Hi all, posting on this forum as there's not a whole lot of information/personal experiences available online regarding my home country's certification. The folk here seem to be the most informed about international teaching and the best pathways to certification so I'd appreciate any help/advice. Thanks in advance.
Background:
- Male, mid-20s, New Zealand and UK passport (NZ home country)
- BSc in Geography, 1-year Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching due to be completed mid-2021 (both in NZ)
- 1 year experience teaching English in a Hagwon in Korea, 6 months teaching English in China before Covid-19 put that to a halt
I just have a few options I've been researching regarding certification, but not sure about the viability of them and whether or not some of these options will hinder my job prospects.
Option #1:
Stay in NZ after graduating and teach here for 2 years to gain full registration. Here in NZ we get provisional registration once we graduate and then have to complete two years of teaching in an NZ school to gain full registration. While this is the most sensible and safe option, I'd rather move overseas and teach internationally ASAP.
Option #2:
Move to Australia post-graduation and teach there for 1-2 years. Australia recognizes NZ qualifications and also allows NZers to move there freely. Australia also has the same deal as NZ with provisional -> full registration, only in the state I'm looking at moving to (QLD) it only takes 1 year to become fully registered rather than the 2 years in NZ. This option for me seems pretty enticing to me, only problem is I see a lot of schools say you need to be certified in your HOME country which may or may not be an issue down the road.
Option #3:
Find a job internationally in a lower-tiered school from Aug 2021. While I'll be certified in my home country, I will only have provisional registration which would expire after 3 years. This would mean I'd need to find a way to get certified in another country that may have more lenient rules. If I did move overseas next year, I'd look at getting a Masters online or completing a teach-now certificate and see if that opens up pathways for me to gain certification in the US/UK.
A few questions about the aforementioned options:
1. Does having certification from another country really matter? Do schools look down on it or do they just want to make sure you're certified to teach in a country from the anglosphere? (US/UK/AUS/CAN)?
2. If schools are OK with having a certification from another country, what is the easiest way for me to gain full certification? I see a lot of people certified in DC/AZ without ever teaching there, are there any options for a NZ citizen?
3. How much will a lack of 2 years home experience impact my job prospects 5-10 years down the road?
4. I understand humanities subjects are often the most sought after vacancies, is there any way I could transition into teaching math or science to make myself more marketable? I have a strong math background.
Final notes:
I'd strongly prefer to go with option #3 first, followed by option #2 and then option #1. While I am willing to move to a hardship country to gain international experience, I'm not really willing to go back to China. I'd like to move to a Latin American country for my first two years abroad, not sure if that makes things any easier/harder.
Thanks again for any advice/help you may have, much appreciated!
Advice needed for teacher certification/license
Response
In direct reply to your inquires:
No its doesnt really matter, the anglosphere (US/UK/AUS/CAN) gets the main attention but there are ITs with credentials from other parts of the EU as well as Asia, such as JP, HK, and SG working in IE. The stated preference/requirement of US/UK/AUS/CAN is more about being an NES than anything related to professional edu.
Theres been a lot of discussion of this topic for some time. DC is the primary regulating authority that candidates from Teach Now secure their professional edu credential. The program and credential is open to both foreign and domestic applicants. This program would be open to you as well, you can do your field experience anywhere globally with little restriction.
The pathway with the least cost and time would be the MA Provisional (Entry grade) credential. It is an effective lifetime credential that essentially requires two professional exams, which can now be taken remotely as opposed to traveling to a testing center.
Zero, assuming you perform well in the classroom and potentially with externally moderated exams at SLL no one will care.
You could become credentialed in maths or science, you would just need to take the exams. A degree or more coursework in the maths and sciences and successful experience teaching those subjects all make for an increasingly stronger resume.
Option 2 would really be your strongest option, youve spent a lot of time and resources getting registered, seeing it fade away to nothing seems like such a waste. In addition the general consensus requires 2 years post credentialing experience as the bar to entry into IE. Very little in this profession reaches that level of agreement, thats not to say it cant be done or doesnt happen, it does all the time. IE isnt the greatest place for an IT to make their bones there arent a lot of resources or mentoring and IE isnt as forgiving.
The LCSA region tend to be easier to get into as the region in general tends to have low salaries.
No its doesnt really matter, the anglosphere (US/UK/AUS/CAN) gets the main attention but there are ITs with credentials from other parts of the EU as well as Asia, such as JP, HK, and SG working in IE. The stated preference/requirement of US/UK/AUS/CAN is more about being an NES than anything related to professional edu.
Theres been a lot of discussion of this topic for some time. DC is the primary regulating authority that candidates from Teach Now secure their professional edu credential. The program and credential is open to both foreign and domestic applicants. This program would be open to you as well, you can do your field experience anywhere globally with little restriction.
The pathway with the least cost and time would be the MA Provisional (Entry grade) credential. It is an effective lifetime credential that essentially requires two professional exams, which can now be taken remotely as opposed to traveling to a testing center.
Zero, assuming you perform well in the classroom and potentially with externally moderated exams at SLL no one will care.
You could become credentialed in maths or science, you would just need to take the exams. A degree or more coursework in the maths and sciences and successful experience teaching those subjects all make for an increasingly stronger resume.
Option 2 would really be your strongest option, youve spent a lot of time and resources getting registered, seeing it fade away to nothing seems like such a waste. In addition the general consensus requires 2 years post credentialing experience as the bar to entry into IE. Very little in this profession reaches that level of agreement, thats not to say it cant be done or doesnt happen, it does all the time. IE isnt the greatest place for an IT to make their bones there arent a lot of resources or mentoring and IE isnt as forgiving.
The LCSA region tend to be easier to get into as the region in general tends to have low salaries.