Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for couple

aussiegirl
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:59 pm
Location: Australia

Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for couple

Post by aussiegirl »

Hi there

My partner and I are both looking for a career change and have decided that we want to become international teachers. This is a 5 year plan for us; 3 years to get University qualified and then 2 years experience in Australia. He already has a Bachelor of Marketing and will be applying for a Masters of Teaching. There is a new clinical program in Australia which offers a 3 year paid internship whilst he completes his qualification. Due to his undergrad degree he is eligible to become a secondary economics/ business teacher.

I am currently enrolled in my first year of Bachelor of Business/ Bachelor of Teaching and already have an MBA (exec) which I gained in 2010 via alternate entry (as I didn't have an undergrad they accepted me on career experience). The Teacher Institute in Australia require 3 years of previous study for a Masters, so I am unable to qualify for Masters programs and have to complete a Bachelor degree. I had planned to become a secondary economics/ business teacher, but I have just started my first prac placement and am already having doubts around if this is the subject/ age range of teaching I want to do.

I have sat in on classes with Years 7, 9 and 12. After experiencing the senior students I am not sure that I have the personality to deal with this age group. I have also taken into consideration that as a teaching couple we are not going to be very marketable both holding the same specialisation i.e. secondary economics.

My questions are:

1. Should I switch to primary or middle years teaching (I loved the Year 7's!!) and my partner continue on with secondary economics?
2. Do overseas schools prefer a Middle Years or Primary teaching qualification?
3. Will this be the best combination to make us most marketable to overseas schools?
4. We are planning a family currently so will have a 5 year old when we are planning to go overseas, will this be a problem?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. I am having great anxiety over this and am considering switching my course and possibly institution for next semester.

Thanks mates!
Aussiegirl :)
Search
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 5:19 am

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by Search »

Hi Aussie Girl,

Happy to have a chat and talk through some options with you. You can email me at nkendell@searchassociates.com if you feel this would be of assistance.

Kind Regards,

Nick Kendell
Senior Associate
aussiegirl
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:59 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by aussiegirl »

Thanks Nick; have emailed :)
shadowjack
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Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by shadowjack »

You are going to face a bit of a problem, in my opinion. With you both qualifying as Business/Economics teachers, you are always going to have to find schools that have TWO openings in the department. Sometimes this might happen, other times it might not.

Your problem will be that you have to let most schools know you are leaving in November (although some do go later). Hiring season starts in December. Your school will be recruiting for your positions and you won't even be gone yet.

I would recommend one of you doing your certification in another area - elementary education perhaps? Elementary school teachers make great spouses because they are relatively easy for a school to fit in.

Just my opinion and something to think about...

Good luck!

Shad
aussiegirl
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Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:59 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by aussiegirl »

Another option would be for me to continue with secondary Economics/ Business and have him train as a secondary science teacher - what are your thoughts on this option?
jessiejames
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:00 pm

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by jessiejames »

The secondary science teachers I know are always inundated by high schools. If you prefer teaching younger children, then why not work towards becoming an Elementary teacher, but while he qualifies in secondary science - I think this would be a great combination for employability.
shadowjack
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Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by shadowjack »

aussiegirl, it would depend which science and at what level. The gold standard is chemistry/physics teacher. Just going to middle school or lower secondary science without being able to teach the upper secondary (A level/HL/SL level/AP level) classes will be a big limiting factor.

If he did that and you did the business/econ, it might be that there are schools with openings for him, but not you.

However...if you did primary/elementary, it is very easy to place you, and so secure a position for both. Think of hiring as doing a blind jigsaw puzzle - some years there are more pieces for the puzzle that fit, other years less. But if you can't fit both pieces of the puzzle in the same year, you got a problem. That's why elementary for you/science for him might be a more versatile (and lucrative!) option :-)
UnCloudy
Posts: 99
Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 7:47 pm

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by UnCloudy »

Deleted. Best wishes!
Last edited by UnCloudy on Sun Jan 11, 2015 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
aussiegirl
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:59 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by aussiegirl »

I think we have come up with a solution - I am going to stick with secondary econ/bus and he is going to do primary... even in Australia male primary teachers are in high demand so we shouldn't have any issues finding jobs. Thanks for all your input, we really appreciate it!
UnCloudy
Posts: 99
Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 7:47 pm

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by UnCloudy »

Deleted. Best wishes!
Last edited by UnCloudy on Sun Jan 11, 2015 2:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
curiousme
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Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2014 6:43 pm

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by curiousme »

Really wishing you the best of luck!
aussiegirl
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:59 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by aussiegirl »

thanks again for your replies... it has been a while and some changes have happened - just wanted to find out your thoughts?

My partner has applied to do his Masters in Primary Teaching and I have just applied to switch from Secondary Business/Economics to K-12 teaching with a major in Business. I am binning Economics all together as after this semester I realise that I hate it - and the thought of teaching it is more like a nightmare... I am wondering what would be the best minor to include now - a standard subject like History or English - or I have the option for one of Asian Studies/ Sociology/ Philosophy/ Media/ Political Science... what are schools overseas interested in? I would also like to do a TESOL/ESL qualification at some stage if you think there is a demand overseas?

Cheers
Aussie Girl
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by shadowjack »

Aussiegirl,

Business is in higher demand than Econ. But having Econ is a nice touch. If not Econ, go for either history or English. Don't worry about an ESOL/TESOL - this is not required by international schools and won't increase your chances much. Save your money.

Don't do the Asian Studies, don't do the Sociology. Some of the larger schools have Psychology, but many schools don't. Media is not huge, nor is Poli Sci.

Business/English or Business/History is your best bet.

Good luck as you get things sorted!
aussiegirl
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:59 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by aussiegirl »

Thanks ShadowJack that is awesome help :)

Horrible Econ exam on Fri and then I am flicking it!!

Cheers
Aussie Girl
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Help Please! Advice needed on best combination for coupl

Post by shadowjack »

You are welcome. Just another thought - Business seems to line up better with the history department than the English department.

Thoughts from others about the double? Business Studies/History or Business Studies/English?

Good luck!
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