Thanks to everyone! It's not so much that I wouldn't be happy at this school, but that I feel like I should at least explore more than one of my options. Honestly, I don't know what my marketability is yet. I have gotten several "bites" but this is my first request for an interview. The school is only in its first few years, but it is affiliated with a school that had a reputable name in education. FWIW, they also claim to be non-profit and the package seems to be on upper-end for schools in its location. As many of you have advised, I will politely contact the other schools that have expressed interest in my application, only if a firm offer has been made from this school. Anyway, wish me luck in the Skype interview.

Is it early to be getting a interview? I was contacted this week by a school requesting an interview. It seems a bit early and I'm not quite sure how I should react if I am offered a position. The school certainly isn't at the bottom of my list but there are a few other schools I am interested in that have contacted me but haven't officially offered an interview yet. Should I inform these schools that I am getting interest from other schools in the hopes of speeding the process up a bit? I haven't been offered anything yet but I want to be fully informed in case I am presented with an opportunity. Thanks for any advice.

I've read some of your other posts and I am at a similar stage of my career and I am also looking for my first job overseas. I've sent out about 20 applications over the past 2 weeks and heard back from 4 schools. Two of the schools just replied with a standard "we received your application..." Two of the schools seemed more promising and commented an a couple parts of my resume and asked a few follow up questions. FWIW, both of the more promising responses came about two weeks after I emailed them. So, I think its still early, and from what I have heard other posters write, you can expect responses over the next two or three months.

Hey guys,

I have been in contact with a school in China that would only be in its second year next year. They offer a quite attractive package and seem very professional but I'm curious if anyone on the forum has experience working with international schools that are just opening shop. What sort of growing pain might I expect if I accepted and offer?

I don't think the OP was whining about low standards.

Schools with high standards often (not always) have experienced leadership and, as a teacher, you will get less last minute curve balls thrown at you when it comes to scheduling, curriculum testing, etc.

A newer school with "lower" standards could certainly present stressful obstacles if there is a lack of organization from the top. You may end up spending a lot of your time putting out fires that a more competent leadership team would mitigate before you were even aware.

My guess is that whether or not you are cut out for international teaching is the wrong question to be asking. Poor administration exists through out education, both domestically, and internationally. Maybe the next school you look at shouldn't be at a, as you described, "not even 3rd tier" school.

Ok, so I took various pieces of advice from multiple posters and I've joined, jumped through all the hoops, and been accepted to Search Associates. I also added English (9-12) and Language (6-8) to compliment to my current ESL (K-12) certification. My current experience is Coteaching/Planning ELA classes in a school with a high (30%) ESL population. My actual duties are not really very different than the other ELA block upper elementary teachers I co-teach with. Because of this, I think it will be possible for me to spin my experience in a way that would make me competitive as a middle school language arts IT at a tier 3 IS with a high number of ELL students. From there, I could slowly move up to high school ELA over time.

I'm targeting the Cambridge fair and hoping that my experience abroad and going to the same graduate school as my associate buys me points.

Here are the bare basics of my now updated CV

BA English
MA MS.ED (Currently completing at Johns Hopkins)

2 Years Experience as an upper elementary ESL Coteacher in ELA classrooms (not sure how to word this best, yet)

FWIW
US Soccer Federation Coaching Cert. (New)
Google Educator Level 1 Cert (New)
2 years at ESL Cram School in Taiwan


Hope I get invited to Cambridge. I am also going to try to add a Social Studies endorsement, I know this is a common combination with ELA. Any other thoughts on additional ways to improve my resume than can reasonably be achieved in the next few months?

Thanks

Great advice guys.

@psyguy "What are you going to do with this data? Your assessment and data might also be troubling to leadership and parents, scores and data are very serious and important. You call it checking for understanding but what does that mean then if a student doesnt pass the check of understanding. Are you going to report this to parents? Some parents, tiger moms will flip over this."

If a student doesn't show mastery of a topic or CCSS I can respond in several ways depending upon how many other students showed similar results. If it is a class-wide trend, I will loop the topic as a whole-class lesson. If only a few fail to show mastery of a concept, I can work with them in a small group. But data isn't all about finding students who are lagging, it can also help me target students who are "high=fliers" and would benefit from enrichment. In the state parents have been pretty receptive to me sharing data with them, positive or not. However, I would keep in mind that this might need to be done more carefully in certain cultures... I made a few mistakes during my first year teaching at a "cram-school" in Taiwan that I don't wish to repeat.

My big take-away from your advice is that I should talk about this because it is something I'm confident about and passionate. I think that will at the very least come off as professional. I'm pretty young, so I want to show off my experience as much as possible during the interview process.

I'll be posting more questions throughout the winter I'm sure.

Thanks!

As the early stages of the recruiting season is just beginning, I have begun to think about some strengths I could hit upon during interviews or conversations with school admin and recruiters. The use of data in my classroom to differentiate students and drive instructions is a tool I have used with great success with my students here in the US. For example, I always begin lessons with something called a "do now" and end with an "exit ticket" to measure student content mastery. I take these snippets of data and combine them with grades from more formal assessments and get a very detailed map of what my students as a class and individuals need. I can then differentiate or loop back on concepts students need remediation with. My current school uses a program called Mastery Connect. I think this is somewhat of a new movement in education here in The States because many of the newer teachers, like myself, tend to advocate and use this system with much more fidelity than some of our more veteran colleagues. I know my current school hired me because I mentioned "data" and several references vouched about how I used it in my classroom. FWIW I'm an ESL teacher and I work with six 4th grade classrooms. So, differentiation and being "smart" about what classrooms I am in and which students I am instructing is crucial.

