Update: After successfully obtaining the certificate in 2017, I tried to get reciprocity to my home state. This was unsuccessful as I had not completed a program for school leadership (though I have an EdD). This ultimately doesn’t matter much as I have been working internationally since then; however, I’m considering options for reciprocity in the case I want to go back to my vested retirement and looking for the least expensive way to satisfy the requirements for a school to sign off. Either way, I’m renewing my 4 year DC license and will likely do so ad infinitum. As always thanks for previous and future advice.

What about renewing the 4 year license? What professional development counts?

Just wanted to add another data point for successful completion of the process. I am now certified as an administrator through DC (attempting reciprocity for my home state) thanks to the information I found in this thread and others by Psyguy, Dredge and others. Thank you for the, quite literally, life-changing info!

@Thames Pirate Thank you so much for the comprehensive response--I'm more encouraged than when I posted! I've read reviews on here and am trying to take them in the spirit in which they're written, but would be interested in general (or specific within the rules of this forum) experiences and impressions of working in these countries. I've read the varied impressions of QSI schools and hope to hear of more organizations from you and others. Again, thank you!

Quick Edit: Forgot to Mention Years of Experience

Me: Peace Corps-2 years and US-11 years total (middle school social studies 5 years, G & T (6 years), TOK/CAS (6 years)
Wife: Home country-8 years, certified US-6 years

I am a certified teacher (Social Studies 5-12, Gifted K-12, TOK and CAS coordinator) with a family looking for opportunities in IE starting 2018-2019 after I complete my EdD in leadership. My wife is a native of a former Soviet republic (now US citizen with state certification in ESL and English) and we are raising our young children bilingually. We are completing SA applications right now and getting excited about the possibilities that await. I believe I've done due diligence by scouring both free and member forums and reviews and have a couple questions about how realistic our options are.

1) My wife is an excellent and experienced educator with great evaluations, yet she is concerned that her accent and native country are liabilities for the kinds of schools in which we hope to teach. Of course, I believe her accent is slight as I'm used to it but it is clear she is not a native speaker. How will this impact our search and in what ways might this impact how local staff view her as a professional?
2) I don't have admin certification, yet hope to get into leadership positions eventually. I've read posts about DC certification as a possibility but I'm thinking about how my terminal degree without the formal certification might work for possibilities for leadership in the future. Basically, how futile is it to expect opportunities for advancement in good IE schools without the paper?
3) I'm a returned Peace Corps volunteer and don't require the highest levels of maintaining an expat lifestyle. Where in the former Soviet Union might exist the best combination of the big desires I see pop up here often (family , savings, reputation of school, etc.)? I've seen the Tier 1 list floating around for eastern Europe (none listed in the -stans though we are open to schools with good reputations) and thinking of how much mental space I can devote to the idea of hitting one of these as a first-timer.
4) Finally, I have IB experience as a TOK teacher and CAS coordinator but wondering about the limitations of not having specific discipline experience and how amenable schools are hiring with intent of gaining specific training as needed.

Thank you for those who contribute time and energy to this site for those of us who have lurked for years and use this info to make massive decisions for ourselves and our loved ones!