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by surfista
Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:48 pm
Forum: Forum 1. From Questions About ISS & Search to Anything and Everything About International Teaching
Topic: Advice needed for teacher certification/license
Replies: 1
Views: 2825

Advice needed for teacher certification/license

Hi all, posting on this forum as there's not a whole lot of information/personal experiences available online regarding my home country's certification. The folk here seem to be the most informed about international teaching and the best pathways to certification so I'd appreciate any help/advice. Thanks in advance.

Background:
- Male, mid-20s, New Zealand and UK passport (NZ home country)
- BSc in Geography, 1-year Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching due to be completed mid-2021 (both in NZ)
- 1 year experience teaching English in a Hagwon in Korea, 6 months teaching English in China before Covid-19 put that to a halt

I just have a few options I've been researching regarding certification, but not sure about the viability of them and whether or not some of these options will hinder my job prospects.

Option #1:
Stay in NZ after graduating and teach here for 2 years to gain full registration. Here in NZ we get provisional registration once we graduate and then have to complete two years of teaching in an NZ school to gain full registration. While this is the most sensible and safe option, I'd rather move overseas and teach internationally ASAP.

Option #2:
Move to Australia post-graduation and teach there for 1-2 years. Australia recognizes NZ qualifications and also allows NZers to move there freely. Australia also has the same deal as NZ with provisional -> full registration, only in the state I'm looking at moving to (QLD) it only takes 1 year to become fully registered rather than the 2 years in NZ. This option for me seems pretty enticing to me, only problem is I see a lot of schools say you need to be certified in your HOME country which may or may not be an issue down the road.

Option #3:
Find a job internationally in a lower-tiered school from Aug 2021. While I'll be certified in my home country, I will only have provisional registration which would expire after 3 years. This would mean I'd need to find a way to get certified in another country that may have more lenient rules. If I did move overseas next year, I'd look at getting a Masters online or completing a teach-now certificate and see if that opens up pathways for me to gain certification in the US/UK.

A few questions about the aforementioned options:
1. Does having certification from another country really matter? Do schools look down on it or do they just want to make sure you're certified to teach in a country from the anglosphere? (US/UK/AUS/CAN)?
2. If schools are OK with having a certification from another country, what is the easiest way for me to gain full certification? I see a lot of people certified in DC/AZ without ever teaching there, are there any options for a NZ citizen?
3. How much will a lack of 2 years home experience impact my job prospects 5-10 years down the road?
4. I understand humanities subjects are often the most sought after vacancies, is there any way I could transition into teaching math or science to make myself more marketable? I have a strong math background.

Final notes:
I'd strongly prefer to go with option #3 first, followed by option #2 and then option #1. While I am willing to move to a hardship country to gain international experience, I'm not really willing to go back to China. I'd like to move to a Latin American country for my first two years abroad, not sure if that makes things any easier/harder.

Thanks again for any advice/help you may have, much appreciated!