Where Should I Aim?
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Lastname_Z
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 12:17 pm
Re: Where Should I Aim?
Well I understand that but I’m looking for a specific number. Am I a lost cause already in the eyes of higher tiers? I’d also like to think that I’ve spent a lot of time developing myself professionally while in the lower tier (even took online courses).
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Where Should I Aim?
3 -5 years is likely OK. More than 5 years and it starts to become a "didn't this teacher want to move up, learn more, take on new challenges"?, unless, of course, you are able to demonstrate that you did exactly that in your six years plus at a tier 3.
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Thames Pirate
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am
Re: Where Should I Aim?
Remember also that tiers are subjective; while For Profit Academy of Corruption is not going to impress anyone, a school that is newer and hasn't established the reputation or one that has a good reputation but is considered lower tier because of its package might still be fine on your resume. If you taught DP History, but then went on to teach DP Geo and DP Econ while becoming HOD, you can stay at a "lower tier" school longer than you could if you were not doing those things without it damaging your resume too badly. Let your teaching and your initiative speak for themselves. Schools can tell the difference between a teacher who is ticking off boxes and a professional who values their craft.
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chilagringa
- Posts: 335
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:19 pm
Re: Where Should I Aim?
Also, if you go to a less-desirable (ME) or lower-paying region (Mexico/Central America) you can often jump into tier 2 or even tier 1 because they don't have as many people competing for jobs. I work at what's considered tier one for my country, and it's maybe 3/4 of people's first international gig.
Response
You dont have to report the "reassigned in lieu of non-renewal" its a non issue in IE, assuming you have good references.
You will need to differentiate in IE, social studies as a generalist is fine in lower secondary but for upper secondary at SLL you need to market yourself in a specific subject such as history, etc.
Public Ivy is worth nothing if it wasnt one of the global Ivys.
Your ASPs arent particularly worth anything. If you didnt coach at the Olympic or pro level no one really cares. At the minimum you need to be certified by the Olympic Governing Body for the sport.
You have 2 years experience which puts you at entry level IT.
Your teaching areas are not in high needs/demand.
I was with you until you got to your saving potential. The average IE salary is USD$30K but you arent average, your below average. You are very unlikely to find the saving level that you are looking for especially in Vietnam or Cambodia.
You are more likely to find start and end of contract flights, not annual flights.
i understand the grading/marking issues and I agree with you, there is a lot more opportunity in social studies at lower secondary levels to do more objective assessment, but I agree with @expatscot that at upper secondary and IB especially the writing assessments in social studies are as high as they are for Lit.
You are going to find it very difficult to find all of that with the utility of your resume, you just arent marketable at that level yet.
I strongly agree with you on the ME, its always been a poo-hole. That said if your a mercenary and the coin is all that matters to you or its your top priority regions like the Kingdom int he ME are going to get the closest to your savings potential.
The LCSA is a reasonable region but the coin is a lot lower. Your looking at comp packages between USD$15K and USD$20K.
I would also agree with @WT123 that China might be the best balance of what you are looking for and what your utility is. That said, your going to have to make compromises somewhere.
ESOL can be a gold mine for the right ET and the right position. The big difference is that in ESOL when your not on the job and getting paid you dont have to do anything off the clock or off site. However, IE generally compensates better relatively early in the career path. Its also easier to break into leadership earlier and with less credentials in ESOL than in IE. If youre a DOS or AM your still working less than an upper secondary Lit IT and getting paid well. Smart ITs however learn how to manage their workload and how to make marking easier.
I would not agree with the WE if saving potential is a priority of yours. You trade coin for lifestyle living in the WE.
The general short career path in IE is 6 years from tier 3 to tier 1. With each contract you can essentially move up a tier or over from a hardship region.
@Lastname_Z
Its hard to say it depends what your doing. if your in a founding IS and your building the IS than 4-6 years isnt unreasonable. Recruiters are looking for growth, and they dont mean PD, they want to see you challenging yourself and growing as a professional. If you can justify that then there really isnt any amount of time you can stay in the lower tiers. What they dont want is to hear the job was easy and the coin good and you just coasted for X number of years. if your not growing as a professional you need to move on and up every 2-3 years.
Tiers arent subjective. there are parts of the spectrum that are more subjective than other parts but your fit into an IS doesnt decrease or increase an ISs tier. if you dont fit in at IS Genovia and its a second tier IS, its still a second tier IS, your "fit" isnt relevant.
You will need to differentiate in IE, social studies as a generalist is fine in lower secondary but for upper secondary at SLL you need to market yourself in a specific subject such as history, etc.
Public Ivy is worth nothing if it wasnt one of the global Ivys.
Your ASPs arent particularly worth anything. If you didnt coach at the Olympic or pro level no one really cares. At the minimum you need to be certified by the Olympic Governing Body for the sport.
