New to The Game...

spartan34
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:52 am

New to The Game...

Post by spartan34 »

Hey there everyone,

This is my first recruiting season out here in the International Educator world, and I must say, I was feeling excited until I read posts on this forum... It would appear this is going to be much more cutthroat than I previously imagined.

I am writing to seek advice on what my best course of action might be moving forward.

I have just over 5 years of teaching experience (albeit- 7 months of student teaching, 1 year 4 months at a dreaded English training center, & 2 years at an "international" Kindergarten). My only "real" experience comes as I was able to get into a decent IS in China at the start of the 2020-2021 school year as I stayed in China while the lot got locked out. The school is a pretty well-known name, and my experience with the organization has been quite positive. However, I am growing quite tired of living here in the PRC and would like to go home next summer to see my family, so after 5 years it is time for me to move on. I will be receiving my final PRAXIS test score in about a week or so, which upon arriving, will be the last piece of the increasingly complicated puzzle that has been acquiring my DC teaching license from Moreland.

Come the end of this school year, I will have two years of homeroom upper elementary experience and a US teaching license. Given my newfound experience, the nature of the pandemic giving droves of experienced IE fatigue, & hoping to capitalize still on schools be shorthanded, I was optimistic about my chances of getting into a decent school somewhere in Thailand/Vietnam (I know they both have their downsides, trust me, I've read your posts on here). However, I am now realizing I was insanely naive to believe my minuscule experience and shiny credential could get me into the ISBs of the world (don't laugh). Having now been struck with reality, I am reaching out to see what those who have more experience in this field might recommend for someone like myself. I am finding I am continually drawn to IB schools and the PYP program, but without any experience, I know I'm not too desirable to quality schools teaching this curriculum. I guess I am wondering how I can make myself more marketable to more sought-after schools. I have been searching IB affiliated Masters programs, IB certificates (those are a waste of time from what I've read), and even started planning my own units of inquiry into my own science lessons in class so I have some sort of experience to speak on come job fairs.

I would love to hear from you guys on what you believe a reasonable expectation is for me to have for this recruiting period. I would love to hear how if you were in my situation, what you would do to increase your chances of landing a job with a decent school. What kind of school should I expect to look at my CV? It appears IB experience is more valuable than any certificate, do I bite the bullet for a year or so at a less desirable school to gain it? And obviously, we all want to be at a tier-one school someday, those of you who have gotten there, how'd you structure your career? I am 28, with no dependents or significant other holding me to any particular place. I want to make the most of this time I have to myself. ISB obviously isn't going to happen this hiring cycle, but I want to make sure my next move is one that gives the hiring cycle 10 years from now real promise...


Best,

Spartan
sciteach
Posts: 262
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:49 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by sciteach »

To be honest - you only have 2 years experience which puts you at the bare minimum needed for most countries when it comes to visas.

I may have missed the boat - but masters degrees or bachelors degrees which include an IB component don't really help you get a job compared to their normal components.

A certificate for IB does not get you a job - but gives you the basic knowledge to be able to teach when you start at an IB school. That's why IB experience is so important - it's knowing how it works which helps you land that job.

In my experience - it's only schools which are truly counting pennies who see you as having finished an IB certificate that saves them $500. Most schools are happy to pay that money to get the right teacher.

If you are willing to stay in China (or even Hong Kong if things continue to degrade) - you may have a fantastic opportunity soon to just up to a strong school in China. That's mainly due to the exodus of qualified staff in China along with the new tax laws which I'm sure you are aware of.

These two problems seem to have also affected other jobs in Asia. In general, there are less jobs available in asia than before the pandemic. This is specifically true to schools with a true international school demographic. Many experienced teachers are also leaving China and are looking to live in countries where they might be able to visit home some time before 2023 which has made jobs in Asia a hot market.

As mentioned, you have 2 years experience in China and it seems as though you are focusing on PYP. This puts you in a subject which is over saturated and many of the better schools often use a PYP position to land that teaching couple with one that is in a hard to find subject. Think HL Maths/Physics and a PYP spouse.

