I can't talk too much about igcse (I've only taught this for 1 year) - but the IB normally consists of completing a workshop over a few weeks online that is normally paid for by the school. It's more about having experience teaching the IB in Yr 11/12 which is a big selling point. Being able to say "my students scored ####" is a big selling point.

This post is a bit more multi faceted than it currently looks.

I'll deal with the elephant in the room to begin with.

There are two main types of schools in SE Asia. One is a true international school which deals mainly with expat kids and is not for profit. The others range from teaching local kids to having a mix of expat and local students. These schools tend to be for profit.

The first type of school is what I'd suggest - but your current experience is not highly regarded enough to potentially get into the final rounds of interviews. Most of these schools are IB/AP and normally want teachers WITH EXPERIENCE in Yr 11/12 who have taken them through the two hole years.

You mentioned that the VCE is similar to the IB = but it's not. Your current teaching methods are not going to break down the doors with your current experience. The same would be the polar opposite in Melbourne at present. Have a good look at which subjects you can teach in the IB, AP or A levels.

The second type of school may be more likely to hire you - but is also more likely to screw you over due to having dual nationality. I've seen this happen first hand in another asian country (person was local but also had NZ passport) and then forced him onto a local contract (he quickly left and was snapped up in another country).

Others may disagree - but I think that another country (such as Singapore or Thailand) might be a good opportunity. I basically did the same as you are contemplating (was late 20's and went overseas) and spend over a decade gallivanting the world. Note that it's common to make new friendship groups at schools overseas. Another word of warning - don't mention which uni you went to at real international schools unless it's asked as it will automatically give a roll of the eyes. What you can do "after graduation" is normally what is looked at. For profit schools have in the past put which degrees and universities I've worked at on their website as a "look at what we employ" to gain notoriety.

One thing I don't really get still is how some countries have parents which are adverse to having a "local" teach their kid but are happy for some run of the mill foreigner to do it instead.

If you have Australian Citizenship then you are Australian - and use that in other countries and with recruiters. Your main problem at the moment is that the international school year starts in July/August - just when Semester 1 finishes in Victoria. That means the major recruiting season is already gone. Targeting the 2023 school year and joining an agency such as Search Associates (Nick Kendall who is based in Australia is helpful) and there is also a job fair in Jan based in Melbourne.

So to put it simply - you are definitely employable but don't expect Vietnam's (or the world's) best schools to employ you straight away. You can still apply and see what happens. I'd honestly stay away from the cluster truck of China at the moment where many teachers have left and they can't hire enough teachers who are willing to go into the country.

I will also say that you will still be employable coming back to Victoria - but the longer you are away the more difficult it will be to get a job at a school you might be at currently.

There is a lot more I'd like to say - but I also like my anonymity as the teaching world is really small.

I can't talk for others - but a year recharge after the covid madness did wonders for me. My home country (not the US and it pays well) has such an acute shortage of teachers that my position is struggling to get anyone applying apart from graduates and the dregs of the experienced.

China is it's own behemoth - with the shutting down of private english tutoring occurring at around the same time as qualified teachers started to leave. To put it simple - China is so dynamic that most of us can't accurately predict what will happen apart from many people changing jobs.

Also don't forget that China's severe international flight cutbacks makes it difficult (and expensive) to get out of the country.

One thing I'd like to head is if the job in Portugal was an anomaly or more like the current rule.

That's where I am lucky. I can teach Science & Math but normally focused on asia/europe.

Getting other perspectives is what I'm after. I've been burnt at a BKK Fair before with no real leads and struggled to get a job in March/April that year.

In past years- I remember reading some teachers mentioning that it's often easier to find a job in May but you need flexibility and a bit of luck.

For all of my current positions (apart from my first) - I starting looking in November - Feb and found it a bit of a slog to get a good school in a location where I am happy to live.

This year - I had a well paid and ongoing position at an exclusive private religious school in my home country. As such - I could comfortably sit back and see if something came along and took my fancies (it had to be special). Then - I decided to resign from my current position and either work overseas or complete replacement teaching + travel for 6 months. Oddly - I received 2 interviews within the week from good schools in desirable countries and had another interview potentially lined up. I got the first job I applied for.

Does anyone else have stories of the disparity between getting a job in Jan compared to May? I almost feel as though it is easier and something I might do again in the future as I also have other options of where I teach.

