Thank you for the response! Is it possible to chat with you via email? My email is
austin.jen@gmail.com. I’m not very familiar with this forum so I’m not sure if there is a way to message you privately.
Or you can leave me your email and I’ll reach out!
Thank you!
whatkatiedid wrote:
> Hi Javjenatru
>
> I just wanted to give you a few words of warning as someone who is a
> current school counselor and a former SW.
>
> Very few International schools and the teachers that run them have a clue
> regarding how to recruit someone who is not a teacher. They don't
> understand your skillset or background but their hubris leads them to
> believe that they do. Remember that many of them have only ever worked in
> schools and therefore they can't see outside their box very easily.
>
> A specific "School Social Worker" position within an
> international school is rare and I don't hold out much hope for that
> outside the USA. You have to bear in mind that these schools are selective
> and not all of them accept LS kids or kids with serious behavioral
> problems.
>
> Someone else on this thread has already demonstrated that they believe that
> a School Counselor or ("International" School Counselor) is
> somehow "a different skillset" from a Social Worker or in your
> case a School Social Worker. They are wrong, trust me I'm doing the job,
> but that is the fixed belief that you will be up against time and time
> again. It's not helped by the fact that many of these teachers put
> themselves onto a [ well known brand name] training center course which
> they believe "qualifies" them to be a counselor in a couple of
> weeks. It's an echo chamber of bullcrap, delusion and weak practice.
>
> They will probably tell you that you need to be either a former teacher or
> do an "International School Counseling" Certificate/Masters with
> the same name. You will probably find that these qualifications are below
> the level you are used to functioning at in your previous profession and of
> no value therapeutically but nevertheless, they persist in this belief.
>
> Just to give you a flavor of what you're dealing with, I personally know of
> an English accredited counselor who has worked with kids for years who was
> told the other week by an Internatonal school that he didn't have the
> "right skill set" and hence was not even called for an interview!
> The same guy is famous on the circuit for his work with ODD teens but all
> they saw was "no teaching qualification". I have seen them
> overlook countless Social Workers, Probation Officers, and Licenced
> Counselors time and time again on the basis that they don't have a
> certificate in "International School Counseling" or have never
> been a teacher. It's perverse.
>
> My advice to you at this point is to log onto Linkedin and look for a
> Social Worker/UK Probation Officer/former private sector counselor who is
> already in post and reach out to them. A lot of these people are in the
> more established British Curriculum Schools. I got my current job by
> reaching out to someone like that on Linkedin and it was the first time I
> actually felt that the person who interviewed me knew what they were
> talking about and didn't speak in silly buzzwords.
>
> There are also some school directors out there who have lived part of their
> lives outside of teaching so tend to be less myopic but you have to look
> around for them.
>
> As for your husband, his TEFL qualification is only likely to get him into
> a smaller school teaching TEFL only. The money won't be great. He needs
> to go back and get his teacher's license and a few years of (non-TEFL)
> teaching experience in your home country first.
>
> The "three kids" thing also puts you at a massive disadvantage.
> Sorry to be discouraging but even if you do get lucky enough to have
> someone sensible read your CV:-the 3 kids are a financial burden to the
> school. If you are willing to put your kids into the local schools then
> this would no longer be a barrier.