Psyguy, thank you for all your information - it's really beneficial to me in forming my future plans.

My first application for QTS was rejected over a month ago. I used OSSE as the issuing authority and made no mention of Teach-Now in the application. The UK authorities responded after 21 days saying I would need to show where I did my teacher training and proof I did my practicum in the USA etc etc. I never replied and let the application expire.

Last week I received an email from a staff member at Teach-Now saying that some candidates had recently been successful in attaining QTS by also including a letter from the Teach-Now CEO in their application and she suggested that I try this.

I resubmitted all documents (including this letter from the CEO of Teach-Now) to the UK authorities and a week later they awarded me QTS! I'm not sure if you've heard about this recent change and wanted to let you know here that it seems Teach-Now is now being accepted again.

Again, thank you for all the advice!

We are in Hanoi, Vietnam and don't suffer the same internet restrictions as China. However, we are using MS Teams in combination with Zoom to give online classes for Secondary and Highschool. Flipgrid (now free with MS Education suite) is also really good for the younger kids.

Additionally, Screencastify has been giving out free subscriptions to schools in Hanoi and may do the same for your school if you ask them. Screecastify is a handy little Chrome extension which allows you to record screen-casts and upload them online. That said, I'm not sure if you can specify anything but Google Drive for upload your screen-casts. You can however store them locally in Chrome and then send the file to your students.

Oh, my quotes didn't work. Is it possible to use the BB code in another way? I will edit the post if so.

Thanks you very much for your reply, PsyGuy.

I wanted to reply carefully and thoroughly and so it's taken me a while to get the free time to do so.

[quote=PsyGuy post_id=58311 time=1582507619 user_id=68047]

First, my impression is that based on your limited work and experience history, you tend to see the solution to problems in your professional advancement as being solvable with more education. Its a common problem with young professionals who even if their lizard brains understand that the majority of those successful in a field have X decades of experience, they think I dont have X decades of experience what can I do instead, and then making a connection that doing that alternative thing is somehow comparable to the X decades of experience. Thats why the IE rule of 'experience is king' is a rule. You need to set the education goals on the back side for a while. Another Masters isnt going to improve your marketability compared to the time spent gaining experience, you end up being "degree heavy' and practice lite". You absolutely should not be struggling with the difference between an MA or an MS, thats more an issue for tertiary edu and getting into a doctoral program, its not an issue worthy of consideration for IE at the level youre at, or even where youre planing on going to, because it just doesnt matter. You need to be doing more stuff not studying more stuff and obsessing with the initials after your name.

[/quote]

You're spot on with your - here. I do tend to see studying more as a way to progress and have career hopped too much in the past. I am absolutely on the light side when it comes to experience in any one job, and indeed in any one subject as a teacher. At this point I am prepared to put a lot of time into one area, be it CS or EdTech.

[quote=PsyGuy post_id=58311 time=1582507619 user_id=68047]
As for a doctorate, unless you really want ITs and leadership having to call you "doctor" or your goal is executive leadership, there arent many Tech.Ds (Technology Director), Tech.Cs (Technology Consultant) or Ed.Techs with doctorates either in corporate or in edu. Even if thats your goal, your arent there yet.
[/quote]

This is fair enough. I tend to see a PhD as the 'end of the road' in terms of continuous study and so have always assumed I'll do one someday. However, right now I want to earn some coin, invest and build a family so maybe that's for another time.

[quote=PsyGuy post_id=58311 time=1582507619 user_id=68047]
Second, youve framed these 4 professions (Ed.Tech, Tech.D, Tech.C, CS/ICT IT) as being along some continuum, they arent they are distinct and discreet professions that have to do with technology and edu but they have very different skill sets and tasking. This is good though because your verbose post has clearly indicated what you want to do and where you want to be. To that end being a Tech.C has nothing to do with teaching CS or ICT. Tech.Cs dont set up those programs and they dont sell them to ISs, however the ICT/CS IT gets a comp lab and they set it up aligned with the curriculum or they just execute someone elses previous curriculum, regardless its something ICT/CS ITs feel very invested in doing themselves, because like everything involving ego, how they do it and want to do it is the best way, and leadership is rarely in a position to know any better, so they let them do it. When an IS contracts for a Tech.C that already has a Tech.D and/or Ed.Tech its because theres a communication problem among those individuals, leadership and ownership that usually involves one group wanting it one way and the other group wanting it another and the tech group comes up with excuses why it cant be done or shouldnt be done and the Tech.C. is hired to advise the ownership and leadership the real story and. hen the tech people first meet the Tech.C their goal is to convince the Tech.C to support their recommendation, and a soon as they realize the Tech.C isnt doing that, you become the enemy. People quit over this, and more often than many other aspects of IE.
[/quote]

OK, thanks. I understand that teaching CS and being an EdTech coach are different positions, however in my school it seems that those roles blend together - in other schools I take it that is not the case, at least not normally. Currently it's us CS and ICT teachers who are also the informed ones in the EdTech world and also provide EdTech solutions for the school.

That brings me to my next question: although I stated that I would ultimately like to become a Tech.C (because I figured I'd be good at it, have a strong tech background and interest in tech generally and it would also provide me with a good income), it may well be true that staying as CS science teacher is a better choice?
Can you share your thoughts on teaching CS as a career VS EdTech as a career?
What concerns me most is ensuring that I remain valuable and employable in Asia for the medium turn, but I would also like the ability to move closer/back to Europe if required in the future.

