Well Cambridge is now almost over for us and we've had the opposite experience to many others. We've had 8 interviews, one cancellation, and one still to go...and nada.
So we're left scratching our heads a little, though to be honest we still have our jobs which many candidates don't.
Just a few things about us:
a. 20 years teaching experience (6 overseas)
b. wife elementary/ESL and myself highschool history with middle school experience and teaching experience in almost every related subject.
So what do we think worked against us:
a. Lots of Middle School history/humanities jobs, not much at the high school level and despite my attempts at pointing out my experience they couldn't seemingly get past my last 13 years in a high school classroom.
b. Lots of economics jobs and despite the fact that I have experience teaching it, no interest as I seemed to be labelled a "history" guy only
We lost oppotunities because they didn't seemingly have housing for our family (we need a three-bedroom for the four of us)
c. Despite lots of success with AP and MUN, the schools were only looking for people with IB experience. The question remains however, how do you get it if you don't get hired by an IB school who will send you for training?
d. My wife has worked the last 13 years as a substitute teacher. While she is highly requested in a variety of elementary classrooms, we seemed unable to market the flexibility she has developed in a variety of elementary situations into interest from the schools.
We remain upbeat, we love interviewing and the chance to talk with recruiters and other candidates. Just sitting through all the presentations has whet our appetite even more for returning to international teaching and also being able to bestow the gift to our children. We'll see how things go, many jobs come out after the fairs we realize, but we really thought with our experience we would be able to land something here. Alas, we soldier on.
Thanks!!
And now for the other Cambridge experience
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jbiersteker
- Posts: 121
- Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:38 am
The sticky point might be your wife's substitute teaching. In some schools, I'm not prepared to guess what portion, substitute teaching is not considered anywhere near as valuable as having a class of your own. In my own school, it is not considered teaching experience - we require at least three years full time in your own classroom, and any sub work will not count towards that minimum nor towards placement on the pay scale. So if subbing is the sum total of your wife's experience, we would not be able to hire her. This may hold true for other schools.
How to work around it? Put yourself up as the recruiting teacher, and offer for your wife to come without a contract, with the expectation that she would work as a substitute. If all went well, the school might consider taking her on later as a full-time teacher. In fact, she'd be well placed for an emergency position when someone resigns or gets ill or whatever mid-year.
Or focus on schools that are a bit lower quality. Their hiring rules might be more relaxed.
Good luck.
How to work around it? Put yourself up as the recruiting teacher, and offer for your wife to come without a contract, with the expectation that she would work as a substitute. If all went well, the school might consider taking her on later as a full-time teacher. In fact, she'd be well placed for an emergency position when someone resigns or gets ill or whatever mid-year.
Or focus on schools that are a bit lower quality. Their hiring rules might be more relaxed.
Good luck.
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jbiersteker
- Posts: 121
- Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:38 am
Thank you so much for the encouragments and advice!!
Sid, in regards to my wife's substitute history, this is only the last 13 years. She has eight solid years in the classroom (including six overseas-two in Indonesia and four in South Korea). We will now look at getting her into some long-term occasional situtations (perhaps a maternity leave) so that she can put the full-time classroom back on the table.
Thanks!!
Sid, in regards to my wife's substitute history, this is only the last 13 years. She has eight solid years in the classroom (including six overseas-two in Indonesia and four in South Korea). We will now look at getting her into some long-term occasional situtations (perhaps a maternity leave) so that she can put the full-time classroom back on the table.
Thanks!!
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
jbiersteker,
don't give up hope. We got our job offer in the last hour of the fair, as I noted. But...we had two inquiries from schools we had applied to outside the fair the very next week.
Keep checking the job openings and also check on tieonline. Keep pursuing openings but understand that for the first contract you might have to go to someplace you wouldn't rank as your first choice in order to get your wife experience in the classroom as a full-time teacher.
Two years goes fast though, and then you are open to other jobs in other countries...
Don't give up just yet!
don't give up hope. We got our job offer in the last hour of the fair, as I noted. But...we had two inquiries from schools we had applied to outside the fair the very next week.
Keep checking the job openings and also check on tieonline. Keep pursuing openings but understand that for the first contract you might have to go to someplace you wouldn't rank as your first choice in order to get your wife experience in the classroom as a full-time teacher.
Two years goes fast though, and then you are open to other jobs in other countries...
