Trying to get a feel if my husband and I have a shot at any decent IT positions. He does not have a teaching certificate (although he could get one) but has a bachelor of fine arts. He is currently the head of ceramics and visual arts/teaching faculty at a community art center. Not sure if it's helpful, but he has a decent amount of solo and group exhibits to give him some credibility as an artist. I taught first grade for one year, prek for another and have a masters in curriculum and teacher leadership. I'm in my 4th year as a Dean of Curriculum at a k-8 school, where I function primarily as a teacher coach, oversee data and assessments and write kindergarten, first and fifth grade curriculum and manage a team of 25. I have a PK-3 teaching license. No international teaching experience, but I did a three month internship at a school for children on the autistic spectrum in Jamaica. We also have a 5 year old daughter. We're pretty open to location but would prefer something outside of a major city, if possible.
We've been looking at SE Asia. Is it too late to get started for 16-17? Realistically, are we qualified for anything decent?
Do we have a shot?
Re: Do we have a shot?
Everyone always has a shot, but being realistic, I wouldn't say the odds look good for landing a job in a good school for next year.
What is going against you:
1) Your husband needs to get certified as a teacher.
2) Your husband needs experience in a school. A community art center is not the same as a school.
3) You have no extended classroom experience. Early elementary is a saturated field and you've only done two years, each at a different level. Few schools will have a full time position for an elementary curriculum director, especially given that you've probably not worked with the systems in place in most international schools (such as IB PYP).
4) Neither of you has any international teaching experience.
5) You want outside a major city -- most schools are in the big cities because that is where there is a population for the school. You can always live on the outskirts of a city and a lot of schools are on the edges of cities, but you'll still be close to a city.
The 2016-2017 year recruitment is in full swing. Are you signed up with an agency? Do you have your resumes and recommendations in order? There is still hiring to be done, but it takes time to get yourself ready and you've missed the signup deadlines for the major fairs.
What is going against you:
1) Your husband needs to get certified as a teacher.
2) Your husband needs experience in a school. A community art center is not the same as a school.
3) You have no extended classroom experience. Early elementary is a saturated field and you've only done two years, each at a different level. Few schools will have a full time position for an elementary curriculum director, especially given that you've probably not worked with the systems in place in most international schools (such as IB PYP).
4) Neither of you has any international teaching experience.
5) You want outside a major city -- most schools are in the big cities because that is where there is a population for the school. You can always live on the outskirts of a city and a lot of schools are on the edges of cities, but you'll still be close to a city.
The 2016-2017 year recruitment is in full swing. Are you signed up with an agency? Do you have your resumes and recommendations in order? There is still hiring to be done, but it takes time to get yourself ready and you've missed the signup deadlines for the major fairs.
Response
Much will depend on your definition of "decent" in terms of IS. My general distinction is a floater (a very top third tier IS).
Being a successful artist and being a successful teacher of art are very different things. I know many brilliant practitioners in their field who could not teach a worm to tunnel through dirt. Working with adults in an enrichment type activity is not the same as teaching when it comes to children. Art has a high level of saturation (the options are essentially practice art, or teach art).
You would be attractive to a primary IS, especially a small IS that needs a lead teacher or needs someone for leadership (though you lack a leadership qualification, a disadvantage but not a deal breaker. You could remedy this before the fall.). There are a lot of small ISs that ownership appoints someone close to manage the IS but has no real education experience or training. Typically these ISs are ''co-managed'', in which the 'local' handles the business aspects and the IT manages the academic/instructional functions.
Without leadership (and the ability to influence or control hiring of your spouse), your marketability is pretty low. Primary is saturated, you dont have IB (PYP), your restricted to early primary appointments (inflexible assignment), and your on the low end of experience. Youre an expensive hire having a trailing spouse, and dependent, thats a 3:1 travel ratio to fill one primary classroom that there are lots of trailing spouses who could fill that position.
Add that you want a "decent" IS appointment, and you would either be taking a huge cut in compensation by losing one salary and taking a cut yourself, or appointment in an IS in a hardship region or a work experience that is below your expectations.
The ISs youd be interested in, you woudnt be a strong candidate in the applicant pool and the ones your marketable for wouldnt likely meet your standards. Leadership is a moderating option in the scenario, if an ISs ownership gives you managing control you may be able to do a lot to improve an inferior posting and integrate your spouse into the faculty.
