My spouse and I are interested in entering the national board certification process (for U.S. teachers). We have talked to only one other person who has gone through this lengthy process, so we have an idea of what it is about.
Have any other teachers in the international teaching scene done this? Is it respected among superintendents at American and/or international schools? Most importantly, will this be accepted in lieu of certification in a specific state in the U.S.?
Our issue is this...My spouse is a foreign language teacher and has certification in HIS country and graduate degrees in the U.S. He is not a U.S. citizen BTW. I am certified in the U.S. We are currently teaching at a pretty good American school, but are looking to move on in a year. I am not sure if national board certification will help my husband get a job at a top school or if his past experience (15 + years-mostly in his country) + graduate degrees in the U.S. + current experience will be enough to get him the job he wants...and we want if we want to teach as a TEAM.
Thanks.
Need advice - Will schools care about this?
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guestt
Re: Need advice - Will schools care about this?
It is useless on the international schools scene.
Worth it? wrote:My spouse and I are interested in entering the national board certification process (for U.S. teachers). We have talked to only one other person who has gone through this lengthy process, so we have an idea of what it is about.
Have any other teachers in the international teaching scene done this? Is it respected among superintendents at American and/or international schools? Most importantly, will this be accepted in lieu of certification in a specific state in the U.S.?
Our issue is this...My spouse is a foreign language teacher and has certification in HIS country and graduate degrees in the U.S. He is not a U.S. citizen BTW. I am certified in the U.S. We are currently teaching at a pretty good American school, but are looking to move on in a year. I am not sure if national board certification will help my husband get a job at a top school or if his past experience (15 + years-mostly in his country) + graduate degrees in the U.S. + current experience will be enough to get him the job he wants...and we want if we want to teach as a TEAM.
Thanks.
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Worth it?
National Board Certification
"It is useless on the international schools scene."
So...are saying that it is a waste of time and money or that that it won't be accepted in place of state certification? Or both?
It seems like that if you are certified 'nationally', then you could go anywhere. Basically, we do not want to return to the states to jump through hoops for him to get some U.S. state certification when he is already teaching and has certification in his country (although not in FL). National board certification seems like an intensive process, but very self-reflective, etc. Anyway, thanks for your comment. I hope to hear from others as well.
So...are saying that it is a waste of time and money or that that it won't be accepted in place of state certification? Or both?
It seems like that if you are certified 'nationally', then you could go anywhere. Basically, we do not want to return to the states to jump through hoops for him to get some U.S. state certification when he is already teaching and has certification in his country (although not in FL). National board certification seems like an intensive process, but very self-reflective, etc. Anyway, thanks for your comment. I hope to hear from others as well.
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Euro Guest
national certification
I would disagree with the other comment made about it being useless. It shows an administrator that you are very committed to your profession and consider education a career that entails lifelong learning. While it may not help specifically for salary and other details at the specific international school, it certainly may help when you are interviewing for the position and have this certification that few Americans do. The competition for the better international schools is intense.
As you will read with many of the comments made on this site, they tend to be generally negative and from disgruntled overseas teachers. There are thousands of very satisfied international teachers that love their overseas lifestyle and the quality of the school they teach in. I have been at job fairs where teachers are accepting positions in schools they know nothing about just for the sake of getting an overseas position. My suggestion is do your homework on the schools interested, check to see that they are accredited, it helps if they are non-profit, and that the school will let you speak to a variety of current teachers in the school.
Good luck!
As you will read with many of the comments made on this site, they tend to be generally negative and from disgruntled overseas teachers. There are thousands of very satisfied international teachers that love their overseas lifestyle and the quality of the school they teach in. I have been at job fairs where teachers are accepting positions in schools they know nothing about just for the sake of getting an overseas position. My suggestion is do your homework on the schools interested, check to see that they are accredited, it helps if they are non-profit, and that the school will let you speak to a variety of current teachers in the school.
Good luck!
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OP
To Euroguest
Thanks for taking the time to comment. We are one of the many teachers who like teaching overseas and like our current school. We are just trying to prepare for the next job, hoping to go on to a better school - not that our current one is bad. Our current school is accredited by the way.
One never knows if the grass is any greener at other schools when deciding to leave a school and to go to an ISS or Search Fair. It's a big gamble, especially when you are a couple who needs to find a school.
Thanks.
One never knows if the grass is any greener at other schools when deciding to leave a school and to go to an ISS or Search Fair. It's a big gamble, especially when you are a couple who needs to find a school.
Thanks.
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guest2
To:Worth It
First I want to thank Euro Guest for what I believe is a well considered response. I agree that there are many, many teachers on the international scene who enjoy their schools, students and host countries. I think it makes good sense to read between the lines of these school reviews. Some reviews sound pretty much like nothing more than sour grapes while other reviews express legitimate gripes.
As for national board certification... No, it may not count towards your salary placement but it sure does makes you more competitive on the interview scene. The competition is fierce at some of the better schools and I have found that having that certification has given me a real advantage. School directors always bring up the fact that I am board certified during the interview process and have been impressed. As the previous writer says, it shows the director you are serious about your profession. I have been lucky enough to have received several offers at all the fairs I've attended. Of course, nothing can replace solid experience and good references, but board certification is treated as 'icing on the cake'.
So I guess I'd say go for it and goodluck!