Thailand seems to have stabilized covid wise but some people have had a sour taste of the governments response so there may be a larger churn rate than normal. The big problem is that Thailand is still a really popular destination and the number of highly desirable schools is somewhere in the number of fingers and toes a normal person has.

Vietnams response to covid was interesting. At first life was meant to be fantastic compared with the rest of the world - then they had (from what I've heard) one of the most draconian lockdowns in Asia. There might be a bigger exodus from there - but the number of jobs available is still very much up in the air. Let's just say that my knowledge on Vietnam on the ground less less than Thailand and others will know more.

If I were you - I'd hope for the best but come in with realistic expectations. Some schools will see you as having no experience until you are fully certified. You did not mention if you actually had a teaching degree - which will also make a big difference.

Some of the bigger schools can also be very judgemental. For example - your EAL and International kindergarten experience will be looked on as a liability.

My last sum up is not to be disheartened by anything I've said - as I'm good at finding weaknesses and pitfalls. Others will be better at painting a postive way forward than I.....
PsyGuy
Posts: 10849
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

Not everyone wants to be at a tier 1 IS. While its still a common enough goal to categorize the majority of ITs, especially those early in their careers. There are many ITs that would rather be at a lower tier IS where there workload is much more relaxed and they enjoy a better work life balance even if it means a lower level of comp than working twice the hours for what amounts to much less than twice the coin, especially if it means far fewer meetings, minimal collaboration, greatly reduced planning requirements (there is a new pop.ed idea of innovation through necessity that edus should replan all lessons on a 3-5 year cycle) and marking time.

Two years is the general consensus of the minimum in IE. People get hired with less, but thats the generally stated minimum across IE. Further, many ISs do not consider experience earned prior to being credentialed as experience for salary, or appointment. It tends to get lumped in with ESOL experience which may or may not meet requirements for immigration or the MOE.

IB T&L certificates are generally a waste of time and resources. The rule is no amount of experience is worth any amount of training. It might be worthwhile if you were interested in a particular Uni Masters program and the IB track was an option with a comparable cost and you either did not want to consider a Ed.Ld track or a track that qualified you for a role outside the classroom or such a track wasnt available (the rule is generally that a degree should do more than get you into a classroom). IB T&L certificates allow you to meet the authorization training requirements (just as a workshop certificate does). For primary it makes far more sense in both coin and resources to go the workshop route. The certificate route starts to get cost efficient when youre looking at subjects with a lot of different courses such as a social studies IT and being certified in all of the individuals and societies subjects (10 subjects). This only applies though when your considering the funding cost on your own compared to an IS, where the IS is unlikely to pay the coin for any one IT to attend all ten workshops or pay for a IB T&L degree program. For PYP though a single workshop (Making The PYP Happen) would cover all grades, subjects and roles, so multiple workshop certifiates or a T&L certificate would not be resource efficient.
Doing a workshop at your own coin is only going to really have utility at very low tier ISs that the cost would matter to them, such as new third tier ISs where the cost of training the entire can be high or in such ISs that are really new to the IB and the executive leadership doent know much about it and you can spin your certificate and current practice aligned with what the recruiting leadership thinks or envisions an IB PYP classroom to look like. In those cases a certificate to support the narrative may have some utility.
If youre set on the Masters in Teaching and IB, look at the UPe M.Ed in International Teaching. The total cost of the program is USD$3200 and it meets the IBs training requirement for authorization. The program is entirely online.

Staying in China for the current recruiting cycle may prvide you an abnormally beneficial opportunity for an appointment in an upper tier IS that would not be typical. The combination of maturation, pandemic response, and new tax laws is creating a heightened demand for ITs in China.

