PE teachers?

dragonguy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:09 pm

PE teachers?

Post by dragonguy »

Looking for the next career move for 2016-17. I think an IB school (I don’t have IB experience) at a large, optimally tier 1 school is what I’m gunning for. I’m flexible on location but currently working in Asia and enjoy it. For that social and financial life balance Eastern Europe or a Tier 1 S.A. school would be grand.

So I’ve dug deep into this forum searching for specific PE teachers info.

Here’s some paraphrased quotes from ISR regulars:

“Finding PE teachers is never really an issue for IS’s.”
“Large schools/tier 1 have very little turnover, most PE teachers have nowhere to go after that.”
“Certified PE teachers are only hired at many IS’s, so the school can get accreditation, not because they value PE”
“For the past few years PE has been one of the highest demand subjects in terms of vacancies, admin at my school was really surprised at the lack of quality candidates at both Bangkok and London...lack of experience, applicants and quality.”

For my sake, I hope that last quote is what I find for 2016-17 applicants.

Mr. Dragonguy
41 years old, Single, no dependents
Bachelor’s in Phys. Ed
17 total years teaching (K-12th) mostly Elem PE and MS PE
2 years internationally (2015-16 will be my 2nd)
National Board Certified
Masters in Integrating Tech into the Classroom
Coaching Experience in multiple sports
Elementary Sports Coordinator
Athletic Director (2 years but not sure I want this, at least not now)

I’ve got the experience, a pretty solid CV with good references, still pretty fresh to IT, but I do want to stay in the game for another 20 years. Any advice, thoughts, hunches, expectations, would be appreciated.
I plan on doing the obvious: Currently reactivating my Search account, possibly sign up for Tieonline, Oct/Nov 2015 send my CV to schools of interest. I’m currently working on my invite to Bangkok, I don’t anticipate, that will be a problem.

Thanks for your time! This is a great resource!
fine dude
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: PE teachers?

Post by fine dude »

Here are my picks:
International School of Prague
The Anglo-American School of Sofia
American School of Warsaw
International School of Latvia
Istanbul International Community School

Graded School, Sao Paulo
American School of Brasilia
International School Nido de Aguilas (Chile)
dragonguy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:09 pm

Re: PE teachers?

Post by dragonguy »

Thanks fine dude!

A couple of those schools were on my radar but some were not. Hope the timing of available positions works out. To be continued....
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reponse

Post by PsyGuy »

Do you have any athletic organization coaching qualifications, especially in footsball or Rugby? Not a deal breaker with your resume, but the differnece between an offer and a rejection at top tier ISs can be VERY thin.

The only issue I see is your lack of IB experience and training. You would be well advised to research PSPE, and the IB philosophy so that you can discuss it intellectually during recruitment.

You are more an ISS classed IT than SA, youd get more attention, and its a more intimate fair.
dragonguy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:09 pm

Re: PE teachers?

Post by dragonguy »

Thanks PsyGuy!

I was hoping for a response from you, these are the specifics I was hoping for.

I've been a soccer coach for ages (mostly Youth and Middle School) my assumption is that HS coaches are bigger prizes for IS. No specific athletic organization qualifications. I'll look into it.

I will also research PSPE/IB philosophy and get well versed in the lingo prior to recruitment.

Why is it that ISS is better for me than SA? More attention and a more intimate fair sounds great but just curious as to why SA is better for some and ISS for others?
justlooking
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:02 am

Re: PE teachers?

Post by justlooking »

I can tell you that Graded and ASB in Brazil rarely hire overseas teachers for PE.
cattalus
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 3:48 pm

Re: PE teachers?

Post by cattalus »

PSY,

Do you know of any websites offhand that would allow a person to get information on IB, MYP and PYP teaching lingo and theories for free?
dragonguy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:09 pm

Re: PE teachers?

