Where Should I Aim?

OneBridge
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:18 pm

Where Should I Aim?

Post by OneBridge »

Looking for advice on what sort of schools I should be applying to.

Age: 29 (single/no kids)

BA: History w/ English Minor (well-known "public ivy" in the US)

MEd: Will complete next year. Credits from induction program will put me halfway through, but need to select a college and focus area.

Certifications: 7th-12th grade Social Studies, English, and ESL (California Clear/Permanent + Pennsylvania Lvl I)

Extracurriculars: Boys varsity soccer head coach (very low-level team, but took them from 2 wins over the last 5 years to 10 wins in the 2 years I had them)

Experience: 2 years 9th-10th grade English + student teaching 7th-8th Social Studies (no AP/IB experience)
....School was WASC/AVID/PBIS certified. Experience in cross-curricular Common Core assessment planning, AVID committee, and curriculum design. Excellent results from my students on Common Core state tests. Good evaluations both years. Very good letters of recommendation from admin. Possible dealbreaker: I was bumped out by a more senior teacher last year (the school cut 25% of the teaching positions), so I have to report a "resigned in lieu of nonrenewal" on my applications. Not sure how that affects me going forward.

What I'm looking for:
-Location in Southeast Asia or South America (looking closely at Vietnam and Cambodia)
-Ability to save 24k+ per year
-3-4 months vacation with flights back to the US
-Strongly prefer Social Studies over English...I don't find English all that interesting and the grading is brutally time-consuming
-Experience in IB/AP/whatever is needed to move up to highest-tier schools
-Eventual position in an "elite" school, pretty much anywhere except Africa or the Middle East
-Good working conditions:
....Freedom in choosing materials, creating assessments/lessons, etc. Not interested in the "I teach, you take notes and memorize answers for the test" style. Not interested in being micromanaged by admin, and especially not interested in schools that allow parents to run the show.

So...where do I fit in, do my expectations need to be adjusted, and what should I do to become more competitive?
expatscot
Posts: 307
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by expatscot »

OK - on the "non renewal" point, make clear that it was because of redundancies / reduction in staff and not your responsibility. Or just say you chose not to renew.

As a Humanities teacher, I can assure you that the marking is no different to English - you still have fairly lengthy written pieces to complete, especially as you move up the school towards IB. It can be just as brutal - sometimes even more so, especially in IB.

The thing is, I think you're setting your sights a bit too high for starters. What you are describing is a top end Tier 2 / bottom end Tier 1 school, which is fairly ambitions. You might also have a problem because you only have 2 years experience. You are also looking at a particularly competitive area, as Humanities vacancies are few and far between (there are usually less of us!)

What I'd suggest is apply for both Humanities and English roles. That widens your scope considerably. Look at US curriculum schools which teach both a US diploma standard with an IB option - you could also consider English curriculum schools too, but they do usually expect some teaching in the UK system.

I wouldn't rule out the Middle East. There are a lot of schools there which can serve as a "stepping stone" to the next level - particularly because what you're really looking for is to make the jump to a top tier schools. Right now, because you have only been teaching for two years, your main objective has to be getting experience under your belt before you can really start thinking about significant levels of saving (you're young, you still have plenty of time unlike us oldies!) You should give some thought to possibly at least UAE and Egypt as potential options, even if you don't ever intend to go anywhere near Saudi!

Good luck!
OneBridge
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by OneBridge »

@expatscot

Thanks for the advice. The Middle East is a hard, non-negotiable "no." My last contract was an isolated desert school with 28 teachers, and I was recruited at a job fair over 2,000 miles away after a 5-minute interview. Should've been a red flag but I was just happy to avoid the "7-years of subbing" horror stories that seem common among social studies teachers in my area. Hard work, no social life, and nowhere to drink away my sorrows. I've already put in my time at a hardship post and I really don't want to do it again :D

My experience is that Social Studies was fun and didn't feel like work, whereas English was boring and a pile of busywork every day. In English, literally everything was subjective, while Social Studies was mostly objective with a research paper every quarter or so. 100 essays every other week on top of classwork can pile up pretty fast. If a school's English setup was more along the lines of objective multiple-choice tests based on readings, I could handle that, but I'd be really bored.

