I'm in the US and noticing that there are many openings for school counselors here, even late in the year. Job descriptions range from offering mental health services to teaching about health and wellness, and I see postings at all levels from preschool to high school. Are there any similar trends in international schools; that is, an increasing number of schools counselors, providing a range of services, at all grade levels? Or are these more common at well-known/ well-resourced international schools? Thinking of the possibility of returning overseas in the next few years and wondered about what has been happening in the field from those abroad.

Thank you for all these perspectives. There are many benefits, but also some challenges with working in international education. Some of the question marks and points of confusion for me are taxes, housing/ mortgages, savings/ retirement. I know these topics come up fairly often, but I always find it helpful to get fresh ideas and perspectives.

I am an American teaching at an international school in Sweden, similar to one described by "sid." When I first found my position, I did a search of IB (International Baccalaureate) schools and limited it to those implementing the PYP (Primary Years Program). In other places in this forum, you will find that the PYP is a well known, widely used curriculum framework in international schools around the world. I didn't have any experience with this program prior to being hired in Sweden but have since received training through workshops, paid for by the school. The IB recently changed its website, and they used to have a section where IB schools could post job listings, but I haven't been able to find it. The last website, Arbetsförmedlingen, is the Swedish employment agency. In the search ("sök" in Swedish) box, type "international" and you will see international school jobs (along with other jobs requiring international or English language skills) when they come up.

Resources:
http://www.swedishibschools.se/
http://www.ibo.org/en/programmes/find-an-ib-school/
http://www.arbetsformedlingen.se/

Generally speaking, a one- or two-page CV is the norm. Make sure to highlight your teaching experience, education and certification, as well as any international experience you have.

Best of luck to you.

As I witness colleagues enter the job search market at the fairs and on their own, I've been thinking about whether or not next year will be my last one at my school.

From those of you who are experienced overseas teachers, I was wondering how you decided for yourself that it was time to move on. Was it negative: mediocre pay, lack of resources, difficult relationships with others? Or was it positive: desire to discover new cultures, grow as a professional, be closer to family or friends? If it was a combination of factors, how did you decide what was most important?

Thank you for any feedback you might be able to offer.

You can certainly pursue certification in states other than Pennsylvania as others have suggested. The George Mason University/ FAST-TRAIN program is well known in the international school field. However, since you said that international teaching was a goal but that you would like to have the possibility to come back to Pennsylvania, it might be more convenient to get your certification in your home state. I've moved out of state to pursuing teaching and academic credentials, and it can be a bit overwhelming to be away from your friends and family as you are also starting a degree program. Importantly, if you go to a public university program as an in-state resident, it might be more affordable than going elsewhere.

I looked at the Pennsylvania state certification, and it says that the Level I teaching certificate is valid for six years of service as an educator in Pennsylvania. It clarifies that these are "years of service" and not "calendar years." In other words, if you got your certificate in 2010, it would not lapse in 2016--unless you had been teaching all six of those years and in the state of Pennsylvania. As long as you're not teaching in Pennsylvania, your Level I certificate will remain valid.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania has added another provision to its teaching laws called "Act 48." According to the Pennsylvania state website, all certificate holders must comply with Act 48 by pursuing continuing professional development. This consists of getting 6 semester hours of credit every five years. Confusingly, this process, which determines whether a certificate is "active" or "inactive," is measured in "calendar years" whereas "years of service" are used to determine whether a certificate is "valid" or "invalid."

If you go abroad right away, that means, once you fill out a form to request "voluntary inactive" status, you will have a "valid but inactive" Level I certificate from Pennsylvania. When you decide to come back, you need to get at least 1 semester credit to re-activate it and then they restart the clock and give you slightly less than five calendar years to get the remaining 5 semester credits.

I moved around the States before going abroad, and I have three valid certificates: from Illinois, New York and Massachusetts. I've found that you need patience more than anything else to get a teaching certificate from another state, once you are already certified. I've also had the privilege of taking, and paying for, teacher certification tests in three different states. Laws for each state are slightly different, however. I know that Illinois, for example, exempts teachers from having to meet re-certification or continuing education requirements if they teach in a private school or if they teach out of state. Their Illinois teaching certificate is still valid, however.

I took the time to give you a long explanation because I think this is a very important decision for you. You should, of course, verify what I have said by calling or writing to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. You should also speak with someone at whatever Pennsylvania teacher college you were in interested in attending. Every teacher college has a certification officer or advisor who is in charge of submitting transcripts to the State Board to get their graduates certified.

Finally, even though you didn't ask, I might suggest that you may want to consider spending at least your first year of teaching (if not your second) in more familiar surroundings. I moved immediately after getting certified, and I missed having a mentor or close friends to support me during this critical period of my career.

Whatever you choose, good luck and best wishes.