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by teacher105
Tue Sep 08, 2015 8:07 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: How to become a more appealing candidate?
Replies: 2
Views: 5292

How to become a more appealing candidate?

I am currently in my third year as a teacher, and I am thinking about pursuing international teaching opportunities at some point in the next couple of years. I was hoping to get some feedback on where I would currently stand, and how I could improve my standing / make myself more marketable.

Some things about me that I think are pros:
By the end of this year, I will have three years of full-time teaching experience.
I primarily have taught math (5th grade, 6th grade, this year 10th grade). I am very strong in math (can support this claim with test scores, etc.) and can teach math at any level 5th-12th.
The other subject I have taught is "Computer Science". I put this in quotes because it has been in middle schools, with tools like Scratch, code.org, Codecademy, etc. teaching basic programming concepts and HTML/CSS. Far from AP CS, though I will feel very comfortable teaching the new AP CS Principles course that is debuting next year.
I teach at the most successful charter school network in NYC. Last year, my students passed the New York state test at a rate of over 95%, vs. 30% statewide. I understand that charter schools may not have much in common with International Schools, but I hopefully the results are worth something nonetheless.
I attended Harvard for undergrad (I majored in Economics). I don't at all feel that this means I am great teacher, but I understand that schools may care about this for other reasons as well.
I have a master's degree (in General and Special Education, grades 1-6).
I have initial certification in NY.
I am very familiar with the common core standards in math.

Some things that are cons for my application:
My wife and son (currently too young to attend school) would be with me. My wife has taught in the past, but for the purpose of this post, I will assume that she will not teach.
My master's degree is not in math, nor in secondary education. It is from a pretty random college (dictated by my charter network).
I have no international teaching experience.
I have no experience with IB, or teaching AP classes.
I have taught different grades each year, and have switched from a middle school to a high school (these types of moves are very common in charters).

I understand the benefits of location flexibility when applying for teaching positions, but realistically, my family will only support this time overseas if we are in a european city. So, given the facts listed above:

1. Do you think there is any chance a school in a European city would consider me, as things currently stand?
2. What would you recommend I do to increase the probability that the answer to #1 will be yes in 2-3 years?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.