PYP on its own is a saturated market, there are lots of primary HRT positions but also lots of Primary ITs and very little distinguishes one from another. You can use the PASS (below) to get a general idea of your marketability (disclaimer the PASS works best when used to evaluate utility towards a specific jobs posting):

PASS (PsyGuy Applicant Scoring System):
1) 1 pt / 2 years Experience (Max 10 Years)
2) 1 pt - Advance Degree (Masters)
3) 1 pt - Cross Certified (Must be schedule-able)
4) 1 pt - Curriculum Experience (IB, AP, IGCSE)
5) 1pt - Logistical Hire (Single +.5 pt, Couple +1 pt)
6) .5 pt - Previous International School Experience (standard 2 year contract)
7) .5 pt - Leadership Experience/Role (+.25 HOD, +.5 Coordinator)
8) .5 pt - Extra Curricular (Must be schedule-able)
9) .25 pt - Special Populations (Must be qualified)
10) .25 pt - Special Skill Set (Must be documentable AND marketable)

IT CLASSES:
1) INTERN ITs have a score around 0
2) ENTRY ITs have a score around 2
3) CAREER ITs have a score around 4
4) PROFESSIONAL ITs have a score around 6
5) MASTER ITs have a score around 8

Its not uncommon for Primary vaccines to be held in reserve for high needs and demand positions with teaching couples (I.E. the S needs a secondary maths IT and has a primary vacancy as well, which would fit a comparable teaching couple).

Thailand is one of the more desirable destinations (its not one of the little tigers) but it also has a large ET population that wants to transition from EE to IE, and there are only a small handful of ISs in the upper tiers.

Vietnam has only a few upper tier ISs but also some of the absolute worst ISs globally.

Its unlikely your current experience is going to matter or count for many ISs. There are ISs that will not consider your experience but will think they are getting a more qualified and experienced IT on the cheap (they count you as having zero experience so you cost less, but obviously your experience has some practical implications).

Having a teaching degree may have some utility but not much. An IT with a B.A. in art (or anything) and 1 year PYP classroom experience as an HRT has more marketability than an IT with a B.Ed and zero years classroom experience. Basically anyone with a pulse, and a degree can teach primary whereas a specialization such as art, music, science, maths, etc. is more valuable than a B.Ed.

1) Gaining IB experience at any tier of IS is has far more value than anything you will study thats IB related. Integrating IBness in your current classroom is a good step that you can spin at a interview, but shifting that to reading and literacy would be much better (since many primary external assessments evaluate program success mostly by gains in reading and literacy).
2) You should also explore the learning center approach to EC if thats where you want to stay, as thats the current approach in meds/peds/asst. As well as being able to speak in depth on summ/form asst of those learning centers (lots of observational and holistic rubrics). PYP has embraced the learning center construct in the traditional elementary/primary grades over the rows and columns approach as more progressive and student centered. Even if you plan a hybrid approach (learning corners for example) integrating those into a traditional HRT environment.
3) Moving into different primary grades as you accumulate experience. An IS is more likely to hire someone with experience at the specific grade level they have a vacancy for.
4) Getting an advanced degree such as a Masters.
5) Becoming knowledgeable and preferably experienced in different curriculum such as US, UK, IB, Montessori, etc. Being able to talk about the ISs particular curriculum and ethos as a cult member if the recruiter/leader is also a cult member of that approach or curriculum.
buffalofan
Posts: 350
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:08 pm

Re: New to The Game...

Post by buffalofan »

You need to broaden your search.

Thailand and Vietnam are great, but not if you are stuck in a crap school (and there are MANY in both countries).

I know people at the top tier schools in both. What they have in common is 15+ years of experience and several stints at other top schools in different countries.

Someone posted years back on this board about a certain school in Bangkok that would refuse to even talk to you at the job fair unless you had 6+ years of IB experience...
Asteger
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:53 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by Asteger »

Whoa, I bet the original poster got more than he/she bargained for in this discussion. PsyGuy, the amount of detail you (often) share is amazing - though, if I can feedback, all those acronyms may save you some time typing but slow us readers down to a far greater degree which, when put together, will ultimately cost the world a lot more!

