Thanks Psyguy,

She will probably go either Sunderland or TES.

Do you know which one is less work? Once again, she's been teaching for over a decade. Just looking for the piece of paper and not a 'life-changing' education experience.

[quote=PsyGuy post_id=63063 time=1652981347 user_id=68047]
@evilharo

Its exactly what they are looking for, so much so that on my first application submitting my edu doctorate it was denied. On my subsequent application I had to submit my post-bach transcripts before they were accepted as equivalent.

It does take about 2 years but you already have QTS a US credential and experience plus you have the Teach Now program, one of the three local Unis may be able to cut that time in half for you. Getting a HK PGDE in a year or less if they extend you some credits or exempt you from field experience is the better way to go applying for RT status. Youre a local graduate then and you can skip the HKCAAVQ. Youd hate to do one of the options you mentioned and find out they dont accept those programs or qualifications anymore, etc.

Its twice the cost of the PGCE/i programs but Moorehead Unis top off program from their credentialing program to Masters is just the summer, you could have this done in time for the Fall, assuming they accept the combination of credits an credentials. The Masters is what turns all your Teach Now certification studies into credits on a transcript the HKCAAVQ wants to see.

TESi provides a good program, I usually refer to them for their AO program. Theres nothing wrong with their PGCEi program, albeit being a PGCEi program as opposed to a PGCE, but you need academic credits except that for the same coin you can get a Uni named certificate which has more utility and marketability for an IT.
[/quote]

Hey there,
I wanted to resurrect this thread as I have a specific situation that I need advice on.

I recently accepted a post at a large 'foundation' of schools in HK. I'll be making up about 6 figures a month HKD. (This is not meant as a brag but just to provide context)

My wife is also an international teacher but I know that she won't qualify for RT status. She got her certification in the US via an 'on the job' certification. She currently has licenses in two different states as well as QTS. The has 11 years experience and has done IBDP, IGCSE, AP, NGSS, KS3 and all that but I'm not here to complain about the HK system. We just got to live with it.

My main question is: are international schools in HK regularly hiring permitted teachers? Is she better off looking at DSS local schools that do IB if they would even allow it? Tuition for our kids won't matter as they will get it through me.

Alternatively, she could start the PGCE from Sunderland in Feb. We looked at the FAQs and she could start it in Feb. and do one of the two placements at our current school and then try to find a placement school in the fall to do the second one (it looks like they allow it)

Don't really want to go backwards unless we have to (also paying that money won't be fun). It's not really about learning but just jumping through the hoops for the paper. Are there any quicker ways that people know of?

We can also have her do some tutoring/supply. Maybe being present in HK will help aid the job hunt?

Thanks in advance for the insight!

[quote=elizamina post_id=45247 time=1482077026 user_id=99025]
Chengdu is awful. No exaggeration. We were at a nice school in Chengdu, our daughter was born in Chengdu, and we still had to leave after two years because of how bad the pollution is.

The bushes are constantly covered in brown dust. You can't sit down on public benches because the filth in the air settles onto the benches, and your clothes will come away dirty. If you drop something on the ground, it's instantly covered in filth. The air was so bad some days, you could TASTE it. We constantly had to keep students inside, the air was so polluted.

Also, because Chengdu is in a basin, surrounded by mountains, you have very few blue sky days. So the pollution becomes trapped in the basin. Planes would be grounded for hours because it was too hazy to take off safely.

I say all of this with no exaggeration. We liked our little school and we would have been happy to send our daughter there. But the pollution was so bad, the city was so filthy, that we couldn't justify raising a small child there. For her own health, we had to leave.
[/quote]

This post is 4 years old. Any update on pollution in Chengdu in 2021?

Same boat here.

We are a teaching couple as well (but with two kids)

I think that only 2 schools had positions for both of us. Even so, I applied to some good schools that only had a job for me.

Perhaps it is my own hubris, but I have over a decade of experience with MYP and DP, am a workshop leader and examiner. I thought I would at least get a couple of interviews.

Absolutely nothing.

Pretty deflating but maybe it is still early.

As we start looking at recruiting for 21-22, I was wondering how logistically possible it would be a teaching couple to work at different schools?

Obviously, we are applying as a teaching couple first. We don't have a geograhical preference, and we will be targerting all different types of schools including larger cities (Hong Kong, Singapore).

How often do teaching couples work at different schools? What are some of the things to consider, logistically?

[quote=PsyGuy post_id=59659 time=1600612100 user_id=68047]
@Sol

When they first started GRC was basically a collection of a handful of ISs trying to get around SA and doing their own little show. They have successfully evolved beyond that.
GRC and SA had/have some really strong animosity between each other, they really are just an end round around SA. SA had some pretty strong language, directed at both ISs and ITs, that amounts to, if youre repped by us, and you are hired you owe SA. Thats a lot more talk then action though, at worst for practical purposes is SA refuses to rep you in the future. They have done that.

You can attend whatever recruiting events you want to. Though, youre best off not telling SA. If you do, SA will attempt to invoice the IS, they are likely to decline and your associate may then pass the invoice on to you, and indicate that if you fail to pay they will drop you, in addition they are likely to require being copied on all communication between you and the GRC IS.

GRC doesnt do general references as other agencies do. GRC requires your current HOS at your IS to "approve" your profile when you register. That "approval" is tantamount to "would you hire this person again" and its the only reference that really matters.