I'd take a lower-tier package if it came with lower stress levels. In fact, I'd probably prefer that over a better package with higher stress levels. I don't want to move overseas to be overworked/mistreated for a low wage, though. I can get plenty of that at home in the US :D Do tier 3 schools tend to have a more laid-back atmosphere, or is it the same sort of work for lower compensation?
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by shadowjack »

OneBridge - nowhere do you have to report a "resigned in lieu of non-renewal". What makes you think you do? If your principal liked you, talk to him or her and tell them that you are glad you had to resign because your heart is really overseas - and ask them if they are contacted to reinforce that part of it. Either they will or they won't. Either way, if you are made redundant, it is no reflection on you and any good admin would present it that way.

I agree with expatscot -you are aiming way too high. You say you have two years school experience, but then allude to a contract in an isolated school of 28 teachers. Is that part of the two years?

If you are looking for a school just to get experience - and you won't really find one at your stage in the game that will net you 24K after everything - I recommend South or Central America. Pay is crappier, but expectations can be low at the lower tier schools. You do your two or three years there and then look to move up. Or you can try to aim higher. People do win the lottery and there might be something about your CV (Harvard grad?) that intrigues recruiters/HR at schools.

In Cambodia at your level, there really aren't schools that would hire you and give you what you want. You have no IB experience, you are not teaching in a high-needs area (Chem/Physics/AP/IBDP Math) or a specialist position. If you want to break into IB schools and have that as an added bonus, you should try to target IB schools that provide training to their new hires.

Good luck!
OneBridge
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by OneBridge »

@shadowjack

Most applications in the US specifically ask that question. Your idea seems like a good workaround.

That school was the entire two years. South/Central America sounds good to me; the location is interesting and low pay would be fine in exchange for experience and lower expectations. Nothing about my CV would stand out from the pack unless the HR person had connections to my school ("public ivy" basically just means a really big school with good academics that most people know of, if only for the sports teams), and 2 years really isn't a lot of experience anyway. I actually thought the 24k figure would be on the low end based on the way TEFL teachers go on about international teaching as if it's a guaranteed goldmine for anyone with a certification and some experience :D Really wouldn't mind saving no money at all if the location and work environment were great, though.
expatscot
Posts: 307
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by expatscot »

@onebridge - that sounds like a pretty horrible post! However, not all of the ME is like that (it's why I suggested UAE and Egypt, both of which are relatively liberal.) Certainly I can think of schools in Cairo which would fit your view of being both less intense and with a decent nightlife culture nearby to go to. It's also worth pointing out that some schools in places like Myanmar and even China can be as equally hard going as the one you've just left.

On the "resigned in lieu of non-renewal" - you've come to the end of your two year contract and decided to leave. Nothing different from 100s of ITs worldwide - I did last year. If you're head would be prepared to answer the question "would you rehire this candidate" positively, then you've nothing to worry about.

South America might be a good option - it's never really appealed to me so I don't know too much about it. One good possibility about dropping your sights might be that you are able to get a promoted post very quickly - if you end up applying later for a better school, even if only as a classroom teacher, that will still be there and might make you stick out a bit more.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

I would consider adding China to your list. If you can get your mind and body wrapped around the pollution for a couple of years then I would think that your goals would be much more manageable then the locations are set on. The larger cities in China (Beijing and Shanghai in particular) have such a concentration of schools (fair to great) that pay well (again, fair to great) and hire a lot of people, that you could have a decent chance of finding the kind of situation you are looking for.

And, other then the pollution they are far from hardship posts. We did a few years in Beijing and had a great life (easy access to amazing cultural sights, many good restaurants, relatively cheap alcohol) and saved some good coin.

Just something to consider.
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by shadowjack »

You are getting some good advice here. China is floating the international teaching boat right now and there are many jobs - just really do your research and avoid the worst cases.

As to TEFL being a gold mine...LOL. Most int'l teachers who work their way up receive far better benefits, working conditions and holidays than teaching TEFL. There are some TEFL jobs that are really solid - but these days they are the exception rather than the rule.
expatscot
Posts: 307
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:26 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by expatscot »

wrldtrvlr123 wrote:
> I would consider adding China to your list. If you can get your mind and
> body wrapped around the pollution for a couple of years then I would think
> that your goals would be much more manageable then the locations are set
> on. The larger cities in China (Beijing and Shanghai in particular) have
> such a concentration of schools (fair to great) that pay well (again, fair
> to great) and hire a lot of people, that you could have a decent chance of
> finding the kind of situation you are looking for.
>
> And, other then the pollution they are far from hardship posts. We did a
> few years in Beijing and had a great life (easy access to amazing cultural
> sights, many good restaurants, relatively cheap alcohol) and saved some
> good coin.
>
> Just something to consider.