Don't give up just yet!
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jbiersteker
- Posts: 121
- Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:38 am
We were in contact with a school in central china but were still unsure given:
a. the small size of the school and its effect on our kids who are 9 and 12.
b. the fact that it seemed more of an IB English course than the advertised History course and I just don't feel comfortable teaching English at that level.
Still it does get us wondering if this is a step to get our foot in the door as the director will pay for IB training
Thanks!
a. the small size of the school and its effect on our kids who are 9 and 12.
b. the fact that it seemed more of an IB English course than the advertised History course and I just don't feel comfortable teaching English at that level.
Still it does get us wondering if this is a step to get our foot in the door as the director will pay for IB training
Thanks!
The previous teaching experience is helpful. You'll still need to help schools learn to love you, as 13 years is a long stretch to go without your own class. Schools will want to know what your wife has done to stay current, and a good explanation of why she has taken the sub route for so long.
Be prepared that when an offer comes, it may well only credit your wife with 8 years of experience, not 21. Which might not be such a big hit, since many schools cap all new entries at 10 or 15 years credit anyway.
Long-term subbing would be a step in the right direction. Schools want to know that a candidate is ready and able to produce sustained learning. The flexibility of a sub is valuable in a sub, but does not compare to the level of planning, differentiation, use of formative assessment, etc that a classroom teacher must deliver over the long haul. Make it easy for schools to see that your wife is prepared for this.
Be prepared that when an offer comes, it may well only credit your wife with 8 years of experience, not 21. Which might not be such a big hit, since many schools cap all new entries at 10 or 15 years credit anyway.
Long-term subbing would be a step in the right direction. Schools want to know that a candidate is ready and able to produce sustained learning. The flexibility of a sub is valuable in a sub, but does not compare to the level of planning, differentiation, use of formative assessment, etc that a classroom teacher must deliver over the long haul. Make it easy for schools to see that your wife is prepared for this.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Other schools cap entry at 7 years or 8 years...I know of one school which gives you one year of experience for every two years of teaching as an entry point - but that, too, is capped.
As I said, jb - don't give up hope just yet. Keep checking and contacting schools. I know through TIEonline I have seen history and socials positions opening up.
Good luck and keep us posted!
As I said, jb - don't give up hope just yet. Keep checking and contacting schools. I know through TIEonline I have seen history and socials positions opening up.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Reply
Sorry to hear you werent successful. I try to write froma conservative viewpoint and the placement rate at the fairs is about 50%, meaning every success story has a sad story following it. After the fairs an additional 30% of candidates get an offer as a result of their attendance at a fair. That said at the end of the year about a fifth of candidates (20%) are unsuccessful. Two reasons mainly:
1) They have unrealistic expectations based on their marketability.
2) They have logistical deal breakers, mainly, they are just too expensive.
The majority of schools cap experience at 5-10 years, though as Sid mentioned some schools (mainly elite) schools have their cap as high as 15 years.
You had a very nice evaluation, and Ill address it in a moment. The real reason you didnt get a lot of action on your applications is your family situation. Your a history and primary couple thats asking a school to pay for 4 people to fill two classrooms that arent going to be hard for a school to fill cheaper. Add to that, that your wife who has been a sub (as Sid pointed out) for many number of years and really your only three quarters of a teaching couple. Thats a lot of money and investment for a school to make for a history guy without IB experience.
I dont know what schools you were looking at but when it comes to getting Ib experience typically you start at a 3rd tier or 2nd tier school in a undesirable region. They then work their way up. Successful entering ITs get their experience from an IB school in their home country (about a 1000, or a third of the IB schools world wide are in the USA). I dont know where you are or what your local area is like, but ive known teachers planing an IT career who asked for an intra-district transfer to their districts IB school.
Yes your just a history guy, but thats not a bad thing. You just need a school thats looking for just a history guy, and with your lack of IB your energies are going to be better utilized if you focus on American schools or schools with American programs. preferably those that also have an IB division, and hopefully you can get your school to give you an IB class or 2 at some point.
When your applying for history positions, Id advise focusing on your expertise in world history, in my experience American, history teachers have more of a focus on American history as opposed to world history, and recruiters are weary that your less proficient in world history.