It really depends on what you teach, location and year level.

If it's Yr 11/12 - then having experience is important as you would have already taught the curriculum a couple of times. You would also have data to show your students results from previous years.

This does not mean that you are not employable - just that a top tier candidate WITH experience would probably be placed above a top tier candidate WITHOUT experience.

Why are schools not advertising if vaccination is required or not?

Well - governments keep on changing the rules and it's difficult to advertise when you don't know what August will intail.....

From what I have experienced, the checking of resumes is eligibility and gets you an interview. The interview is your suitability. I've often seen schools employ less skilled staff (experience) because they were more suitable for the position.

Hi All,

Earlier today I had a former student try and friend me on facebook (I know - I'm a boomer) and it got me thinking - what is your countries or schools policy (or lack thereof) between communication of current and former students?

For me - it's a big red flag and I felt guilty replying that I can't friend students due to child safety requirements for teachers. Just to reiterate - I feel guilty just replying (it seems like a grey area) not that I won't accept the friend request.

You are employable - but there are basically two things holding you back.

(1) What you teach (there is more competition in this subject than others)
(2) Your amount of experience and your ability to get good references

As you are at the start of your teaching journey - you need to ask yourself what you are willing to compromise in. For example - if the laws allow you to travel to China or the ME (your teaching experience may not be enough to get a visa) then this will probably be your biggest option. You might get lucky and score an amazing school in asia or Europe - but set your net far and wide. Stuff often comes up at the last minute as the world game of teacher musical chairs begins again.....

Quiet is actually a book that I think that many people who think that everything needs to be collaborative.

Another good one is Brainstorm: The Power & Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel Siegel if you teach middle or high school.

Is your associate based in the United States?

If yes - then I've heard many complaints about many of the US based associates who don't really do much.

What do you teach?

For my area of expertise (Science/Chem/Math) there has been more than the last couple of years - but I've also heard that this year has been a difficult one for some areas due to the influx of teachers from China, reduced numbers at many international schools along with the rigidity of government mandates related to Covid (thus more people than normal wanting to move).

Congrats on getting a job in Singapore.

Do note that Singapore is a strange beast when it comes to prices. It's reasonably easy to live local (aka - cheap) and it's also extremely easy to live extravagantly.

Unless you want to live in one of the posh areas - 4,000 SGD should get you a reasonably place within walking distance of the MRT (this is important in Singapore!). If you are happy to visit parks and spend weekends by the pool - then life can be quite cheap. Tasty food can be purchased cheaply at Coffee Shops (think clean semi-open food courts) and the basics of what westerners like to eat don't cost an arm and a leg.

Do note that alcohol is prohibitively expensive in Singapore - even in the supermarket! Doing things like visiting Musuems and such are quite expensive for expats and it adds up quickly. Visiting Pulau Ubin is also a great day trip if your kids are old enough to ride bikes.

Once the world starts to get back to normal - remember that you can catch a short Ferry to Indonesia or easily catch a bus across to Malaysia. Malacca is a great weekend away - just never make the mistake of taking the bus on a long weekend - 10 hours to drive 3 hours of normal driving! Yuck! Batam and Bintan both have cheap shopping and cheap fancy hotels where you can also get nice and cheap spa treatments.

I also found it odd - but look carefully at credit cards in Singapore if you are careful with paying them off. If you pay everything on them - some give great cash back rates - like close to $1000 a year (I don't get how it works but it does!)

On a positive - as you are only working for the first 6 months you will pay very little in tax for the first and last year.

I guess my main problem was:

(1) I see a school from China/HK and my eyes gloss over them due to border restrictions
(2) Total numbers are significantly lower than pre-covid (normally around ~150 in BKK) and many of the better asian schools have already hired for many of the more difficult to employ positions if they were aware of movement.

I guess that I've got the opposite of rose tinted glasses. I do not see SA as being anywhere near over - but see job fairs (in it's current form) as close to defunct.

After experiencing the uselessness of one of the earlier Search Associates job fairs late last year - I decided to look at the list of schools which are attending for the 2022/23 school year. To be honest - it's starting to look like some free website's online fair which includes schools most of us have never heard of or are surprised are still on Search's books.

https://www.searchassociates.com/Job-Fairs/Default.aspx

How long do we think Search will attempt to continue Job Fairs if this is what's being attracted????

HINT - it's best not to mention specific schools here as this is the open forum....