Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

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Arsenalfc
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Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 10:57 am

Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by Arsenalfc »

I am about to start a School Direct programme teaching Business Studies and Economics the UK and once qualified I will stay to get either one or two years' experience before leaving to start my journey as an IT.

I am a career changer in my mid-forties, married (non-teaching spouse) with two dependents and more than 10 years experience living in Asia. As a family we are open to living in most countries - quite happy to go to Africa, LA, SA or Asia for example.

So, how marketable am I and any suggestions on a recruitment strategy?

Also, should I stay in the UK to get the two years' experience in the hope of one day being recruited by a top tier school or should I just get one years' experience and get overseas ASAP considering my circumstances?

MIA
eion_padraig
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Re: Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by eion_padraig »

Hello Arsenalfc,

The bad news is that you are going to be an expensive hire. You'll be overcoming one less hurdle if you already have two years of experience working in the UK before you go overseas, but the bigger one is having 3 dependents. Part of the problem if you don't have the two years of teaching experience is that you won't be able to sign up for Search Associates or ISS. If the kids will be out of school and onto university soon, that would improve your chances. Or if your spouse decides to go into teaching as well, then you improve your chances considerably.

Otherwise you're probably going to need to look broadly for places that will take you. It will help a lot to be able to sign on for either SA or ISS, so you can look widely. TIE online is another good resource to look for job openings. People often talk about the QSI system of schools taking people with several dependents, so they may be a good one to target.

If you have coaching experience or you've lead other extracurricular activities that schools are offering that can make you more attractive though it's not usually a major factor.

Eion
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

You are not marketable. A business/economics IT with a lot of white space on your resume with a trailing spouse and 2 dependents. You are requiring an IS to transport, insure, and house four people, and additionally educate two of those individuals to fill one business studies classroom, that is going to be a very hard sell to an IS.

I would try but even after two years of DS experience SA and ISs are not likely to accept you as candidates. You will likely find the most interest in ISs that only offer or would offer you a LH package.

Coaching and other ASPs are not going to offset or overcome your logistical factors.
Thames Pirate
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Re: Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by Thames Pirate »

Of course ISS and SA will take you after some experience or even without it--you pay them, and what do they care if you don't get a job? They will put you in their database, sure.

I will be the positive voice (even if PsyGuy the gloomy mocks me for it). I say life is short--just go! While it is true that your logistics are not ideal and you are not likely to land a top job right out of the gate, you can still get some exciting and valuable experience abroad. Don't take a place that will make you unhappy, either--you have a family to consider. You CAN find something that allows for that balance. Maybe in areas of Africa or the Middle East, where you often can get IB experience as well? Do your homework on schools for sure! People said all kinds of negative things about our resume on this board, but the reality turned out quite differently--twice. Play to your strengths, do your homework, prepare-prepare-prepare, and then research and prepare some more. A candidate with less experience who interviews well and will likely be a contributing member to a team might get hired over someone with a better resume on paper. The trick is landing the interview. For that you will also need to do your homework. There is a lot of good advice on here (blog and forums) and elsewhere on that, and of course being savvy in both the big things (CV, letter of interest) and the smaller (timing of applications, boldness in fair elevators, etc). Knowledge is your friend. Also, knowing what to ask, what (more so than where) you want, and what you will and won't accept in advance can really help.

A few points that can help include getting additional certification in another subject (like English/literature), getting and leveraging prior leadership experience, and ideally seeing if your spouse can offer the school something (or even get a teaching gig). Also, see how you can leverage your Asia experience, as it DOES look better than someone with no international living. It indicates you can hack living abroad and aren't likely to get homesick during your first year abroad. Don't overdo it on a cover letter, but be sure to include it somewhere on your resume. Be subtle, but not so subtle recruiters will miss it. Also, make the most of your non-teaching experience in whatever way you can. There may be a lot of schools that are interested enough if your experience shows you to be a hard worker, a team player who can take orders, someone people (students and staff) will enjoy working with, etc. Oh, and get STRONG recs.

