Not to get too far afield, but it seems odd that there would be a particular distinction for “the islands” that is only used within the context of IE if there’s not even any ISs on those islands.

PG,

"There arent really any ISs on the islands, why would there be?"

Is this true? I don't want to break the site's rules about discussing specific schools, but I was just looking at a British school located in Phuket that seems to pay pretty well for the region if the reviews are legitimate.

PsyGuy wrote:
> [...] and there are a handful
> of independent/private ISs that pay 6 figures. They are however very
> difficult to get into without connections, and they dont market or rep
> themselves as ISs.

Without going into specific schools, there seems to be a handful of IS reviews on this site from Switzerland that pay in the 6-figure range. What do they rep/market themselves as if not ISs?

peachestotulips wrote:
> I know a lot of people who are working for VIPKid, and bringing a nice
> addition to their income.
> https://t.vipkid.com.cn/

Is there any equivalent of this for other subjects?

Interesting. So I would have to re-take the 5169? I thought that once I took those I can request to have the scores forwarded to any education institution/department?

Regarding the NYC Charter / bottom-tier IS comparison:

Even though I'm doing my field experience at the charter, that doesn't mean I necessarily have to pick up a job there in January once I complete the program, right? I get that it's the most convenient/obvious transition, but wouldn't I be able to find a public school opening in January after I'm completely certified?

Regardless, let's assume the following: If I do 2 (or 1.5 rather) years at the charter, I will be great at dodging bullets and at least halfway decent at my job (for a new teacher). If I go to a bottom-tier IS, I will not pull a runner and do what I reasonably can with the available resources.

If my goal is to eventually move to a good 1st-tier school in CSA or East Asia, is either starting point appreciably better than the other? Suppose I also pick up a HS Math certificate along the way.

PsyGuy,

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply yet again, I appreciate all the info. I contacted my advisor/mentor at the charter school and am awaiting a reply, so hopefully I'll have more info soon. I do have just a few more follow-up questions if you don't mind.

1. What does TCL mean? Why would there be uncertainty as to whether the

2. With the NJ CE option, you mentioned the Praxis, which I assume refers to the middle school PLT (5623). I never bothered looking at other state's requirements until now, but on the NJ section of the Praxis site I don't see any PLTs listed. Is it just an error of omission by the site or am I missing something?

3. Assuming it's the PLT, do I have to complete it before the workshop, before getting the CE, or some other deadline?

"If you get an IS appointment as long as its an EP program and accredited by or applying for accreditation from someone than you dont need a field experience placement you can use the job you have, and steal to stone a bottom tier IS is going to be vastly better than a NY charter."

From the above quote, it seems like you don't share the same concerns as Thames Pirate about the consequences of teaching at a bottom-tier IS. Maybe this is too broad a question, but suppose I did 2 years at a complete trainwreck of an IS vs. 2 years at a DS: what are the practical differences going forward from that point in terms of opportunities? (assume that I don't pull a runner regardless of how bad the IS is)

I know there's a huge amount of variance when it comes to 3rd-tier schools, what I'm not so sure about is to what extent that variance translates to the opportunities that follow.

If I were to pick up a job here in January after getting certified, would I be able to swing that half a year as one of my two years of DS experience before seeking an IS position?

Thames Pirate wrote:
> Supply work is subbing. You would want to contact the district office to
> find out how to get on their lists. Depending on the state and local laws,
> you don't need to be a qualified teacher, and in some places you barely
> need a high school diploma. It's cash, and while not exactly high on the
> resume building scale, it is better than nothing. What it really does,
> though, is let you see a TON of different schools and classrooms of all
> levels. What systems to teachers have in place for classroom setup,
> management, bathroom and homework policies, etc.? How are various schools
> run? These give you a lot of ideas and insight into both what you want in
> a school or classroom of your own and what to ask admin or what red flags
> might exist. You also get a lot of experience working with a range of
> ages, subjects, school types, and other demographics. These experiences
> can prove valuable in both actual teaching and in something to discuss in
> an interview.

