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by Kelly Blackwell
It might be tempting to skip over this article, sure you are indeed the
right person for the job, however, there is key information included in this
article which will help determine your employability, your motivation for
beginning this quest and your preferences for what kind of position you'd
like.
Single or married with dependents?
Teaching couples are the most sought after commodity in international
schools because they are the most cost efficient to hire. They are hired
together and require only one living allowance.
Singles would come next, and are especially attractive if they are willing
to share housing. Also, some schools will only hire single people. Towards
the beginning of the new academic year, when schools are becoming desperate
to fill their remaining vacancies, single teachers become even more
attractive because they are usually very mobile, in that they have no
dependents to make arrangements for.
Couples with children would head up the bottom of the list. One or two
children are not an unattractive prospect for most schools, but you might
find that you will not get extra benefits for having more than two children.
Some people I have worked with that have three children have reported that
they have had to pay tuition fees for their third child.
Teaching couples
Teaching couples and teachers with dependent spouses and/ or children
should apply early on in the process when there is more flexibility. If you
are intending to find positions as a teaching couple, you are not likely to
be very successful to attend job fairs towards the end of the season.
It is often the case that one member of a teaching couple will find the
perfect job, whilst the other member may have to make do with an acceptable
or part time post.
Single teachers
Single teachers are able to find positions through to the beginning of
the new academic year because they can fill school's unfilled or unexpected
vacancies easily.
Age (at both ends of the scale)
Age might be an issue in some countries because of visa requirements, but
usually more mature people are attractive to international schools because
they are believed to be stable.
On the other hand, many schools operate a salary scale that makes less
experienced (which frequently means younger) teacher financially attractive
to schools.
If you are used to being on the top of the pay scale, you might want to ask
if the salary step you start on is capped. I have heard that some schools
require all new teachers to the school to start on the same salary step,
regardless of years of experience.
Qualifications and experience
Some sources of information on teaching in international schools state
that you have to have a degree in education, a licence to teach and two
years experience. This is not true at all. You will need some kind of
qualification OR experience, but there are opportunities for almost
everyone.
If you don't have two years experience, then you will need to pay close
attention to the sections on finding a job through job advertisements. You
will probably not be invited to attend a job fair, as two years experience
is one of their selection criteria for candidates. This doesn't mean you are
an unattractive candidate for schools, just that you aren't necessarily
going to get a job through a job fair.
If you have a Bachelors' degree and a TEFL qualification you will be able to
teach in an ESL position in most schools. The nature of your Bachelors'
degree is usually inconsequential; many countries expect this basic level of
education to qualify for a working visa. My first teaching job was in a
private language school in Taiwan when the only qualifications I had were a
Bachelors' degree in business and a TEFL certificate that the ink was still
wet on.
If you have no teaching qualification at all, and no experience in teaching
children, you will need to look at the section titled 'What employment
opportunities are there for my non-teaching partner?', look into getting a
TEFL certificate or one of the many non-government organisations that
sponsor or offer internships in teaching in different countries.
If you do not qualify for your dream job now, do not give up in defeat.
There are many opportunities to increase your qualifications both by going
back to university full- or part-time, or distance learning online. Use this
book to help you discover what qualifications you need to get your dream
job, and go get them.
Your situation does not need to stay stagnant, there are always options to
try. If you absolutely must get overseas now, then you should seriously
consider TEFL as you can get a qualification to teach TEFL in 2-4 weeks full
time study. Again, with TEFL qualifications there are distance and part-time
options available.
Easy-going, flexible and adaptable people
Recruiters are looking for people who will cope well with the move,
living in a new culture and fit in seamlessly to existing staffing
situations.
Here are a few personal qualities that recruiters are looking for in
candidates:
* Good sense of humour * Easy-going * Flexible * Adaptable * A good team
player * Positive outlook * Can do anything attitude * An optimist
Recruiters are only going to employ people who they judge to be able to
thrive in challenging environments and in the midst of culture shock. It's
fine to suffer from culture shock, but you must be able to function in your
job whilst going through the shock of moving countries.
There is a reason that recruiters are looking for these qualities in
applicants. They are needed! It's tough enough learning your way around a
new city in your own home country, now imagine going through that learning
process in a different country where you don't speak the language and can't
read any of the signs.
If this sounds awful to you, rather than an exciting opportunity, then you
probably aren't the right person for a position at an international school.
There are lots of opportunities for you to work in a country more in line
with what you're used to. I started out moving from the NZ education system
to living in the UK and working in the UK education system. Check out the
resources and links I've put on my website about finding a position in NZ or
Australia.
Teaching in NZ and Australia
This is a better option to maybe work your way up to working in a really
foreign environment. Don't try and be what you aren't when applying for
positions with international schools.
Your children's education
If you have children you will need to consider how they will adapt to the
new situation.
If they are going into Year 11 (Grade 10), it is not advisable for them to
enter either the IB MYP or the IGCSE system because both of these programs
finish a program at the end of this year. The IGCSE exam is the culmination
of two years work, and the IB MYP will only offer certificates to students
who have completed two years in the program and studied all 8 subject areas.
Students are able to sit IGCSE exams without being in school for the full
two years, but they will need to complete extra study in order to make up
for missing the first year of the course.
Students who do not complete two years in the MYP program will receive a
Record of Achievement for their final year.
For your older children, the last two years of high school in a British
curriculum school or an IB Diploma school also comprise of a two year
course. You will need to investigate the possibilities for your particular
circumstances once you have identified schools you would like to apply for.
Remember that you can ask questions as a prospective parent before you even
apply for a position.
Understanding your goals
It is important to understand what you are trying to achieve by making
this change in your life. This will help you to focus your job search on
securing the position that will enable you to meet your goals.
Consider whether * you are looking for new challenges personally or
professionally * you are looking to make financial gains or take a pay cut
in order to give something of yourself to developing communities * you want
to develop new relationships * you are looking to fund your move to another
country in order to adopt a child * you want to fund personal or
professional research * you are curious as to what it would be like to live
and work overseas
All of these goals are perfectly valid and you probably consider that more
than one of them applies to you. Or your goals may not be on this list.
Whatever your goals, you must be aware of them and keep them in the back of
your mind throughout the process that follows.
You might have more self development goals in mind, and working in an
international school is a fantastic boost to your self esteem. I know I am
an attractive employment prospect, simply because of the many experiences I
have had and my proven adaptability.
Kelly Blackwell is a successful international teacher currently teaching
in Thailand. This article is based on a chapter of her book
The Complete
Guide to Securing a Job at an International School. Visit the
TeachOverseas
website to sign up for her monthly newsletter.
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