I do have some disagreement about the IB Cert Teaching and Learning. I do agree that for most people, unfair as it is, if you just do 'Making the PYP Happen' that will be viewed in the same way on your CV as doing a full cert (also called an IBEC). I did the cert for PYP (took over a year) before my first PYP job, and have always been happy I did. Yes, I hoped it would get me a job, but I was mostly a genuine learner. Arriving at my first PYP school, I also hit the ground running. If you think of things in terms of money/time/CVs the certs are not as well-known or appreciated as they should be, but if you want to equip yourself as a teacher than I think they're a good recommendation. I do think people who are really into the PYP, and I count myself among them (though am not recruiting, sorry!), will appreciate your efforts. I've certainly spoken to recruiters who have said this.

China - My advice, as much as you don't want to hear this, is to get a position in China. You're in a great position to get the sort of job you might like, excepting the location. To be honest, I don't consider your qualifications to be first-rate; it sounds like you've done Teach-Now and got US registration that way, and you lack a solid BEd/PGCE/GradDip. Perhaps you have an otherwise useful bachelor's though, such as in STEAM? Still, I am sure there will be PYP schools in China that will interview you. The same may not be the case elsewhere, generally, considering you need experience.
spartan34
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:52 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by spartan34 »

I knew I could count on the expertise of you @psyguy

Thank you for your in-depth evaluations of my situation. I greatly appreciate your insight and actually do feel a bit better about where I am at now as I am actually doing some of what you spoke on.

"Not everyone wants to be at a tier 1 IS. While its still a common enough goal to categorize the majority of ITs, especially those early in their careers. There are many ITs that would rather be at a lower tier IS where there workload is much more relaxed and they enjoy a better work life balance even if it means a lower level of comp than working twice the hours for what amounts to much less than twice the coin, especially if it means far fewer meetings, minimal collaboration, greatly reduced planning requirements (there is a new pop.ed idea of innovation through necessity that edus should replan all lessons on a 3-5 year cycle) and marking time."

This is a great point, to be honest, I feel I err more on the side of a higher work-life balance than comp anyway. So thanks for putting that into perspective for me. I do want to grow as an educator though, I am longing for the day when I won't even consider putting my pre-credential experience on my CV. I'd really like my next position to be one with a school that will allow me to grow, I am seeing now that staying in China might be my best chance to do just that... I guess moving to a larger city than the one I am in now would provide me with more of the expat vibe I am looking for.

I think I am going to pursue a master's program during my next position, preferably one with an IB track. I have perused the IB brochure to see which programs would make sense. I am curious what your guy's opinions are on the following:

University of bath
Universidad Camilo Jose Cela
George Mason University
Kent St University
Loyola University Chicago
Melbourne
Murdoch University
University of North Georgia
Southeastern Louisiana University
University of the People

Has anyone enrolled in any of these programs? Have you found them useful?
I know University of the People is the cheapest, and I've heard the "masters is a masters is a masters" line before. But something in me tells me something like UoP just wouldn't be as rigorous or well respected as say George Mason or Loyola.

"1) Gaining IB experience at any tier of IS is has far more value than anything you will study thats IB related. Integrating IBness in your current classroom is a good step that you can spin at a interview, but shifting that to reading and literacy would be much better (since many primary external assessments evaluate program success mostly by gains in reading and literacy).
2) You should also explore the learning center approach to EC if thats where you want to stay, as thats the current approach in meds/peds/asst. As well as being able to speak in depth on summ/form asst of those learning centers (lots of observational and holistic rubrics). PYP has embraced the learning center construct in the traditional elementary/primary grades over the rows and columns approach as more progressive and student centered. Even if you plan a hybrid approach (learning corners for example) integrating those into a traditional HRT environment.
3) Moving into different primary grades as you accumulate experience. An IS is more likely to hire someone with experience at the specific grade level they have a vacancy for.
4) Getting an advanced degree such as a Masters.
5) Becoming knowledgeable and preferably experienced in different curriculum such as US, UK, IB, Montessori, etc. Being able to talk about the ISs particular curriculum and ethos as a cult member if the recruiter/leader is also a cult member of that approach or curriculum."