Being a successful artist and being a successful teacher of art are very different things. I know many brilliant practitioners in their field who could not teach a worm to tunnel through dirt. Working with adults in an enrichment type activity is not the same as teaching when it comes to children. Art has a high level of saturation (the options are essentially practice art, or teach art).
You would be attractive to a primary IS, especially a small IS that needs a lead teacher or needs someone for leadership (though you lack a leadership qualification, a disadvantage but not a deal breaker. You could remedy this before the fall.). There are a lot of small ISs that ownership appoints someone close to manage the IS but has no real education experience or training. Typically these ISs are ''co-managed'', in which the 'local' handles the business aspects and the IT manages the academic/instructional functions.
Without leadership (and the ability to influence or control hiring of your spouse), your marketability is pretty low. Primary is saturated, you dont have IB (PYP), your restricted to early primary appointments (inflexible assignment), and your on the low end of experience. Youre an expensive hire having a trailing spouse, and dependent, thats a 3:1 travel ratio to fill one primary classroom that there are lots of trailing spouses who could fill that position.
Add that you want a "decent" IS appointment, and you would either be taking a huge cut in compensation by losing one salary and taking a cut yourself, or appointment in an IS in a hardship region or a work experience that is below your expectations.
The ISs youd be interested in, you woudnt be a strong candidate in the applicant pool and the ones your marketable for wouldnt likely meet your standards. Leadership is a moderating option in the scenario, if an ISs ownership gives you managing control you may be able to do a lot to improve an inferior posting and integrate your spouse into the faculty.
Re: Do we have a shot?
I agree with Psyguy, although I do think- particularly in the Fine Arts- there are sometimes a bit too many teachers who have never practiced their art outside of an academic setting. So there's a lot to be said for an artist who has actually been displayed in galleries and worked in that type of environment. There's got to be some schools out there that would value that kind of real-life experience and take the chance on your husband.
The main roadblock you would have is the desire to "live outside a major city". The nature of our job puts most of the schools in the big city. I'd say 80% of them, and that's probably a conservative estimate. So you need to take the good with the bad, I suppose. Like 4 million people instead of 14 million people.
The main roadblock you would have is the desire to "live outside a major city". The nature of our job puts most of the schools in the big city. I'd say 80% of them, and that's probably a conservative estimate. So you need to take the good with the bad, I suppose. Like 4 million people instead of 14 million people.
Re: Do we have a shot?
> The 2016-2017 year recruitment is in full swing. Are you signed up with an
> agency? Do you have your resumes and recommendations in order? There is
> still hiring to be done, but it takes time to get yourself ready and you've
> missed the signup deadlines for the major fairs
We haven't signed up with an agency because I didn't know if it would be worth it. I do have our CVs done and have recommendations ready. Do you recommend an agency?
> agency? Do you have your resumes and recommendations in order? There is
> still hiring to be done, but it takes time to get yourself ready and you've
> missed the signup deadlines for the major fairs
We haven't signed up with an agency because I didn't know if it would be worth it. I do have our CVs done and have recommendations ready. Do you recommend an agency?
Re: Response
In response to PsyGuy...
My husband teachers art to ages 3 and up, mostly with 12 and up (his preferred age range).
I really don't have a feel for how leadership works in the IT world, so I know that's an option, but leadership is...kind of soul sucking, at least in my current context, so I know I'm happier and more effective as a classroom teacher, but a lead teaching position would certainly be more appealing.
Thanks for the response!
My husband teachers art to ages 3 and up, mostly with 12 and up (his preferred age range).
I really don't have a feel for how leadership works in the IT world, so I know that's an option, but leadership is...kind of soul sucking, at least in my current context, so I know I'm happier and more effective as a classroom teacher, but a lead teaching position would certainly be more appealing.
Thanks for the response!
-
wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Do we have a shot?
Not much to add to what's been posted. If your husband can get a teaching certificate then he certainly should, ASAP. although his experience is not the K-12 teaching experience that schools are generally looking for, if he is a certified Art teacher and an accomplished artist many schools (even some very good ones) may be interested enough to at least talk to you. After that, it is all up to you to convince them why they should bring you on.
Without certification and without traditional K-12 experience it is a much great leap of faith for schools AND you may run afoul of visa requirements in certain countries (even if the school did want to hire you).