Post by dragonguy »

Thanks justlooking,

Do you happen to know if Graded and ASB commonly hire PE teachers if they are already in or have had experience working in South America or is it almost all within Brazil?
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Response

Post by PsyGuy »

@cattalus

The IBs OCC is free but you need a member IS to create an account. The best option is to just Google what youre looking for, its hardly secret information and many regional authorities at regulated ISs and DSs are required to make curriculum material available to parents, etc. What you are basically looking for in DIP is: "Subject" Guide and "Subject" Outline (replace subject with the actual subject) and the "Subject" Specimen papers and markschemes. For MYP your looking for the sphere area/field (such as individuals and societies) Guide and for PYP you are looking for the "Subject" Scope and Sequence.

@dragonguy

HS/Upper Secondary PE teachers are not as in demand as all level/whole school PE teachers.

I dont know how American Soccer differs from international footsball in so much as how its played and governed according to FIFA, if they are different youd want to knowledgeable according to international standards.

The most common sports are:
Team:
Male: Footsball, and Rugby
Female: Footsball and LaCrosse
CoEd: Volleyball
Individual: Swimming

Any IS with a pool is going to do something with swimming, especially if they have a year round pool. Volleyball is the wild card its what just about every IS offers during the winter and for ISs without a field. In some ISs its a substitute for womens lacrosse.

SA is the general premium recruiting agency. Essentially each associate is an independent contractor operating underneath a marketing brand, sort of like a franchise. Their fee structure is fixed between $1500-$2500 depending on year and position. So a high caliber IT makes/pays the same as a low caliber IT. High caliber ITs get contracted no matter how much effort a rep puts into them, so they dont get much attention. Why bother with individualized attention when it wont make a difference. If you take a position at your dream IS or your safety IS it will make the same fee for your associate. There isnt an incentive to go out of there way or expend resources on what is going to be a sure thing. SA is like Walmart, or Daiso, or Trust Mart, most everyone (there are exceptions) get the same general and minimal amount of attention. You get access to a jobs database, an invitation (hopefully) and as long as you arent annoying or more trouble than your worth you can expect simple responses from your associate in about a weeks turn around.

ISS is different they are more like the high end boutique, either you arent worth their time and you basically get ignored or youre select clientele that they would put a lot of attention and resources into. Your one of those ITs with a resume that would likely receive significant attention. Assuming you went to them and kept quite on the IB IS focus they would likely think your marketable to a tier 1 BIS or AIS and they would put int he effort and attention to make that happen.

Most ITs that use a premium agency arent Master class ITs. Master class ITs (the rock superstars) get recruited they dont go to recruiting. They know the elite tier ISs and where they want to go, when a vacancy becomes available they contact the HOS, and the deal gets done before the winter holiday and break, at worst they attend the BKK fair and do a pre-night "leadership" interview (or meet and greet), then they take them out for dinner and sometimes the cost of the fair attendance is built into their compensation package.
justlooking
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:02 am

Re: PE teachers?

Post by justlooking »

Dragon Guy, I think both of those schools (Graded and EAB) hire mostly local teachers for their PE and coaching needs. They may each have one or two foreign hires on staff though. I wish I could PM you and tell you about a personal experience but suffice it to say, I think they might like to have foreign hires in PE but budget and expectations limit that option. If you are really interested, post your email and I can give you more particulars.
earthgirl
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 3:21 am

Re: PE teachers?

Post by earthgirl »

Hi Dragonguy,

Google, "Physical and health education guide MYP," and you will find the IB MYP guide to start learning about IB philosophy, etc.

Link to online guide: https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/server2/re ... &chapter=1

One of the recent "Next Chapter" changes to MYP PE is that it is now called MYP PHE to wrap in the health component more completely.

The "Assessment criteria overview" will give you give you an idea of how you will assess students. Year 1 is Grade 6, Year 2 is Grade 7, and so on. You'll design your own summative tasks, but if you enter an established IB school most likely you'll have a horizontal and vertical planner, unit plans and assessments passed down to you to extend upon.

Over the past 7 or 8 years I've taught MYP PHE a few times and it is loads of fun! Lots of interdisciplinary opportunities, especially with science and design.

