I've been sort of lurking and I would appreciate any advice you could give me for becoming an international teacher. I'd like to complete the Teacher Ready program from abroad. I have 3 years' experience in ESL teaching in Korea and now almost 1 year of ESL teaching in Thailand, but I'm not a certified teacher (my major was French).
At first I was thinking about just getting ESL certification through Teacher Ready but now I'm considering doing Elementary generalist. I hope to go to China and save up for the program. Do you think that schools would frown upon Teacher Ready? I don't want to take out more student loans for a graduate program right now. I have read some people say on this forum that they got hired after Teacher Ready. I'm hoping that it's not looked down upon because it's online.
I was also considering, in the future, an online Master's in Education. But I have the same question regarding that - if it's respected and worth the investment or not.
Best plan for starting in international teaching
Response
None of your ESOL instruction will count in IE. From the IE position you have no classroom experience, at best you can demonstrate that you can live and survive abroad without running.
Some recruiters and leadership will frown on Teach Ready/Teach Now while your certification looks like any other ITs from the same state, they will be able to look at your resume and see you have no traditional academic preparation. It is not valued less because it is online, but because it is an ACP as opposed to a traditional EPP/ITT program. You can not do either Teach Now or Teach Ready at an ESOL school, you will need an accredited IS. As such if you can not secure an IT appointment the Teach ready program is less problematic to complete.
Primary is highly saturated, there are a lot of primary ITs, and many of them are spouses to ITs with more marketable resumes in hard to fill vacancies. The standard bar to entry in IE is 2 years post certification experience as a teacher of record. If you intend to enter IE before those two years your undergraduate preparation is going to be more important. Given the subjects you have mentioned French would be more marketable than primary. In both jurisdictions however you can add additional certification areas by testing examination, you are not limited to a set certification area.
Unless you attend an "Ivy" a Masters is a Masters regardless of how you obtained it. You can obtain an online/distance degree from a reputable brick and mortar university as much as you can some diploma/degree mill. A recruiter is not going to know (likely) if you obtained the degree in a classroom or online.
Some recruiters and leadership will frown on Teach Ready/Teach Now while your certification looks like any other ITs from the same state, they will be able to look at your resume and see you have no traditional academic preparation. It is not valued less because it is online, but because it is an ACP as opposed to a traditional EPP/ITT program. You can not do either Teach Now or Teach Ready at an ESOL school, you will need an accredited IS. As such if you can not secure an IT appointment the Teach ready program is less problematic to complete.
Primary is highly saturated, there are a lot of primary ITs, and many of them are spouses to ITs with more marketable resumes in hard to fill vacancies. The standard bar to entry in IE is 2 years post certification experience as a teacher of record. If you intend to enter IE before those two years your undergraduate preparation is going to be more important. Given the subjects you have mentioned French would be more marketable than primary. In both jurisdictions however you can add additional certification areas by testing examination, you are not limited to a set certification area.
Unless you attend an "Ivy" a Masters is a Masters regardless of how you obtained it. You can obtain an online/distance degree from a reputable brick and mortar university as much as you can some diploma/degree mill. A recruiter is not going to know (likely) if you obtained the degree in a classroom or online.
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
Thanks so much for your advice, PsyGuy.
I know my ESL experience won't count at all, and that I need to do Teacher Ready at an international school. I was planning on working evenings at a private ESL academy somewhere while doing the TR program hours at an international school during the day.
I don't feel that my spoken French is good enough to be certified in French. So I was hoping to do Elementary generalist and also take the exam for ESL certification. I didn't realize Elementary was saturated as I see a lot of ads for primary teachers. :( I was hoping to go directly into IE after Teacher Ready, and would be willing to start out in a less desirable country. It's good to hear that an online Master's will be accepted, at least.
I know my ESL experience won't count at all, and that I need to do Teacher Ready at an international school. I was planning on working evenings at a private ESL academy somewhere while doing the TR program hours at an international school during the day.
