What is the best way to work your way up to principal then director at PYP/IB schools? I am presently teaching PYP 4.
What educational background do directors usually have? I have been thinking of enrolling in an MBA or MPA program. I already have a Masters in Educational Administration.
Best way to get into administration position?
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Open Communication
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- Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:53 am
OK
How long have you been teaching PYP4? How much total experience do you have?
Another Masters in anything isnt going to help you. If anything you need to look at a doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D). That said education or degrees arent the answer here. You need a leadership position. Something at a junior admin level. Very few people (the exception being academics) move to the senior admin (principal/director/head) right from faculty. You need to move into or apply for a coordinator or Assistant principal position. PYP is a bit harder because generally they dont have a HOD (head of department) to move into.
If you already have ample (5+) IB experience, with your M.Ed you need to start looking this upcoming year for a junior admin position.
Another Masters in anything isnt going to help you. If anything you need to look at a doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D). That said education or degrees arent the answer here. You need a leadership position. Something at a junior admin level. Very few people (the exception being academics) move to the senior admin (principal/director/head) right from faculty. You need to move into or apply for a coordinator or Assistant principal position. PYP is a bit harder because generally they dont have a HOD (head of department) to move into.
If you already have ample (5+) IB experience, with your M.Ed you need to start looking this upcoming year for a junior admin position.
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Open Communication
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:53 am
Re: OK
edited.
Last edited by Open Communication on Thu May 30, 2013 6:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
I noticed that many administrators take the PTC courses that are often advertised in the International Educator. Most of the admin I have had at my past 3 international schools have taken these courses. Here is the link - http://www.theptc.org/
More and more admin do have doctorates - if I think of my 4 international schools and the divisional leaders and heads at those schools, I'd say about 5 of the 15 had doctorates. Of those, 4 were the Heads of School.
More and more admin do have doctorates - if I think of my 4 international schools and the divisional leaders and heads at those schools, I'd say about 5 of the 15 had doctorates. Of those, 4 were the Heads of School.
Start working your way up by taking leadership and responsibility at every opportunity.
A committee needs a member? Sign up. Then volunteer to chair. Or take on the extra tasks to be completed between meetings. Lead the initiative the committee decides on.
See a problem? Solve it. Solve it thoroughly and professionally with input from all parties, a plan that respects and addresses different issues, and implementation that recognizes the need for support, adjustment and time.
If you want to be a leader, be a leader. It doesn't take a position to get people to look to you with respect and expectation. It takes leadership. And if you can get people to look at you that way, you'll be next in line for a position.
PTC courses are great, highly recommended. But they won't get you a job in the absence of leadership qualities.
A committee needs a member? Sign up. Then volunteer to chair. Or take on the extra tasks to be completed between meetings. Lead the initiative the committee decides on.
See a problem? Solve it. Solve it thoroughly and professionally with input from all parties, a plan that respects and addresses different issues, and implementation that recognizes the need for support, adjustment and time.
If you want to be a leader, be a leader. It doesn't take a position to get people to look to you with respect and expectation. It takes leadership. And if you can get people to look at you that way, you'll be next in line for a position.
PTC courses are great, highly recommended. But they won't get you a job in the absence of leadership qualities.
Reflection
I find myself agreeing with sid in this instance, you already have a masters in ed leadership, more ed leadership courses (such as PTC) are not going to do it.
Yes there are principal/administration certificates and with a M.Ed already you may find a program that has a fast track to getting one, but many countries dont have any sort of formal administration certificate. Usually its having an advance degree thats the "credential". Most of those certification courses though are based on a masters in ed leadership or similar degree focus, since you already have one I dont see getting a certificate is going to add much (it would add some). if you want to go back to school for something that will really make a difference you need to look at a doctorate. The issue is timing. You have three options:
1) You do what sid suggested and begin to position yourself in a leadership role at your own school. It might take longer though, because vacancies are going to be limited to when current administrators leave, or enrollment increases to the point of a new administrator being needed. That could be a slow process, especially if your capped out on region/tier, and your turnover is very low.
2) The way it works as an admin is the same way it works for a teacher. You start at the bottom and work your way up. So you look for an admin position at a lower tier school in a less desirable region, and start working your way up again. This means you need to leave where you are (which could be a lot of effort). Depending where you want to be, it could take you 4-12 years to be where you want.
3) You go back for a doctorate, you can get one in 3 years full time, but if your doing it part time it could easily take you 6-8 years, and you still have to get hired for a position with essentially zero administrative experience.
Yes there are principal/administration certificates and with a M.Ed already you may find a program that has a fast track to getting one, but many countries dont have any sort of formal administration certificate. Usually its having an advance degree thats the "credential". Most of those certification courses though are based on a masters in ed leadership or similar degree focus, since you already have one I dont see getting a certificate is going to add much (it would add some). if you want to go back to school for something that will really make a difference you need to look at a doctorate. The issue is timing. You have three options:
1) You do what sid suggested and begin to position yourself in a leadership role at your own school. It might take longer though, because vacancies are going to be limited to when current administrators leave, or enrollment increases to the point of a new administrator being needed. That could be a slow process, especially if your capped out on region/tier, and your turnover is very low.
2) The way it works as an admin is the same way it works for a teacher. You start at the bottom and work your way up. So you look for an admin position at a lower tier school in a less desirable region, and start working your way up again. This means you need to leave where you are (which could be a lot of effort). Depending where you want to be, it could take you 4-12 years to be where you want.
3) You go back for a doctorate, you can get one in 3 years full time, but if your doing it part time it could easily take you 6-8 years, and you still have to get hired for a position with essentially zero administrative experience.