Dear all,

I would like to put forward some possible roles/responsibilities that IT's can take on. If you're an IT looking to build some experience that will help getting your foot in the door/prepare you as far as securing a first VP/AP/admin post, which roles (or combination of) have the most efficacy? Some are obviously full-time roles and some are much smaller, but may be useful. Feel free to comment/rate any you have a knowledge of, or add any I haven't entered.

Head of Department
Coach (Numeracy, Literacy, IT, etc)
PYP / MYP Coordinator
Workshop Leader
Guidance Counsellor
Learning Leader (inter-departmental)
Athletic/Activities Director
CIS Evaluator
CIS/IB Committee Chair
IB Examiner

Additionally, if you were going to choose between doing PTC courses or a national/state principal training cert, which would you do?

Does anyone have a copy of or know what confidential questions administrators and/or parents are asked to fill out for teachers on Search?

Another leadership-related question. Does accepting a position as an athletic director aid/harm one's ability to move into a school administration position later on?

I have now applied for a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management. As a part of the program I can also get the IBO Certificate in Leadership Practice. The deadline has passed for the program, but the faculty of education told me that it is still possible to get admission for this year. I hope to find out soon. Thank you all for the advice.

I am also curious about the career path that those of you with admin experience have taken, or those of you who are hoping to become a school leader in the future. Was it something that you planned from the beginning of your career, or something that you realized later on? What was the process like? Why did you decide to move into leadership? How did you prepare yourself for this role? Did you search for positions at fairs, or internally?

The advice is very useful and much appreciated. I am looking at other options now. My curriculum coordinator referred me to Endicott College and their 'International M.Ed' programs, specifically the International Education Administration M.Ed. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about this school/program? I am Canadian and am not really familiar with American schools.

The advice about starting to find leadership opportunities in your own school is well-taken, thank you. It is something that I have been considering, but have been waiting for the opportune time. Sid, your advice is reassuring and I will go for it. I'm in my first year at my current school.

Finally, the school which has accepted me into the Learning and Technology Masters has an Educational Leadership program as well. Maybe this is not the forum for this kind of question, but is it worthwhile giving them a call and inquiring whether they will consider my admission into the other program? I fear by asking this question, I'm going to come across as immature and unprofessional.

Thank you very much for the prompt reply.

My specialist subject is Physical Education (PSPE) in PYP. I have definitely felt stigmatized as a "PE guy", despite having a breadth of interests and abilities.

The degree program that I am considering is a Masters of Arts in Learning and Technology. As a part of the program, I would be doing the IB Advanced Certificate in Teaching and Learning. I would be doing a thesis as part of the program. I was told by several people that if I want to pursue a PhD, that it is crucial to do a thesis in your Masters.

Been reading the forum for a long time, found so much valuable info here.

I wanted to ask about masters degrees and school leadership. I am planning to pursue a masters part-time (online), while teaching, to increase my opportunities the next time I hit the job market. I am a teacher of a specialist subject (4 years experience) and feel a bit pigeon-holed, as I am trained to teach all subjects, but was only considered for jobs in my specialization last time around.

Anyways, I would like to diversify my CV by doing a Masters in Educational Technology. I have been accepted to the program, but I am just concerned about pigeon-holing myself again. I would ultimately like to become a coordinator, VP, or director of a school etc, later in my career and I want to make a good investment in the masters degree. Would a masters in educational leadership be a more suitable choice, given my career aspiration, or would it be good to have a more diverse CV towards that end?

Finally, when looking at types of masters degrees, does it make a difference between an MA vs M.Ed in terms of marketability?

I am also curious to know what kind of pathways people have taken to become an educational leader in the international community. Any kind of advice or dialogue would be great.

Thank you