I don't feel that my spoken French is good enough to be certified in French. So I was hoping to do Elementary generalist and also take the exam for ESL certification. I didn't realize Elementary was saturated as I see a lot of ads for primary teachers. :( I was hoping to go directly into IE after Teacher Ready, and would be willing to start out in a less desirable country. It's good to hear that an online Master's will be accepted, at least.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
cari wrote:
> Thanks so much for your advice, PsyGuy.
>
> I know my ESL experience won't count at all, and that I need to do Teacher
> Ready at an international school. I was planning on working evenings at a
> private ESL academy somewhere while doing the TR program hours at an
> international school during the day.
>
> I don't feel that my spoken French is good enough to be certified in
> French. So I was hoping to do Elementary generalist and also take the exam
> for ESL certification. I didn't realize Elementary was saturated as I see a
> lot of ads for primary teachers. :( I was hoping to go directly into IE
> after Teacher Ready, and would be willing to start out in a less desirable
> country. It's good to hear that an online Master's will be accepted, at
> least.
--------------------
Hi. Primary is fairly saturated but then again as you noted there are always going to be many, many (many) jobs open at a variety of schools every year. And as a single teacher with no dependents (I am presuming that is your case) and some overseas life/work experience you would certainly be a viable candidate with a number of fair to good schools.
If you can get certified in a US state in elementary education then you would be in a decent position to get yourself into a decent int'l school for your first job. If you are open to China and can meet the visa requirements then there are certainly any number of schools that would be perfectly fine places to start your int'l teaching career.
In some states like FL you can also pass a test in ESOL to add that certification to an existing professional certificate. Although your ESL teaching is not generally considered relevant by int'l schools, having an ESOL certification and some practical experience (in addition to your elementary certification) could be seen as a plus for some schools (especially if the school has a large ESL population).
I went through alternative certification and have an online masters degree and it has never held be back in my career (although I am a SPED teacher and we are our own unique breed/niche).
> Thanks so much for your advice, PsyGuy.
>
> I know my ESL experience won't count at all, and that I need to do Teacher
> Ready at an international school. I was planning on working evenings at a
> private ESL academy somewhere while doing the TR program hours at an
> international school during the day.
>
> I don't feel that my spoken French is good enough to be certified in
> French. So I was hoping to do Elementary generalist and also take the exam
> for ESL certification. I didn't realize Elementary was saturated as I see a
> lot of ads for primary teachers. :( I was hoping to go directly into IE
> after Teacher Ready, and would be willing to start out in a less desirable
> country. It's good to hear that an online Master's will be accepted, at
> least.
--------------------
Hi. Primary is fairly saturated but then again as you noted there are always going to be many, many (many) jobs open at a variety of schools every year. And as a single teacher with no dependents (I am presuming that is your case) and some overseas life/work experience you would certainly be a viable candidate with a number of fair to good schools.
If you can get certified in a US state in elementary education then you would be in a decent position to get yourself into a decent int'l school for your first job. If you are open to China and can meet the visa requirements then there are certainly any number of schools that would be perfectly fine places to start your int'l teaching career.
In some states like FL you can also pass a test in ESOL to add that certification to an existing professional certificate. Although your ESL teaching is not generally considered relevant by int'l schools, having an ESOL certification and some practical experience (in addition to your elementary certification) could be seen as a plus for some schools (especially if the school has a large ESL population).
I went through alternative certification and have an online masters degree and it has never held be back in my career (although I am a SPED teacher and we are our own unique breed/niche).
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
Thanks wrldtrvlr123. It's really encouraging to hear that you were able to make a career in international teaching with these qualifications. Yes, I'm single with no dependents. I hope to do Teacher Ready in the next year or two and I would have no problem teaching in China to start. :) Hopefully it will work out.
Reply
@cari
You wont spend that much time in an IS during the day. The field experience component is only 5 days and the observation and experiential exercises require about an hour or two once or twice a week. You spend the remaining time on the particular lesson/module outside the classroom. Its nothing approaching a full time on campus commitment. You would easily be able to work in an ES during the day assuming you had flexibility in your schedule. This is the main advantage to Teach Ready for those candidates that do not have an appointment at an IS, its an easier sell to leadership at an IS to give you a classroom for a week, and generally be a visiting teacher/TA for a few hours a week.