@speedracer

Coordinator isnt really senior leadership (could be) but the recruiting level is AP/DP/VP and higher.
[/quote]

Fair enough. I have experience as DP coordinator, but looking into a first-time gig as AP (although I see some schools have combined that position) My problem is no credential. Although I am doing the Harvard CSML at the moment

[quote=Sol post_id=59643 time=1600529153 user_id=231151]
Speedracer, I have a question for you regarding your statement below and to other Search Teacher Candidates..

"My wife and I will be doing the October Search Fair. Just wondering how much of waste of time it is going to be. Since a lot of schools have a Nov cut off for renewals, I have a feeling that we will be talking to schools that don't really know what openings they are going to have.We will also be doing the GRC fairs as backup, and Search London if it is still happening."

I am a SA teacher candidate and for some reason my invitation was declined for the Virtual October fair( I thought I registered, but apparently I missed a step with the online registration process, so my invitation was declined). Search said the October fair is now closed. I learned about the GRC fair on this forum. Will Search Associates have an issue with active members attending a different Virtual fair such as GRC in November/ December 2020? I see you are attending GRC as a back up and also SA October fair. I just want to confirm that SA does not have a problem with teacher candidates attending other recruting fairs. Since SA declined my chance to attend their SA virtual October fair, my best next option would be to consider GRC in November. I do not want to make any wrong decisions, job hunting in times of crisis already gives us plenty to worry about. Appreciate your comments. Sol
[/quote]

Yeah, pretty much what @heliotrope said.
As long as your references don't mind filling out two, they don't speak to one another. The only other problem would be if I was successful in the Seach fair and went and attended the GRC fair anyway and the school that I was just hired at was also there. In that case I would need to make sure to put both of these on hold.

@psyguy
I am halfway in between. I don't mind looking into leadership (I have been a curriculum coordinator before) but not sure if a tier 1 school would hire me for that.

My wife and I will be doing the October Search Fair. Just wondering how much of waste of time it is going to be. Since a lot of schools have a Nov cut off for renewals, I have a feeling that we will be talking to schools that don't really know what openings they are going to have.

We will also be doing the GRC fairs as backup, and Search London if it is still happening.

but we both have a lot of IB experience, so maybe we can bypass all of the fairs and find a job ourselves.

It seems like it would be just as valuable as PTC. (at a much lower cost)

In Saudi right now but in the Eastern Province (Dhahran)

Saudi is never going to be a destination spot, but we don't mind really. THe best part is that as a teaching couple we will be saving $60-70K without breaking a sweat.

Compound living is great for families with young kids, and for us Bahrain is just a causeway away.

It really depends on the school. Some are pretty good, so are outright awful. Post on the member forum for more details.

The best thing to do if you are interested in Saudi is to have an exit plan. Decide how long you want to be there so you don't get golden handcuffs.

Nomad68 wrote:
> Many schools prefer not to hire ITs with kids. Saudi Arabia has recently
> introduced a 'tax' on expat workers' dependents. If you have a trailing
> spouse and 2 or more kids where can you reasonsbly hope to get hired in the
> current employment climate? QSI seem family friendly but seem to have a bad
> rep. Any suggestions?

I know that my school will accept teachers with trailing spouses and 2 kids. I work in the Eastern Province (Dhahran) and with a district with 7 schools. (trying not to be too specific)

Smurf wrote:
> fine dude wrote:
> > The recruitment cycle can be summarized as below:
> > 1. Elite/tier 1 schools either wait until the BKK / London fair to do their
> > hiring.
> > 2. Experienced single / teacher couples already have jobs by Nov or
> > mid-Dec, thanks to Skype.
> > 3. Exceptional math/sci teachers with trailing spouses do land jobs at big
> > schools occasionally.
> > 4. Everyone else land at tier 2/3 schools and wait for their turn by
> > upgrading their skills/education.
>
> From my experience, this isn't always the case anymore. I've got a trailing spouse
> and teach a subject that isn't particularly difficult to recruit for schools, so
> far I've had four interviews with elite schools and received two offers this week
> that we are currently deciding between.
>
> I really think that the whole cycle is moving earlier and earlier for the whole market
> and if people presume that traditional timelines still apply then they could be
> missing out on some great opportunities.

That was my hope (that the GRC would turn into a productive fair that actually hires people rather than interview and wait for tentative becoming definite)
It seems like a fair this early may hopefully fill that niche for schools that want to get a jump instead of waiting for ISS and Search.

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had a fair report from GRC in Dubai earlier this month.

I heard that last year not a lot of jobs were going around (maybe it was still too early for schools?)

Were schools actually hiring this year rather than putting up tentative positions?

Speed

reisgio wrote:
> What an appalling thread. How can any of you be educators and have such
> insipid questions and answers!? If you don't know what to do with your
> children, maybe you shouldn't have them.

Actually, I’m the type of person that doesn’t like to impose on others so am hesitant to leave kids with colleagues for a weekend. We have never actually used babysitting services at hotels, but now thanks to the valuable comments and anecdotes from other professionals, I will think twice before using this option. I have also found a great restaurant review for BKK and the potential uses for crates for children.

Lighten up Francis

Hello all,

This doesn't apply to me this year but thinking down the road for next year or beyond.

What do teaching couples do with their kids when they want to go to a fair? (Let's say the kids are young 5ish)

If the couple is already overseas then having them stay with family would not apply. Does the whole family go and then each candidate takes turns interviewing? Do you have them stay with colleagues back at your school for the long weekend?

Something I always wanted to know.