Hey there. I'm on the road to teaching abroad and thought y'all might be able to help me out. I'm trying to plan for the next few years (as much as I can anyways) and I'm not entirely sure where to start. So, some background information...
I graduated college in 2008 with a political science degree. I joined AmeriCorps, taught at an environmental education center, was a National Park Service ranger, a substitute teacher, and now I'm back in graduate school, earning an M.A.T with a focus on early childhood education.
Here is my (not entirely unique) dilemma. Between undergrad and graduate school I will have close to $50,000 in student loans. So that's good. I definitely didn't decide to become a teacher for the money, but the reality is I need to make it. Now, I could make decent money here in the U.S. but I really would like to live abroad while I'm (relatively) young.
Here is what I had in my head for a tentative multi-year plan.
-Get a job for a year or two in South America - Get teaching experience, save a few bucks, travel, dance, learn to speak Spanish!
-Get a job in a country with more saving power and SLAM my student loan debt (I occasionally read comments about saving $30,000 in a year in places like Qatar)
Does this sound feasible? Is it likely I could get a job with one of these schools in a country with more saving power right out of graduate school?
Sorry for the novel. Thanks for your thoughts!
Schools, Money, Culture
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
Many countries require 2 years experience post certification to get a visa. You can do it stateside, or abroad if you find a position. Only a few schools south of the border will help you chop down the debt. The middle east can help you save, but also look into China. Plenty of lower tier schools that pay well enough, and a pretty good life taboot! You also might be able to forgo that 2 years experience, or they might count your other experiences in order to get a visa. Most of these places are for profit, so a cheap new teacher is high on their agenda. There are always opportunities, it is just the amount of nonsense you are willing to suffer. Lots of post re very similar to yours. Take a few hours to cruise through this board.. You will learn a lot!!
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dangranger
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 10:35 pm
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
I figured this topic has been touched on numerous times. Couldn't resist posting my own though. I'll keep cruising the archives. Thanks boss.
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
Honestly, I think you could definitely get a job overseas straight out of grad school. It may not be the best school/position, but it will get you intl experience.
I say this with experience. And if you plan to do this, I would target the Middle East. I was hired for my first position after only 1/2 yr experience being only 3 months out of grad school at the time of the offer...that was for a school in Cairo.
I am in Kuwait now and the school I work at hired at least three teachers just out of university. They were still in school when they accepted offers. And they had only BAs with no experience. You will have a Masters and at least life experience and some uncertified experience.
It doesn't hurt to try recruiting and see what comes of it. The other thing is, international recruiting season is much earlier than US recruiting. Our recruiting starts in Nov/Dec and is pretty much over by mid-march-ish, sometimes later, but in the states it doesn't even start until around there or more like April/May. So you could try recruiting to move international, and if it's April and you have nothing, then recruit to stay in the states.
I say this with experience. And if you plan to do this, I would target the Middle East. I was hired for my first position after only 1/2 yr experience being only 3 months out of grad school at the time of the offer...that was for a school in Cairo.
I am in Kuwait now and the school I work at hired at least three teachers just out of university. They were still in school when they accepted offers. And they had only BAs with no experience. You will have a Masters and at least life experience and some uncertified experience.
It doesn't hurt to try recruiting and see what comes of it. The other thing is, international recruiting season is much earlier than US recruiting. Our recruiting starts in Nov/Dec and is pretty much over by mid-march-ish, sometimes later, but in the states it doesn't even start until around there or more like April/May. So you could try recruiting to move international, and if it's April and you have nothing, then recruit to stay in the states.
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dangranger
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 10:35 pm
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
Awesome. So this coming Nov/Dec they will begin recruiting for the school year starting in Fall 2015?
When you say recruiting do you mean working with an actual recruiter or just going to international school job fairs?
Deciding on where to focus my efforts is one thing. Knowing how to focus is a whole other can of worms I haven't opened. Is it most helpful to work with an agency or go the job fair/internet posting route?
When you say recruiting do you mean working with an actual recruiter or just going to international school job fairs?
Deciding on where to focus my efforts is one thing. Knowing how to focus is a whole other can of worms I haven't opened. Is it most helpful to work with an agency or go the job fair/internet posting route?