I looked into the process for NYC and I have to find a Principal to nominate me - no idea if that's possible - I'm not from the area so I don't know anyone - but I can try. I assume it has to be a public school principal, but maybe my charter contact knows someone who I could talk to. My other concern is that you can only sub 40 days/year in the same school district here unless you're in a teacher preparation program. Normally I would think Teach Now would qualify, but NY's teacher preparation program site isn't loading for me (http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/cer ... mmend.html) and the blurb on the Google result makes it sound like they might only be programs specific to NY state.

What if I moved to Utah, would I have a decent chance of finding something for the Fall there going through the process PsyGuy described? Or for that matter, just suppose I'm willing to move to any location in the US where I can get a Fall teaching job. I noticed he mentioned MA as another state that doesn't require EPP/ITT but I assume there's a reason he suggested UT over that since MA is obviously much closer. Or does my lack of resume basically make me untouchable for any DS?

>I would
> worry less about a job for fall 2017 as that seems unlikely, and focus on
> making the most of the months before then to build your resume (again,
> consider things like summer school for both a practicum and for a paying
> job). The short term means waiting until January or even the following
> year to get a job, but in the long run your career will be better for
> having started off correctly. If you are desperate for a job, you are
> likely to take garbage that ends up holding you back longer in the big
> picture.

By holding me back, do you mean in the sense of developing bad habits and failing to develop good habits from lack of a good mentor/leadership/etc.? Or do you mean having a third tier school from China on my resume is actually detrimental in itself to my long-term career?

grdwdgrrrl wrote:
> In my experience, there are often, and in the case of a school I know,
> every year, a January opening for a Math teacher.

sid wrote:
> Try schools that are on a southern hemisphere calendar.
> And/or look for jobs with January openings due to unexpected changes in
> staff. There are a decent number of these every year, and I suspect the
> stats are pretty good for job seekers.

Even if there are January openings, I'm really hoping I can find a placement somewhere by the Fall 17-18 semester if possible. I will look into schools in the southern hemisphere, in addition to China, SK, Thailand.

ronaldtheclown81 wrote:
> Something to consider is that being able to pass the Praxis HS Math
> certification test isn't the same as being able to actually teach upper
> level math. For example, I passed the test, because I can beat any math
> multiple choice test. But I have nowhere near the math knowledge to teach
> IBDP Math SL or HL, or AP Calculus, and that's what most international
> schools who have openings are going to want you to teach.

I agree completely. That's why my initial plan was to ease into the transition to HS math over the course of my first two years teaching. I believe I could safely pass the test with a month or so of cramming (and have a pretty good shot with much less), but that's hardly the standard I want to take over a HS classroom at. But with the pressure of getting a job for the upcoming year mounting, I have to consider all my options.

Thames Pirate wrote:

> Another option is to do some supply work, night school, and adult education
> work. These can all give a good start. You could also add a subject area
> and do a second (or even third) practicum, ideally in a local IB school or
> some sort of unique program (like alternative schools).

These are jobs I could realistically get now with my non-resume? What does supply work mean in this context? Is it better to apply through job aggregators like Indeed/Monster, contact schools directly through their website contact info, or something else? Sorry if these are ridiculous questions, I guess my lack of job-hunting experience is showing. I looked up several IB schools in NYC but the websites were 100% for parents/students (no jobs/careers section). As such I assume the contact info they list is only for responding to parent inquiries. Thanks for your reply

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

PsyGuy wrote:
> So by "all the PRAXIS" you mean youve done one out of two (havent
> done PLT), so youve done half the assessment work?

Well, that and the core yeah.

> 1) If your charter has you finishing in October, do they have someone
> coming in when your done? If they dont and you do a decent enough job they
> may just appoint you for the rest of the term or year. bringing in a new DT
> in October is going to be difficult. Talk to your DS, they may not be able
> to tell you much because they dont want to promise you anything.
> Moving to a DS would mostly require moving your field placement, and your
> not likely to be in a better position.

I haven't actually had any contact with the charter school yet, I just told TN where I was located and they gave me the name of a school here that agreed to let me do my field experience there. But I will contact them and try to get a better idea of the situation.

The way you phrase it, it sounds like a charter is not considered a DS? I don't know if it matters, but when I mentioned getting a job at a DS for 17-18 I was including charter schools in that.

