Years of Experience Question

[markholmes]

This will be out situation in a couple of years;

Me - BA, B.E.d, MA - elementary - Canadian qualified (practicum in PYP school) - two years experience - UK national

My wife - BA, B.Ed. - elementary - Canadian qualified (practicum in PYP school) - no post certfication experience - Canadian national

We both have four years TEFL experience in Taiwan and Japan, but my wife will not have any post certification experience.

We will both struggle to find work in Canada so are wondering what the chances of us getting hired abroad are? Our biggest concern is finding a school for our daughter who will be starting grade one.

Could we get hired in spite of my wife not having two years experience?

Mostly interested in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines particularly)

Thanks in advance.

[mexteacher]

Top tier schools are less likely to look at the two of you if one partner is inexperienced unless one of you is a physics or calculus teacher or some such other hard to find position. (Typically schools do not recognize TEFL experience.)

Second tier schools tend to overlook the inexperience if your education is solid (which the Canadian teacher education system is). I know of a school in Monterrey, Mexico that tends to hire first year teachers so the school can train them how it wants. There are most likely others out there like that.

Good Luck!

[E.B. White]

You won't have a problem - as was said, you will likely have a hard time at the top tier schools, but you will have offers. Good luck!

[GHK]

As was said, you can find work for sure either in Canada or abroad. It's just a matter of where to go and which school. Many jobs in rural communities in Canada for example. As for Asia, there are plenty of schools that will hire you. As a man, you will be sought out for elementary positions since it's not as common and most schools like balance.

You probably both wouldn't get in at JIS or MIS but there are plenty of other choices. Loads of schools in China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore. I just heard from my director that his impression is that recruiting is getting more difficult. He went to three fairs and he said there were more jobs than candidates at all of them and basically top schools generally get their top picks and vice versa. Then it trickles down but there certainly aren't any reason for a teacher not to find a job since the ratio appears to be in your favor.

[markholmes]

Thanks guys. My next question would be, would I want to put my daughter in one of the lower tier schools that we would likely be offered?

I understand the difference between 1st and 2nd tier, but it's difficult to get a grip of the quality of such a school. Are most of these 2nd tier schools actually of a good standard, good enough that I would be happy with the quality of education my daughter was getting? This may seem like a strange question, but it is difficult to imagine the circumstances of individual schools when you are on the outisde looking in and with nothing for comparison.

[GHK]

I think that you specifically look at the schools, it's too difficult to make a characterization. Very generally, at those schools, the level of English can be lower, the standards of admission also lower, some of the teachers might be less experience or past a certain age making them less desirable. It's very hard to make a generalization. There are excellent teachers in those schools in situation like yourself. The tuition may be more affordable meaning the students come from more modest background which isn't necessarily a bad thing because spoilt rotten kids are not always the best students particularly in the Middle East.

The mix of student can also be something to consider, many international schools are simply private schools for wealthier locals with students being 95% of the same ethnicity. That can make adaptation for expat children more difficult particularly if they are a little shy. This also happens in very good schools.

When you get an offer, just do as much research as possible on the school and try to get in touch with current or former teachers to get the scoop.

Good luck

[ptf]

I agree that you have to look at the schools individually. Right now I am probably in what would be considered a second tier school. There are several reasons for that - the package they offer is not as generous as some of the other schools in this city, we are smaller and have not been around as long (although we've been here for 12 years so not exactly complete newcomers).

Personally I would rather my kids in this school than the '1st tier schools' here. There are a few reasons for this. One I don't like big schools. I much prefer a school of 700 to a school of 2000. Secondly we are much more academic. The top tier schools here have much better sporting facilities etc but follow an American curriculum which personally I just don't think is as good as the IGCSE/IBDP which is what we do. And thirdly our strength is a bilingual education which I like.

I've been very happy working here and certainly would be happy recommending this school to people for their kids. So don't write off schools just because they aren't what is supposedly the 'biggest and best'.

[markholmes]

Thanks. As you mentioned you would recommend your school, would you care to share, either here or here (holmes5668@hotmail.com).

As mentioned we won't be ready to leave for a couple of years. Let's just say I am starting the research early.

I haven't lived in the UK for ten years and have had little contact with Brits since moving to Vancouver from Taiwan (apart from my parents). I would be happy working in a English cirriculum school. Kind of miss British humour!!

I'm also trying to get my teaching practicum in a PYP school to widen my options.

[ptf]

No problem with sharing my school's name but will email you since if I identify the school I basically identify myself and I'd rather not completely blow my cover.

Will put the title 'recommended school' in the email.

[markholmes]

Thanks ptf. Got your mail. I will be responding shortly with 20 other questions!!