Thank you everyone for your responses. I'll definitely apply and see what I can get!

Wow, that's good to hear. I'll definitely apply to see what interviews I can get. I know some of the countries that I am interested in are a little harder to get into. Hopefully, I can present myself in a way that shows I can handle the demands of being a teacher without the two years of certified experience.

Will schools just throw your application in the trash if they do not see two years on your application? Is it a visa requirement in most countries?

I suppose that I am asking because I will have one year experience of a certified teacher in an elementary classroom (May 2015), one year as an ESL teacher in S. Korea, and 2 years of assistant teacher.

During this year of teaching as a certified teacher, my co-workers have commented multiple times how I seem to have my head together and things under control. I suppose it's because for the last 3 years, I have either lead my own classroom or smaller groups of students under my direction. Lesson planning comes with ease for me as well as classroom management.

I really want to apply to some schools starting for next fall, but I wonder if I even should. I know some people are able to start in international schools without experience, but generally start out in Egypt or China in unfavorable conditions. The countries/areas of interest for me are Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, The Caribbean or Central/South America.

With my experience, could I apply to schools that say they want 2 years of certified experience and still have a chance at being hired?

BA English
Single with no dependents

Thank you marieh,

I'll do just that!

I just signed up for TIE and am a little confused as to how I should go about applying for positions. Is it better to sign up for the extra instant job notification to have the option to let the schools know I am interested so that they could see my resume, or should I forgo that and just apply to the schools directly from their website?

Wow thanks for all of the advice everyone!

I'll look into those schools pgrass.

dexts, I'll take those steps. When you say "contact the school," do you mean call them up or send an email expressing my interest in the position? It's nice to know that there is hope for me.

Sid, thanks for that information and encouragement. Unfortunately, due to family circumstances, I have been constantly relocating, thus changing jobs. I'd like to stay put for two years at an international school. If not Japan, somewhere else, but I definitely would like to be abroad by fall.

There is a master teacher and lead teacher in the classroom that I'm co-teaching in. I'm the lead teacher, so I'm not sure if that is "equal ground" but we plan together and I am responsible for many of the students, so I'm not sure if that counts then...bummer.

I can't tell you how credible this is because I didn't write it. I just found it by using the search method. Maybe others can chip in to clarify.







Here's Psyguy's definition of the tier system:

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There is no objective definition of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3, and as such there is no "master list" of who is in which list, and to that end even if there was no one would agree on it. Youd have some consensus with schools like WAB (Beijing), and ISB (Bangkok), but there would still be a lot of disagreement. Though if your on the international school circuit long enough you get a feel for which schools are at which tier. School quality also has a lot to do with where you are a tier 2 school in Hong Kong, might be a tier 1 school in mainland China...

There is no "definition" of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. Its all subjective, in general when teachers describe a tier 1, etc school from one another it comes down to

1) Compensation package
2) Work environment.

Historically the compensation package is the priority, not because of greed or anything, but because its easy to quantify. If your in Brazil, $30K is better then $28K. Schools that pay more for a given region tend to have more stable finances (a sign of longevity, given enrollment, and reputation), and have larger endowments, meaning they have been around long enough to develop efficiency and have well planed capitol projects. Better schools can charge more in fees, and be more selective in their admissions. This creates more "cash" on hand for salaries and benefits.

COMPENSATION:

Typically includes (in this order of importance/priority:

1) Salary (based on number of contract or teaching hours per week)
2) Housing (including utility costs)
3) Tuition (If you have kids. In addition if you have a non teaching spouse, how easy is it for them to find a job)
4) Transportation (Including Airfare, moving, and settling in allowances).
5) Insurance (Mostly how good the medical is)
6) Retirement (Including end of year bonuses).

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Working conditions is the far more subjective of the two. It means something slightly different to everyone. But can include as a general principal (and these get more "fuzzy" the lower I go):

1) Staff/Faculty/Parents:How qualified are your co teachers? Do they know what they are doing? Do the aids, secretaries try and help you? Is the PTA crazy helicopter parents? Are the parents really the ones running the school?

2) Admins Management Style: Biggest reason for a school to go down hill. Does the admin back the teachers? Are they just a spokesperson for the owners? Do they yield to parent pressure? Do they value faculty input? Do they care?