So, what I want to know is... has there been a recent movement for data use and collection in your IS's? And more importantly for me, do you think my experience and strength with data in the classroom is something I should mention when speaking with recruiters?

Thanks

Thank you for the specific and actionable responses. I started my application for SA and will target an invite to the Cambridge fair. One school I am interested in does not use SA, but rather ISS. I will just contact that school directly. I'll also try to add a primary/elementary credential to up my marketability. I really see myself teaching ELA at a high school level in the future but I guess it might be easier to get into a good school as an elementary teacher and then after a couple years convince admin to let me move to a new position (ELA) within the school.

Will

Hey everyone,

I think a quick profile of experience might be helpful to answer my questions.

*2 years ESL teaching experience in a non-international school in Taiwan (I know this doesn't count towards the 2 years of experiences many schools require.)
* 2 years ESL (state certified) teaching experience at an elementary school in the USA
* BA in English and currently completing my Masters of Science of Education at Johns Hopkins (this is being done remotely so teaching abroad won't impede my graduation date of 2018)
* Certifications in High School ELA, Middle School ELA, and ESL (K-12)

------------
So, I need some advisement on choosing the right fair that fits my needs. I have some college loans to repay over the next 5 years, because of this, I have identified SEA/EA as being the most attractive destinations because of their higher salary/saving potential. If flights, scheduling, and costs weren't an issue I would fly to the Hong Kong fair, however, it is not really an option. I have identified two fair locations that are "doable."

The first is the ISS Atlanta. I know that Atlanta is smaller but I am located in Charlotte, NC, so the close proximity makes this fair very convenient. I looked at the list of schools for last year's Atlanta fair (held in February) and there are many that I am interested in. However, this year the fair has been moved to early December. Do you think this will negatively impact the number of schools in attendance? As of now (August 22) there are only 11ish schools signed up... maybe more will join as summer turns to fall.

The second, is SA Cambridge. This seems to be the biggest fair that is in my travel budge/schedule-able with my current teaching job. It seems like many schools from all over the world come to this fair and finding a position should be easier. However, it would be more expensive take more time away from my current job to attend.

If both fairs offered a near equal opportunity for me to find a school in Asia/(other locations with medium/high savings potential) I would choose Atlanta. However, if SA Cambridge had a large enough upside I might reconsider.

So, which fair do you think would fit my needs best? Or is there another fair that I am overlooking? I want to figure this out in the next 2 months because I will need to choose either SA or ISS to join the appropriate fair. Thank you for any help/guidance you can offer.

-Will

@psyguy Thank you for all the info.

"I would do research on your state and determine how it classifies ESOL. Its very likely regardless of your degree you will have an all grades ESOL certification and if not you can transfer it to a state that does. In addition, what options are available for you to add additional certifications. "

Right now my certification is K-12. I can add a certification to teach English (literature and writing not ESL) at the secondary level. Hopefully, that combined with the ESL will make me more marketable.

"My advice is to forget both tracks, go though a cheaper alternative program to get your certification and then do your masters in something that gets you into a niche market and credential such as librarian, counselor, or administration"

I selected this masters program because I got a decent amount of scholarships and grants from the government which will make it comparatively inexpensive. Its also connected with the alternative certification program I am going through.

@shadowjack

The Masters of Science in Education would be through Johns Hopkins. I know the MAT is more common and I'm not really sure what the difference would be.

Hey all,
I am applying to a graduate school and they have two degree options:

""- Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Educational Studies/Elementary
Choose this option if you are/will be an Elementary (grades 1-6) educator

- Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Educational Studies/Secondary
Choose this option if you are/will be a Secondary (grades 7-12) educator""

I am currently teaching ESL at an Elementary school in the US. However, it seemed that there are significantly more international jobs at the secondary level. Is this true? I would like to move into teaching ESL at the secondary level or at least keep my resume as flexible as possible. This is only my first year teaching in the US and I'm a little wary about getting "tracked" into elementary teaching if that will hurt my chances in the next couple years as I look to move abroad. What do you guys think? Is there an advantage to going Elementary or Secondary? Would a concentration one way or the other be a deal breaker/maker? Thanks for any feedback!

Will

@PsyGuy

"Unless you go to an "Ivy" where you get your degree from matters very little"

Thanks for the info. I had heard similar things about graduate schools. I guess JH is one of those programs that is right on the cusp of being "Ivy" and I wasn't sure exactly how it was viewed abroad. Maybe I should look into applying to an "Ivy" school. Still, I feel kind of odd doing that when JH program is ranked #1 for a Masters in Education in the US.

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it.

Hey Everyone,

Before I ask my question I think it might be helpful to write a little blurb about my background.

After graduating with my B.A in English I taught for 2 years at a cram school in Taiwan. I loved my experience there but I realized I wanted something a little more professional and with greater stability. However, I didn't have my teacher's certification yet. So, I applied and got into a great lateral entry program called "The New Teacher Project." It is very similar to its sister program Teach for America. Basically, I teach in a "high-needs" school for a year while doing coursework on the side, and at the end of the year they award me a teaching certificate. I have just survived teaching my first month, and while it is very difficult, I am enjoying my time here. My two year goal is to get back to teaching abroad, this time at an international school.

My questions:

1. TNTP and TFA are both looked on quiet highly here in the states because of how selective their application process is and the rigor of their coursework. Do you think these programs carry a similar weight when applying to a school internationally? Will schools even have heard of the programs?

2. A nice perk of TNTP is I get to do my Master in Education at Johns Hopkins next year. JH has a great name but the tuition comes in a just about $17,000. Will a degree from JH be worth the steep price on the international school market or should I settle for a more modestly priced state school? I think in North Carolina (where I am currently living) tuition would be about 5,000 - 8,000)

Thanks again,
Will