@PsyGuy, @global_nomad

I appreciate all the input. It does seem to confirm what I had been feeling about the reality of my situation. Well I shall continue to take a more pragmatic view of my situation as I move forward.

@wrldtrvlr123

Thank you for the input. Most of my colleagues, used to work in China/Thailand/Taiwan. I will push them to help me a little more.

As for Indonesia, I was under the assumption government/visa laws required 5 years of experience. Do I have outdated information? When applying to institutions independently I've been sending emails to either the head of hiring or the head of the particular school with my information and documents. Have I been going about it wrong?

Thanks again for the input.

Greetings all I was hoping someone might be able to provide me with counsel or advice on my particular situation as I am moving forward.

I am a single male no dependants, in my mid-20s, have no health conditions, can easily move anywhere and in 2 months will have:
BA in History and Cultural Geography
MA in Education
Teaching Credentials in secondary social sciences from a West Coast state of the United States (with one year of experience)

I understand my subjects are not the most in demand, though I have a burning passion for history and love teaching it. I am a fluent English speaker and am also open to teaching that subject as a means of getting my foot in the door.

A number of my friends and colleagues in international teaching positions have a “world is your oyster” view of my situation, telling me that I can go anywhere and that my qualifications make me a strong candidate ect, ect. However since January of this year, I have been on the hunt, as best of my abilities for a job at any number of international schools in a wide variety of countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East and have not had any luck.

After multiple months of luckless searching, I turned to a recruitment agency who has suggested several jobs in Kuwait, and told me point blank: very few places (China or Kuwait they said) will hire an NQT, even with a Masters, with less than 2 years experience.

A number of my colleagues have asked me why would I “settle” for Kuwait when I “could do anything.” But that optimism just doesn’t seem to pan out in the face of government laws and school policies. Schools often have to make a strategic decision on who they choose to hire.

So I suppose my question is: am I being pragmatic in thinking I just have to put in a few years in a school that will hire an NQT like Kuwait before I can go elsewhere. I've heard, in international teaching, you can "upgrade every two years" so to speak, and it's critical to just get your feet on the ground. Or am I being cynical and settling for less than I could do, that there are other schools out there who would hire someone with my credentials and I’m just not looking hard enough?

Any advice, guidance, suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading