Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

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JasperTheCat
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2020 7:47 pm

Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

Post by JasperTheCat »

Which one has a better job prospect, Physics or Middle School Science? How about Computer Science? Ranking of most demand teaching subjects?
fine dude
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
Location: SE Asia

Re: Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

Post by fine dude »

Computer Science
Physics
Mathematics
Economics

Finding a full-time job at top-tier schools in any subject (particularly in SE Asia) expects you to be at the top of the game, which means knowing your content like the back of your hand and you can handle teaching and advising large cohorts of HS students with ease. You might also be asked to teach a second and rarely, third subject at short notice.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

In order starting at the top, and most difficult:

1) Expat School Nurses: Most ISs just hire local, nurses make very good coin in the profession and those in DE are pursuing retirements/pensions, finding one that is dual licensed or able to get dual license, is usually just a stroke of good fortune. Add the requisite language skills and its basically a unicorn.
2) Bilingual Expat Professional Staff: This includes Program officers, such as admissions, finance, marketing, and communications. Most ISs just have to hire locally. This also includes expat ITs in multi language such as literature and language and primary, EC ITs that can do bilingual and immersion (depending on the language and location).
3) Expat Specialized Performing and Fine Arts: At the top of the list in this category are fields like Equestrian Science and Riding. It took one IS in Japan 3 years to hire an IT for their program. These also include specialized ITs I have seen in the past for subjects such as glass blowing, Japanese dance, flower arranging, stained glass, lacquer painting, most of these though are hired on a PTE basis, and often on LH contracts.
4) Health Education Technology: These credentials are difficult to obtain often requiring a nursing license, or other such professional license.
5) Expat Aboriginal or Tribal Foreign Language: These are uncommon languages that professional educator credentials can only be obtained by a small number regulatory authorities, and are taught in only a small number of Uni. This also includes expat ITs in dual language such as literature and language and primary, EC ITs that can do bilingual and immersion (depending on the language and location).
6) Expat Specialized Vocational Education: Fields such as hospitality and tourism management are very hard to identify ITs with actual professional and teaching experience. Many ISs just have to settle for a business studies IT
7) Expat Specialized Industrial Arts: Courses like textiles and metal craft, etc. These courses are difficult to identify ITs with actual professional and teaching experience.
8) Expat Specialized Design Technology/ICT: Courses like A/V and broadcast production are difficult to identify ITs with both the classical training (theater) and the technology skills that can produce things like a television show.
9) Field Science: Its a lot easier to find a classroom physics and chemistry IT then it is an IT who can do full time field science. Most ISs just hire a Biology or ESS IT from the classroom to the field. An IT really has to have a passion and dedication to maintain a living lab 365/24/7 in addition to actual experience organizing and managing such a program. Add specialized environments such as underwater, etc and this type of position can be very difficult to fill.
10) Upper Secondary Maths: Calculus, it really comes down to finding an IT who is comfortable with not only the skill but able to transfer knowledge.

Below is the rest of the list containing the more conventional subjects. I weighted them for both demand and supply to reach a 'difficulty' ranking, with the understanding that these subjects tend to move in cycles. Starting at the top and most difficult:

ICT-CSI/Programming
Maths
*Counselor-University
Physics
ICT-DT
Chemistry
ICT
**Special Education-Specialist
Foreign Language/Trilingual
Literature-Foreign
Dance
PHE-Sports/Coaching
Foreign Language/Bilingual
Economics
ENS-Earth Science
PHE-Sports/Aquatics
Geography
Biology
Music
Art
ENS
***Librarian
Literature-Journalism/Speech
Theater
Global Perspectives
Literature
Psychology-Sociology
History
General Science
Business Studies
Psychology
Social Studies
Family Consumer Science/Home Economics
PHE
Elementary/Primary
Special Education-Generalist
Literature-Reading
***Counselor
ESOL
**** Early Childhood
Political Science
Civics/Government
G&T

Notes:
* This assumes a University Counselor who actually knows their stuff and has the connections for all five of the US/UK/EU/CAN/AUS systems. If its just a counselor who can put together recs and knows the system they came from than see counselor below.
** This is for a specialist in SPED/SEN/LD who can wear all the hats, and can work the entire spectrum. If its just a SPED/SEN/LD IT who can do paperwork and some tutoring than see the generalist classification below.
*** I put these so low because they really belong on the Junior Leadership scale. ISs dont really need counselors its just another student management position to inflate the leadership hierarchy. Its for when the AP/VP/DP doesnt want to do the PTA or parents coffee mixer, and senior leadership wants a buffer between them and the faculty and everyone else. Librarian is a curious position because students dont really need libraries anymore, its one thing if the librarian is actually providing instruction in reading or research or technical/academic writing but if they are just watching a room with some meeting areas and some stacks of YA fiction and magazines, you dont need much of a librarian.
**** Anyone can do this who is an adult, provided the job is nothing more than babysitting and child care.
I had mixed feelings for music, I could of broken it out into music-instrumental and music-choral but there would have been a lot of curriculum specific weightings, and ultimately I just left in generalized
secondplace
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2016 12:40 pm

Re: Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

Post by secondplace »

I'll bite on these two:

Counselor - *** I put these so low because they really belong on the Junior Leadership scale. ISs dont really need counselors its just another student management position to inflate the leadership hierarchy. Its for when the AP/VP/DP doesnt want to do the PTA or parents coffee mixer, and senior leadership wants a buffer between them and the faculty and everyone else.

Just wrong. The students in international schools are very much in need of someone in the counselor position. What this has to do with PTA or coffee mixers is a mystery to me. One of is confused as to what Counselors actually do.

Early childhood - **** Anyone can do this who is an adult, provided the job is nothing more than babysitting and child care.

Wrong and insulting. Early childhood, done properly, is so much more than this. This is offensive.
Rutabaga
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:52 am

Re: Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

Post by Rutabaga »

From my experience as a physics teacher who has also taught MS science, I have found that physics teachers tend to be harder to hire because there aren't as many of us. That being said, there typically will be more middle school science rather than physics positions available in a given year simply because more people teach middle school science. Physics positions are also rarely only physics - you could very well end up teaching some middle school science, depending on the size of the school.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

There isnt nearly the demand for lower secondary integrated sciences, lot of biology DTs and ITs out there who cant do much else.
EyEyEy
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2020 10:32 pm

Re: Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

Post by EyEyEy »

The last few years we had most trouble finding good HL Math teachers and a good Computer Science teacher.
Also surprisingly few Economics teachers apply but almost no bad apples in that batch from what I have heard.
Illiane_Blues

Re: Physics or Middle School Science? Ranking?

Post by Illiane_Blues »

Yes, Computer Science and HL Maths at my school. If you have experience teaching both plus IB experience than you will have an easy time recruiting.
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