You overestimate the certification requirements for FL (Foreign Languages) in the states that have their own examination instrument (such as Florida and the FTCE) it is not close to the same level as the ACTFL. Regardless, you could quickly become proficient during your Teach Ready program.
There are many primary vacancies but their are many primary ITs. ISs generally reserve their primary vacancies for teaching couples that they need to hire as a package deal. The problem you will find is you have no experience in a primary classroom, and no academic background. Your Teach Ready certification program gave you 5 days of field experience and you dont have PYP training and experience. You are going to find your resume on the bottom of the recruiting pile, and in primary thats going to be a sizable pile, making getting your first break into IE very, very difficult and likely frustrating as you wait year after year teaching ESOL after countless interviews and applications for offers and contracts that never materialize. Sure there is a demand for primary ITs who have 10+ years of experience with a masters and reading/curriculum experience (PYP). An experienced PYP IT with a bilingual reading/language background and advance degree, thats gold. You dont have that.
French would open up a huge door to French lycee ISs that get little attention and competition within IE, since few ITs posses the language fluency to deliver instruction in French. Add primary with french and a bilingual primary appointment is very realistic. Add ESOL and a dual LS position becomes realistic. Add Literature certification and a lycee appointment or Language A/B in an IB division or the Francophone academy would be appropriate (I am assuming between your general education courses at Uni you have a year of freshman composition, a year of literature, and that your French major contained a course or two on french writers or literature). French moves you into a niche with much, much less competition. The outcome wouldnt be as a French as a FL IT at an IS (you would need to add a second FL, to be marketable as an Intern class IT for an IS) but to move into a group of ISs with very low competition.
SPED/SEN/LS/LD would be another very marketable option for a bilingual SPED IT, you could find yourself in Switzerland with close to a 6 figure salary living in Zurich, Geneva, Borne as an intern class IT. The recruiting pool would be that small. Obtain French (World Languages French K-12) and SPED (Exceptional Students Education K-12) from FL then apply for QTS. Rewrite your resume to frame your ESOL experience as Language focused Supplemental Learning Support though a private service institution, making your ESOL experience relevant. Apply for an get accepted into a masters program, the Sorbonne would be ideal, an IB T&L program a close second, and anywhere else will be fine (you can then put it on your resume, and the cost to apply is minimal if not zero). That would be a marketable resume in a very small niche area of IE.
You wont spend that much time in an IS during the day. The field experience component is only 5 days and the observation and experiential exercises require about an hour or two once or twice a week. You spend the remaining time on the particular lesson/module outside the classroom. Its nothing approaching a full time on campus commitment. You would easily be able to work in an ES during the day assuming you had flexibility in your schedule. This is the main advantage to Teach Ready for those candidates that do not have an appointment at an IS, its an easier sell to leadership at an IS to give you a classroom for a week, and generally be a visiting teacher/TA for a few hours a week.
You overestimate the certification requirements for FL (Foreign Languages) in the states that have their own examination instrument (such as Florida and the FTCE) it is not close to the same level as the ACTFL. Regardless, you could quickly become proficient during your Teach Ready program.
There are many primary vacancies but their are many primary ITs. ISs generally reserve their primary vacancies for teaching couples that they need to hire as a package deal. The problem you will find is you have no experience in a primary classroom, and no academic background. Your Teach Ready certification program gave you 5 days of field experience and you dont have PYP training and experience. You are going to find your resume on the bottom of the recruiting pile, and in primary thats going to be a sizable pile, making getting your first break into IE very, very difficult and likely frustrating as you wait year after year teaching ESOL after countless interviews and applications for offers and contracts that never materialize. Sure there is a demand for primary ITs who have 10+ years of experience with a masters and reading/curriculum experience (PYP). An experienced PYP IT with a bilingual reading/language background and advance degree, thats gold. You dont have that.
