Hello all,
First of all, I'd like to say how much I appreciate the insights this site's community offers. Navigating the world of international education is tricky, but this forum has made it much more manageable. My boyfriend and I are both teaching in China and are beginning the arduous process of thinking about the 2015-2016 school year. Any advice from experienced teachers and/or administrators would be very helpful. Here goes...
The situation:
We have been working at an international division of a prominent local school in Shanghai. Both of us are certified teachers in the US (him secondary SS and me K-6) and have quickly worked our way up the ranks earning department head titles. We are very comfortable here, but would like to work at a higher quality school. Both of us will have 5 years teaching experience after this year (all of his experience has been at this school, and I taught 1 year in the States). He has his MAT, but I only have a bachelors degree. We intend to make a career out of international education.
There are a few avenues that we are thinking of exploring. One would be joining ISS or Search and attending one of the fairs in Boston. Another option is returning to the States for a few years to teach in my home state and then returning abroad. This would allow me to pay back a university loan through service by teaching in the public school system. I would also use this time to beef up my credentials by getting my masters degree and adding on another licensure like SPED (both could be done fairly cheaply and locally).
My questions:
1) If we were to go ISS/Search route, how would we compare with the typical candidate at the Boston fair? Would we garner any attention from quality schools?
2) Of course masters + experience makes for the ideal teaching candidate, but, in the opinion of others, how valuable is one over the other?
3) If we were to go back to the States for a few years, would this look strange on a resume to an administrator? How hard is it to get back into the international school scene after teaching in the US?
4) Would experience in the States carry the same weight as experience abroad? Or does it depend on the quality of the school?
5) For someone in her 20s, what is the ROI of getting a masters degree at a brick and mortar school vs. online?
Thanks for reading (I know it's long). Feel free to comment on any/all of the above points. I appreciate your help!
Fork in the Road Moment: Masters vs. Experience
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Fork in the Road Moment: Masters vs. Experience
Hi. For me, the primary question is how are potential employers going to perceive your current school? If it has a decent to good reputation as offering a working/learning environment comparable to an int'l school, then you should be in a decent to good position come recruting time.
If the school is considered inferior or simply not a comparable working/learning then you will be at somewhat of a disadvantage at a job fair (considering that virtually all of your combined experience and advancement has taken place there). Possibly someone (like one of the admin types) here could give you better input on how they would perceive you as a candidate if you give out more information about the school.
If there is any question about it, you could look to try and move to a better/more traditional international school setting within Shanghai to gain some more highly regarded experience, as possibly a Shanghai Director would be in a more knowledgeable position about your school (as in my experience, if you have to explain about the school, then it usually doesn't bode well). You might have to negotiate things like housing etc since you are already in country but some good schools may be willing to do this.
As for the other questions, a Masters is nice but reputable, successful experience trumps it. I have an online Masters from a brick and mortar school and no one has ever questioned it. Experience in the states is generally not as valued as relevant international experience but is still valuable and helpful (you will have int'l living experience which will tell schools that you can handle and thrive in an alien culture).
I do think that adding credentials would be helpful (SPED is a very useful one, personally speaking) but only if you have/get relevant experience to back it up.
Bottom line, some decent to good schools in decent to good locations should at least give you a look as you are but you may want to try and think about what is best for you in the long term (as you have plenty of time).
If the school is considered inferior or simply not a comparable working/learning then you will be at somewhat of a disadvantage at a job fair (considering that virtually all of your combined experience and advancement has taken place there). Possibly someone (like one of the admin types) here could give you better input on how they would perceive you as a candidate if you give out more information about the school.
If there is any question about it, you could look to try and move to a better/more traditional international school setting within Shanghai to gain some more highly regarded experience, as possibly a Shanghai Director would be in a more knowledgeable position about your school (as in my experience, if you have to explain about the school, then it usually doesn't bode well). You might have to negotiate things like housing etc since you are already in country but some good schools may be willing to do this.
As for the other questions, a Masters is nice but reputable, successful experience trumps it. I have an online Masters from a brick and mortar school and no one has ever questioned it. Experience in the states is generally not as valued as relevant international experience but is still valuable and helpful (you will have int'l living experience which will tell schools that you can handle and thrive in an alien culture).
I do think that adding credentials would be helpful (SPED is a very useful one, personally speaking) but only if you have/get relevant experience to back it up.
Bottom line, some decent to good schools in decent to good locations should at least give you a look as you are but you may want to try and think about what is best for you in the long term (as you have plenty of time).