3) Organization: Does the front/back office run efficiently? Do you get reimbursed in a timely fashion? Are salaries paid on time? Is the school relationship with the local immigration bureau good, can they process visas, permits, etc quickly?

4) Resources: Do you have a projector? Access to computers, internet? Can you make copies when you need too. What about textbooks, are they old and out dated, do teachers even use them? Whats the library look like? Whats the cafeteria look like (do they feed the teacher lunch?) Do you have a classroom/department budget, or do you have to ask for everything?

5) Academics: Do they have a curriculum? Do they use the curriculum? Does the department share a common curriculum or does everybody teach what they know and prefer? What are the assessment/grading policies and procedures?

6) Community: Are the people nice, friendly, helpful? What's there too do in the area? Is it safe? Clean? Is transportation easily accessible? Availability of shopping/groceries? Medical Care? This could be a long one....

JOB SEARCH:

1st tier schools are typically non-profit private prepatory schools that focus on an international student body. They are very westernized, and would be very similar to a private school in western cultures.

2nd tier schools are private private non-profits that act like for profits. They are predominately domestic students, who are affluent. They are equivalent to a "good" public school in a western culture.

3rd tier schools are for profit schools that are run as business. The purpose is to make generate revenue, and provide the owner with some level of prestige and status. Education is just the product, the students parents just the consumers.

Most 3rd tier schools advertise on TIE Online, Joy Jobs, and with SEARCH. You can also find them on Daves ESL Cafe (They advertise everywhere, except the "selective" recruitment agencies, such as ISS)

Tier 3 schools either pay very well because the only reason someone would work there is the money, or they pay enough to get by. Most of these schools are in the middle east or africa. There are some very "beautiful" schools that Dante could use to deepen the levels of hell a bit, and the only reason they have faculty is because 1) The money, 2) Desperate teachers who cant do any better. Of course one issue that i see common with Tier 3 schools is related to "safety" either the regional culture is very very rigid, with serious consequences for what you might consider "minor rule infractions" or the region/area could become quickly hostile and dangerous...

Your typical "ESL School" is right around the border between tier 3 and tier 2 schools.

"Elite" (also called prestige or premier) schools are a subset of tier 1 schools, that represent the top school(s) in the region.

An "elite" or "premiere" international school is simply the top (or contested top) tier one school in a region (or city). What differentiates them is they usually have the best reputation in an area as "THE" school, and you see that in a compensation package that is substantially higher then the other tier one schools in the area, as well as in their staff support, resources, and facilities.

For example; ISB (Bangkok) is typically seen as the elite school in Bangkok. ISB (Beijing) is usually tied with WAB (Western Academy of Beijing) in Beijing/China. SAS (Singapore American School) is seen as the elite school in Singapore. ASP (Paris) is the elite school is France. IS Frankfurt is usually (lot of debate on this) considered the Elite school in Germany. ASIJ is well thought of as the elite school in Japan.

Tier status is only comparable to other schools within a region. Local economies, costs of living, cultural differences make global comparisons unhelpful. For example; most european schools dont provide housing, and taxes are high so even though salaries would rival many that you would find in a place like China, the savings potential and lifestyle you can live are very different (and often better in asia).

Elite (also called premier) doesnt equal easy. Elite schools typically expect a lot from their teachers. Some teachers thrive in that environment, some dont.
Why a separate category? well there is typically a substantial and significant increase in work and compensation between the "elite" school and the other tier one schools.

I guess thats 4 levels. is there a lower level, some people throw tier 4, and lower levels around, but i have to think that is really just an individual adding insult to injury when they call a particular school a "tier 4" school.

Qualifications:

BA - English
Certified Elementary K-5

Teaching Experience

ESL - South Korea - 1 year
PYP Elementary (Student Teaching) - .5 year
Assistant Teacher - In a PYP school - .5 year
Co-Teacher - .5 year by May 2014
Random subbing and also worked in an after school program for a year.

My dream country is Japan. I know it's fierce competition. How do people get their foot in? Is it really difficult to even get into the tier 3 schools in Japan?

Has anyone ever heard of newly certified teachers finding a position in Japan? (Not as an intern). If so, what did they/you do to secure that position?

I've been researching international teaching for a while now so I'm pretty familiar with how things work. I just want to know if there is even a glimmer of hope for me to find a position in Japan fall 2014. If not, I am open to working everywhere except for the ME and Africa.

Thank you!