As you gear up and are looking for that knowledge to arm yourself, let us know how we can help.
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

There is a strong point I fully agree with @Thames Pirate, one of the best things you can do at a fair is be really, really likeable. So much about success in IE is about "fit" and being really likeable can do so much more for you than anything on your resume. Being a good employee is of much more value to an IS than a good IT, they already know you are a good IT or you wouldnt have gotten into the room.

@Thames Pirate

ISS and SA care about the frustrated IT candidates who have paid their fee, and havent gotten a job because they arent marketable who spend all their time venting their frustrations, not worth the $200.
Thames Pirate
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Re: Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by Thames Pirate »

They will still take your money and put you in the database. I know plenty of people who have done it straight out of student teaching.
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

@Thames Pirate

We disagree an intern class IT with a trailing spouse and two dependents to fill a business classroom is a very unmarketable application. its not an experience issue its a logistics issue.
Arsenalfc
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Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 10:57 am

Re: Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by Arsenalfc »

Thanks so much Eion, ThamesPirate and PsyGuy - I appreciate the honesty and encouragement.

One more question; with immigration being a topical issue in the UK right now, it may not be easy for us to move there (as my husband is American) so I am now looking at US teaching certification and two years' experience there - will this change increase or limit my chances?
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

@Arsenalfc

It depends. ASs are generally more flexible than BSs, for all the talk and Pop.Ed there isnt a definitive USNC, its 50+ different shades of a curriculum that in the classroom vary little (factoring a polynomial is pretty much the same, etc..), but can have vast differences of course when it comes to regional history, or scope, sequence, scaffolding, alignment. It tends to be more a factor in earlier years when education is essentially a developmental program of literacy and numeracy an becomes less pronounce as you move to school leaving level. AP/DIP/A* are very congruent in content matter. You could argue that the USNC as implemented in IE is generic. The curriculum is more going to be centered around what ever texts and materials the IS has, more so than anything. Compared to BSs where the curriculum is vary standardized, BSs tend to be less interested in hiring American ITs than ASs are in hiring non-American ITs.

Its really an academic argument, you can get a US credential and then apply for full QTS saving yourself induction, and have both. Having been educated in the UKNC and serving two years as a DT in a US classroom will give you similar utility for both ISs. You could do a School Direct, and QTS and then apply for a US credential in D.C. and also have both, and have higher marketability in a BS and lower marketability in an AS, that would be a wash when you average them. If you go to the US you could be waiting forever to get a classroom to build experience and you will be limited to a very small region (generally DTs need some experience before they can move their certificate across states), you could be stuck in a state waiting and doing nothing. If you do school direct you will already be in a DS and have a better chance of being kept on if you do a good job. You would also be limited in which states you can apply to until you get US citizenship or PR status, which could take a while.
Either way your going to have problems just different kind, but my advice is that; youre the DT/IT, youre the one that has to make it work, the School Direct program is in the bag, and its that curriculum and system you know. From a professional standpoint your spouse is just luggage.

The real question is what do you want to do? If you want to stay in WE get the QTS. If your more interested in Asia (there are more ASs than BSs) go to the US. The US route broadens your resume, the UK route focuses it.

As it stands now you have an EU passport, getting your husband a British/EU passport is going to likely be the most significant thing you can do in the next year if you stay in EUR, as then your trailing spouse can work wherever you are.
Arsenalfc
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Re: Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by Arsenalfc »

@PsyGuy

Thank you so much for your knowledgeable insight.
Thames Pirate
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Re: Career changer with dependents - how marketable am I?

Post by Thames Pirate »

You could get the British cert as it is more easily maintained and transferred internationally, but teach in an IB school to get that experience. The Us might be more likely to appreciate your non-teaching experience.

Psyguy, you misunderstood me. I wasn't talking about marketability, I was talking about just signing up with Search.
PsyGuy
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Post by PsyGuy »

@Thames Pirate

I dont see QTS as being more easily transferred, it has advantages in some jurisdictions and disadvantages in other jurisdictions. The US route would be potentially shorter, a year, you get certified, and full QTS without doing another year of induction. QTS is certainly easier to maintain (No PD, lifetime validity).

There is no misunderstanding, logistical factors of marketability (family composition in this case) are one of the most common reasons for premium agencies to reject candidates.
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