PsyGuy:

Thank you so much - your post was basically a mind-dump of everything I wanted to know, and a great starting point for further research. I will definitely look into those programs you mentioned. I have a few follow up questions for you...

Does getting a second Bachelors normally take just 12 months, or is that specific to B.Eds, or specific to that particular program in Canada (is it designed to be taken as a second bachelor's?)? And will having the QTS as a lifetime certification limit us to British schools, or do American schools accept QTS as your certification as well? Or is it just a gateway to other American state certifications (DC)?

In reference the Texas program, you mentioned that the min. GPA requirement can be waived. Is this true of any post-Bach program or specific to the TX one? Would GPA be a limiting factor for the Canadian B.Ed, after a few years of work experience (TEFL)?

In reference to the woodworking and martial arts, what is an ASP? And, what is required to be certified in Design Technology? Is that a field that is in high demand for IS?

Again, thank you very very much for the thorough response. It took me almost 20 minutes to read it so I can't imagine how long it took you to type all of that up. Thank you!!!

Thank you all for your responses - you have given me a lot to research!

One question that I still have is about which state is best to be certified to teach in - is there a consensus that obtaining your certification in X state is the most convenient for international school teaching?

Also, I have nothing against teaching our subjects in the US for a couple years before going back out into the world. In fact, I would prefer to take the certification classes in person, rather than online (as all of the suggested certification programs seem to be). I also think it would be best to hold off on the Masters, at least for now, and just aim for certification in our subjects.

So I guess the magic bullet I'm looking for is: a certification program (with Secondary ELA and Chemistry/Physics as subject options) located in a state that has a renewal policy convenient for international teachers, with a teaching component so as to gain a year's experience teaching while doing the certification... and one that is easy enough to get into (my boyfriend's gpa is <2.5) and doesn't require a BA in the subject (I didn't major in English). Does such a thing exist? I think if someone can at least give me a few states to look into I will be a lot better off in my research :)

Thanks!

Thank you for your response. However, I'd like to reiterate what my actual questions are:

What is the best way to go about getting certification?
What are the necessary steps to becoming an IT?
Will we need domestic experience first and if so how much?
What state is it ideal to be certified to teach in?
What are the reputable programs for gaining certification with the intention of being an IT?
How valuable is a Masters vs other programs for certification?

Thanks!

Marieh,

Thanks for your reply, and for responding to my questions about TEFL experience. As I stated earlier, we are already set on taking the CELTA and spending some time as TEFL teachers. I understand that it isn't a plus to my resume, so long as it isn't counted against me. I'd like to better understand what the options are moving forward, for becoming an IT after our TEFL adventure.

Could you elaborate on how you made the transition, and what ways you find are most common for teachers to break into the IS industry (without a BA in Education)? For example, will it be necessary to teach in the US for a certain number of years, or will we be able to jump straight into teaching abroad? Are there any schools known for taking beginner teachers? How can you teach while getting your certification (considering you don't yet have the certification to teach)? I've heard of "intern" ITs - what exactly does that mean, and is this how most ITs begin? Are most certification paths going to be online, or are there known/reputable in-person certification courses as well? I've looked at TeacherReady and TeachNow, and while these seem to be popular from reading this forum, I know that I learn better in the classroom rather than online.

Thanks for your time!

Shad,

Thanks for responding to me, and for your honesty. In response to your question - we want to do both. Is there anything wrong with wanting to see the world and have a passion for teaching? I understand the bias towards "tourist teachers" since stability is important for schools and students. To be honest, that's part of why we want to do TEFL first - see a bit more of the world a bit faster. Also, neither of us has any real classroom experience, and we're still figuring out what we want to do. TEFL is a bit like a teaching test run - if we truly enjoy it, we will pursue a career in it. If we don't, then we'll figure something else out. Also - the CELTA is a done deal (course and plane tickets paid for), so it would be a bit silly to back out of that now. However, I don't understand why there would be bias against teachers with TEFL experience. At international schools, won't there be a number of students for whom English will not be their native language... and thus it might be useful (especially for an English teacher) to have experience teaching EFL? It's interesting that there is a bias against TEFL teachers in the IS world, though, and something I will certainly keep in mind.

Also, could you elaborate on what you mean by a SUNY cohort school? Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm so glad to have found a community of such helpful folks while I'm researching this new job path. I figure the easiest way to do this is to explain my situation, and then ask my questions. So here it is:

I just graduated with a degree in Journalism & Political Science. My boyfriend is about to graduate with a degree in Chemistry. In January we are going to start our teaching journey by taking the CELTA, and plan to teach English as a Foreign Language for a few years (starting in South Korea). We have both taught/tutored in some capacity in the past and loved it, and we both want to travel the world and live in new places. We currently live in North Carolina, and that is where our family & friends currently are (if that is relevant). After doing the TEFL thing for a few years and making sure that we want to pursue teaching as a life-long career, we would really like to move into the world of International Schools. We both went to a high school that had an IB program (though neither of us were in it, but we are relatively familiar with it due to the merging of AP & IB courses, as well as talking to friends who went through the program), and ideally I would like to aim for becoming IB teachers. I would love to teach English (literature/composition rather than as a language), though I would probably be happy teaching Social Studies as well. My boyfriend would love to teach chemistry, and could also do physics and possibly math courses (his true passions, however, are woodworking and martial arts, so if there's any way those can be incorporated...?).

My questions are mostly regarding the best path to becoming a certified teacher. I know that different states have different rules, regarding the requirements to get a certification and how long that certification is valid (plus how easy it is to renew), but I don't know what the best way is to get (and keep with minimal red tape) a certification. I also think there are separate certifications for the subjects you can teach, but I'm not positive on how that works. Also, there's the matter of our education. Should we get Masters of Arts in Teaching from the start, or is there some other path to certification that includes teaching us how to teach in our subjects? Will having a Masters make it easier to find jobs, or command a significantly higher salary, and is it necessary to teach in IB schools? We will be looking for jobs together as a couple - are there certain combinations that will make it easier for us to be placed at the same school? If we do a Masters program and are aiming for IB, is there a specific program that we should do, or any schools that are highly regarded (besides the ones that charge so much it's not even worth it)? Should we do the program in the state that is best to keep the certification in, or does that not matter?

Basically, if you could start from the beginning, knowing what you know now, how would you go about becoming an IT with minimal stress and maximum payout - from the starting point of having Bachelor's degrees that aren't in education?

Thank you so much for your help!