It is well received to know that I am doing or have done some of the things you mentioned here. Thanks for the insight on what the IB focus is for primary. Obvious but I never made that connection, when I think inquiry I think science/social studies. I'll make it apart of my literacy periods as well. I have had a great mentor at my current position that has taught me how to incorporate learning centers into my reading and writing classes. Good to know experience with that will be useful going forward. I have also taught kindergarten, 3rd and 4th grade (US), I will keep in mind that moving into another grade level would be valuable experience. Masters is already in the pipeline. Expereince in montessori, and US so far, need to brush up pedagogy speak, but the experience is there.

Thanks for your insight again.

Oh one last thing.. Would anyone recommend Search Associates? I currently have a Schrole account and am going to make use of the GRC fairs. I feel having an actual person on the other end going to bat for me would benefit me as I try navigating this space. I'm curious what other's experience has been.
spartan34
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2021 10:52 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by spartan34 »

> China - My advice, as much as you don't want to hear this, is to get a
> position in China. You're in a great position to get the sort of job you
> might like, excepting the location. To be honest, I don't consider your
> qualifications to be first-rate; it sounds like you've done Teach-Now and
> got US registration that way, and you lack a solid BEd/PGCE/GradDip.
> Perhaps you have an otherwise useful bachelor's though, such as in STEAM?
> Still, I am sure there will be PYP schools in China that will interview
> you. The same may not be the case elsewhere, generally, considering you
> need experience.

I appreciate the honest feedback. I am well aware of the "unconventional track" that I have taken and understand some schools might view this as a negative. I know you meant no harm, and this is not a gripe at you, more so at the bad reputation, those who take the non-conventional track get. It does get hard not to be defensive in this regard for a plethora of reasons. Mainly, I work with "career teachers" at my current school who have decades of public school/international experience, and as respected as they are, I am not so sure their students enjoy them or their classes anymore or less than mine. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware I have a TON of learning to do, and the organization these teachers display I revere. By no means do I think I am perfect, but I love what I do, I love my kids, especially the ones with a more intensive set of emotional/learning needs. I am confident in my ability and I think in some areas I am better at what I do than those with 20x the experience as me. Things are changing fast, education it seems is changing. I do feel I possess the advantage of not being stuck in my ways or having to "re-learn" methods of teaching.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent. Actually, I'd like to hear what Psyguy has to say on the topic with his honesty and wisdom. Humility is my drug. I'm always craving it.
Mathsman
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2021 8:35 pm

Re: New to The Game...

Post by Mathsman »

Spartan, looking at your list of universities:

A masters is a masters, especially when you're foot is in the door. However, certain names do pop out on CVs (oxbridge graduates are somehow always guaranteed jobs no matter how rubbish they are...). Bath is a top 10 uni, and their M.Ed. has a solid reputation.
shadowjack
Posts: 2140
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by shadowjack »

And I would sign up with Search over ISS. More information and you get a daily job postings with lots of jobs.
sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by sid »

You’ve gotten pretty good guidance so far. Our hive is knowledgeable.
Not everyone views the alternative pathways as problematic. There are many roads to Rome, and which one someone chooses depends on plenty of factors. Some of us see interesting life experiences as valuable. From what I can see, you didn’t languish overly long in silly places, which is a sign you’re a quick learner and looking forward. You’ve had more classroom experience than most teachers with only two countable years, and that’s fine with me.
China might be your oyster right now if you’re willing to stay. Find some moderate to decent PYP schools and start applying. Get any of them to give you a job, and two years from now you’ll have four years experience and two years of IB. Massively stronger than your current position. Even better if you stay three or more years. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do just one year- with your cv so far being rather chop and change, you need to add a longer stay soon or you’ll be relegated to the ranks of those we recruiters presume will love us and leave us without leaving any real mark of value.
If you stay in China and get PYP experience, you can postpone thinking about another degree. Or get it now so it’s done. Whatever suits you.
Asteger
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:53 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by Asteger »

Mathsman wrote:
> Spartan, looking at your list of universities:
>
> A masters is a masters, especially when you're foot is in the door.
> However, certain names do pop out on CVs (oxbridge graduates are somehow
> always guaranteed jobs no matter how rubbish they are...). Bath is a top 10
> uni, and their M.Ed. has a solid reputation.