Best wishes with your next school hunt!
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@dragonguy

PYP (Primary Years Program) has 5 years (PYP 1- PYP 5) plus Early Years (which is any/all program before PYP 1, some ISs depending on how primary education is offered and delivered in the region offer PYP 6 as the last year of PYP. PE in PYP is called 'PSPE' (Personal, Social and Physical Education). One of the primary focuses of IB is on portfolio which is a form of collective project based assessment. The culminating event of portfolio in PYP is "exhibition" which is done in the ISs last year of PYP.

MYP (Middle Years Program) also has 5 years (MYP 1 - MYP 5), as a secondary curriculum its a much less prescribed curriculum than Diploma. Students study 8 subjects with 50 hours of prescribed contact time for each subject per year. A earthgirl described, PE in MYP is referred to as PHE (Physical Health Education). The culminating activity of portfolio is MYP is "project"

DIP (Diploma) is only 2 years (DIP 1 - DIP 2), this is the SLC (School Leaving Certificate) program of IB. There are 3 core components, and 6 subject fields that students take (one of each with the option of Arts). Each area is externally assessed, and a student takes 3-4 of these 6 subjects at Higher Level (HL),which comprises 240 hours of instruction and the remaining 2-3 subjects at Standard Level (SL) which require 150 hours of instruction. Some courses are only available at standard level. These hours are over the 2 years of the course, but many ISs start exam review for DIP 2 students around March. The three Core Components of DIP include the culmination activity of portfolio is "essay", and is essentially an honors paper. The other two components are TOK, Theory of Knowledge, and is typically a pseudo philosophy social science course, though some have made it an "awareness" course. You can spend a lot of time talking about what TOK is and should be, and what it shouldnt be. The third component is CAS, Creativity, Activity, Service which is a three element course that combines creative expression, health related activity and exploration and service within the community.

I reviewed all this because DIP doesnt have a direct delivery PE program. PE is identified in several areas including the activity portion of CAS. The three elements of Creativity, Activity and Service can be "expressed" or demonstrated 3 different way: Singular Experience, Serial Experience and Collaborative Serial Experience. A Singular Activity experience may be participation in athletic sporting event as part of a class. A Serial Activity Experience may include participation in a annual or season of training, practice and competition within a sport activity as part of a schools organized "team". A Serial Collaborative Experience would combine 2 or more of the Creativity, Activity, and Service elements, and example might be coaching a youth sport community team outside the IS combining service and activity.

In addition to CAS a number of subject areas have courses that have strong Physical Education affinity, and include "sports, exercise, and health science" in the science cluster, which is only offered at standard level, and "dance" in the arts cluster which is available at both standard and higher level. None of this prohibits an IS from requiring a formal PE/health course, as part of their curriculum, though the vast majority of them incorporate it into CAS (and why many CAS coordinators come from Physical Education).

Many ISs have materials, but few will offer any resistance if you adapt new program elements.
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: PE teachers?

Post by shadowjack »

If I were you, I would go for an AD position, looking at a tier 2 school. Also get coaching at the HS level. You will make a TON more contacts that mean things at the HS level (it's where you will meet other AD's and start your network) and it will open more doors. Schools do care about MS sports - but HS sports are top dog.

Just my two cents if you really want to get to some very nice schools. Oh, it would also help if you married a counsellor or an admin person or a HS math/science person. Get looking! haha

Hope that helps,

shad
PsyGuy
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Comment

Post by PsyGuy »

Many ISs dont have AD's and the ones that do are typically the elite tier IS as they are the ones with the size and enrollment to support an AD position.
AD is a dream appointment for a PE teacher its a senior leadership position and all the perks with FAR fewer responsibilities, since intra-IS competition is minimal compared to a division 5A HS. Its essentially a full time HOD position with all the benefits of an AP.
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: PE teachers?

Post by shadowjack »

Don't know which schools you are talking about PsyGuy. I have been at very good and elite schools in the region and the AD usually had at least one class to keep their hand in. Other schools, no, but the AD as you said, hit his dream job and had his little empire. Every school I have been at so far has had an AD.

Basically, you are going to consign the guy to the crappy tiers because they don't have ADs? I say go for it - nothing ventured, nothing gained!

just my 2 cents.

shad
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