Looking for a little advice. I've been using Search Associates, but up in the air about committing to the Cambridge Fair...cost of travel and my realistic chances of landing a job.
Credentials:
3 years teaching middle school math and science
Independent day school
Coach for three seasons - football, basketball, baseball
BA in Biology
M Ed currently enrolled
No certification (does this mean I'm doomed?)
Worked/lived in Serbia in 2009 as part of an educational/sports endeavor
My recruiting agent is pushing Cambridge, but I don't want to go through all the trouble financially to get up there just to be overlooked because of my lack of certification.
Chances
Lack of certification will ban you from obtaining a work visa in certain countries, and count against you with some schools even in countries that wouldn't mind.
But a fair is your best chance of getting a post. With your basic level of experience, you need exposure to as many schools as possible, you need to put a face to your name, and convince recruiters in person that you're worth hiring.
But a fair is your best chance of getting a post. With your basic level of experience, you need exposure to as many schools as possible, you need to put a face to your name, and convince recruiters in person that you're worth hiring.
Reply
I was nodding my head until you got to no certification. I understand why your associate is pushing the BOS fair on you though, its the internship fair, and your a competitive intern candidate. Youd also get to network with recruiters. Lack of certification is usually death, but in athletics at a 3rd tier school you might get something.
If the idea of an internship doesnt appeal to you, then you would have better luck at the UNI fair.
If the idea of an internship doesnt appeal to you, then you would have better luck at the UNI fair.
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jbiersteker
- Posts: 121
- Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:38 am
That's funny...my Search advisor put my wife and I (who have six years international experience, and 12 here in Canada) on the waitlist for Cambridge, and put us in Toronto. I get the sense that he wants to fill Toronto, but I'm not necessarily the happiest about this because the list of schools at Cambridge is far more appealing than Toronto. Given this, I don't know if there will be any appealing jobs left after Bangkok, seeing that's where most of the jobs I'm attempting to land seem to be interviewing.
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
Reply
@txteach
Not every Masters program includes/leads to teacher certification, the vast majority of them do not. Most of them are in Education Leadership or Curriculum Design, and are designed for teachers moving into administration roles.
@jbiersteker
The toronto fair is a dump fair, everyone who is anyone will be at the Search London fair 9which is an actual super fair). The Toronto fair is the "short bus" of fairs, its mainly ME and 3rd tier schools.
BKK is "THE" fair to eb at if you can get ina nd your competitive, most of the top tier elite schools will be done recruiting and the 1st tier schools will have their short lists made.
Not every Masters program includes/leads to teacher certification, the vast majority of them do not. Most of them are in Education Leadership or Curriculum Design, and are designed for teachers moving into administration roles.
@jbiersteker
The toronto fair is a dump fair, everyone who is anyone will be at the Search London fair 9which is an actual super fair). The Toronto fair is the "short bus" of fairs, its mainly ME and 3rd tier schools.
BKK is "THE" fair to eb at if you can get ina nd your competitive, most of the top tier elite schools will be done recruiting and the 1st tier schools will have their short lists made.
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Young_Teach
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:35 pm
- Location: USA
Reply
@Young_Teach
The UNI fair is mostly split between half SCA (thats South/Central American) schools a quarter ME schools and a quarter asian schools. The SCA schools can be Ok schools but the region has a hard time recruiting teachers because the money just isnt there, and you can talk cost of living until your blue in the face, a low salary is a low salary. Some of the schools can also be VERY remote in places that are great if you love the outdoors but some places have little more the a grocery store and a bar/restaurant to their names.
If you go to the ME you have to go for the money, there is no other reason to go. Most of the ME schools tend to be of the 3rd and 2nd tier types.
The asian schools tend to be low tier ISs or Bilingual schools pretending to be ISs.
Either way your going to find mostly entry level schools with low averaging compensation packages. They really are the most likely schools to hire someone without certification, especially if you have a coaching record in a prime sport you can market yourself on. really the UNI fair is more about just matching school vacancies to unemployed teachers who are barely little more then interns. These are teachers that mostly are finishing up their degree and aside from student teaching, etc have no classroom experience. Recruiters are hiring based more on enthusiasm, then anything else.
Oh and because someone will just post that they know so and so who was a veteran and experienced teacher at the UNI fair, and they got a good job, there is always someone somewhere who is the exception other then the rule.
The UNI fair is mostly split between half SCA (thats South/Central American) schools a quarter ME schools and a quarter asian schools. The SCA schools can be Ok schools but the region has a hard time recruiting teachers because the money just isnt there, and you can talk cost of living until your blue in the face, a low salary is a low salary. Some of the schools can also be VERY remote in places that are great if you love the outdoors but some places have little more the a grocery store and a bar/restaurant to their names.
