Heliotrope wrote:
> Illiane_Blues wrote:
> > not working at the same school might even also be a good
> > thing.
>
> I've seen two or three teacher couples at my past schools who definitely would've
> been better off working at separate schools. But then again, I've seen it work plenty
> of times as well, even couples who worked in the same department, and one case where
> one of the was HoD for their department.
> The reason I suggested the 'two schools in one city' is to increase the chances of
> both getting hired at decent schools though.

This is a very interesting point. We work extremely well together (and have for a decade), but you're right - it would likely increase our hireability if we opened our search to different schools in the same city. I know that my chances of finding an AP/IB math position at the same school that's looking for a principal are smaller than if I were teaching, say, elementary.

>>but your list is really short and there is a very high probability they just wont be hiring.

I should have worded that part of my OP a bit better. That list was not meant to be exhaustive, but was a representation of the types of schools we eventually aspire to - Elite Tier/Tier 1 in Europe or other cities with a proven good quality of life. We're definitely open to anything, almost anywhere, but the priorities are 1. My husband moving into an admin position and 2. Quality of life. The only thing I'm completely against at this point is areas of the Middle East/China due to pollution and inability to participate in long distance cycling.

>>What I would do is look for a middle school - great school in a not-as-great/desireable country, preferably with IB experience to cover the other side of the IB/AP divide. It makes you both more conversant with both.

Judging by this and other things I have been reading, I think this may be the way forward.

>>whether its DIP or AP doesnt really matter, what matters is the students performance.
Luckily, my student's scores are excellent and I can show a clear increase from after I took over the courses.

Thank you for your reply, Sid. I appreciate the realistic perspective and agree that we'd have a lot of competition in those upper tier schools. We are certainly open to lower tier schools in other countries and will definitely pursue any leads we get. I suppose there's always the hope, however, that we will make it into a dream school.

Hi everyone. My husband and I are considering moving on to a new school after our current contract ends in Spring 2020. While we know we are hireable in general, we are curious as to how feasible it would be to find positions at a Tier 1 school at this point in our careers. I would be looking for a HS math position and he would be looking at an administrative position (principal, assistant principal, etc.). Here’s our current stats:

Years of teaching experience (all overseas): 6 years, all in the same semi-dangerous developing country
Dependents: No, just a dog
Ages: 35 and 36

My Background:
• B.S. and M.S. in Mathematics from state schools
• U.S. teaching license for 6-12 Mathematics
• 6 years experience teaching AP Calculus, 3 years teaching AP Physics 1 and regular physics, 2 years teaching AP Statistics and AP Physics C at the high school.
• 3 years experience teaching classes (Business Statistics and Applied Calculus) at the school’s new community college in addition to my high school position.
• 3 years coaching swimming, 3 years coaching track and field

My Husband’s Background:
• B.S. in Exercise Physiology (state school) and a M.S. in Education with a concentration in Ed Tech from Johns Hopkins
• U.S. Principal License
• Previous experience teaching AP Chemistry, chemistry, and AP Computer Science
• 3 years experience as Assistant High School Principal
• Founder/Head of the school’s new community college
• 2 years experience as Assistant Head of School

Schools we'd be interested in include:
The American International School of Muscat
Singapore American School
IS Frankfurt
Vienna International School
International School of Prague
American School of Warsaw
Taipei American School

So, are we at all competitive as a couple for schools of that caliber, or should we temper our expectations a bit? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Islamabad and Karachi. Four months of vacation and the benefits more than make up for the hardship though.

1) Yes. It functions in the same way as a license obtained through a traditional program. In fact, there's no way to discern the difference based on the certificate itself. As far as reciprocity goes, I was able to transfer mine to New Jersey with no problem.

2) Yes. Once you have a valid US state certification, you can get QTS. When I did this, it cost nothing and only took a couple of weeks.

3) I completed TeacherReady and have been teaching internationally now for 5 years. Now that I have some experience under my belt, I am just as hireable as anyone else with the same amount of experience. I would even argue that I am more hireable in my particular subject (high school math), because I have industry experience and related coursework (B.S./M.S. in Mathematics instead of B.Ed/M.Ed.). Yes, the program was a joke, but I couldn't have asked for a better end result.

Regarding retirement - my husband and I do the same thing Caesar is doing, except with higher numbers. We throw about $80,000 a year into index funds and should have enough to leanFIRE by the time we leave our current school. It's doable, but you have to make sacrifices in other areas (choice of school, lifestyle, vacation locations, how much you spend on material goods, etc.). Worth it for us.

New Jersey. They still offer a lifetime professional license. You'll have to check to see if they have a reciprocity agreement with Oklahoma though. I know they do for Florida, which is where my original license was from.

I largely follow the advice given by gzmike. My savings are invested in a two-fund ETF portfolio (domestic total stock and international total stock). When I get a bit older, I will expand this to include a bond fund as well. My average annual return for the past 5 years has been something like 12%, which I am happy with.

TeacherReady grad here:

"The bottom line is after you have been teaching awhile nobody cares whether you are teacher ready certified teach now certified or teacher college of nowheresville certified - they only care that you are certified and are a good teacher."

This is 100% correct. I have kept in contact with many people who were in my TR cohort (and we have 4 teachers from different cohorts that currently work at my school) and they have had 0 problems finding a position after getting couple years of experience under their belts. Their skill in the classroom and the recommendations from their superintendents/principals are all anyone cares about now.

In some cases (and maybe some of the admins on here can weigh in on this theory), I suspect that taking the alternative route to certification can be a benefit ESPECIALLY if you had industry experience in your field before pursuing a career as a teacher.

I moved from ESL to an IT position (math) using the Teacher Ready program. It was, for me, definitely worth the time and cost, as it allowed me to apply for positions that would have otherwise been out of my reach. I will be honest - the first offers I received after getting my teaching cert were not from the best schools. However, after a few years of post-cert experience I had my pick of destinations.

I agree with wrldtvlr123. The reason we took the job with our current boss was because he seemed genuine and didn't try to lie to us by telling us we were perfect fits (we weren't), that the school was perfect (it isn't), and that he was the best boss in the world (he actually might be, but we didn't know that at the time). I would stay far away from a school that tried too hard to sell itself.

Life in Lahore is fine. There's not much to do, but the city is safe. I know this is the free side of the site, so I can't say much, but I HIGHLY recommend that you talk to current teachers of LAS. There have been changes in recent years.

501c3 is the official designation for a federally recognised not-for-profit.

The answer truly is "it depends on who is reading your application." If you read the PSLF requirements, it's very unclear and says that you can get credit for working at an educational institution. I basically applied for all of the positions I have held overseas: hagwon, a government school in Korea, a private for-profit school in SEA, and now my current job at a 501c3. My experience for the government school in Korea and my current job applied, the other months of payments did not.

If you are asking this question in regards to your current school, I recommend that you apply and see what happens. If this is going to dictate your next job, the only safe bet is a 501c3. I would not trust that any other school, American or otherwise, would be accepted.