I've done the MA Ed through Bath. Not having done another MA elsewhere in Education (yet), I can't give too much perspective on the programme. Then again, how often can people give such perspective? That said, I have done post-grad studies at 3 other universities in relevant fields, and so I might be better at comparing than most.

With the Bath summer school and study centre options not feasible for many people now, I think that some of the main attractions of the MA programme have dimmed. Because of the reasonable costs, the SSs and SCs, the fact that that the programme has been around for a while, networking possibilitis, and also Bath's ties to the international education field (the IB, the IPC, etc - you can research the history), Bath makes sense for international educators. On the downside, comparing to my other experiences, there is a lack of scaffolding in the programme, the Moodle online content is pretty useless, commication is not so good, and a lot more an be done. I recall doing a bachelor-level diploma through the OU UK years ago and how thought through, well-written, and organised my courses were, for example, and Bath doesn't come close to this. You are pretty much left on your own to think and research, and this may not appeal to many (it did to me often, but I realised how it suited me). Therefore, I would certainly say Bath is not for everyone. Some might distinguish between more research-focused MA programmes, on one hand, which Bath resembles, vs MEd programmes which may lack a thesis and scaffold you through, even if the MA/MEd difference is more often muddled than not, it seems.

Incidentally, George Mason and Bath were the first 2 universities to support the IB Educator Certificates - the initial 2 hosts to students studying the qualifications. This was over 10 years ago. Not sure if this means Bath would support IBECs better, though. I hold an IBEC myself, but did not earn it through my Bath MA.

You need 3 years IB experience to do an IBEC with your Bath MA programme. Double check, but this is what I recall.
mysharona
Posts: 211
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:25 am

Re: New to The Game...

Post by mysharona »

Applying in or out of China is not an either or choice. If you are willing to put the work into it you should apply to as many schools as you can. Given current world circumstances you might be surprised at the results.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10849
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@spartan34

I typically agree with @buffalofan, if its IE or bust than you should truly just be applying everywhere that has a vacancy in your field, but if you wouldnt accept a position in X region and its Vietnam, Thailand or bust than aside from the interview practice its not worth your efforts in applying to ISs you would say no to. There are many ITs stuck in poo ISs who wouldnt leave for a better IS, no mater how much better the opportunity is. They are going to stay in X and thats just it.

The ONLY edus that praise IB T&L certificates are those that have one and a few in the higher echelons of the IB cult.

If youre way out in the provinces than a location like Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou is going to come with a substantial difference in living and lifestyle. While there are a lot of debates about it for example, Shenzhen and all it offers isnt Shanghai.

I dont disagree with the description of Bath, its got great IB backing but the course of studies in itself has significant lackings. If all you want to do is write EOC papers youll fit in fine, if your looking for more progressiveness, youre going to be disappointed.

I like Madrid.

GMU is basically over priced and over rated. It talks up IBness a lot though, so if daily dosing of the IB koolaid are your thing its easy enough to indoctrinate yourself into the department.

Kent, meh. Its more focused on DE and IB application and development in the US, specifically within the practice of US DSs. You can extrapolate it to IE, but why when there are programs that are more IE focused from the start.

Loyola is way pricey, and for the coin you could get a degree from a global Ivy which has more marketable utility than an IB degree any way you leverage it. If you were specifically focused on IB within parochial edu there might be some value in it.

Melbourne is okay, but its not characteristically different from any of the other IB programs. If AUS is where you want to go, then its a great option, but if the only factor is the program in itself than its meh.

Murdoch same as above but you might get the chance to do some work in Singapore.

Georgia, meh. Like most of the IB programs its a degree with some IBness.

Louisiana, Mardi Gras, but otherwise meh.

UPe, its cheap, and its cheap, and its cheap. IBness is optional you can work it in all you want but there isnt a dedicated IB component (unless you count the IB internship, but that is again optional). You dont get an IB T&L certificate though like you do with the other programs. Your M.Ed from UPe just meets the training and PD requirements.

