I was wondering if anyone can provide some useful info to the following questions. I am a male (married/one child) foreign language teacher (Spanish/French) with 11 years experience and hold a teaching certificate in Maryland & Delaware. I have two years IB/MYP stateside teaching experience and one year teaching ESL experience in KSA. Four year military AF term (was not sure if that mattered) I have a BS in mid. level educ. (7-12) and an MA in Curr./Inst. w/a focus in Leadership.
My wife holds an EU (German) passport, my questions are: Do foreign Spanish/French teachers hold a chance of gaining a teaching post in an IS because of the small teacher turnaround?
If so, is there a specific or general area that I should apply that my increase my chances of getting hired? My least preferred area is Asia.
I am pretty sure this has been asked just could not find it, when is the best time to submit an application? and if the IS offers a position, how long does one usually have to get to the teaching location?
I currently teach (under contract) is it really wise/worth it to break contract?
Gracias/Merci in advance for anyone who takes the time to reply.
elvato
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 6:29 am
Spanish and French Foreign Language Instruction
Re: Spanish and French Foreign Language Instruction
Most international schools that I know of only employ native speaker teachers for language classes.
Re: Spanish and French Foreign Language Instruction
Hello Elvato
I asked a similar question a while back and received the same negative answer along the lines of "No, you don't stand a chance, they only employ natives or stay-at-home wives who might have a bit of French/Spanish/German knowledge" (yes, language teachers are THAT valued!!). Well, as a non-native speaker, I applied for four positions - I was invited to interview for 3, was shortlisted for 1 of those and got the other one outright. I also signed up with Search Associates and 3 schools I had not even applied to emailed me asking me to interview with them.
I would imagine if you have the right experience and good references then there is every chance you will get a position - I did.
Good luck.
I asked a similar question a while back and received the same negative answer along the lines of "No, you don't stand a chance, they only employ natives or stay-at-home wives who might have a bit of French/Spanish/German knowledge" (yes, language teachers are THAT valued!!). Well, as a non-native speaker, I applied for four positions - I was invited to interview for 3, was shortlisted for 1 of those and got the other one outright. I also signed up with Search Associates and 3 schools I had not even applied to emailed me asking me to interview with them.
I would imagine if you have the right experience and good references then there is every chance you will get a position - I did.
Good luck.
-
Peregrination
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:16 pm
Re: Spanish and French Foreign Language Instruction
Completely agree with AnneBar; I thought my SO was at a great disadvantage in our job search because he was not a native speaker, based on what was said on this site. He will be teaching Spanish next year (along with ESOL) at our new school and was offered two other Spanish positions (including an IB Spanish position in Europe).
Very few schools we spoke with (outside of Spain or Latin America, obviously) cared at all about having a native speaker, and preferred to hire the best teacher they could. He is not a native speaker, but his level is very high, has a masters degree in his subject area, and spent years living in Spain. If you also have a very high level of writing/speaking in both languages, you should be sought after.
Here are some answers to your other questions:
-Do not apply to teach Spanish in the aforementioned regions where Spanish is the native language, for obvious reasons. European, Asian, ME, and African schools will all hire non-native speakers, based on our experience.
-The best time to begin your application would be next August with Search Associates, and then either attend a fair or conduct Skype interviews. You could also join TieOnline and begin an application there. Since the majority of teachers are hired prior to May, you have several months to move. Getting hired now is unlikely but not impossible, and depending on the visa process, everything could be very rushed/stressful at this point.
-I would never break a contract. Unless it's due to a health or family emergency, it could have significant to severe professional repercussions.
I think your ability to teach Spanish and French will make you highly attractive to a number of schools... Good luck in your search!!
Very few schools we spoke with (outside of Spain or Latin America, obviously) cared at all about having a native speaker, and preferred to hire the best teacher they could. He is not a native speaker, but his level is very high, has a masters degree in his subject area, and spent years living in Spain. If you also have a very high level of writing/speaking in both languages, you should be sought after.
Here are some answers to your other questions:
-Do not apply to teach Spanish in the aforementioned regions where Spanish is the native language, for obvious reasons. European, Asian, ME, and African schools will all hire non-native speakers, based on our experience.
-The best time to begin your application would be next August with Search Associates, and then either attend a fair or conduct Skype interviews. You could also join TieOnline and begin an application there. Since the majority of teachers are hired prior to May, you have several months to move. Getting hired now is unlikely but not impossible, and depending on the visa process, everything could be very rushed/stressful at this point.
-I would never break a contract. Unless it's due to a health or family emergency, it could have significant to severe professional repercussions.
I think your ability to teach Spanish and French will make you highly attractive to a number of schools... Good luck in your search!!
Re: Spanish and French Foreign Language Instruction
Thank you AnneBar & Peregrination for those honest and helpful responses. I am new to this forum and wanted to get an idea, if any at all of the possibilities for my subject of instruction. I am a native Spanish speaker, I worked as a court interpreter in CA for several years. In my opinion, there is much more to teaching a foreign language than being a native or non-native speaker. I have met and know some non-native Spanish teachers that can teach more effectively than some native speakers.
I will use those websites you mentioned, thanks guys.
I will use those websites you mentioned, thanks guys.