This is also my issue. It's quite frustrating and I'm considering staying back in the US until he graduates. I'm in the middle of this conversation with a school that I'm very interested now but it may go south over this issue. I was looking at trying to employ someone to deliver his curriculum at home. Maybe he could attend some of the classes at the school. I worked for ESF schools in Hong Kong and I can recommend that in terms of offering services at all levels. It was not easy getting everything into place but I worked at one school and my son attended another school that had a learning center (self-contained). There is also the Sarah Roe School for high-level needs.

runningsloth wrote:
> What are your thoughts on housing in HK, and the availability of outdoor
> space/amenities for kids? If you were at a top school, would your housing
> allowance, or housing provided by the school, be of decent quality?

Housing is generally small in square footage and expensive. My school provided a housing allowance. I don't know many that provide the actual housing. You would be able to find a quality home. You can certainly find places with more outdoor space, particularly if you are willing to move out of the central area.

I'm having problems this season as well. When I went to the Cambridge Fair 3 years ago with no international experience, I had lots of slips/interviews. I was offered a job during the first session, did a few interviews, accepted the offer and then cancelled the rest. Last year I went to Bangkok and had lots of slips/interviews but no offers from schools that I thought would work for my family. I stayed put. This year I went to Cambridge and had no notes in my box. I ended up with one interview, which I thought went well but never heard back from the school. Even the one school that contacted me prior to the fair, had hired by the time I came to their table to sign up for an interview. Having dependents seemed to be a huge issue this year. I've been considering taking a year off and maybe trying again next year.

In Hong Kong, the accommodation is the kicker. I use this website to get a general idea of the cost but online listings do not tend to be very accurate in terms of what properties are actually available. http://www.squarefoot.com.hk/

If you think you can make the housing work with your package, then the rest should fall into place.

[quote="b12r"]Thanks you guys for the help guys!

My wish is to teach abroad whether it be in an ISS school (preferable) or as an ESL teacher of some type. Does anyone have any advice on avenues I should explore to obtain this for the upcoming school year in August.

Thanks in advance guys![/quote]

I think your best shot would be to go to the UNI fair that starts at the end of the month. The registration is open until Jan. 21, so you would have to move super quickly. There are schools there that would probably give you a chance. I would also register for TIEonline. You also may be able to get into a later Search Associates fair if you register.

There are plenty of Learning Support/Special Ed jobs to go around. It's not as common as it is in the US, but it's being recognized as a growing need. Many schools will use the position to place a teaching partner or an internal candidate-even without special education credentials.

If you want to go the ESL route, I would check Dave's ESL cafe.

I would say that most post openings as they come up, some more timely than others. Sometimes the websites are more (or less) accurate than the postings on Search, etc. There are always some positions that appear at the fairs (and some that disappear), but most will be known before the fair.

Africa is a huge continent with a great deal of variety. To hear the continent written off really gets under my skin.

If it was me, I would get into the desired school and then try a lateral move. In my experience, a school that is familiar with your work will be more likely to give you a chance in another subject with less experience than they would require from an outside candidate. If the other position became available, you would be among the first to know about it and you could probably even make the move sooner than a contract term-and it wouldn't be considered a contract break.

[quote="kleikm"]Those of you who attended in the past, how big is AASSA fair?[/quote]

It would be considered a smaller fair. The attending schools are all listed on their website.

If you haven't registered for any agencies, you're a little late in the game and my my biggest suggestion is to get moving quickly. Hiring season is at the beginning stage.

I think that if you're single or a part of a teaching couple, that you should not have a problem getting hired. It might not be at your first choice or top tier school, but someone will give you a chance.

I would absolutely register with Search or another agency and TIEonline ASAP. I would apply to jobs online and get to a fair for the most bang for your buck. You could look into UNI as a fair option. Schools there tend to be pretty kind to newer teachers. The registration deadline seems to be in early January.

I have never heard of a school asking for a Learning Support/Resource Teacher to get any additional certifications. It's not that important abroad. I've been to 2 of the major Search fairs and there are both a decent number of SPED jobs and applicants for those jobs. It is being increasingly common for international schools to offer some type of learning support program. The size of that program will vary greatly from one person for the entire school to teams in some of the larger/more progressive schools. What you will find is that a good number of schools will hold those positions for the spouse of a subject area teacher.

1. I think that ESOL is the best match to a Learning Support role. Some schools would like to pair the position with Talented and Gifted also. Being qualified in a Math or English could also be a benefit. I think the actual experience in teaching in the certification area is quite important, but it doesn't seem to hurt to have a few different ones. I do.

2. It probably depends on the year level you are working with but the most important thing is probably not the subject but ways in which you can help organize the student and help the subject teacher differentiate, etc. If you're co-teaching, you would need more subject knowledge. I find it more helpful to the student when I'm working in an area of strength.

3. I work as a dedicated Learning Support teacher. We have a team of 6.

I would suggest that you go on the AASSA website. The list of schools attending is there. Then you can pick which particular schools are of interest to you and go on the websites. Advertised positions are almost always listed on the school websites. You can do the same with Search Associates and ISS.

I see the positions listed with Search Associates and TIE. There are currently both Elementary and Middle positions in Learning Support and Learning Support (ESL) as well as an Instructional Coach (Math/Lit).

In my experience, you just send the payment by check. Don't wait for a request. The amount is on the website. Once you've paid, you send an email asking for them to activate the account.