Honest thoughts?

[SammaBama]

Hello all! I have been interested in international teaching for several years now, and have finally decided to go for it next hiring season. I would love to teach in Europe, but from things I have read it would be difficult to get hired at a decent school with a livable package with no IT experience. I am hoping some of you could offer completely honest opinions about my chances. I have certs in early childhood and elementary, and a Master's in elementary ed. I have been teaching for 5 years and have experience in 1st, 4th, and 6th grade. I am single with no dependents (though if possible I would like to take my cat, though I know that will seem ridiculous to some). I plan to attend the UNI fair this coming winter.

I am also open to suggestions for non European schools. My main priority is safety and social opportunities within the community (and I do know Europe is not a guarantee of either).

Any thoughts would be very welcome.

[curiousme]

Not really sure what you're aiming for. You want to work as an ICT teacher in primary or secondary? You want all ICT or you want a co-ordinator role? The latter is more likely but you don't mention your ICT experience or expertise. Very hard to comment.

[SammaBama]

Sorry, by IT I meant international teaching. I have fixed my original post. I am looking for an elementary or primary position. Though my elementary cert is technically k-8, it has been my experience that most schools require a middle grades endorsement for 7th or 8th grade.

[shadowjack]

While not impossible, it is not likely. That means, go for it, but what are your fallback schools and regions? Second, are you male or female. Male elementary teachers, to be honest, are more in demand given the largely female demographic of elementary school teachers. Third, how much money is "enough". If you have big student loans at home, going to Europe is not going to pay them off.

Lots to consider. I say go for it, but have other places/regions in mind too.

[wrldtrvlr123]

hi. I've been teaching overseas for almost 10 years across 4 different countries. I would say that with your education and experience you would stand as good a chance as anyone at landing a job at a good to great school.

A single teacher with no dependents (the school won't count the cat since they won't be providing schooling or paying for his/her flight) :D. The only caveats to that would be location, position and additional experience.

Location you already know. Europe is tough to break into. That being said Europe is a big place and there are many schools that recruit every year. Also, keep an open mind about eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland etc. There are some excellent schools there with the odds of getting in being slightly better. If you are willing to consider beyond Europe, there are places in the ME that teachers speak highly of (Qatar, Dubai etc) and many places in Asia that could be excellent places to live and work (Singapore, Japan, Thailand).

Position would refer to the fact that elementary positions are relatively easy to fill as opposed to high needs positions such as secondary math/science, SPED, etc. Also, there is a school of thought that believes that many/most elementary positions go to the other half of a teaching couple that teaches secondary math/science. That being said, many good schools will look for the best candidate for every position.

Additional experience would refer to international teaching experience which many schools value as they would hope that it would make it more likely that culture shock/settling in pains may be reduced. Also, many schools now are looking for teachers already trained and experienced with int'l curricula such as the IB (PYP, MYP etc). Of course, these schools do hire and train teachers every year so it is not a deal breaker.

Sign up for Search Associates, buy a subscription to ISR (if you haven't) and start doing your research. Good luck and ask any questions that come to mind.

[eion_padraig]

Most countries should allow you to take your cat barring some that are islands with very strict laws regarding rabies and quarantine. You should be able to do a bit of research and figure out that before submitting applications. It will cost you money to take your cat, but how much will depend on a lot of factors. Some schools that provide housing may not allow pets, but that's something to sort out when you get interviews. Figuring out what to do with pets during holidays and the summer can be a hassle too, but often it's a question on money and effort.

I know lots of IS with pets who have travelled around the world with them.

[escapeartist]

Go for it--with five years of experience and no dependents, you will have a decent chance of being hired at the UNI fair. That said, you will definitely want to expand your search to schools beyond Europe. There are lots of places in the world that offer security and social opportunities within the community like you're looking for.

If you are already planning to attend UNI, I wouldn't bother also paying for SEARCH. If you want to do some searching on your own outside of the fair, TIE is super cheap and lists tons of openings.

Begin researching countries and schools NOW. The good thing about UNI is that when you register, you are sent a packet that contains information on all of the schools that should be attending (including hiring package). That information plus information that you find on the paid portion of this site will give you a good idea of where you want to apply to BEFORE you arrive in Iowa in January. That kind of preparation makes the fair so much more easy to navigate and you won't end up wasting time talking to schools that aren't worth your time. For example, the American International School at Ho Chi Minh City. Today this forum listed it as one of the worst schools to work at, though at the UNI fair two years ago I remember there being a VERY long line in front of their table at the round robin.

Good luck!

[Cailin]

Central and Eastern European Schools generally have better packages than Western Europe, and are no longer hardship posts.

[SammaBama]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of your feedback! I have started researching and do have a list of the absolute "no" schools, I just need to start figuring out which ones are my "yes" schools. I am a paid member of ISR, and it has been helpful reading all the reviews of different schools.

I am definitely going to apply in Europe (W, E, and C) and will open up to other schools in ME and Asia.

Does anybody know of any nice schools in Europe that offer some sort of housing assistance? From what I understand the majority don't, but am wondering if any do. Thank you again for all of your help- I was afraid I'd get laughed off the board!

[nalfc]

My partner and I are taking our two cats with us, I even put the fact I had two cats down on my Search profile and every interview they were mentioned. I cannot understand people leaving pets behind except if they are ill and would not make the journey

[jessiejames]

I don't think it's unrealistic! I have less teaching experience than you, no IT experience either, yet got a couple of offers from schools in Europe at a job fair earlier this year. Like you've said, you just need to be open minded about where you go, but in my humble opinion most countries in (all parts of) Europe are fantastic in their own way.