Lehigh University offers an online master's in international counseling.
https://ed.lehigh.edu/academics/degrees ... ing-online

I believe there are a couple of face to face requirements, but they are offered both Stateside and internationally. I also don't know if this particular program leads to the ability to get licensed in a US state, which might be something a person would want or need. I have 2 former colleagues that did this program and moved from teaching into counseling. Good luck!

I would agree with PsyGuy. People might want to hear briefly about what brought you overseas and what you experienced--but schools in general are creatures of habit--I'd want to be up-to-date on what domestic schools are focused on and working on and make sure I can talk about my work experiences in a way that supports that and assures them that you are current on trends and initiatives the school is working on. If you've been out of the country a significant amount of time, it becomes important to show that your experiences have been relevant and transferrable.

I don't know about easier to get a job--but you may end up being a local hire, even though you're foreign--which means that you wouldn't get some of the big benefits that overseas hires get--housing, flights, etc. and that adds up significantly.

A lot of international schools are quite expensive--our tuition bills have run $30K+ per kid. Plus rent, settling in/setting up expenses, insurance, etc. You would want to make very very sure you really understand the cost of living and maintaining 2 households while you wait for hiring that may not happen the first year. Or the next. Or after that.

You didn't mention if you or your husband are EU citizens or Dutch nationals, so if you are, that may make some things easier, I don't know much about those specifics.

If you're at a big school, it can be hard to see past the obvious groups. I'm in the parent group and I do get tired of the drinking events. At my current school, there a lot of mixing in the local culture. People are in cross-fit groups, trivia groups, take dance classes--sometimes on their own, sometimes in a small group. I know of teachers that get together 2x a month for dinners, we have a couple of book clubs, a ./cigar night, men's pickup basketball once a week. I've seen a group doing PX90 after school and workout groups that are clearly following an app or program. All started ad hoc by teachers. I've worked in countries where mixing in the local culture is either not possible or very difficult and places where it's much easier. It's hard to break into established groups, too, but there may be things going on low-key that you're not aware of. Or, some ideas for how to start something up--esp. if there are new teachers that might be still feeling at loose ends themselves.

My school asked for yes/no/tentative a couple weeks ago. If we answered definitively yes or no, there is a bonus paid. If you answer tentative, your job is posted as such and you can wait until the deadline (in early November) to make the final decision. I know that schools start collecting documents for prospective candidates for tentative positions, and I think another school I worked at made some preliminary contact to start the narrowing process, even before the jobs were confirmed as available.

I agree, I don't have a problem at all with trailing spouses/dependents. I have heard and seen schools who are fine hiring couples with 2 kids, a single teacher with a kid (or 2 if the school allows), and a trailing spouse with no kids. When it comes to 1 teacher with a trailing spouse AND children, those are much less common in what I've seen. Of course, teachers are hired in those circumstances, but it seems to be more challenging.

Heliotrope wrote:
> PsyGuy wrote:
> > @vandsmith
> >
> > Yeah, because of a lack of options, not because of anchor kids. No
> > recruiter says "we really like your a teaching couple, but our HOS
> > wants to spend more coin on a IT with a family so that we can have anchor
> > kids, so sorry good luck with your job search".
>
> Plenty of recruiters just want the best teachers, even if they have families, and
> also realise that a diverse teaching staff has benefits. Yes, kids as anchors can be
> good, having some continuity in teaching staff is a good thing.
> And let's be honest, some schools have plenty of coin and won't think too long about
> your dependents if they really want to recruit you.

That's been our experience, too. I know that some schools specifically say no dependents up front and I'm sure there are others who would try to save $$$, but In every school I've worked with, a variety of teachers have been hired every year....young, old, married, single, parents. Parents with kids have been hired early out of the gate and at the end of the season. The only demographic that does seem to raise eyebrows are the ones with kids and trailing spouses...

