesn't look likely that will happen-- the current MS English teachers are pretty entrenched. It sounds like in that case, the answer is, it's worth getting the credential, but the most likely route to MS English will ultimately be ending up at a school where I'm able to get hired as upper elementary and then change positions. Honestly, I love upper elementary, it's just a narrower job field than if I can add another area (and lower elementary is not for me). Thanks all!

Replying to add (is there an edit button? can't find it, if so): I could also very easily add a "Specific Subject Matter Authorization" in teaching literature to my Multiple Subject credential, but I have no idea if that would be of any use at ALL.

Hi! Looking for some advice from those more experienced and knowledgeable than me.

I currently have a California Multiple Subject teaching credential (basically a self-contained homeroom/elementary credential) and teach upper elementary. My Bachelor's is in English, and I have an M.Ed with a literacy teaching focus. I'm interested in teaching middle school English in the future. How necessary is it that I get a Single Subject English credential to do so? What countries would require me to have the specialized credential for visa reasons? How likely is it that schools would consider me for middle school English positions without the Single Subject credential? I don't currently have experience teaching English at that level, so I'm not sure if the credential would sway things in my favor, or not add much clout.

Getting the English credential wouldn't be too difficult, but before I commit the time and money to the process, I thought I'd see how essential it was.

Thank you for any advice you can give!

(In case it's relevant, the exact description on my Multiple Subject credential reads: "This credential authorizes the holder to teach all subjects in a self-contained class and, as a self-contained classroom teacher, to team teach or to regroup students across classrooms, in grades twelve and below, including preschool, and in classes organized primarily for adults. In addition, this credential authorizes the holder to teach core classes consisting of two or more subjects to the same group of students in grades five through eight, and to teach any of the core subjects he or she is teaching to a single group of students in the same grade level as the core for less than fifty percent of his or her work day.")

Thank you, PsyGuy and expatscot! It's reassuring to hear that it's normal to wait a bit, and I appreciate your advice.

(Side note: PsyGuy, about three years ago you actually helped me figure out my best path to a credential-- since then I got the credential, got DE experience, and now I'm finally set to start next school year abroad! Thank you!)

Hi! I figured I could tag my question onto this post, rather than starting a whole new thread. Generally, after accepting an offer of employment (and hearing back from the school confirming it), how long would you wait to receive official contract/paperwork from the school? It's been a week, and I was considering emailing the HR contact to ask for a timeline, but I have no idea if that's reasonable or if I'm a bit overeager. It's my first international position, so I'd appreciate insight!

Hey, thank you all so much for the input! This has given me a lot of good things to look into and consider. I appreciate it!

Just a follow-up for anyone interested-- I contacted them and ISS-Schrole Advantage is set to open next week.

They seem to be doing a big revamp to launch their collaboration with Schrole. My guess would be that they're still working that out. The site was offline for maintenance the other day when I looked (as a prospective applicant; I don't have an account there yet).

Hi! I got some excellent advice here a few years back about how to best set myself on the path towards an international teaching career. I'm finally ready to move from domestic teaching to abroad, so I'm hoping you knowledgeable people can help me out again!

I'm an elementary teacher with a CA Clear Credential and three years of full-time, domestic teaching experience. I have an additional two years of experience as a teacher in the Peace Corps, and one year teaching ESL in Asia (I'm aware these don't count as "real" teaching experience, but it does show that I can work in a foreign country). I also have a trailing spouse and two cats that we intend to keep with us (I know my trailing spouse counts against me).

I hope to find an international school position for the 2019-2020 school year, and I know it's time to start looking now! My primary concerns are a good philosophical/personality fit with the school, an interesting culture to explore, and an upper-elementary teaching role. Salary is a factor, of course, but it's not my main focus for this first position. We're open to living in a developing country. We're pretty open-minded about location, but are especially interested in Spanish-speaking countries and southeast Asia.

There are three options I'm considering, and I would really appreciate your input as to which you think is most productive!

A) Try to find a job on my own, by researching and emailing schools directly. Obviously this saves the expense of an agency and fair, but may also put me at a disadvantage without a face-to-face interview. I'm also concerned that doing my own research may mean accidentally overlooking good schools.

B) Join AASSA and attend the Georgia recruiting fair. Like I said, we are especially interested in going somewhere Spanish-speaking, and I've heard that Central/South American schools are less competitive. However, I wonder if limiting my options to a single region is wise.

C) Join ISS and attend the Georgia and/or San Francisco fairs. This option is the priciest but also seems like it will give me the broadest selection of options. I don't know how competitive I'd be in that market, though, since I'm new to IE and have a trailing spouse. I'm also a little bummed it may mean missing out on some Central/South American schools, but perhaps I could reach out to the ones that really caught my eye and see if they'd want to interview me in GA (since the ISS fair is right after the AASSA fair).

Side note: what's up with that whole AASSA members being able to attend the GA ISS fair? Is that actually worthwhile, or would it not really mean much since AASSA member profiles wouldn't be available to ISS schools?

Thanks for any input you can give!

@PsyGuy, thanks! Lots of good ideas and input here. The virtual business ideas are great, and also just really interesting to read about (discreet bachelor parties!). Thank you!

@cms989 He does have marketable skills, but in areas that are likely easily filled by locals in a foreign country, and in which being a native speaker would probably not be much of an asset. He has taught English before and we're not ruling it out entirely. It's nothing to do with thinking it's somehow un-noble or unprofessional, teaching just isn't something he's very comfortable doing. That's why we're here, to see what kind of alternatives might be available!

@carolina Glad to hear that's worked out so well for you two! That's something we thought about (he has some IT experience), and should look into more. Thanks for the idea!

Thanks for the info! It's interesting to hear that Singapore has an actual list of in-need areas; I should look around and see if other countries tend to have something like that, as well. I think your advice about targeting countries where my partner's skills are in demand is great; however, he's got a fairly unhelpful degree and the bulk of his experience is in the food service industry, so our chances there aren't great. He's looking in general for qualifications that he could target to look for better jobs here in the US, and we just figured if he could do so while also keeping an eye towards the future abroad, that would be great.

We do have a list of regions we're especially interested in going to (Central/South America, parts of Asia, and the Pacific) so I should research in-demand skills in those areas and see if there's any overlap. Thanks for the ideas!

Hi! I've gotten some great info here in the past, including learning about the pathway I took to get certified, so I'm hoping to get some good advice again.

I'm a CA certified elementary teacher, currently working on getting a few years' domestic experience before moving to an IS. I'll have a trailing spouse, and we're starting to think about what (if any) certifications/work experience he could work on getting that would give him the best chance of finding employment abroad. IT, accounting, medical, and anything else-- I know that's broad! As it stands, in another country, his main assets will be his BA and that he's a native English speaker. We were wondering if anyone had ideas about what kinds of fields (besides teaching) native English speakers have luck finding work in. I know English tutoring work is often available, but he'd prefer to consider other options first.

I know that's all very general and vague, and depends a lot on location, visas, and everything else. I'm not looking for anyone to give me a specific, sure-fire solution; just wanted to hear some input about what kind of work non-teaching spouses might find abroad, or ideas for what he could be doing with these few years Stateside to give him a leg up in the future.

Thanks!

Hey! First, thanks to everyone who posted more recently with advice/encouragement. I still obsessively check this forum so it's appreciated. :)

Second, I know it sucks that PMs don't work. I have a spam/throwaway e-mail at preservingmachine@gmail.com that you're welcome to contact me at, though!