I would generally recommend Search Associates but they may not take you as a teaching couple without both of you being certified.
Without certification and without traditional K-12 experience it is a much great leap of faith for schools AND you may run afoul of visa requirements in certain countries (even if the school did want to hire you).
I would generally recommend Search Associates but they may not take you as a teaching couple without both of you being certified.
Reply
@ecd1986
Based on the data you provided I would recommend a premium agency, and ISS over SA. There is no reason to pay for your spouse, as they are qualified or marketable at this point. Your spouse is essentially a bonus to negotiate into a leadership appointment or hes a bonus if an IS has a need for him, otherwise hes a trailing spouse. There may be private lessons he could spin off as a private instructor/tutor out of a home studio he may be able to pursue outside of an IS.
I concur with @WT123, that visa issues can be an issue in regions that would not grant him a work visa/permit based on his current qualifications, if they were presented in that form to the labor ministry. However if an IS was really motivated to employee him in some context, they very likely could get him a work visa of some kind, if they wanted to expend the time and resources to make it happen.
Instruction (what your spouse does) isnt teaching. The tasking of an IT/DT is more than the performance dimension associated with the presentation aspect of content delivery. Teaching a curriculum to standards assessing to those standards in prescribed form and implementing interventions and corrective action to address deficiencies, while maintaining communication with all stake holders is far more complex than delivering a presentation and supervision of participants. This perception I find often in ETs who believe what they do in Hagwon or Eikaiwa is 'teaching'.
I have a conflicting position regarding the availability of IS appointments concentrated inside major metropolitan centers. There are many ISs in less metropolitan areas, they just arent nearly as visible and recognizable as the ones inside metro cities. Where I could see you marketable is in one of these more provincial regions in a smaller IS that has a harder time recruiting (including leadership), these are the ISs that typically dont have a formal curriculum, arent internationally accredited and are generally under resourced.
IE leadership is more soul deforming than draining as it is in DE. Leadership is a separate topic and its a long one, but leadership in DE has much less autonomy, where as in IE you have more tasking and authority to implement action and change that isnt dictated or prescribed for leadership roles. Its a fundamental difference between regulated/public ed and independent/private ed. In municipal ed many members of leadership feel powerless to really effect change when needed or beneficial, many times they are just the messenger to faculty and staff.
Based on the data you provided I would recommend a premium agency, and ISS over SA. There is no reason to pay for your spouse, as they are qualified or marketable at this point. Your spouse is essentially a bonus to negotiate into a leadership appointment or hes a bonus if an IS has a need for him, otherwise hes a trailing spouse. There may be private lessons he could spin off as a private instructor/tutor out of a home studio he may be able to pursue outside of an IS.
I concur with @WT123, that visa issues can be an issue in regions that would not grant him a work visa/permit based on his current qualifications, if they were presented in that form to the labor ministry. However if an IS was really motivated to employee him in some context, they very likely could get him a work visa of some kind, if they wanted to expend the time and resources to make it happen.
Instruction (what your spouse does) isnt teaching. The tasking of an IT/DT is more than the performance dimension associated with the presentation aspect of content delivery. Teaching a curriculum to standards assessing to those standards in prescribed form and implementing interventions and corrective action to address deficiencies, while maintaining communication with all stake holders is far more complex than delivering a presentation and supervision of participants. This perception I find often in ETs who believe what they do in Hagwon or Eikaiwa is 'teaching'.
I have a conflicting position regarding the availability of IS appointments concentrated inside major metropolitan centers. There are many ISs in less metropolitan areas, they just arent nearly as visible and recognizable as the ones inside metro cities. Where I could see you marketable is in one of these more provincial regions in a smaller IS that has a harder time recruiting (including leadership), these are the ISs that typically dont have a formal curriculum, arent internationally accredited and are generally under resourced.
IE leadership is more soul deforming than draining as it is in DE. Leadership is a separate topic and its a long one, but leadership in DE has much less autonomy, where as in IE you have more tasking and authority to implement action and change that isnt dictated or prescribed for leadership roles. Its a fundamental difference between regulated/public ed and independent/private ed. In municipal ed many members of leadership feel powerless to really effect change when needed or beneficial, many times they are just the messenger to faculty and staff.