Youve heard the Masters is a Masters is a Masters line because its true. Unless its a global ivy if its an accredited Masters it doesnt really matter where its from. UNLESS, you run into a leader/recruiter who is an alum, then youre in a position to leverage that relationship into better utility. Thats the thing with UPe, with each passing year youre more likely to run into other UPe alum than you are from elsewhere. Mainly because UPe has such large classes, and so many of its students are in IE as opposed to DE.
UPe does have some reputation and accrediting issues though and things like consistency in peer review really bothers many students. UPe is really one of those Unis where you get out of it what you put into it.

Its not just the IBs focus on literacy and reading thats the focus of primary/elementary edu in most western curriculum. Increasing fluency and comprehension in literacy allows students to access deeper and more complex aspects of the rest of the curriculum. Students who struggle below their GLEs ZPD in reading and literacy typically have lower levels of success than those with ZPDs above their GLE.

I would highly recommend a premium agency and specifically SA, given your dossier. SA though is more like IKEA or H&M than a boutique. The associates vary a lot, but they dont facilitate or work for you like you are thinking maybe an executive recruiter does. They give you access to the jobs board and invitations to fairs. The jobs board and your profile is the alpha and omega of it all though.

I would suggest that what you are observing in these ITs/ETs with decades of experience is not the entirety of their capability. At a certain point teaching is more a job than a crusade or a mission, and tried and true approaches that are demonstrably effective are no worse than the new, progressive and novel approaches. They each have strengths and weaknesses. As an IT grows they identify and implement various efficiencies specific to an instructional technique which can have different degrees of effectiveness and appeal across a broad sampling of student personalities.

I agree with @Sid in the context that not every recruiter and leader has a negative perspective of skill or assessment based pathways. However the group that does have such issues is substantially larger than the group of leaders/recruiters that has a negative view of the traditional/academic route.

There is no requirement to have a longer or more protracted length of tenure at an IS. Nor is such an experience a practical matter of importance. If you have strong positive reference letters you will be highly marketable. The more of those you have the better, and your likely to have more of those letters by not spending excessive amounts of time in any particular IS. Having 4 strong references over 8 years says just as much that you know what you want, how to get there, and that you work well and successfully with all manner of other ITs, leadership, parents and students.

You do not need 3 years experience to do an IB T&L certificate, the experience requirement is an alternative to having a professional edu credential. You need to have some recent or current IB experience though.
Heliotrope
Posts: 1171
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am

Re: Reply

Post by Heliotrope »

PsyGuy wrote:
> There is no requirement to have a longer or more protracted length of
> tenure at an IS. Nor is such an experience a practical matter of
> importance. If you have strong positive reference letters you will be
> highly marketable. The more of those you have the better, and your likely
> to have more of those letters by not spending excessive amounts of time in
> any particular IS. Having 4 strong references over 8 years says just as
> much that you know what you want, how to get there, and that you work well
> and successfully with all manner of other ITs, leadership, parents and
> students.

While it's indeed not a requirement, schools -especially the ones that get lots of applications and can afford to be picky- will favor candidates that have stayed at a school for more than a single contract, all other things being equal.
Patterns tend to repeat and since schools will prefer you to stay longer than just one contract, having a pattern of two-and-go on your CV will hurt your chances at a good school, even with good references.
@PsyGuy obviously has a different opinion about this, but every recruiter I've talked to about this (the ones at tier 1 and 2, and also recruiters on this forum) says it does.
From what I've heard, a hypothetical Teacher A that has a CV with four schools with stays of 2/2/4/6 years will have an edge over hypothetical teacher B with a CV with seven schools where they stayed 2/2/2/2/2/2/2 years, assuming all references are equally positive.
That being said, it hurting your chances doesn't mean you don't still have a chance, and tier 3 and 4 schools might not care it all about this.
unsure
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2018 12:15 pm

Re: Reply

Post by unsure »

Heliotrope wrote:

> hypothetical teacher B with a CV with
> seven schools where they stayed 2/2/2/2/2/2/2 years, assuming all references are
> equally positive.



hypothetical teacher B may not even make it to the checking references stage.
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