As someone who recruits, take the previous poster's points guide to hiring attractiveness with many grains of salt. I don't find it accurate in any way when assessing the fit of a candidate for a position, and I don't know of anyone who hires speaking in the terms that such a points system would indicate. There is only the right candidate for the position.

If you're teaching Algebra I, II and Geometry you'll likely be looking at the medium-large to large end of school size, but that's where a number of the good jobs are.

Having pre-Calc or Calc helps, but if you can show demonstrated enthusiasm and ability in differentiating instruction for somewhat mixed classrooms with the math classes you teach (and can show a strong track record of partnering with learning support) you'll have a significant advantage. Teachers with strong experience and willingness to differentiate tend to move to the front of the line, and math is an area where recruiters especially like to see differentiation skills.

I would say it's possible but not guaranteed, and you'll need to be flexible and do some hard thinking about what will work for you.

As a math teacher you are likely to be in demand if you have strong references although I don't know what kind of math you are best at teaching.

My advice (which will run contrary to several others here so take what I say with a grain of salt) would be to sign up with Search Associates and/or consider to AASSA fair for South America. The advantage to both is access to their databases, although I don't know how extensive the ASSASA database is. With the Search database, schools will state if they hire candidates with non-teaching spouses, some housing information (but not a lot), and if families can get by on one salary. Use the "get by" data and the salary/savings data as guidelines rather than absolute truth. It should make it easier to get a sense of how you stand. I have not heard of a school giving a stipend for non-teaching spouses. Some better/elite schools will try to find a job for a non-teaching spouse but it's best not to depend on that happening. You will also want to look at savings potential in addition to cost of living. It will take some time to sort out the extent to which jobs will or won't work for you.

As for dogs, I've had colleagues with dogs at every international school I've worked at but it's something to ask about, especially if housing is provided by the school. You may also want to think about climate and a German Shepherd. How would one fare in the tropics? I hope some dog owners will chime in.

Also bear in mind that taking a pet overseas can be costly. Meeting quarantine requirements and payments, shipping, and figuring out what to do with a pet during vacation periods are factors you may want to take into consideration early on and as you research schools and countries that look good. If you will be leaving your pet behind during breaks you will want to consider if your pet will be OK without you for 3+ weeks.

It can be done and has been done, but do your financial and logistical homework and think about your dog's best interests. You might also want to consider an earlier job fair (AASSA is one of the earliest) so that if things don't go your way you can still keep your current job. You will likely need to be upfront with your current admin about looking for an international job to get references, but you can also let them know that what you are doing has an element of being exploratory since there are a number of factors to take into account with your search.

Yes. There is usually a native speaker in human resources or another administrative office who will be willing to do so. Give them a thank you gift. :-)

No your just wrong.

No your wrong its pretentious.

I'm also not fully sure that the acronyms you refer to in this forum are true technical language. They may save time typing and make someone look like they may know something, but I nevertheless find them pretentious in an open forum context.

"Essential perquisite" strikes me as an oxymoron. I believe you need to turn off auto-suggest.

No stats. Just observation. I find the jargon-heavy to be similar to Wilde's definition of a cynic: Someone who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. Similar to the way I feel you, based on your post history, approach what you do in that your nominal job is being a teacher but your profession is being cynical about education. Although I've come to doubt that you actually are a currently practicing teacher.

I'm wary of acronym and abbreviation overload. I find a correlation between those who need to rely on technical jargon and lack of actual expertise.

Really well said. Thanks for the elaboration.

I'm not using the term inaccurately at all. It's completely accurate within the circle of usage in which I know it and use it. It's clearly a term that's used differently in your circle. So the only inaccuracy is based on context and circle of usage.

My circle is people who hire teachers in international schools. I don't know what yours is.

While you may be able to assert that having a string of 2 year contracts does not make someone a tourist teacher, those who hire would say differently. It is certainly possible that within your circle such circumstances don't raise that concern, but again I don't think you are currently involved in hiring, and perhaps haven't been for a while (if ever).

The tourist teacher label is the most positive that is available. An additional concern with teachers who only last for an initial contract and then move on is that they never get much of a chance to stretch and grow. In most fields of work including international teaching most people don't hit their stride until their third year, at which point they usually start to grow and develop as professionals. A two year contract helps a school determine if that is the case.

Candidates who say they can be functioning at full speed in a two year contract often send up a red flag about lack of being able to adjust to a new context and an unwillingness or inability to reflect and grow. It's another sign of a possible tourist teacher or worse a teacher unwilling to examine practice.

So within some circles you may be right - 2 years repeatedly does not a tourist teacher make. But in the circles that matter when it comes to hiring it is a concern that warrants investigation for a school that values teachers willing to look at their practice and length of tenure. Elite schools are especially sensitive to average length of tenure - that's coming from the hiring side.

It looks like your lack of recruitment and instructional supervision experience is showing.

A two-year contract is a decent balance for both schools and teachers to get a sense of fit. It is also admittedly advantageous for both parties since it eliminates having to head into a job search or recruiting shortly after a teacher arrives. There are a few schools either of poor quality and/or in difficult areas that will provide a one-year contract, but that's about it.

I don't recall ever hearing other recruiters/administrators talking about "adding value." I do hear a lot of talk of commitment, ability, relationship building, interpersonal skills, vision - real human skills rather than an impersonal "adding value." There are poor administrators who view teachers as puzzle pieces and not really as people but they don't inspire much loyalty, they don't get a great deal of peer respect and they often don't do that well in their careers.

One of the traits of an elite school is the average length of tenure for teachers. Those of us who have recruited for such are wary of tourist teachers - and that's teachers with a string of 2 year contracts no matter what you insist.

I have also hired exemplary early career teachers with short tenures, but only because their files, their interviews and their reference checks indicate that they are looking to teach not to travel. They all stayed a while when they found the right place.

As a former recruiter, a string of 2 year contracts is definitely a tourist teacher.

Even two 2 year contracts in a row requires explanation. Schools are looking for teachers willing to commit to the school and to take their time exploring the location. There are some legitimate reasons for a couple of short term contracts in a row, but it will certainly be explored in following up on references.

There are those interested in a career in international teaching. There are those who want to travel while holding down a job in a foreign country. You can often spot them easily at a hiring fair or a Skype interview. Unless you are desperate to fill a position, these types aren't usually going to make the commitment to the school that justifies the investment in them. As teachers they are generally mediocre at best.