French would open up a huge door to French lycee ISs that get little attention and competition within IE, since few ITs posses the language fluency to deliver instruction in French. Add primary with french and a bilingual primary appointment is very realistic. Add ESOL and a dual LS position becomes realistic. Add Literature certification and a lycee appointment or Language A/B in an IB division or the Francophone academy would be appropriate (I am assuming between your general education courses at Uni you have a year of freshman composition, a year of literature, and that your French major contained a course or two on french writers or literature). French moves you into a niche with much, much less competition. The outcome wouldnt be as a French as a FL IT at an IS (you would need to add a second FL, to be marketable as an Intern class IT for an IS) but to move into a group of ISs with very low competition.
SPED/SEN/LS/LD would be another very marketable option for a bilingual SPED IT, you could find yourself in Switzerland with close to a 6 figure salary living in Zurich, Geneva, Borne as an intern class IT. The recruiting pool would be that small. Obtain French (World Languages French K-12) and SPED (Exceptional Students Education K-12) from FL then apply for QTS. Rewrite your resume to frame your ESOL experience as Language focused Supplemental Learning Support though a private service institution, making your ESOL experience relevant. Apply for an get accepted into a masters program, the Sorbonne would be ideal, an IB T&L program a close second, and anywhere else will be fine (you can then put it on your resume, and the cost to apply is minimal if not zero). That would be a marketable resume in a very small niche area of IE.
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
I completed Teacher Ready last year and now I'm teaching primary years at what people would call a tier 2 school. I know a few others who have done the same. The only thing I can recommend is to do your student teaching at a PYP school (or another popular curriculum) and make contacts while you are there. I would wait until later to get a masters.
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
PsyGuy - Thanks for the advice about the Florida tests being less challenging than the ACTFL. I will try to pass the French exam. After thinking about it, I would much rather teach ESL, French and Spanish to elementary students than be a homeroom teacher. But it will take me time to improve my French & Spanish, even though I was a French major and almost got a Spanish minor.
Tyshine - Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm glad to hear that you were able to find a good job after Teacher Ready. I should probably wait to do a Master's but I might do that first. Though I know it would be useless without certification.
Tyshine - Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm glad to hear that you were able to find a good job after Teacher Ready. I should probably wait to do a Master's but I might do that first. Though I know it would be useless without certification.
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
Cari, you need to know that the preference in international schools is to hire native or near-native speakers to teach modern languages so you would really have to work on your French and Spanish. Europe as an option would almost certainly be out of the question just because there are so many native language French and Spanish teachers looking for jobs. As for the idea that you could get a job in a lycee - that is preposterous. No country is more jealous of its language than France, and a lycee wouldn't dream of hiring someone whose French wasn't stellar.
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
Walter - I agree that the idea of working in a lycée is unrealistic. I don't think I could teach other subjects in French but I could definitely teach basic, high school or elementary level French as a foreign language. I wouldn't expect to be hired in Western Europe to teach French or Spanish. And anyway it wouldn't be right away; as I said I need time to work on it. I just meant eventually. :) I know the French are proud of their language; I spent a semester in Dijon. Thanks for the input. :)
Reply
@cari
A lycee is not unrealistic, which you need to be fluent or near fluent that standard is not within sight of stellar, and isnt even in the lands view of preposterous. Is is that high standard that makes such opportunities highly specialized and "niche", but one I assume that an IT with a degree in is as competent as any college graduate in their field. How much time and resources it would require for you to reach that standard is going to be shorter than any non native speaker.
A lycee is not unrealistic, which you need to be fluent or near fluent that standard is not within sight of stellar, and isnt even in the lands view of preposterous. Is is that high standard that makes such opportunities highly specialized and "niche", but one I assume that an IT with a degree in is as competent as any college graduate in their field. How much time and resources it would require for you to reach that standard is going to be shorter than any non native speaker.
Re: Best plan for starting in international teaching
PsyGuy - If I were fluent in French, you're right, it wouldn't be unrealistic. But despite my undergrad degree I'm far from fluent. I wouldn't feel confident enough to teach other subjects using French any time soon. Teaching French and Spanish as foreign languages is definitely a long-term goal for me, though. Thanks for making me realize that.
I'm hoping to secure a better paying job now to save up for Teacher Ready. Thanks everyone for your advice. :)
I'm hoping to secure a better paying job now to save up for Teacher Ready. Thanks everyone for your advice. :)