You have 2 years experience which puts you at entry level IT.
Your teaching areas are not in high needs/demand.
I was with you until you got to your saving potential. The average IE salary is USD$30K but you arent average, your below average. You are very unlikely to find the saving level that you are looking for especially in Vietnam or Cambodia.
You are more likely to find start and end of contract flights, not annual flights.
i understand the grading/marking issues and I agree with you, there is a lot more opportunity in social studies at lower secondary levels to do more objective assessment, but I agree with @expatscot that at upper secondary and IB especially the writing assessments in social studies are as high as they are for Lit.
You are going to find it very difficult to find all of that with the utility of your resume, you just arent marketable at that level yet.
I strongly agree with you on the ME, its always been a poo-hole. That said if your a mercenary and the coin is all that matters to you or its your top priority regions like the Kingdom int he ME are going to get the closest to your savings potential.
The LCSA is a reasonable region but the coin is a lot lower. Your looking at comp packages between USD$15K and USD$20K.
I would also agree with @WT123 that China might be the best balance of what you are looking for and what your utility is. That said, your going to have to make compromises somewhere.
ESOL can be a gold mine for the right ET and the right position. The big difference is that in ESOL when your not on the job and getting paid you dont have to do anything off the clock or off site. However, IE generally compensates better relatively early in the career path. Its also easier to break into leadership earlier and with less credentials in ESOL than in IE. If youre a DOS or AM your still working less than an upper secondary Lit IT and getting paid well. Smart ITs however learn how to manage their workload and how to make marking easier.
I would not agree with the WE if saving potential is a priority of yours. You trade coin for lifestyle living in the WE.
The general short career path in IE is 6 years from tier 3 to tier 1. With each contract you can essentially move up a tier or over from a hardship region.
@Lastname_Z
Its hard to say it depends what your doing. if your in a founding IS and your building the IS than 4-6 years isnt unreasonable. Recruiters are looking for growth, and they dont mean PD, they want to see you challenging yourself and growing as a professional. If you can justify that then there really isnt any amount of time you can stay in the lower tiers. What they dont want is to hear the job was easy and the coin good and you just coasted for X number of years. if your not growing as a professional you need to move on and up every 2-3 years.
Tiers arent subjective. there are parts of the spectrum that are more subjective than other parts but your fit into an IS doesnt decrease or increase an ISs tier. if you dont fit in at IS Genovia and its a second tier IS, its still a second tier IS, your "fit" isnt relevant.
Re: Response
Thanks, pretty much settled on applying to tier 3 schools in SA and SE Asia to get experience in Social Studies/IB/etc. I'm certified to teach geography, history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, or just about anything that falls under social sciences...just need to get experience (and that's pretty much impossible with the teaching market in the US). Mainly interested in building experience and having a decent work-life balance. Once I'm settled down I'll probably look into places that pay more in exchange for harder work.
Not too concerned about savings for the first few years. The 24k figure was just a rough guess based on what I've heard about ESL in Vietnam (25hr/wk at $25/hr = $2500/mo plus tutoring on the side and living expenses around $750/mo). The only thing keeping me from the ESL route is that if I have to move back to the US, it won't do anything for a domestic teaching career. Flights aren't a dealbreaker either...can always just travelhack with credit cards to get cheap flights.
Not too concerned about savings for the first few years. The 24k figure was just a rough guess based on what I've heard about ESL in Vietnam (25hr/wk at $25/hr = $2500/mo plus tutoring on the side and living expenses around $750/mo). The only thing keeping me from the ESL route is that if I have to move back to the US, it won't do anything for a domestic teaching career. Flights aren't a dealbreaker either...can always just travelhack with credit cards to get cheap flights.
Reply
@OneBridge
I would strongly advise you apply for whatever vacancies in your teaching areas are available regardless of tier. The barrier to application is so low and candidates do get lucky. One factor talked about less regularly is that of timing and likability which are more important than anything else.
Being certified in a subject area isnt the same as having experience teaching it. Hiring a SS IT to teach lower secondary without much experience is one thing, putting an IT in a SLL classroom thats externally assessed without any experience teaching the subject would be a problem.
ESOL DTs are in pretty high demand in the US provided you have appropriate credentials and even more so if you are multilingual with some amount of additional language proficiency.
I would strongly advise you apply for whatever vacancies in your teaching areas are available regardless of tier. The barrier to application is so low and candidates do get lucky. One factor talked about less regularly is that of timing and likability which are more important than anything else.
Being certified in a subject area isnt the same as having experience teaching it. Hiring a SS IT to teach lower secondary without much experience is one thing, putting an IT in a SLL classroom thats externally assessed without any experience teaching the subject would be a problem.
ESOL DTs are in pretty high demand in the US provided you have appropriate credentials and even more so if you are multilingual with some amount of additional language proficiency.