The International Schools Review Forum

Deleted.

Abby
I am a Canadian teacher and in a very similar situation - 20 years teaching experience (elementary/middle) art and trying to break into the international teaching arena. I have sent 25 resumes everywhere except Middle East and heard very little back. Like you I am ready to make the move and growing anxious. I plan to go the Queens job fair and then Cambridge. My hope is that it is still early and more experienced international candidates are being offered first. I think my resume etc is pretty good, but I am also over 50 and wondering if this is an issue. It has been a steep learning curve figuring this all out but better to have tried and lost...Good luck!

How often? It happens, but rarely, and I can't think of any case I personally know where a good team didn't have something by June. Even mediocre teams are usually sorted by then. The more common thing is a delay, where a team wants positions in Feb, but have to keep riding the roller coaster of applications and interviews for far longer.
From your description, you're a pretty good team. Not having Masters is not a big deal. The only snag I see is the lack of overseas experience, but your childhood experience makes up for some of that, and there are plenty of teachers with less international experience who are successful each year.
Out of interest, why not China or the ME? These are two places with oodles of jobs, and tons of international teachers are quite happy there. Having these no-go areas can give the appearance of being close-minded, which could speak against an application even to a different locale, since flexibility and open-mindedness are key attributes on the international circuit.

Deleted. :/

Deleted. Best wishes!

I doubt you're screwed, yet I'm still going to encourage you to be more open to different locations.
Your reasoning on China is more sound to me than your reasoning on the ME. Everyone has certain non-negotiables, and maybe you should clarify what those are rather than rule out whole countries. Eg., I need a place which has good air/land/water/food quality for my family, rather than China's out. China's big, and parts of it might well fit your needs.
As for the ME, your reasoning on that might look something like "I need a place which has a good rate of personal safety for me and my family." In which case, most of the ME is back in - extremely low crime rates of all kinds, including muggings, beatings, robberies, murders, etc. You can let your kids roam free in the local park, mall or restaurant, and be far more confident in their safety than you can back home in the US. Venezuela would be right off your list, but Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi would all be options.
The recent tragic murder of a Western teacher was met by shock, outrage and horror by both the local and expat populations. It was completely unexpected, entirely not normal, and thoroughly awful. As one expression of complete disagreement with the act, the government immediately promised to pay all education fees for the children, through university. It hardly makes the act ok, but it does show the level of non-support. Westeners generally feel very welcome and safe in the ME, particularly in the countries listed.
Try exploring a bit about specific cities and countries and see what you find. There are lots of blogs etc which give expat views and can help you gauge what life would be like. You might find some options which you'd never expected. The world is huge and there are a lot of amazing places out there. Every city has a large number of people living there, and they can't all be wrong!

MizMorton,

You "have friends who have travelled the world."

I am sure they have. However, travelling the world is extremely different than living in a foreign country and working there. After spending many years in Saudi Arabia (a place Mrs. Shadowjack said she would "NEVER" work in, but whose job took us there!), I can tell you the reality is very different than anything you hear about.

That said, there are ME countries I would avoid at this time. Egypt and Libya, for me, would be no goes. Syria, of course. Kurdistan, naturally. But Kuwait (for a starting job only - I have been back to visit, but wouldn't necessarily want to work there again), Qatar, the Emirates, Oman, Saudi, and Lebanon are all places I would look at working.

I have friends in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the Shenzhen area and Hong Kong. Beijing, I think, is too extreme for us, but the Shanghai, Shouzou, Hong Kong area would be fine.

Being a viable candidiate and landing a job might, in the end, force you to throw away your prejudices and preconceptions or go home empty handed.

My advice would be to focus on schools and good fits. I can assure you, if you have kids, that they would LOVE attending the top 3 or 4 schools in Saudi! As far as your preconceptions about that particular country go, I can assure you that you can't even imagine the truth :-)

Just my two halalas,

shad

shadowjack wrote:
> MizMorton,
>
> You "have friends who have travelled the world."
>
I know, that sounds privileged and flaky, but 90% of them actually did live in these places.

You're right, Sid & Jack, and thank you for your input. I will have another look at the countries you suggested. :)

Is it true that being a teaching couple is an advantage?

Generally speaking, yes.
Schools tend to like getting two teachers while providing only one house. There are also beliefs about stability and such which some heads hold.
But it's not the ultimate trump card. A school needs to have spaces which suit you both. You both need to be good or excellent teachers. Best if you have a limited number of children, or none.

MizMoron,

Given your adversity to the ME and China, you are going to have a smaller pool of schools as Sid indicated. It sounds like Southeast Asia, Europe and Central/South America are the only places you are considering. Europe and Southeast Asia tends to be very competitive from a teacher standpoint and those schools receive many applications. Central/South America could be a good fit for you. The salary/benefit packages tend to be less, but the cost of living tends to be lower as well.

One other thing that may impact you is most international schools are looking for science specialists specifically Chemistry, Biology and Physics who have taught at the AP and/or IB level. You noted you have a general science/earth science background. If you have experience with the three specialties I listed, make sure you play them up. If not, you may want to pursue middle school positions more.

Good luck. Overseas teaching gives you a lifestyle you cannot experience in the states and will be wonderful experience for your girls.

Thank you Nomads. :)
PS... it's MorTon.

MizMorton,

My apologies for the typo. Going too fast on the iPad.

Gosh, I know how you feel...
I'm trying to break into the IS teaching arena and it's tough! I have a credential but I have no IB/PYP experience...and also, no homeroom teaching experience either (I flew straight to Korea four years ago, with my credential, to teach ESL).

I sent about 40 applications out and no one has really shown any interest :( However, a school in Nagoya seems to be interested in me. It's an internship but I guess it's something! :)

Is that Nagoya International School? If it is - then it's a reasonable school which should give you a start in teaching IB.

One mistake that some teachers make is choosing schools where everyone wants to work. My first job was at a school in Taiwan that I and most of the international teaching community have never heard of - but I was rather clueless about different schools on the international circuit. With all of it's problems - the school did give me a start in international teaching which I am thankful for.

Remember that it takes time to get to know which schools are reasonable - and then it's really horses for coarses (meaning a good school does not always fit each teacher). It has taken me around 5 years to get to know people who are now in different continents who know about different schools or have a friend that works there.