Florida and Nevada have teacher licensure programs which gives credit for the university teaching experience making it easily accessible; good route if you are American. 2 semesters full time teaching exempts 2 of the requirements, just click on it and you will see (general knowledge & professional prep) http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/cert_types.asp

Nevada http://teachers.nv.gov/Licenses/Secondary/

Never worked there, have driven by, it's very nice, staff love the school head, generally I've heard very positive things about the school, direction, and working conditions. Perhaps someone else can provide specifics.

Check Lincoln Community School in Accra, have heard good things

For clarification, when I said you don't need a related degree, you just need to pass the content exam, I did not mean that was the only requirement for certification! I simply was stating that you can get certified in an area other than your major if you pass the content exam for that field (plus all the other requirements from your alternative certification program and the state DOE).

chemteacher101 wrote:
> Bad schools in some countries might not have a problem with you not being
> certified. In other countries schools may not care, but due to immigration
> policies they would not be able to provide you with a work visa. Other
> schools will care, a lot, and will not even consider you without being
> licensed.
>
> I do have to say though, that I find all of this very ironic. Schools and
> countries set this requirement thinking that this sets a minimum standard
> when in fact, as it has just been commented, there's a lot of certified
> teachers who have a background in pretty much anything other than
> education, do an online program, study for a test, and just like that, they
> get certified...

I'm not sure of any programs that are as easy as you say. For anyone interested, Teacher Ready is a vigorous online program and requires student teaching and mentoring. There is a strong emphasis on coaching and mentoring by their instructors and your school-based mentor. I have worked in public and private school systems for several years, and have a minor in ed, but none of that matched what I learned from TR. Because of that online program, I prepare outcomes based lesson plans, use data to monitor and track student progress, reflect on my teaching and my student's learning, and all those great things that a great teacher should do. TR is a great program! Additionally the state of FL requires successful completion of an alternative certification program, supervised teaching hours, professional practice exams, general education exam, and content exams as well as a background check to become certified. If you don't know your content area, you can't simply study and pass the content exam as it is an application based exam not theoretical. I am not aware of any state in the USA in which teacher certification is easy.

I went through Teacher Ready and I didn't have a related degree for my certification area...you just have to pass your subject content exam

OK thanks for the info...I saw so many reports last year of teachers sitting at home because the govt decided that the teachers could no longer be on their husband's iqama and needed their own, so I wasn't sure if things had changed or not.

Can someone update me on the CURRENT status of women teachers in KSA? Do women need to come on their individual iqama, or do they come on husbands sponsorship and then transfer to the school sponsorship? Thanks

For those of you who have worked in several countries requiring authentication or apostille of documents (vital records, diplomas, teaching license) how did you do this? Do you have to do this process every time you switch countries? Wondering if I should get several of my docs apostille/authenticated at the Secretary of State and US Dept of State level and hold on to them for future use

Everyone should have an exit plan, not only those going to countries in turmoil. If something comes up how will you leave, where can you shelter, where is your embassy? Make local friends immediately--they may be able to help get you out if necessary. Keep cash on hand at all times. From my Africa experience, know that you should get a huge container and fill with water, pour some bleach in it to keep it fresh, you may need it for baths or drinking water in the case of water shortage. Along those lines, canned foods and meats, prescriptions, etc should be on hand. Expect the best, prepare for worst, and have a great time teaching.

Awesome Khalida, Congrats! This is so inspiring to others! All the best!

Hi All, just wondering for those with non-teaching spouses who receive education subsidies, are education subsidies paid directly to the employee or directly to the school the dependent is enrolled in? For example, if you are a teacher at an international school and your spouse is a bank executive that receives education subsidies, will your spouse receive that subsidy cash in hand, or will it be paid directly to the school? Would especially like to hear about how they are paid in UAE and Saudi Arabia, thanks!

I had a horrible Skype interview--couldn't hear the interviewer, had to call back 3 times, sometimes I couldn't hear anything and just sat there and smiled and said "sorry could you repeat" over and over...

I've never lived there, but you should reflect on what is necessary in your daily life and what is your motivation for going to KSA. Is your glass half full or empty?

Hopefully someone will provide insight on your direct questions.

I would ask for 5 days instead of 3 days for the first school, and I would ask the other school to respond within 3 days instead of one week. That way you have time to review both offers, reflect on it, sleep on it, and make an informed (not rushed) decision. I did something similar and the school thanked me for letting them know and said they would comply with my timeframe.