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
Danger, there are still jobs out there, even up to August for last minute openings.
Go join TIEonline and look at their job vacancy postings. Start applying now. Join the paid side of ISR to access school reviews. Start putting 2 and 2 together :-)
Good luck!
Go join TIEonline and look at their job vacancy postings. Start applying now. Join the paid side of ISR to access school reviews. Start putting 2 and 2 together :-)
Good luck!
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
TIE is your best option. It is relatively cheap and most schools there will interview via Skype if you cannot attend a fair (which can be costly).
Although schools like to be done with recruiting early, the reality is that they seldom are. There are always positions that open up late in the year. Just being out of grad school may be a problem, but here in China, I believe that to qualify for a foreign expert certificate, you must have teacher certification plus 2 years experience OR a masters degree. I think legally, a school in China can hire you with a masters in education. Perhaps someone else on here can speak to that more authoritatively.
Best of luck
Although schools like to be done with recruiting early, the reality is that they seldom are. There are always positions that open up late in the year. Just being out of grad school may be a problem, but here in China, I believe that to qualify for a foreign expert certificate, you must have teacher certification plus 2 years experience OR a masters degree. I think legally, a school in China can hire you with a masters in education. Perhaps someone else on here can speak to that more authoritatively.
Best of luck
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dangranger
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 10:35 pm
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
Shadowjack - I can't quite apply yet. I haven't even done my student teaching yet. That won't happen until this fall. If all goes according to plan I'll be student teaching in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, or Germany so I'm pretty pumped about that.
So how is TIE better than say, SearchAssociates or ISS?
So how is TIE better than say, SearchAssociates or ISS?
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
As a new candidate, with no real experience, other than just finishing your practicum, SA or ISS would likely advise you to get two years of experience and then sign up with them. While they might want your money, they also don't want to waste spots at fairs. So if they DID sign you up, the only fairs you would get to would be the second-rate ones.
TIE lists jobs from around the world, costs 39 bucks a year, and lots of new teachers find their first IS jobs there. Search and ISS cost a few hundred dollars and run job fairs in different cities around the world during recruiting season.
I usually go with a combo of Search and TIEonline.
TIE lists jobs from around the world, costs 39 bucks a year, and lots of new teachers find their first IS jobs there. Search and ISS cost a few hundred dollars and run job fairs in different cities around the world during recruiting season.
I usually go with a combo of Search and TIEonline.
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vettievette
- Posts: 101
- Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:31 am
Re: Schools, Money, Culture
shadowjack wrote:
> As a new candidate, with no real experience, other than just finishing your practicum,
> SA or ISS would likely advise you to get two years of experience and then sign up
> with them. While they might want your money, they also don't want to waste spots
> at fairs. So if they DID sign you up, the only fairs you would get to would be the
> second-rate ones.
>
> TIE lists jobs from around the world, costs 39 bucks a year, and lots of new teachers
> find their first IS jobs there. Search and ISS cost a few hundred dollars and run
> job fairs in different cities around the world during recruiting season.
>
> I usually go with a combo of Search and TIEonline.
Ditto to everything shadowjack stated above. I owe a lot more in loans than you posted, but I have managed to keep up with monthly payments AND save money. I even make a little less than what I was making back home in the US, but because we have a decent housing allowance and cost of living is pretty low against the $, I am able to put money away and still travel on breaks, eat out, etc.
> As a new candidate, with no real experience, other than just finishing your practicum,
> SA or ISS would likely advise you to get two years of experience and then sign up
> with them. While they might want your money, they also don't want to waste spots
> at fairs. So if they DID sign you up, the only fairs you would get to would be the
> second-rate ones.
>
> TIE lists jobs from around the world, costs 39 bucks a year, and lots of new teachers
> find their first IS jobs there. Search and ISS cost a few hundred dollars and run
> job fairs in different cities around the world during recruiting season.
>
> I usually go with a combo of Search and TIEonline.
Ditto to everything shadowjack stated above. I owe a lot more in loans than you posted, but I have managed to keep up with monthly payments AND save money. I even make a little less than what I was making back home in the US, but because we have a decent housing allowance and cost of living is pretty low against the $, I am able to put money away and still travel on breaks, eat out, etc.