Thanks for all of the input. I have one more issue. Do I need my California cert to work in HK? I don't want to pay out of pocket and go through the process to upgrade at my current school. If I let it expire then could I get it reinstated later? With QTS and CEAS, how much of a disadvantage am I at without it?

The report says my teacher training qualifications meet the requirements of the Education Bureau and is equivalent to a PgDE but no mention of RT or PT. I guess I need to be residing in HK before I can apply for RT but I think I meet all academic requirements. If I want to apply for the NET scheme then I think I can satisfy Category 5 requirements if I get a delta.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I applied for HK RT status so now we'll see what I get in 15 business days. In response to PsyGuy, I enrolled in a traditional two year education course for graduate students back home that involves 3 semesters of observation and 1 semester of student teaching (all within local schools) along with in person edu classes at a state university. I have transcripts and a letter documenting my student teaching experience. If the edu coursework and student teaching isn't enough to get RT then I guess I can apply again after I upgrade my California cert as that will come with additional edu credits although I am not working at a regionally accredited school now.

Thanks for the replies. If I wanted to work in international schools in HK then would I benefit from doing a distance PGCE with Sunderland? Would it also help me if I wanted to get on the NET scheme?

Hi all, I completed student teaching in the states and I hold an expired level 1 NC license which I used (before it expired) to get QTS, NJ CEAS, and a preliminary CA credential. I'm one year away from upgrading my CA cert but my placement is within a non-accredited school. Also hold a Celta. I have a few years experience teaching esl and some math. How competitive would I be if I apply to HK's net scheme? Do I have enough to get RT status or would I need to take classes somewhere? Is QTS useful without a PGCE? Is a DELTA worth considering? Thanks in advance.

@PsyGuy

This is good to know. Doing the reciprocity dance seems a lot easier than finding 30 credits of online physics content.

The standard certificate from NJ requires two years of experience and a reference letter.

Is the experience content specific or can I upgrade both math and physics (after I reciprocate physics) after two years of teaching either?

Is there anything special about the letter of reference? Is there a form that should be completed or is a signed and dated letter on school letterhead sufficient? Can't find much information about it.

Finally, does the school the experience is at need to be accredited?

Thanks for your help.

If I wanted to reciprocate with the state of NJ, would I need 30 credit hours in physics for CEAS or is it enough to pass an additional praxis to add on to my math cert?

Thanks for the reply. Would I have to do labs as a physics teacher? I have no credits in either CS or physics. Not sure if adding a second subject is more trouble than it's worth.

There are ten states that allow a CS endorsement via praxis. https://www.ets.org/s/praxis/pdf/passing_scores.pdf

Are there any ideal states to choose from in terms of reciprocation? Could I reciprocate with QTS or California later and how much is the added utility worth? I'm looking to complement a math credential. Physics is supposed to be another option but I usually see physics considered more of a science than a math and CS is grouped together with math (by the college board for example).

1) Is the AP maths just one course or a number of courses? Is the IGCSE just one course and English or a number of maths courses? – I can teach AP Pre-Calc, AP Calc, and AP Stats in Beijing. 19 teaching hours, 1 office hours, study hall proctoring, and extra curriculars. The IS in Dalian is not as clear with 25-30 teaching hours of math and English a week. School hours are from 7:50-5:10 and 6:30-9:10.

2) Is the "English" literature or ESOL? What age/year levels? - I’m not sure what the age levels are. They mention English corner so I think it’s spoken English and I guess age level could be anything.

3) Do you have any personal priorities in regard to what kind of lifestyle you want? – I don’t like long commutes and I like living close to restaurants and shops. I also want to live in a city that has a metro. Tier 1 cities like Beijing and Shanghai interest me because of name recognition. I hear a lot of nice things about Dalian though.