Dead right! We just moved to Beijing this summer and are really enjoying it. Pollution is a bit of a pain, but it's not there all the time and other than a handful of days (like today) it's bearable.
Natapop
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2015 10:59 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by Natapop »

If you're not concerned about savings, don't forget about Western Europe! With only three years teaching experience, I was hired at a lower Tier 2 school - that would be my guess, but it's a great place to work - in a capital city (known for relatively low cost of living), was sent on PD for IB (had no prior experience), and the pay is not bad! I make enough to travel during our frequent holidays as well as save (6000€/year), and I'm not living frugally in my day-to-day life. Honestly, the quality of life is incredible here. It's a great place to get some IT experience - but it will be hard to move on from. A lot of people end up staying. Something to consider!
rudolph
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2014 8:50 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by rudolph »

Research on some of the locales in the Middle East might preclude one from ruling it all out. Yes, Saudi Arabia is restrictive; however, Dubai is anything but. Furthermore, it's one of the fastest growing markets in international schools - along with China, of course, so young teachers have a better chance of getting hired there.
Most solid schools build IB training into their budget, so new teachers sign on, get all paid IB training plus a few years experience while saving decent amounts of money and having a pretty nice life style - with clean air (other than the sandstorms) and lovely, year round beaches. And yes, there are plenty of establishments that serve drinks - many right on those nice beaches.
OneBridge
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by OneBridge »

I appreciate the advice on China and the Middle East, but I think I'll save those spots for later in life when I'm married and saving up to retire. I've had a lot of exposure to upper-class college students from those areas, and the culture just doesn't appeal to me at all. (I also don't want to get mesothelioma or something from breathing the air and drinking the water in China.)

I'm thinking that if I go abroad next year, it'll probably be a 3rd tier school in South America. If I stay home, I can probably get hired easily as an ESL teacher in a public school...two years ago, I had instant offers from DC/DC Metro area pretty much as soon as I handed them my resume at job fairs and they saw "ESL" (ESL is a revolving door in urban schools). I don't think I'd enjoy that experience very much, especially if it didn't get me any closer to a Social Studies job. Would a few years as a SS teacher at a bottom-of-the-barrel 3rd tier school be worth more in terms of moving to a better school, or do good schools kind of look down on experience in lower-tier schools? I don't mind spending some time there and just enjoying life, but sooner or later I'll need to make money.
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by shadowjack »

Schools expect you to keep moving up over the years. I would do 2-3 years at a tier 3, then look to move to a tier 2 for 4 -5 years, if it is good, or 2-3 years if it isn't great and then apply to tier 1 and 2. You never know what might happen. The worst thing is to stay at the tier 3 level for a long period of time - the question then becomes what is it about you that prevented you from moving up and why should a school hire you.
Lastname_Z
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 12:17 pm

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by Lastname_Z »

shadowjack wrote:
> Schools expect you to keep moving up over the years. I would do 2-3 years
> at a tier 3, then look to move to a tier 2 for 4 -5 years, if it is good,
> or 2-3 years if it isn't great and then apply to tier 1 and 2. You never
> know what might happen. The worst thing is to stay at the tier 3 level for
> a long period of time - the question then becomes what is it about you that
> prevented you from moving up and why should a school hire you.

On that note, what's considered too long in Tier 3. I've been in it for about 4 years (partially due to lack of researching my options/being content for now). Does being in Tier 3 for 4-5 years make one damaged goods? I'd be hoping to move on to a better tier at some point.
mamava
Posts: 320
Joined: Sat May 11, 2013 7:56 am

Re: Where Should I Aim?

Post by mamava »

I think the longer a person stays at a low-tier school, the greater the risk that they've missed out on developing skills and gaining experience in areas that the upper-level schools want. The higher level schools expect/want a level of competence and experience in the areas they are focusing on or have implemented. I think you have the chance of falling behind if you stay too long in a school that isn't itself moving forward and challenging itself. Most interviews that I have had have asked specific questions about my experience with different areas and how I've implemented them.
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