Hi Cha Muir

I tried to PM you, but it doesn't work. Could you email me as I would like to find out about Maple Leaf. I was aware of them before, but didn't get a good impression of them (third hand info though).

Thanks

holmes5668@hotmail.com

Would you mind sharing which school you ended up at after your teacher training? I am in a somewhat similar situation. Both my wife and I will shortly complete our B.Ed.s and we have one daughter.

There are no jobs where we are, so we have the choice of moving to the frozen north of Canada or move directly overseas. However, we are concerned about the quality of overseas schools that take teachers with no experience (although in truth we have four years overseas ESL experience each, but pre-certification).

holmes5668@hotmail.com

I would check out the TES forum as Saigon South has cropped up several times. I get the impression that it has gone up scale since ichiro was there. I believe the school population may have changed too, with more overseas students attending.

My observations are from reading posts on TES, so no actually first hand experience.

Well, I only know it because I live in Vancouver, but by all accounts, it is a very good school and I believe it was the top rated school in Vancouver last year (if it wasn't it was in the top ten). Well respected and in a wealthy area of Vancouver.

We are both elementary generalists, by the way.

Did anyone here move overseas immediately after finishing their B.Ed. / teacher training? How did it go? Did it turn out to be a good school to work in or was it a distaster of a place unable to attract teachers with experience?

My wife and I are late thirties, both with four years full time elementary ESL experience in Taiwan and Japan from the early 2000s. I am currently finishing up my B.Ed. in Vancouver and my wife will complete hers in July 2010. (I'm going to be a substitute teacher for the next year). We both have experience in other fields (aircraft technician, career counsellor, business owner).

There aren't too many jobs going in Canada, unless we want to move to the frigid north, which isn't too appealing, so we were thinking about upping and moving abroad straight after my wife qualifies.

However, we have concerns as we have a daughter who will be entering Kindergarten (kids change everything!). Here's the conundrum, would we want our daughter educated in an international school who employ teachers straight out of university?! Sounds like a double standard, I know, but I'm sure people with kids will know what I mean.

So, really the question is, will it likely be possible for us to find employment in a school straight out of university where we would feel comfortable enrolling our daughter? Or should we stick it out in Canada for a couple of years?

Southeast Asia is my prefered choice, but anywhere where we could save at least US$25,000 a year between us would be considered.

Any help appreciated.

holmes5668@hotmail.com

I am not into pubs and clubs so much, but I do like a glass of wine every now and then. Do people brew their own?

As mentioned, check TES. It doesn't seem like the greatest deal.

Correct - Taipei American School

Thanks guys.

I guess it is a Masters then, although most programs here won't take you until you've done a year of teaching (which is probably a good thing I guess).

I am currently thinking of an M.Ed. in Math Education (bearing in mind my first degree is Geography) or a Masters of Educational Technology.

Any thoughts on opprtunities for either of these? Would one be worth more than the other?

It's Hangzhou people. Never worked there, but occasionally have made the trip from Ningbo. It's a beautiful place when the sun is shining.

I will complete my elementary B.Ed. in July this year and am looking for the next step, as far as qualifications go. I want to be working in an international school within four years.

Here in British Columbia, if you complete a post-baccalaureate diploma (PBD) or a Masters it bumps you up the pay scale quite a lot. The difference in pay between the diploma (usually in a specialization - Art, Math, Special Ed., etc) or a Masters is minimal (about $200 a year). Both are respected.

I have noticed that most international school contracts only pay extra for Masters and not specialized post B.Ed. diplomas, so I am wondering if I should go straight for a Masters and not bother with a diploma. I feel a diploma would actually be of more use in the classroom (greater practical application), however I will be a 41 year old male elementary school teacher and am looking to progress as fast as I can.

If I went straight for the Masters I would probably wait a year before starting it, as people have mentioned, having a Masters without sufficient classroom experience may be looked upon with suspicion. I would start the diploma straight after the B.Ed.

Any thoughts?

You may want to post on TES. There are a couple of people with experience of Nigeria (not necessarily the American school, but they probably have their ear to the ground).
[url]http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/64.aspx[/url]

They interview you together? Is that normal?

How is the situation for families (two teachers and one child)?