If you go to the ME you have to go for the money, there is no other reason to go. Most of the ME schools tend to be of the 3rd and 2nd tier types.
The asian schools tend to be low tier ISs or Bilingual schools pretending to be ISs.
Either way your going to find mostly entry level schools with low averaging compensation packages. They really are the most likely schools to hire someone without certification, especially if you have a coaching record in a prime sport you can market yourself on. really the UNI fair is more about just matching school vacancies to unemployed teachers who are barely little more then interns. These are teachers that mostly are finishing up their degree and aside from student teaching, etc have no classroom experience. Recruiters are hiring based more on enthusiasm, then anything else.
Oh and because someone will just post that they know so and so who was a veteran and experienced teacher at the UNI fair, and they got a good job, there is always someone somewhere who is the exception other then the rule.
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Young_Teach
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:35 pm
- Location: USA
PsyGuy,
Thanks for the rundown. I know you have answered numerous questions about how much money one can save teaching abroad...this is one of my reasons for exploring. I find that in America it is harder to save money (suprise!) with so many additional costs (rent, car, etc.). I have a pretty decent gig stateside at a private school, one willing to pay for most of my MEd. Plus, I'm near a beach. My quality of life is great and I don't know if heading abroad, just to be abroad, is worth it if I end up at a lower tier school in ME or Asia (the UNI fair). My ideal place would be Europe.
How accurate are the savings estimators for each school through Search Associates? I know it depends on the person, but how much can someone really expect to save in Europe/ME/Asia?
Thanks for the rundown. I know you have answered numerous questions about how much money one can save teaching abroad...this is one of my reasons for exploring. I find that in America it is harder to save money (suprise!) with so many additional costs (rent, car, etc.). I have a pretty decent gig stateside at a private school, one willing to pay for most of my MEd. Plus, I'm near a beach. My quality of life is great and I don't know if heading abroad, just to be abroad, is worth it if I end up at a lower tier school in ME or Asia (the UNI fair). My ideal place would be Europe.
How accurate are the savings estimators for each school through Search Associates? I know it depends on the person, but how much can someone really expect to save in Europe/ME/Asia?
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Young_Teach.
You have a job. You are teaching.
GET CERTIFIED before you go anywhere. Understand that for any of the really good schools and most of the average schools, you MUST have a teaching certificate. You can go to Mallorca Spain for two summers through the College of New Jersey and get your teaching certification.
Certification is your golden ticket and don't let anybody tell you differently.
You have a job. You are teaching.
GET CERTIFIED before you go anywhere. Understand that for any of the really good schools and most of the average schools, you MUST have a teaching certificate. You can go to Mallorca Spain for two summers through the College of New Jersey and get your teaching certification.
Certification is your golden ticket and don't let anybody tell you differently.
Reply
@Young_Teach
Europe isnt going to happen until your certified, have IB experience and IS experience. You will likely take a paycut working you way up through the tiers. very few teachers find themselves working at their dream school, and of the ones that do a number of them find out its not what they thought it would be like.
The savings estimators are reported and supplied by the schools. There is no independent verification. Some of them can be very conservative some of them are very liberal. Some of them really are right in the middle. Some schools have an "interest" in presenting the best possible optimistic estimate. Some schools want to protect their reputation by not overselling themselves.
My simple advice is to take the schools in a particular region/city find the lowest and find the highest among them and your saving poterntial is going to be somewhere in the middle.
This of course has a LOT more to do with you and your ability to create and follow a budget. Savings potential has a lot more to do with YOUR behavior then what some admin or staff secretary types into a school profile.
Europe isnt going to happen until your certified, have IB experience and IS experience. You will likely take a paycut working you way up through the tiers. very few teachers find themselves working at their dream school, and of the ones that do a number of them find out its not what they thought it would be like.
The savings estimators are reported and supplied by the schools. There is no independent verification. Some of them can be very conservative some of them are very liberal. Some of them really are right in the middle. Some schools have an "interest" in presenting the best possible optimistic estimate. Some schools want to protect their reputation by not overselling themselves.
My simple advice is to take the schools in a particular region/city find the lowest and find the highest among them and your saving poterntial is going to be somewhere in the middle.
This of course has a LOT more to do with you and your ability to create and follow a budget. Savings potential has a lot more to do with YOUR behavior then what some admin or staff secretary types into a school profile.