>>>How would international schools feel about an online master's degree in TESOL?
Not good. International schools want you to have a state teaching license. The TeacherReady program is a good way to do this while still working overseas. I'm not entirely sure, but I seem to recall that some of my friends in Korea did the student teaching portion of the program while working at a public school there. If you are set on renewing your contract, you might want to look into that.

>>>Should I spend the money to get the MA, or do international schools not care about it that much and thus it would be better to just save the money?
If it was an MAT or M.Ed that resulted in a teaching license, I would say go for it. However, your priority at the moment should be getting a state certification.

>>>Assuming I get my teaching certification later and potentially get the MA in my spare time, what would be my chances of finding a job without 2 years of teaching experience in the US?
Low to High, depending on your endorsements and the countries you're looking into. Math and science jobs are always available, but as a new teacher (no, your Korean experience won't count for much) you're going to have to keep an open mind when it comes to where you apply. Don't make the mistake of telling yourself that you'll only work in Europe or Thailand your first year.

I know one of the current math teachers there. If you PM me your email, I will see if they can contact you regarding your questions.

This is the first I've ever heard of this interview method, and it sounds horrendous. Assuming these are questions relating to experience, philosophy, and pedagogy, why not just send out a list of these questions via email as the first step in the interviewing process?

Perhaps I'm biased because I know that I would fail such an interview miserably. I rely 100% on facial cues and making a personal connection with my interviewer. To be judged solely on my timed answers to pre-selected questions would be disastrous.

Great responses so far! We also subscribe to the "Shadowjack philosophy" and prioritize travel above saving more money. That's part of the reason we're not interested in moving regardless of salary - our current country is FAR too interesting to leave anytime soon. Still, the data geek in me enjoys seeing what others are saving and it seems like we are just about average (which is fine!).

To answer Sid: We're not exactly boring nerds - although we do have geekish tendencies - so I think he was referring to the fact that STEM teachers are more desirable to the big Tier 1 schools. It does seem like that's not reality though, which is perfectly fine.

My husband and I have recently been reading Mr. Money Mustache (a great website) and discussing our plans for financial independence. One of our coworkers swears that, because we're both STEM teachers, we'd be able to save upwards of $100,000 a year at some schools, especially in Singapore. Now, I'm in no way tempted to move schools, but it does make me curious as to where we fall on the savings scale with our current position.

So, to throw this out there: 1. What country/area are you in and 2. How much are you able to save (single, dual-teaching, or with kids?)?

To start, we're a dual-teaching couple (no kids) in South Asia and save $65,000/yr.

I used my mentor teacher, my principal at the school where I did my student teaching, and a coworker from my previous EFL school.

I looked into the ABCTE program initially, but it appears that you must work as a teacher in one of the participating states before they will give you the full license. Perhaps not the best solution if, like the OP, you have no desire to teach in the US.

1. No, you're not missing anything. It will give you a Florida State teaching license, and you can do the student teaching portion of the program while still in Korea.

2. From my research, TeacherReady was the least expensive option. Keep in mind, however, that that figure doesn't include the cost of exams (which you must return to the US to take) and the state processing fees. Also, 9 months is how long the program itself takes. From the time you start to the time you receive your license is more like 12 months.

3. You may have to decide between a good school or a good location, but you will be able to find a job. If you are getting an endorsement in math or science, you will likely have more options.

This is precisely the approach I and several of my friends have taken, and we are now all gainfully employed in international schools. Good luck!

BellaLuna - I also looked into that program, but they will not allow you to do it from overseas. If the OP wants to find a job for the 2015-2016 school year, it may not be feasible for this reason.

I was hired by my current school 6 months before completing my certification program. Can you show some sort of evidence (test scores or a letter by your program coordinator) that you will indeed be certified by then? I found that directors were much more interested in speaking with me when I was able to show them that I had already completed the state cert exams and was just waiting on the program itself.

Also, check your PMs.

I have nothing bad to say about my school two months in, except that our cafeteria food is quite awful depending on the day. A small price to pay for an otherwise brilliant teaching environment. I've also not done any PD, but I'm scheduled to go to an out-of-country workshop next month (school funded, of course). I'm extremely happy where I am and already thinking about extending.

"This school is a joke. Wonders never cease to amaze me with how they got 6yrs WASC approval. The word on the street is the owner, Dr Lee, "overpaid" WASC's accommodation bill when they came to observe the school last year....."

And it looks like gladly_teach&learn is back with his WASC attack....

SA wouldn't take me without 2 years of experience, so I posted my resume on TIE instead. My current head of school contacted me directly after seeing my information on the website. I also received a few other offers and several interviews from other schools through there. Considering the low cost ($40 a year, if I recall correctly), I feel like there's no reason not to use it as an additional resource in a job hunt.

I did my certification through the University of West Florida's TeacherReady program. From start to finish, it took just over 13 months (including the processing time) and included an online component as well as a student teaching placement in a local school (4-8 hours a week). Florida requires that you pass a subject area exam in order to become endorsed in a subject, although I suspect that having a background in what you'd like to teach helps with being hired. From what you've stated, it sounds like he could easily pursue endorsements in biology, history, or perhaps even government.

shadowjack wrote:
> Without two years experience, they won't touch you. And honestly, the
> schools that would hire you with 0 years experience are the schools you do
> NOT want to go to.
>
> Do your two years, get a bit of experience and learn the ropes, then join
> up and head out.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with shadowjack on this one. I think your ability to find a job depends on several different factors above and beyond experience. Granted, having a non-teaching spouse in addition to no experience may be a large obstacle to overcome, but there is still a chance you will be able to find a good school that would be willing to take you. I myself was hired with zero post-cert experience and am VERY happy at my new not-for-profit school - even though I was also told that I had no chance with an alternative cert and no experience.

Do you have anything else you can bring to the table? Coaching experience? SPED certification? International or cross-cultural experience in general? Does your spouse have skills that could be transferred to an IS environment? For example, a background in IT, admin work, childcare, etc? Or perhaps they'd be interested in pursuing an alternative certification themselves. Figure out what your strengths are and work on selling those. You could very well be surprised at what offers you get.