Thanks for everyone's responses. I would be teaching 26- 27 hours of class and I would be teaching MYP 1, 2 & 3 Language Acquisition (I think) and DP 1 ( 4 sessions) a week.
The hours for collaborative planning are 2 hours per week (1 for MYP and 1 for DP.

I definitely want IB experience but it seems I would need more prep time especially if this is my first year teaching IB. What does everyone think?

Hello everyone,

What is everyone's pinion on teaching both MYP and DP for the first time (no prior IB experience) at a tier 3 school? I've been told that a full-time teacher has 26 to 27 hours a week of classes, but the schedule is different each day, the schedule is from 8:45 to 17:30. I've been thinking about trying to negotiate only MYP, but would that make it more manageable or would this be fine as a new IB teacher? Class size around 25 for MYP and 10-15 for DP.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I know this was posted a few years ago but I was wondering if anyone had any info about SEK Ciudalcampo.

@Teach1010 Thanks, that program in Madrid does look right up my alley, but unfortunately I don't think they offer a distance option. I will email to check and see.

25K seems a lot to me, especially in WE where a yearly salary can be 30K. Ironically, I went to the John Hopkins website and their website was down...

Thanks for all of your responses

Hello everyone,

I am curious to know about different Masters degree options that are out there that would be worth putting in the time and money. I'm about 5 years into teaching after getting my credential and I thought about applying to a few programs, but as a new parent, I haven't really been able to justify the time/money pay off. I'm 35, a native English speaker, and Spanish (C2) Portuguese (B2) level. I'm interested in Language Acquisition, Educational Technology, Reading Comprehension/ Reading Specialist, Sociolinguistics and comparative cultural studies. Ideally I'd like to enjoy any program I enroll in, as well as be able to use it in the International Teaching world. I have experience in bilingual public schools in the US and in Spain, as well as a tier 3 school in Colombia. Since I'm now based in Spain, the program would have to be online. Also, I do not have and IB Certificate nor have I taught in an IB school, although I did do one online PYP Program that was a complete waste of time.

Thank you for in advance for any help you can provide.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

If a school doesn't specify that a cover letter is needed, would you recommend sending one anyway in the search database? Or does a short message with a brief intro work as far as communicating within Search?

Thanks, hopefully something will open up in the spring. Since I haven't heard too much back via email, I've started to contact schools directly though the Search database. Is one method more successful than the other? I typically write a short message within the database. Is it common for teachers to include a cover letter when contacting a school in the Search database? Does everyone take the time to taylor each letter to each school?

Hello all,

I posted over the summer and I really appreciated everyone's advice at the time. My partner and I (at that time) were thinking about heading to the Search Associates Fair in London, but ultimately we decided to not attend. I have not had the best of luck as far as getting responses from schools in WE though Search. I've had a few responses asking about my VISA status, and then my resume was then forwarded to the principal, but after that I haven't heard anything back. It'd say I've only applied to 10 or so schools this year, but I was wondering if there was a reason I am not getting many responses.

Unfortunately, I do not have IB experience but my wife does. I have bounced around quite a bit as an ESL teacher in South America and Spain, but then I went back to get my certification in California and ended up staying 3 years teaching third grade and one year teaching Middle School Spanish. I majored in Spanish, Minored in Linguistics and TESL. Could this be hurting my chances at getting a job at an IS? Last year I had offers from Turkey and Brazil (from TIE) but we decided to not accept them.

Ideally I'd like to find a school in Spain, but we would both be really happy to live in Portugal/France/Italy. I'm not sure if there would be a spot for both of us, but we could also consider moving if only one of us got a position. It is also important for us to find a school for our two year old son.

Through the forum I did learn that schools may be interested around May when schools are having difficulty finding teachers with working papers/EU Passports. I hope that is the case.

Our Profiles are:

Me: US Teaching Certification – Elementary/Middle K-8 Multiple Subject, Single Subject (Spanish), (IB Certificate: Language acquisition: Implementing the MYP curriculum)

US Citizenship, Work Permit to work in Spain

Wife: Spanish Teaching Certification (Spring 2017), School Psychologist/Learning Specialist

Her Experience (4 Yrs IB School in California, 4th Grade Teacher PYP (Spanish), and Learning Specialist

Last year a school ended up contacted her from from an Eastern European school in August that we decided it was too late in the hiring season to consider.

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

6 years working with children in early intervention, diagnosing learning difficulties, in schools as well as clinical work..

Yes, my partner will be looking for a school psychology position. She is a Spanish national with experience in the US at an IB school, and certification from Spain. She has taught 4th grade in Spanish, and has also worked as a learning specialist.

We're hoping that we'll be able to secure positions for next year in Spain or any position in WE. I'm not sure how many ISs outside of Spain have open positions for Spanish speakers. I know some have advertised for Spanish and the ability to teach French.

Thanks for the reply. I'm guessing that attending the London Fair would be a waste of time/money then? As far as targeting schools for May, what do you think is the best way to proceed aside from sending an email with cover letter, CV, and mentioning my Search profile? In California, I was able to meet and talk to principles by approaching the school and talking about possible job opportunities face to face. How do ISs look at this? I always felt that it was a nice way to get to know a school by getting a chance to visit before interviewing.

I am not that interested in teaching at an elite tier IS. It's more important to me what the students/families are like, along with colleagues and location.

Hello everyone,

My wife and I have the following experience:

Me: US Teaching Certification – Elementary/Middle K-8 Multiple Subject, Single Subject (Spanish), (IB Certificate: Language acquisition: Implementing the MYP curriculum)

US Citizenship, Work Permit to work in Spain

Before Certification: 2 yrs ESL Spain, 2 yrs. Private School (5th Grade), 1 Year Middle School/High School, Private School in Colombia (not International Schools)

After Certification, 3 yrs (Elementary School, 3rd Grade California) 1 Year(Spanish Teacher, Middle School, California)

Wife: Spanish Teaching Certification (Spring 2017), School Psychologist,

Experience (4 Yrs IB School in California, 4th Grade Teacher PYP (Spanish), and Learning Specialist


This year we moved back to Spain to be closer to family and for my wife to finish her teaching credential here. We will be attending the 2017 Search Fair in London for the first time. Ideally, we would like to be secure teaching/school psychology positions for the 2017-2018 based in Spain, or somewhere close. What are our chances of being successful at this fair? I feel like my lack of true IS experience could be an issue. Last year I had offers from Turkey and Brazil (from TIE) but we decided to wait another year to try and move closer.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.