Teachers,


Greetings. I hope the spring semesters and possible job searches are treating you all well. As my current work gets closer and closer to ending, I'm hoping to get some insight from you all about any of the concerns I have. I'm sorry if I end up asking questions that have already been posted time and again in this forum (That's probably going to happen.)

I'm twenty-eight and have been teaching abroad for a little over five years, since I graduated from university. What started out as a twenty-seven-month volunteer gig with the US Peace Corps in Azerbaijan has resulted in three additional years outside my home country. After completing my Peace Corps service (sorry to any non-Americans unfamiliar with the program), I worked for a bit over two years at English First in Baku, Azerbaijan, and now I'm teaching at a similar language school called Premium English in Kazan, Russia.

Basically, I've done a good job putting off my "inevitable" return to the United States for a few years. I've certainly enjoyed myself and gained some valuable experience teaching ESL. However, these days, I'm seriously considering what I should do in the long-term, and international school teaching has sparked my interest for some time now.

Now, before I delve into whether or not I'm qualified for such teaching (and how to go about getting qualified), I would just like to ask any of you how this commitment to a career abroad has treated you. I can adapt to different places and rather enjoy it. However, I'm also in my late twenties, and things like marriage and family are on my mind, as well. I have trouble conceptualizing what it would be like to raise a family abroad. I have an idea, but I, of course, wouldn't know until I experienced it myself. In addition, being single, I tend to wonder about the prospects of meeting a potential spouse abroad and starting a life together. On the other hand, I believe my perspective on this is a bit skewed since my experience in foreign countries has been limited to four and a half years in a conservative Muslim country with a (It seemed.) somewhat small expat community and just a handful of months in this provincial Russian city I'm not planning to stay in.

Anyway, those issues are connected to personal life, and if anyone could provide some input, that would be great. If not, that's fine, too.

Next, I'm wondering where I stand as a potential candidate for international school jobs. I have a bachelor's (I studied Spanish.), did a few international internships during and just after university (Don't think those will help, though.), and have about five years of English teaching experience. In the Peace Corps, I was a TEFL volunteer working with local public school teachers, and in Baku, and here in Kazan, I've just been teaching ESL to young learners and adults.

Now, I'm well aware that international school teaching is a different ballgame from what I've been doing. Nonetheless, I'm up for it, work well with teenagers (I've taught mainly middle and high school aged students.), and have had positive results thus far. That said, with summer around the corner and my next year wide open, what steps would you all recommend I take? Off the top of my head, I can think of two options, though I'm sure there's no "one way" to do it.

Firstly, I could spend the next year getting qualified. I understand that, though it isn't essential at every school, being a certified teacher in your home country helps. What's a practical way to go about doing this? I'm from Texas. Would I need to travel back there and get certified, or do you all recommend certification programs in other states/countries? I'm sure there are a lot of them. How long would it take? A year? Two years? Less than a year? I'm sure this also varies, depending on what kind of certification a person wants, which brings me to my next question.

With my bachelor's in Spanish, ESL cert, and experience, what could I potentially teach? Would it be possible to get certified in another subject, such as history or math? I'm sure that would be risky, because I might hate teaching other subjects, but, still, I'm curious, since it would be convenient to be able to teach what's in demand. I studied Spanish in university, but I haven't used the language in years, and I've never taught it. Is there some potential there?

My second option would be to try to get a job at a private/international school without a teaching certificate to experience that school atmosphere before I pursue the career further. In Azerbaijan, for example, a friend of mine has been teaching at a private school without a certificate simply because he was at the right place at the right time when they were hiring. I'm aware of the fact that it's not absolutely essential in every case, and, in reality, a certificate is only as good as the teacher who has it.

That said, do you all have any advice on schools that will hire teachers with my background? I know it's almost May, so time is ticking away, but it's not uncommon for schools to hire in spring and summer. I live in Russia, so perhaps there are some schools in Moscow or other cities that will take me. I'm just not sure. Any pointers would be great.

I'll stop here. Sorry to burden you all with this slew of questions. If anything is unclear, let me know. If anyone has insight on any of the things I've mentioned here, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much for reading. Take care, and have a good rest of the week.