I'm not that insistent on attending a fair, but rather was wondering whether I should attend one or not. I would rather not make the investment if it isn't going to be worth it.

I haven't heard of the LON fairs though? Do you mean the London fairs through Search?

I definitely want to concentrate my efforts online if it makes the most sense to do so. And I'm also thinking of trying to shoot for Department of Defense schools as well.

Hi,

I did a search for similar threads, and I did find a few but the information seemed to be several years old.

I'm a certified elementary teacher with 3 years of experience; two of them in PYP. I'm looking to change to a new school for the next recruiting season, and was wondering about approaching the job search. This time though I will have a trailing spouse on my hands :)

She doesn't teach, but has a master's in economics and wouldn't mind helping out or tutoring kids in math, etc. depending on what she can do. She is Eastern European, and that's where her credentials are from.

Having said that, do you think it's worth it for me to attend a fair next year? We're pretty flexible on location, just probably not the Middle East or Africa, as we value our safety and freedom!

I was reading the statistics for the UNI fair, and they said 95% of folks who obtained an offer were either single with no dependents or part of a teaching couple. That for example makes me feel like it's not worth the effort...

I really wanted to get certified in ESL, which is why I was looking at the program in Virginia. Unfortunately the online program in Florida doesn't allow you to do ESL because it would require additional coursework that the program doesn't offer. But, the Florida program costs ~$5,000 total and the Virginia program costs ~$17,000 (that's only the tuition, not including housing, books, testing and other expenses). So, I'll probably just get certified in elementary instead, find a job and work a contract, then fly to Florida to take the courses required for ESL endorsement. Or not -- who knows?

The Middle East seems interesting to see, but I know I'd have to throw away any possibility of a romantic life for two years **sigh** haha.

I'm thinking that my question was poorly worded in that I didn't want to give off the impression that I was expecting to get hired by the most prestigious schools with my minimal qualifications. I am aware that I need to "pay my dues" and work my way up like everyone else.

I'm just a young person trying to get my career started and looking for advice, that's all!

The programs that I'm looking at are for teacher certification in Virginia and Florida. My primary concern is limiting cost (since I already have student loans from undergrad) so the online program in Florida appears to be the best bet.

Normally, I would just get two years of experience first at home, except after doing my research I found out that it's almost impossible to get certified in my home state -Delaware- without paying major $$$ for a Masters. And, physically moving to a different state requires high start up costs with teacher jobs being hard to come by at the same time. That's why I'm willing to take a not-so-good job abroad to get the experience I need to move on to better places.

But thank you for all of the information Psyguy, I really appreciate it.

I have a question: how does one target the right schools more likely to hire them? As in, how do I know which schools are Tier 1, 2, etc?

When I finish a teacher certification next year, I won't have excellent qualifications since I'll probably be certified in Elementary with only 2 years of ESL experience in Asia. ("So... you have no experience in elementary?" :roll: ) Also, when is the best time to start trying to contact schools?

I'm considering either the FAST Train program at George Mason or Teacher Ready online program from Florida (so much cheaper, but can't do ESL). If anyone has experience with either program, I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks

I just wanted to reply and say thanks for all the information posted. It was very helpful, as I am also interested in Latin America.

Hello everyone!

I'm a relatively recent college grad and I've been looking into the international school scene. Since college, I have been teaching/tutoring language arts to English language learners. My latest stint has landed me in Korea and I've been thinking about getting certified.

I have really been interested in the Fast TRAIN program at George Mason and have been thinking about getting the ESL license through the program. After completing it successfully, I'd be licensed to teach in Virginia.

I know I would ultimately want to teach in Latin America. My BA is in the region, I speak Spanish and I'm currently studying Portuguese.

Anyway, I was wondering if that sort of license would be in demand in the region. Also, would it really be worth it financially to go in for the full master's degree, or would I be fine with just the certification? I ask because I already have debt from undergrad and I'm trying to limit my debt load.

Any advice would be great :)