If your going to apply for economics positions you need to go into the interview changing all your history experience as a social studies teacher into economics experience. Yes thats deceptive, but heres the issue: As a recruiter im not hiring for a generalist for my social studies/humanities department. I have an exiting staff member, who is leaving behind a specific hole that i need to fill, so im looking for someone to fill that hole. If that hole is a DIP 1/2 economics vacancy, then thats what im looking for. Im not looking for someone who has taught it at some point in the past, Im looking for someone who teaches it now. Thats what you need to do going into an interview room, you need to be the plug that fills that hole.
As you have mentioned the housing situation is going to be an issue, especially with schools that provide housing, such as china where the vast majority of family apartments are 2 bedrooms. the school either doesnt want to spend the money for a bigger apartment or doesnt have a readily available unit for you. Sure a school can do the work and make it happen, but youd really have to make it worth their effort, otherwise i can hire a single teacher with no kids to teach history pretty easily, especially at the middle school level.
I agree in part with Sids assessment regarding your wife. Is her certificate even valid/current at this point? Your wifes absence from a full time classroom for such a long period of time makes you more a teacher with trailing spouse, whos experience certification is a bonus, rather then as a teaching couple. I think your wife would be better focused as an ELL support position then as a primary position. This might be only part time work, and basically a local package.
The other option is to focus on getting a position for you and then if the school isnt interested in her, looking into an outside school either in nursery (as those positions are typically local) or looking at being an ELL teacher with a language or bilingual school.
1) They have unrealistic expectations based on their marketability.
2) They have logistical deal breakers, mainly, they are just too expensive.
The majority of schools cap experience at 5-10 years, though as Sid mentioned some schools (mainly elite) schools have their cap as high as 15 years.
You had a very nice evaluation, and Ill address it in a moment. The real reason you didnt get a lot of action on your applications is your family situation. Your a history and primary couple thats asking a school to pay for 4 people to fill two classrooms that arent going to be hard for a school to fill cheaper. Add to that, that your wife who has been a sub (as Sid pointed out) for many number of years and really your only three quarters of a teaching couple. Thats a lot of money and investment for a school to make for a history guy without IB experience.
I dont know what schools you were looking at but when it comes to getting Ib experience typically you start at a 3rd tier or 2nd tier school in a undesirable region. They then work their way up. Successful entering ITs get their experience from an IB school in their home country (about a 1000, or a third of the IB schools world wide are in the USA). I dont know where you are or what your local area is like, but ive known teachers planing an IT career who asked for an intra-district transfer to their districts IB school.
Yes your just a history guy, but thats not a bad thing. You just need a school thats looking for just a history guy, and with your lack of IB your energies are going to be better utilized if you focus on American schools or schools with American programs. preferably those that also have an IB division, and hopefully you can get your school to give you an IB class or 2 at some point.
When your applying for history positions, Id advise focusing on your expertise in world history, in my experience American, history teachers have more of a focus on American history as opposed to world history, and recruiters are weary that your less proficient in world history.
If your going to apply for economics positions you need to go into the interview changing all your history experience as a social studies teacher into economics experience. Yes thats deceptive, but heres the issue: As a recruiter im not hiring for a generalist for my social studies/humanities department. I have an exiting staff member, who is leaving behind a specific hole that i need to fill, so im looking for someone to fill that hole. If that hole is a DIP 1/2 economics vacancy, then thats what im looking for. Im not looking for someone who has taught it at some point in the past, Im looking for someone who teaches it now. Thats what you need to do going into an interview room, you need to be the plug that fills that hole.
As you have mentioned the housing situation is going to be an issue, especially with schools that provide housing, such as china where the vast majority of family apartments are 2 bedrooms. the school either doesnt want to spend the money for a bigger apartment or doesnt have a readily available unit for you. Sure a school can do the work and make it happen, but youd really have to make it worth their effort, otherwise i can hire a single teacher with no kids to teach history pretty easily, especially at the middle school level.
I agree in part with Sids assessment regarding your wife. Is her certificate even valid/current at this point? Your wifes absence from a full time classroom for such a long period of time makes you more a teacher with trailing spouse, whos experience certification is a bonus, rather then as a teaching couple. I think your wife would be better focused as an ELL support position then as a primary position. This might be only part time work, and basically a local package.
The other option is to focus on getting a position for you and then if the school isnt interested in her, looking into an outside school either in nursery (as those positions are typically local) or looking at being an ELL teacher with a language or bilingual school.