Total newbie question here... I have 15 years of teaching experience but I will be new to international teaching.
I have noticed that a lot of teachers on this forum move around quite a bit. Is that because they want to move around or because they have to move around. For example, if a teacher falls in love with a country and a specific school do they have the option of staying put (provided the school likes them too) or do teachers need to always move due to visa requirements and immigration laws?
Personally, I would like to hop around a bit but I would not want to limit my options.
Is moving from school to school required?
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flyingrob31
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- Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:31 pm
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stellalocal
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In my experience your contract is for 1 or 2 years and renewable as many times as you like. Some people stay put for many many years. However, sometimes benefits may stop at a certain point, for example gratuity may have a limit and after 5/10 years it may stop increasing. Also, I do know of a school that doesn't renew contracts after 4 years or so because you are then too expensive and they'd rather hire someone cheaper.
It generally doesn't look good if you're hopping around all the time. I've been pretty surprised at people on this forum who seem to have taught in just about every country and yet have only been teaching for 6 or so years. Generally 1 year in a school is ok but 2 is better, and you may get sick of moving that often anyway.
It generally doesn't look good if you're hopping around all the time. I've been pretty surprised at people on this forum who seem to have taught in just about every country and yet have only been teaching for 6 or so years. Generally 1 year in a school is ok but 2 is better, and you may get sick of moving that often anyway.
I think most teachers who go into international teaching do so for the experience of living in a different country and because they are more flexible and open to change. Back home it is not unusual for a teacher to remain in the same school/classroom for 15 + years. For some (myself included) this is a horrifying thought, for others it is comforting.
Students in international schools are transient and so too are the teachers. Despite this, it seems that in each international school there are a solid group of teachers who stay on longer than their initial contract and this helps with continuity. If you love the school and country you can stay put so long as your benefits continue and the school wants you to stay put. I have met teachers abroad who overstay their welcome and sometimes they need a push. It really depends on the school and what you want/need. I find international schools are a tad 'fresher' in terms of staff than public schools back home because new staff are always coming in and longer term staff move on to new things, eventually.
Once you go abroad you will understand it more. With teachers and students coming and going every few years, you will probably get itchy feet now and then and know when it is time. I stayed two years at my first school to gain experience and make contacts. At my current school I am now planning to stay put for at least 5 years since I am very happy with my current situation. If you find yourself in an interesting and liveable country, and working for a school with options for professional growth and great staff, why leave after 2 years..? You will soon see it all depends on a number of factors! Good luck.
Students in international schools are transient and so too are the teachers. Despite this, it seems that in each international school there are a solid group of teachers who stay on longer than their initial contract and this helps with continuity. If you love the school and country you can stay put so long as your benefits continue and the school wants you to stay put. I have met teachers abroad who overstay their welcome and sometimes they need a push. It really depends on the school and what you want/need. I find international schools are a tad 'fresher' in terms of staff than public schools back home because new staff are always coming in and longer term staff move on to new things, eventually.
Once you go abroad you will understand it more. With teachers and students coming and going every few years, you will probably get itchy feet now and then and know when it is time. I stayed two years at my first school to gain experience and make contacts. At my current school I am now planning to stay put for at least 5 years since I am very happy with my current situation. If you find yourself in an interesting and liveable country, and working for a school with options for professional growth and great staff, why leave after 2 years..? You will soon see it all depends on a number of factors! Good luck.
Not really
With only a few exceptions, an initial contract for a school is usually 2 years (2-3 years for admins). Some (few) schools only offer 1 year contracts initially. After that your contract is typically renewable 1 year at a time (sometimes 2). You can stay or leave.
You see a lot of mobility and moving around by teachers, because many (almost all) teachers dont get their dream job right away. Usually you have to put in a couple years at a tier 2 school in in asia first, learning IB, then you get to move up to a tier 1 school, and then to an elite school. Thats a 6 year commitment with each of those schools being 2 years each. Many tier 2 schools would LOVE to reduce their turnover, but many teachers are basically there for the training and the experience on their resume.
Sometimes people settle down in one school early in their career because they get married or something. Some people just really like their school. For all the greatness of the elite schools, they arent for everyone. Some people would rather be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, then a little fish in a very big pond.
You see a lot of mobility and moving around by teachers, because many (almost all) teachers dont get their dream job right away. Usually you have to put in a couple years at a tier 2 school in in asia first, learning IB, then you get to move up to a tier 1 school, and then to an elite school. Thats a 6 year commitment with each of those schools being 2 years each. Many tier 2 schools would LOVE to reduce their turnover, but many teachers are basically there for the training and the experience on their resume.
Sometimes people settle down in one school early in their career because they get married or something. Some people just really like their school. For all the greatness of the elite schools, they arent for everyone. Some people would rather be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, then a little fish in a very big pond.
In some countries, such as Egypt, contracts can only be one year - anything over a year is actually illegal. However, there is no limit to the number of years that this can be renewed
In saying that, as we are regarded as "foreign experts", we are technically only in the country to train a local to do our job and there is talk of setting a maximum number of years to do that. Job title changes will get around that!
If you are British and have children, the one year contract actually works to your advantage if you children end up going to an UK university as they are considered to be temporarily out of the country. This means that they are not regarded as foreign students for fees etc
In saying that, as we are regarded as "foreign experts", we are technically only in the country to train a local to do our job and there is talk of setting a maximum number of years to do that. Job title changes will get around that!
If you are British and have children, the one year contract actually works to your advantage if you children end up going to an UK university as they are considered to be temporarily out of the country. This means that they are not regarded as foreign students for fees etc
Plenty of great schools to work in, and new and exciting parts of the world to explore make moving from school to school rewarding personally and professionally. However I feel that teacher retention should be a major factor that one considers when recruiting. When average teacher retention goes over 4 years, it adds a ton of consistency and stability to the overall curriculum and program. When two-years-and-out is the norm, it feels like a lot of time just gets wasted reinventing the wheel. Retention is often a good indicator of quality of location, salary vs cost of living, and teacher morale.
With that said, I also think that when teachers stay somewhere too long, things tend to get a bit ugly.
With that said, I also think that when teachers stay somewhere too long, things tend to get a bit ugly.
I'm going to add this to the discussion: international teachers have a different plan than teachers in their home countries. People in their own countries general settle down in one place and make it "home". International teachers are leaving their home to go somewhere else - I think this makes it easier for that teacher to move to another country. Your friends are constantly coming and going, why shouldn't you? Back home, your friends are more likely to stay put and not move countries every two years.
I know this is a generalization, but I do believe that this movement causes an atmosphere to be created where it is almost expected that you will move on after a couple of years. I think it would be unusual for someone to get a job back home where it is assumed you'll be moving on after your contract is up - it's not unusual for an international teacher to move on after 2 years.
I know this is a generalization, but I do believe that this movement causes an atmosphere to be created where it is almost expected that you will move on after a couple of years. I think it would be unusual for someone to get a job back home where it is assumed you'll be moving on after your contract is up - it's not unusual for an international teacher to move on after 2 years.