Marieh,

It will declare you inelligible if you don't have the credits right now, but once you finish the TeacherReady program and complete the subject area tests you are interested in, you will be elligible to teach it. I asked Dr. Miller this exact question back in Feb. when I signed up for the program and that is what she told me.

I'll be finished with the program in a few months. With Florida certification, you only have to pass a test in the subject area you plan on teaching to teach that subject. That's not just a rule with Florida, but many states have that option. I'm currently working as a Teachers aide in an IB school. A teacher is retireing mid year from a 1st grade classroom and it has already been said several times by other teachers and hinted at by the principal that I could possibly take on her position. It's a great alternative option for people, fast to finish, and easily done online.

PsyGuy,

Thank you for taking out the time to write that very detailed response! It was exactly what I was looking for in terms of how to spin my limited credentials. Now I know my new plan of action.

I believe half of my job description will be somewhat secretarial and the other is tutoring/teaching the students. I'm also to be in charge of the In School Suspension classroom, and would essentially be helping the students with their work in there as well. My principal said I'll be doing something different everyday so who knows what that means. Anyway, thank you so much again!! I really appreciate your time!

Thank you Mr.C4ke!

That really helps give me an idea of how my experience would compete with others.

Thank you PsyGuy!

That helps a ton! I've been on this forum for a while and people have always mentioned that any amount of IB training does not weigh the same as IB experience and getting it is not really worth it. I suppose in my case, that's different. So OCC is free IB training? Can I get that online? I'll definitely invest in some training then to help my resume.

I actually wasn't planning on being in this position long. My salary is essentially half of what I was making in Korea. Although I suppose better for my résumé, it's very bad for my bank account. She said I'd get a raise after I complete my certification, but it's still not a teacher's salary which right now is significantly higher than what I signed on for. Do you think staying in this IB "aid" position for the full school year would be better than say only for a semester and possibly being hired as a teacher at a non-IB school in the spring? I suppose like you mentioned would depend on how I spin the experience on my résumé and I suppose the recomendation letter from my principal.

Thanks!!

Is there anyone who has anymore feedback on my original questions about IB experience? Such as is the experience I'll gain worth anything or how I could use my aid position and student teaching experience at the IB school to my advantage?

Marieh,

I would definitely vouch for the updated CliffNotes study guides for both the Professional and General Knowledge! You will pass first try if you study those guides! The layout makes it very easy to understand. There are "check points" (3-4 questions) throughout the whole book that test you on the information recently learned with the answers immediately following. There's also mini practice tests (15 questions) throughout the whole book and full practice tests at the end. I bought kindle versions from amazon and went into the testing center feeling very confident after studying 2-3 weeks for each. You can also look at the reviews others have posted on Amazon.

I did buy another study guide for the English 6-12 because there was no cliffnote version and I have to say I was very disappointed. I believe it was the REA and all the information was given all at once. No check points or mini practice tests. Very hard to follow and understand. Needless to say, I opted to not take the test at the moment, because I did not feel confident in passing that exam.

Hope this helps!

Tyshine,

I'm not in Korea anymore. Now I live in Texas and will start working at an IB school this fall. I was doing my student teaching or (field experiences) in the Korean public school that I worked at. It's ok to do that as long as the teacher you are working under is certified. My Korean co-teacher was a certified teacher through a Korean certification program. The field experiences in the beginning of the TeacherReady program consists of mostly observation anyway which can be done in virtually any classroom.

oldmanchan,

Yes, I suppose that is another option. I'd really like to be abroad by fall 2014 though. The only reason I came home was because I had to take my Florida state tests in America. Since I'm getting certified in so many areas I knew I had to be here for a few months and get a job. If possible, I'd be working at an international school in January, but I doubt that would happen.

Also, just FYI for some people curious about having to come home to take the Florida certification tests. They do not have to be taken in Florida. There seems to be an overwhelming idea that that is the case. They can be taken at virtually any Pearson Vue center in America. There are 3 in Texas and 1 or more in almost every other state. They could also be taken abroad on army bases. If you or your husband/wife is in the army, you have access. If you aren't you have to ask permission. Someone would have to sign you on base, and an individual in the army has to watch you take the test the whole time. This is what I was told. No one would watch me at the army base I was near in Korea and my contract was ending soon so I opted to take them in America. I know there was no question about this, but I've read a lot of false information given about this program on this website and just want to clear the air.