> 2) You could certainly find a lower tier hardship appointment even now.
> China and the ME are always hiring for something, though your appointment
> is going to be closer to EAP as opposed to EP. The longer you wait the more
> likely your going to find cram ESs. The time to look is actually now, as
> the second term in China starts in March which is only a few weeks away.
> There are other options JP and SK start their new year in April which is
> shortly arriving. Past that the Thai school year begins in May. There are
> potentially other options as well.

Where is the best place to look for these jobs, TIE? I assume SA/ISS aren't options at this point. Any other resources I should be using?

> You could potentially find something with your resume of nothing and
> possibly get a clinical placement. I would advise pursuing the UT APT
> credential then getting a standard appointment based on that and use the
> experience/appointment to complete your Field experience. Youve already
> completed the PRAXIS for the level 2 math ATP 1 credential, all you need to
> do is apply and complete your CRB. You could have it done in a month.
> Apply for QTs when that is issued. You can then move your field placement
> to whatever IS hires you.

Sorry, I'm fuzzy on some acronyms. CRB = FBI background check/fingerprints, right? I've done that with TN, I assume I can just get those results forwarded to the Utah Dept. of Education and not have to re-do that whole process?

Let me go over this to make sure I'm understanding correctly. With the Utah APT route, I would be getting a [less marketable] UT credential in the interim to make me eligible to get QTS, which would allow me to get an appointment at an IS sooner. From there, I would be able to complete my TN field experience and get a [more marketable] DC credential. Is that correct? What do I have to do to get QTS after I get the UT APT cert?

On UT's APT site it says:

"It allows an individual who has a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited university to pass the appropriate Board-approved content knowledge test to apply for and receive a Level 1 APT License with an Elementary (Grades K-6) or Secondary (Grades 6-12) area of concentration."

1. The middle school math praxis counts as the Board-approved knowledge test I assume?
2. It only mentions K-6 and 6-12 Level 1 APT Licenses, but of course middle school doesn't completely cover either of these ranges. What would my license be considered as there?

And later when they mention the requirement of teaching for 3 years under the supervision of a master teacher...It doesn't matter, because I will be switching to the DC credential anyway?

Thanks a ton, your reply was extremely helpful.

I’m currently enrolled in the Teach Now program as a Middle School Math candidate (have irrelevant BA), currently living in NYC. I’ve done all the Praxis for this except for the PLT. I started the program in August, but had to take several months off for personal reasons. Unfortunately, since the new timetable runs into summer break, I’m not scheduled to finish until the end of October, whereas my initial schedule would have me certified before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. I really, really don’t want to go through the upcoming school year without a teaching job of some kind.

To make matters worse, I’ve never had a “job”, per se. To be clear I am self-sufficient, I do freelance writing for various sites/content mills, most of which consists of trash SEO articles to be frank. While it (barely) pays the bills, it doesn’t help me with the issue of what to write on my resume, which has me terrified.

I have a tentative placement to do my clinicals at a public charter school here in the city (arranged through TN). I figured that once I had the clinical experience and completed my certification, my lack of resume would be less of a problem (perhaps even getting a job at the school where I did my clinicals). But now that I won’t have either until halfway through the upcoming school year, I have a problem, and am trying to consider all my options.

1, Is there any realistic possibility a could get a job at a DS to start the 17-18 school year given my situation (and anything I can do in the meantime to help that chance)?

2. One thought was to find a hardship IS somewhere in China (or wherever) where I can do my clinicals that will also hire me (and have schools where I don’t have to wait 3 months for summer break to resume and finish the program). Is this a viable option?

3. I don’t really know what the IS market is like for middle school math, but how would it affect things if I could complete the HS math Praxis in the next month or two? That was sort of my eventual plan anyway – to get certified for middle school, do my two years of DS while taking the HS math Praxis at some point, and then applying to ISs as a secondary math teacher. I could focus my effort on expediting that process if it could significantly improve my job prospects for the upcoming year (DS or IS). I assume secondary math is in significantly more demand, but would it even matter if I don't have my license by the beginning of the school year?

Ack. Any advice greatly appreciated! I really want to get a teaching job for ’17-18 :\