As a CS teacher, the professional ceiling is something like Head of IT department, would that be correct? But in EdTech I could move up higher, perhaps into Tech Director role or similar? Am I correct in this line of thinking that I can go further and earn more in the EdTech world? There may even be the potential to move from IS teaching to some EdTech Companies or the like (at least in my mind).

[quote=PsyGuy post_id=58311 time=1582507619 user_id=68047]
Third, you jut need to get out there. Put together a website, get some business cards made and start pitching yourself as a Tech.C. what IS youre at or where you go to isnt going to matter much. You need problems to solve and fix, so you can market those. Top ISs have fewer if any problems. Their big issue is hiring the next person when the current person moves on, thats about it. You need to find those squirmy third tier ISs there, that you can help, and build a resume at. Make a successful side hustle out of that and your better positioned to move into Tech.C. as your profession.
[/quote]

Thanks for this advice. I wholeheartedly agree. Recently myself and the other CS teacher have done a tonne to set up an online learning environment during the Coronavirus outbreak. It's been great.

PsyGuy, thank you for your advice and your thoughts on my post.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some career advice in the international education world as a Computer Science and/or EdTech teacher/coach. I’ve read almost every thread/post on here and figured I’d ask for some advice by creating my own thread. This post is a long one, so thank you in advance.

Personal background:

32 years old, Irish citizen
Married with one child
Living in Hanoi, Vietnam - willing to relocate as/if required

Qualifications:

BA History and Geography
MA Digital Humanities
CELTA
hDip (same level as BA in Ireland) in Science (Software Development/Computer Science)
D.C. Teaching Licence specialising in Computer Science 7-12
Waiting on QTS application result - assuming I will not be successful, but fingers crossed.

Job Experience:

ESL unqualified teacher - 1 year in Vietnam
ICT unqualified teacher - 3 years in Vietnam
Software developer - 1 year in Ireland/Colombia
AS Level Computer Science qualified teacher - 6 months in Vietnam - my current position


OK, so that’s my background.

I’m currently teaching AS level Computer Science at a Tier 2/Tier 3 IS in Hanoi, Vietnam. I will stay here at least until the end of my contract (2021) so that I can teach A level CS and gain that experience.

Medium term (2 - 5 years), I would like to move into EdTech and continue teaching CS if possible, and long term (6 - 10 years) I’d like to get into EdTech consultancy.

My current plan is to:

- Cement my career as a CS teacher - teaching the Cambridge curriculum - over the next one/two years

- Use the cash earned to slowly shift towards an EdTech role over the next two to three years by:

- a) Taking the MS Educator Certificate (Booked and currently studying for that)
- b) Becoming a Google Certified Educator
- c) Doing a second MA/MSc in EdTech or similar field

- Apply for EdTech positions in Vietnam/Asia or elsewhere
- Do an EdD or PhD in EdTech or similar field
- Set up consultancy in EdTech or take up leadership role in EdTech

My Questions are:

Should I be looking at a second masters? If so should I be looking at an MSc only and not MAs because I already have an MA?

My MA is in Digital Humanities - which is essentially studying how we can use computer science to research in the humanities. My thesis involved making interactive maps for learning - for example, so perhaps doing another masters in EdTech would be in some part redundant in terms of content covered- particularly if I do an MA and not an MSc. That said, I personally could see a lot of value in doing the MA in EdTech from UCL - but that leaves me with two MAs, rather than an MA and MSc.

Alternatively, I would be interested in doing an EdD or PhD in EdTech instead of a masters, but I don’t have much of a thesis right now and have been out of academic practice for a while. I feel an MA or MSc would allow me to get back into academia. All of this would be done with the longer term goal of getting into EdTech consultancy when I’m in my late 30s or thereabouts.

My only real teaching qualifications are my CELTA and D.C. teaching licence (Teach-Now). Perhaps I should do a masters in pure education or in leadership to better equip myself?

My current school is allowing me to gain good experience teaching AS and next year, A Level experience in Computer Science. There’s also a chance I’m allowed to bring in CS at GCSE level and I’d love that too. With that said, the school is firmly Tier 2 - perhaps Tier 3. It’s a for profit school, PD is non-existent and morale is low. Our leader/principal is old fashioned and is not innovative in the slightest. EdTech/Tech coach does not exist in our school or in its future plans - to the best of my knowledge. There is a small chance I can engineer the role myself, but that would be slim.

So, before starting a new masters should I try and get into a better school (in Vietnam or abroad) or do two more years in my current school (total 4 years qualified teaching CS) and use this time to complete a masters in EdTech or similar before trying to move schools? I’m slightly concerned that other schools view teachers from my school negatively (so some of our staff say anyway.)

I’m trying to do everything possible to better my career prospects. Is there anything I’m missing or anything you might suggest that I look into?

I appreciate my post is a long one, and perhaps I’ve included a lot of unnecessary information here, but thanks for reading and I hope I can give back on here in the future when I’m a little more experienced.

Thank you.

Hi!

In the short term, inquire with your HR staff about getting a visa extension. This may require additional payment/bribing the relevant authorities - normal enough in Vietnam. This can buy you some time - maybe a month or two.

If you need more time, see if your school is happy with you getting a 6 month or 1 year tourist visa. Technically you'd be working illegally but they may have some workaround for this.

Normally there are ways (people to bribe) to overcome these kind of issues, but it's becoming more and more difficult these days.

Lastly, it sounds like your HR crew are inexperienced, and with a little time may figure this out.