Hi There!
Where exactly in the world would you like to go?
I think your best bet is to sign up for one of the international job fairs: Search, ISS, AASSA, UNI, etc. You have experience in elementary edu. (self-contained) and middle school social studies/humanities. Your background will be interesting/an asset to some schools, yet others may prefer consistent classroom experience. You never know what they're thinking.
Once you apply to those organizations, your information will be in the database. You may get interviews and offers before the fairs, but you may need to physically show up and sell yourself. Tieonline is another decent option without the need for travel.
You stand as good of a chance as anyone; you never know what schools are specifically looking for.
Check out some of the aforementioned organizations/websites and good luck! :)
Search found 2 matches
- Sat Jun 20, 2015 2:34 pm
- Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
- Topic: Returning to teaching after 5 year hiatus
- Replies: 6
- Views: 9562
- Sun Mar 22, 2015 6:28 am
- Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
- Topic: Moving On: South America
- Replies: 19
- Views: 37287
Re: Moving On: South America
To the OP,
The big, well-known schools in Latin America consist mostly of very rich host country national students with a few foreign students sprinkled in. You say you're looking at the Southern Cone, but I'll break down what I know. I've been living and working in the region for ten years.
Keep in mind that the personality of each school depends on what building level you work in, what you teach, and your perspective and interaction with the host culture. Anyway, here goes...
Uruguay- It's small American school is in Montevideo. From what I've read, it's very community-oriented. Not extremely well-known or talked about compared to other schools in the region. Montevideo is a pretty nice city.
Paraguay- American School of Asuncion- about 600 students, K-12. mostly host country nationals, pay not great but okay compared to other international schools in the city. High turnover. Living in Asuncion leaves a lot to be desired.
Argentina- Lincoln School- had a good reputation some years ago but supposedly now going downhill. Turnover has been low because, well, Buenos Aires is an amazing city.
Chile- Nido- great reputation; no problem hiring teachers; package good for the region; again, mostly, host country students. Santiago is a pretty diverse city, people wise, and turnover at the school is low.
Brazil- Graded School- considered one of the best schools in South America; pay/package very generous and teachers seem to really want to stay here for the long term. Many hate Sao Paulo, but it's a big city with TONS to do and travel outside of the city is easy with so many options.
Colombia- Colegio Nueva Granada, the English School- good reputations, good pay. Bogota is a nice place to live, not all rain and grey skies all the time as is heard but common. Colombia is the new up and coming country for expats. Again, host country nationals, but there are many other international schools (with less pay I should say) that have a more diverse student population.
Bolivia- American School of La Paz. There are also schools in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Honestly, I don't know much about these schools, but I haven't heard positive things.
Venezuela- Campo Alegre in Caracas, I believe, at one point, was THE SCHOOL to work at. Friends there worked there for years and only left recently because of political strife. Some friends are still there and enjoy it. The school is said to be top-notch in every way, but right now in Venezuela, things, unfortunately, are not so great.
Peru- Roosevelt- decent school with decent pay; again, lots of local elite students; Peru is a nice country (although a bit tourist-runover), and teachers seem to enjoy their time here.
Educador- Aw, Ecuador! Cotopaxi and the American School of Quito. Two good schools, though Cotopaxi takes the top award. Pay is decent, school is decent, and Ecuador is great to live by most expats' standards. So much to do in such a small country.
I can say that all of these schools more or less, focus on making sure the parents (customers) are satisfied. That may come in many forms. Academics may not in reality be the priority that you think it should be, but as long as the parents are content, you will do fine. How much sports is focused on depends on the school, but expect students to want the top prize for putting in not a lot of work.
At these schools, in general. parents can be demanding, very involved, and sometimes annoying, but of course, again, that depends on what you teach and what grade. Some people either love it, hate it, or deal with it.
Hope this helped.
The big, well-known schools in Latin America consist mostly of very rich host country national students with a few foreign students sprinkled in. You say you're looking at the Southern Cone, but I'll break down what I know. I've been living and working in the region for ten years.
Keep in mind that the personality of each school depends on what building level you work in, what you teach, and your perspective and interaction with the host culture. Anyway, here goes...
Uruguay- It's small American school is in Montevideo. From what I've read, it's very community-oriented. Not extremely well-known or talked about compared to other schools in the region. Montevideo is a pretty nice city.
Paraguay- American School of Asuncion- about 600 students, K-12. mostly host country nationals, pay not great but okay compared to other international schools in the city. High turnover. Living in Asuncion leaves a lot to be desired.
Argentina- Lincoln School- had a good reputation some years ago but supposedly now going downhill. Turnover has been low because, well, Buenos Aires is an amazing city.
Chile- Nido- great reputation; no problem hiring teachers; package good for the region; again, mostly, host country students. Santiago is a pretty diverse city, people wise, and turnover at the school is low.
Brazil- Graded School- considered one of the best schools in South America; pay/package very generous and teachers seem to really want to stay here for the long term. Many hate Sao Paulo, but it's a big city with TONS to do and travel outside of the city is easy with so many options.
Colombia- Colegio Nueva Granada, the English School- good reputations, good pay. Bogota is a nice place to live, not all rain and grey skies all the time as is heard but common. Colombia is the new up and coming country for expats. Again, host country nationals, but there are many other international schools (with less pay I should say) that have a more diverse student population.
Bolivia- American School of La Paz. There are also schools in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Honestly, I don't know much about these schools, but I haven't heard positive things.
Venezuela- Campo Alegre in Caracas, I believe, at one point, was THE SCHOOL to work at. Friends there worked there for years and only left recently because of political strife. Some friends are still there and enjoy it. The school is said to be top-notch in every way, but right now in Venezuela, things, unfortunately, are not so great.
Peru- Roosevelt- decent school with decent pay; again, lots of local elite students; Peru is a nice country (although a bit tourist-runover), and teachers seem to enjoy their time here.
Educador- Aw, Ecuador! Cotopaxi and the American School of Quito. Two good schools, though Cotopaxi takes the top award. Pay is decent, school is decent, and Ecuador is great to live by most expats' standards. So much to do in such a small country.
I can say that all of these schools more or less, focus on making sure the parents (customers) are satisfied. That may come in many forms. Academics may not in reality be the priority that you think it should be, but as long as the parents are content, you will do fine. How much sports is focused on depends on the school, but expect students to want the top prize for putting in not a lot of work.
At these schools, in general. parents can be demanding, very involved, and sometimes annoying, but of course, again, that depends on what you teach and what grade. Some people either love it, hate it, or deal with it.
Hope this helped.