I think you are right that the IS in Dalian may be a better long-term pick but I think they are also riskier as well. I think they are a Chinese private school that wants to become international. The difference between them and my current school is that Dalian is K-12 and they have a foreign principal. The contract also mentions salary renegotiation after the first year. I’m not sure if this is normal. If it’s anything like where I work now then that means they turn me into an English teacher and they pay me less the next year. My current contract says I’m a math teacher and yet I teach English. I don’t want to fall for this again. I think the CIE accreditation the Dalian school will pursue is from Cambridge.

“Cambridge Assessment International Education (or simply Cambridge, formerly known as CIE - (University of) Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations and qualifications to 10,000 schools in more than 160 countries.”

However, if they are legitimate then I think they will provide professional development and IS experience over time. They may offer AP and IB later. For now, they are barely an IS. I can try to negotiate with them but I need to make a decision soon as I need to renew my residence permit.

I’m not sure the Beijing school counts as an IS as they are a Chinese public school with no plans to pursue accreditation. They are affiliated with a university and because they are a public school I think there is less of a chance they will turn me into an English teacher. AP experience is also hard to pass up. I should at least be able to get my two years of experience there if nothing else. I think Beijing has a lot of ISs and more professional opportunity than Dalian. I can also write praxis exams for ESOL and physics in Beijing.

Eventually, I want to reciprocate my license with California. This is my main goal for now. After I have a more professional license that I don’t have to worry about expiring then I think I can relax a bit and consider other places with a good environment like Dalian. It’s also good if I can get experience that might transfer back home for if/when I return. I’m not sure if AP experience or IS experience is better.

I’m leaning towards Beijing.

So far I have offers from a Chinese public school in Beijing and a new IS in Dalian.

I can teach AP math in Beijing and I was promised access to all materials from the outgoing American math teacher there.

The IS in Dalian will use the IGCSE curriculum and seek CIE accreditation the first year and WASC the second. They may also want me to teach English in addition to math.

I think Beijing is the better offer even though Dalian is becoming an IS. The English part of the Dalian contract scares me. I want to work for a WASC school but it will take a few years for Dalian to finish this process. Maybe after a year or two in Beijing I will be competitive enough to move to a school that is already accredited?

Thanks everyone for the replies and encouragement. To clarify, I completed student teaching in the states (NC) before I came to China. I guess an advantage of NC is that I can add endorsements via praxis exams before it expires.

I have a masters in math and I did well in my anlysis classes. Calculus is one of my favorite subjects so I would love to teach this. A lot of schools have asked me if I can teach AP classes and I always reply that while I don't have experience, AP courses are taken for college credit and my masters allows me to teach at the community college level in the states which should be equivalent to teaching AP as far as content goes.

It's good to know I don't have to go back to the states for experience. An IS in Beijing rejected me for someone with 10+ years of experience but I'm about to get an offer from a new school in Dalian and they know what WASC accreditation is.

I think some schools in America will be more competitive than other schools of a certain quality that are more willing to take beginner teachers. Maybe I'm wrong but I still like China and I hope I can continue to stay here for a while.

I'm teaching spoken English at a private, K-5, Chinese, elementary school. Maybe this is a cram school?

I want to change my job next year and I have offers from a few Chinese schools that use AP, IB, or A level curriculum and some may be affiliated with schools in America but none of them are accredited. At least it will be more relevant than what I'm doing now in regards to what I'm trained for. Ultimately I would like to land a job at a WASC or AdvancED accredited school so I can upgrade my teaching license and gain relevant experience for if/when I go back to America. So I need experience and if I can't get in with an IS then I'll look for a Chinese school and hope an IS will consider it even if it's not experience from back home. Sounds like as long as it's K-12 and I'm teaching math then it may be ok.

Hello, I hold an initial license (secondary math) from the states, CEAS, QTS, but no experience besides student teaching. I'm teaching English in China right now and hope I don't have to go back to the states to get xp before an IS will hire me. Is it possible to rack up those two years at Chinese schools for an IS to take me or are they looking for two years from America? Anyone have experience with this?