Do I have a chance?

Forteach
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:43 pm

Do I have a chance?

Post by Forteach »

Hi all,

I was born and raised in Taiwan, and I have taught in the US public school systems in the past 11 years. I thought I will ask the questions, and introduce a bit more of myself to give you a full picture.

Questions:
1. Do I have a chance to teach at an international school in Taiwan, or Japan, or Asia?
2. Do I have a chance to teach at an international school at all?
3. Based on my experiences, can I compete with the native speakers? or Can I prove that I can perform like them?
4. Does my experiences count as "taught internationally?"

Background:
1.Taiwanese Passport, non-native speaker but close to native level
2.Currently teach High School Math
3.No IB experiences yet
4.BS in Chemistry, MEd Curriculum, and Instruction in Math and Teacher Leadership, working on my second MEd in cultural and linguistic diverse education.
5.Colorado State Professional License, K-6, 7-12 Math and Science, Chinese, Project Lead The Way Computer Science certificate, AMI Montessori adolescent certificate, the University of Colorado Denver Teaching for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Certificate
6.11 years of teaching experiences in the U.S, taught 5-12th grade, math, science, AP Bio, AP Chem
7. District distinguished teacher
8. Extracurricular- Culinary, Guitar, Coached basketball, American football, baseball, floor hockey, and ultimate frisbee, I don't know enough to coach soccer
9. Teacher leader- School-based instructional leader team for 7 years
10. District level leadership advisory council, NGSS/NCTM cohort, district science curriculum selection team, multiple district-level leadership training
11. 100% student perception rate, the only teacher, also a foreign teacher who received this rating
12. Outdoor education expert - worked at Outward Bound and currently work for Wilderness Medical International

I listed all my experiences only because I know that maybe none of them will count, especially in Asia, since I am not a native speaker/I don't look like a foreigner.

Please let me know what you think, honest opinion is much appreciated.

Thank you very much for your time, be safe and be well.
sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by sid »

I’d say you’re in with a good chance. Taiwan might be the hardest. Start applying and see what happens!
Forteach
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:43 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by Forteach »

@sid

Thanks for the feedback. I have the same feeling about Taiwan, although it is my home country, it might be the hardest place for me to get a job. For other Asian countries, I am not a native speaker, but at least I am still a foreign teacher, in Taiwan, I will be neither. Will you say that's the main reason? Thanks so much.
fine dude
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by fine dude »

With a CV like that, you don't need to seek advice here. I'd go ahead and apply to all tier 1 schools in Asia. There is only one decent school on the island. Many international schools are over-rated, not really on par with private schools in the U.S. or U.K.
sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by sid »

Forteach wrote:
> @sid
>
> Thanks for the feedback. I have the same feeling about Taiwan, although it
> is my home country, it might be the hardest place for me to get a job. For
> other Asian countries, I am not a native speaker, but at least I am still a
> foreign teacher, in Taiwan, I will be neither. Will you say that's the main
> reason? Thanks so much.
That’s my take, yes.
sciteach
Posts: 258
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:49 am

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by sciteach »

Ahhh Taiwan - lovely country.

It's true that some schools may not employ you due to your skin color - but to be honest these are mainly schools where you do not want to work. Think schools which cater to a local clientele with the word "International" placed in it's name.

In general - the better schools look for the best teachers they can get and if you have taught at an English First Language school such as what you have for a while then it's not really a hindrance. To be honest - I don't really see your background as a negative apart from visas.

On a side note - have you thought about teaching in Australia? The ACT and Queensland in general look for teachers all of the time (in demand teachers such as math/science) but they do have a different school year (starts at the actual start of the year).

On Japan - note that the better schools are a bit like an old boys/girls club. I've worked with people at a school in Japan who was at the school longer than I had been alive. As such - don't expect too many bites as few people leave the better schools and the lower tier schools pay quite low.
Forteach
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:43 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by Forteach »

sid wrote:
> Forteach wrote:
> > @sid
> >
> > Thanks for the feedback. I have the same feeling about Taiwan, although it
> > is my home country, it might be the hardest place for me to get a job. For
> > other Asian countries, I am not a native speaker, but at least I am still a
> > foreign teacher, in Taiwan, I will be neither. Will you say that's the main
> > reason? Thanks so much.
> That’s my take, yes

@sid

Thank you for the input, maybe going home is a lot harder than I thought.
Forteach
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:43 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by Forteach »

fine dude wrote:
> With a CV like that, you don't need to seek advice here. I'd go ahead and
> apply to all tier 1 schools in Asia. There is only one decent school on the
> island. Many international schools are over-rated, not really on par with
> private schools in the U.S. or U.K.

@fine dude

Thank you for your kind words. I have applied for a position in Japan, the principal replied to me the next day, only asked me if I have taught IB before. They eventually moved on with other candidates because I don't have IB experiences. That's why I was wondering, for international schools, what are the deal breakers? No IB experiences? Not a native speaker? Not a foreign face (In Asia specifically)? or all of the above? I honestly don't know what international schools are looking for. It is a teaching job, but it feels so different than applying for positions here in the states.

I am not sure what tier 1 means, but I will do some research. Maybe I accidentally applied for a position at a tier 1 school that has a higher bar.