As for national board certification... No, it may not count towards your salary placement but it sure does makes you more competitive on the interview scene. The competition is fierce at some of the better schools and I have found that having that certification has given me a real advantage. School directors always bring up the fact that I am board certified during the interview process and have been impressed. As the previous writer says, it shows the director you are serious about your profession. I have been lucky enough to have received several offers at all the fairs I've attended. Of course, nothing can replace solid experience and good references, but board certification is treated as 'icing on the cake'.
So I guess I'd say go for it and goodluck!
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OP
National board
"I am in a very similar situation. I also looked at this as an option, but I was under the impression that you had to be certified in your state to qualify. Does anyone know if that is the case?"
My spouse is in the same situation and according to what we have heard, it will not be a problem for him because he is certified in his country. The fact that he is not a US citizen made me curious about whether this could be done in the first place.
Thanks for the other post guest 2. I do agree that it could be the 'icing on the cake' at an interview.
My spouse is in the same situation and according to what we have heard, it will not be a problem for him because he is certified in his country. The fact that he is not a US citizen made me curious about whether this could be done in the first place.
Thanks for the other post guest 2. I do agree that it could be the 'icing on the cake' at an interview.
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guest2b
My daughter has her certification. It took her 2 years, and $2500. She is very smart, but didn't have any help in how to write, etc. They want it one way, and thats the way they take it. I do think you have to have your master's but I will contact her and find out. Remember, you only have a limited amount of time for this, and if not done in that period, you lose all, and can't start again.
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guest2
To OP - National Boards Eligibility
Go to the website www.nbpts.org All the information you need about getting certified is on this site. You do not need a masters but you do need to have a BA/BS, have taught for at least three years and held licensure in the area for which you were teaching. If you do not have licensure then the school in which you were teaching must have been licensed by the state, I believe. But just check out the site. It's very easy to navigate and full of helpful information.
Good Luck
Good Luck
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Natalie
Re: national certification
Although some of the reviews may seem to be "negative" on this site I still BEG TO DIFFER with EuroGuest !
You see, what this ISR website has done is allowed teachers to help each other make better choices when choosing a school. Teachers (just like directors) want to work with professionals.
In the past, it was the directors who could blackmail the teachers (even if the director had been the one to cause the harm to the teacher in question) and ISS/Search Asscoiates would BLINDLY accept the director's word as gold.
So even if there may be a few "disgruntled" reviews in here EuroGuest,
I am sorry to say that there needs to be a system in place that holds directors just as accountable for their actions as the teachers.
Until such organizations as ISS and Search are willing to admit this (and so far they have not made that move), a website such as ISR is needed.
I am grateful for ISR.
It is an excellent resource when I go job hunting as it allows me
to make more informed decisions.
Does this mean that I read everything in here as if it were the "final" word ?
Of course not !!
However, I do consider it heavily if a particular school accumulates several poor reviews.
Indeed, I would suggest that you become a member of ISR
and actually read all the reviews in here EuroGuest.
You might just be surprised to
find that not all of these reviews are negative after all.
Best Wishes !
You see, what this ISR website has done is allowed teachers to help each other make better choices when choosing a school. Teachers (just like directors) want to work with professionals.
In the past, it was the directors who could blackmail the teachers (even if the director had been the one to cause the harm to the teacher in question) and ISS/Search Asscoiates would BLINDLY accept the director's word as gold.
So even if there may be a few "disgruntled" reviews in here EuroGuest,
I am sorry to say that there needs to be a system in place that holds directors just as accountable for their actions as the teachers.
Until such organizations as ISS and Search are willing to admit this (and so far they have not made that move), a website such as ISR is needed.
I am grateful for ISR.
It is an excellent resource when I go job hunting as it allows me
to make more informed decisions.
Does this mean that I read everything in here as if it were the "final" word ?
Of course not !!
However, I do consider it heavily if a particular school accumulates several poor reviews.
Indeed, I would suggest that you become a member of ISR
and actually read all the reviews in here EuroGuest.
You might just be surprised to
find that not all of these reviews are negative after all.
Best Wishes !
Euro Guest wrote:I would disagree with the other comment made about it being useless. It shows an administrator that you are very committed to your profession and consider education a career that entails lifelong learning. While it may not help specifically for salary and other details at the specific international school, it certainly may help when you are interviewing for the position and have this certification that few Americans do. The competition for the better international schools is intense.
As you will read with many of the comments made on this site, they tend to be generally negative and from disgruntled overseas teachers. There are thousands of very satisfied international teachers that love their overseas lifestyle and the quality of the school they teach in. I have been at job fairs where teachers are accepting positions in schools they know nothing about just for the sake of getting an overseas position. My suggestion is do your homework on the schools interested, check to see that they are accredited, it helps if they are non-profit, and that the school will let you speak to a variety of current teachers in the school.
Good luck!
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lagringa
National boards
Well, I think everyone's a bit right and wrong here. First of all, I have a lot of respect for teachers who have earned their National Boards, and I think it will reflect well on you to have it on your resume. Of course, it will also make your life easier when and if you return to the US to teach as you won't have to worry about getting state certification. However, there's a good chance that in going international, the person interviewing you may not be an American and may know little or nothing about National Boards and therefore be completely underwhelmed about it. I've asked around a bit at my current school (which I would say is about 50% American teachers and admin) and have mostly received blank stares in reply. Many people seem to have never heard of it. I'd also not expect to receive any kind of credit for it as far as salary goes. Considering that it's a tremendous time and energy consumer, and not a guaranteed thing, you may not want to bother considering you have so much else to your credit in terms of education and experience. If you are serious about going international and plan to stay there long-term, you won't need National Boards.