Too often, teachers seem to move up/toward administration as a type of promotion, or a move up the ladder--but the skill sets in being a good teacher and a good administrator are really different. Lots of admin say they don't want to lose contact with the classroom and kids, but in truth, as an admin the students and the classroom are much less your focus. Your bigger responsibility is to the teachers, the administration above you, and, often, parents. Where your vision, time, and energy are spent are geared to the functioning of the division and executing the plan of the board/head of school and teacher management. I think so many teachers move on to admin for the $$ or because they were told they would be good at it, without considering whether that shift in priorities and focus would be a good fit. I know it wasn't for my husband---it took him 10 years to move back into the classroom and he still gets told he should be in admin., but he knows what brings him the most satisfaction and where he's most effective.

I've worked in some schools where principals could keep some contact with advisor/mentoring groups, or assistant coaching, but honestly, the meeting schedules make it really hard to be available.

Maybe it's time to look for a new posting. I know some teachers who thrive on settling in for a long haul in one school/country....others find that they get itchy feet after that 3-5 year mark. If you're feeling this way over time, maybe it's time to move on to another set of challenges in a new environment?

We just had our notification meeting today....early notification for early October, final confirmation early November for staying or going. Lots of schools will start to advertise and line up interviews for tentative openings, but I think it's still pretty early...but good on the ones who already have interviews!

I've worked only in learning support/special ed and been on admissions teams at my schools. In general, it is not the label a student has--it's how it manifests itself. Schools can be willing to be flexible on academic needs if they can be reassured that the student can be successful with the services provided. In general, behavioral issues are a red flag. I would agree that you would want to investigate what types of services are provided in general, but I would also consider how to mitigate any potential reports and evidence that would be provided that would detail behavior incidents. Most schools ask for classroom teacher reports--teachers don't want to sandbag a student, but they also need to be able to give an accurate picture of how that student performs. Any information that can show an improvement or decrease in issues, a positive response, good academic skills, etc. would be helpful.

Also consider when you would want to disclose that information. Right at the beginning and you might not get any further...but you want to make sure they'll accept your son before you accept the job. We had to have documents rushed to a job fair once for a school in order to ensure school acceptance and a job.

I also agree that in general it's the bigger schools that have the better services and the mindset/ability to be flexible, but sometimes those schools also put a premium on high achievement and have a narrower definition of success--and the stress (esp. in Asia) can be daunting. It's worth looking at smaller schools with good international reputations as well.

My husband and I have used Search since we started teaching overseas and we've been happy enough with them. I'm seeing the Schrole/ISS merger and I'm wondering--when we decide to make a move and if we apply to a Schrole school, would they be able to access our information on Search? Would we need to switch over to ISS or does Schrole have its own system? Both of us have strong references from the places we've taught--it would seem strange to start a new file with ISS and not have access to those older references--or maybe they don't matter?

It's a fine line--those admin (new or experienced) that roll in, see problems, and say "I'm here to fix you" bring an attitude that doesn't bode well. The best ones I've seen are those that take time to listen, look, and learn about the culture--of the school, of the country, teacher attitudes, institutional memory, etc. They also spot small, important ways where they can jump in and start to make their mark with issues that show a noticeable change quickly and help set that administrator's tone. Admin can't afford a year of just observing, but they have to be careful to not charge in without understanding the school and its culture well.

There is a difference, I think, between single and couple teachers. We're pretty frugal by nature. When we were in China for 5 years (elite school) we had 3 kids--we went home in the summer and 1 big trip at Christmas, and ate out a lot but lots of local food. We saved all of 1 salary except for the cost of our Christmas trip, so that was over $40K per year. We were in Saudi for a couple of years and did the same. In our Stateside teaching lives, it was hard to save when we had kids because I chose to take time off and because of the years overseas, our 3 kids can have debt-free college educations. Even now, in our current country, we are able to save most of 1 salary, but conditions make it a much more conscious effort and it is harder.

So yes, it can be done and it's not an anomaly. But it is a combination of personal choice, country realities (taxes, fluctuation of currency, etc.) school salaries and priorities. There are plenty that look at our choices and shake their heads at our choices, but what we've done has met our goals.

Extended vacations mean that you spend more money every time you're on break (or are tempted to!)
How fast a school can change based on an administrator
Lack of job security
Having to quit your job before you have another one in hand, esp. when you have children
Missing family

But I love it--not going back to the US until I retire!

Upsides

Opportunities for travel
Great kids and generally great colleagues
Opportunity to SAVE (we can put 3 kids through college debt-free because of our overseas work)