Thanks again, I wish the best to you.
Heliotrope
Posts: 1167
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:48 am

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by Heliotrope »

There are two good international schools in Taiwan, both located in Taipei.
One school identifies as American, the other as European. Both pay very well and will allow you to save a lot.
The American one pays the most but its student population is less international than its European counterpart, although even that one still has mostly local students. Taiwanese local students are very pleasant though, so there's not the attitude that you will see at ISs in some other countries with a high percentage of local students.
Because of its (very) high pay the school that identifies as American receives a crazy amount of applications, and the turnover is -not surprisingly- very low.
There's also one decent IS in Kaoshiung.
fine dude
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by fine dude »

@Forteach
IB experience could be a deal breaker, but established and not-for-profit schools, who are often backed by the local U.S. embassy pay well and treat you like a professional. Some of these schools also offer AP curriculum. You could market yourself as a twin-subject teacher on your CV, say math-physics, to gain that extra advantage. Computer science and robotics are two other areas where there is significant demand. If you could convince a school about your versatility in teaching as well as coaching multiple subjects and activities, who knows, there might be a job for you. Since the coming school year is seeing increased competition due to laid off teachers and people wanting to move to specific countries due to poor public health management in their current locations, 2022-23 school year should be more manageable from a recruitment perspective. I'd work on writing a robust cover letter highlighting not just areas of expertise, but professional accomplishments relating to exam results, active membership of the community and voluntary spirit.
Forteach
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:43 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by Forteach »

@Heliotrope

Thanks for the information. I am aware of both schools. My high school was not far from both of them, closer to the American one. It is interesting when I think about this. I didn't know what it's like to be a student there, I didn't know I will become a teacher, and definitely didn't see myself teaching in the public schools in the states, in English, but now I am looking at job opportunities at both schools. Life is full of surprises, right?

I grew up in Taipei, so I am not familiar with the one in Kaoshiung, I will definitely look it up. I am not sure how the schools will see me, a Taiwanese who taught in the US for 10 years, but I will give it a try.

Thanks so much, happy holidays, and happy New Year.

[/quote]Heliotrope wrote:
> There are two good international schools in Taiwan, both located in Taipei.
>
> One school identifies as American, the other as European. Both pay very
> well and will allow you to save a lot.
> The American one pays the most but its student population is less
> international than its European counterpart, although even that one still
> has mostly local students. Taiwanese local students are very pleasant
> though, so there's not the attitude that you will see at ISs in some other
> countries with a high percentage of local students.
> Because of its (very) high pay the school that identifies as American
> receives a crazy amount of applications, and the turnover is -not
> surprisingly- very low.
> There's also one decent IS in Kaoshiung.
Forteach
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:43 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by Forteach »

@fine dude,

Thanks for the advice. As far as IB, there are some schools, not many, around where I live offer IB programs. Some are within my own school district, and some are private schools. I can potentially move to those schools to get IB experiences, but it depends on if there are openings. I do teach both math and science and AP, if not, at least I teach one of them, and support/co-teach the other as a teacher leader/content specialist. I mentioned those in my resume/cover letter, but I will see how I can cultivate them so they are nicer.

I appreciate your thoughts on the international education job market for next year, like I said before, although it's finding a teaching job, applying for jobs internationally feels like entering into a new world since I have no idea what schools are looking for. So far, I have applied to a couple of schools with the word "American" in their names in Asia, not sure what will happen since I am an Asian trying to go back to teach in Asian countries. No matter what, I know I will learn something new from the process.

On a side note, do you think US-trained teachers have a chance in international schools with the UK system?

Thanks again.

fine dude wrote:
> @Forteach
> IB experience could be a deal breaker, but established and not-for-profit
> schools, who are often backed by the local U.S. embassy pay well and treat
> you like a professional. Some of these schools also offer AP curriculum.
> You could market yourself as a twin-subject teacher on your CV, say
> math-physics, to gain that extra advantage. Computer science and robotics
> are two other areas where there is significant demand. If you could
> convince a school about your versatility in teaching as well as coaching
> multiple subjects and activities, who knows, there might be a job for you.
> Since the coming school year is seeing increased competition due to laid
> off teachers and people wanting to move to specific countries due to poor
> public health management in their current locations, 2022-23 school year
> should be more manageable from a recruitment perspective. I'd work on
> writing a robust cover letter highlighting not just areas of expertise, but
> professional accomplishments relating to exam results, active membership of
> the community and voluntary spirit.
fine dude
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by fine dude »

The older UK schools in Asia are pretty conservative in their hiring practices and they prefer someone with experience in their national curriculum. Having said that, there are also schools that offer a mix of Canadian, (I)GCSE and IB. China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam are your best bets. Take a look at these pages.

https://www.fobisia.org/recruitment
https://educationdestinationasia.com/sc ... curriculum

Alternatively, find a lower rung school in East Asia that is willing to train you in the IB approaches to teaching and learning, get the experience, and then, move to a better paying school.
PATeach
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2012 1:10 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by PATeach »

Check out schools in Taichung, as well. There are several WASC accredited schools in the city as well as one IB-authorized school. The IB school in particular has a mix of foreign and local staff teaching in both the MYP and DP.

Maybe also check out Hsinchu? Though the schools I've heard about there seem to be worth avoiding.
buffalofan
Posts: 350
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:08 pm

Re: Do I have a chance?

Post by buffalofan »

I think you are thinking too much. Apply to the top tier schools and you will be fine - with your resume you should be aiming for only top tier schools anyway. It's the bottom feeder schools that can play the "you don't look foreign (western) enough" card. Most of the top tier schools won't play that game.

I disagree about Taiwan, you should look elsewhere in Asia because with a Taiwan passport you are not going to get an expat package in Taiwan and this can make a huge difference in your overall salary & benefits. Mainland China may be out as well for this reason though I'm not totally sure about that.

If you can pass off your "home of record" as the USA you will get a nice flight allowance from east Asia too.

The only real knock against you is lack of IB, unfortunately this will lock you out of some schools at this time.
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