Hello all!
I am brand new here and definitely a noob to International Education outside of Dodea (many members of my family are employed by DODEA but I was unlucky with the hiring freeze). I am interested in going pretty close to anywhere but of course I have top picks for countries. I would love to go to Eastern Europe, North Africa, South/Central America and almost anywhere in Asia. I am open to UAE but weary of Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia (not saying I wouldn't go, but would want to learn more about quality of life).
I have a M.Ed and am certified to teach Special Education K-12 and Elementary Education. I have two years experience as a Special Education resource teacher but that is it. I am starting to understand that Sped positions aren't super prevalent but Classroom Positions are quite competitive due to a high amount of applicants.
I am married, my husband is not a teacher but is about to start an online Masters program in Education and plans to teach once he earns his credential. We don't have kids and don't plan on having kids.
Ideally we would like to find something by the beginning of 2015-2016 school year. Will my credentials/experience be helpful? Will I be considered for classroom positions even though I only have professional experience as a Sped Resource teacher? Can I still find a job even though my husband is not a teacher yet? Where should I focus on to up my chances? Any help/advice would be appreciated!
Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
Hi, are you a member of any job posting boards like TIEonline?
Here are some elementary SPED job postings from the last month
Hope that helps
http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w46 ... oico73.png
Here are some elementary SPED job postings from the last month
Hope that helps
http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w46 ... oico73.png
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
Many international schools tend to have 1 or 2 Special Education teachers who help work with integration. They are normally quite experienced as a lot is expected on them and they don't have the support of a large SE staff to bounce ideas off.
That being said - there may not be a large number of positions but there are even fewer people applying for these positions. It may be possible to be an SE teacher at one of the lower tier schools straight off the bat - but if you have strong references and work your way up you'll find that you can make your way to one of the top tier schools much faster than many other people....
That being said - there may not be a large number of positions but there are even fewer people applying for these positions. It may be possible to be an SE teacher at one of the lower tier schools straight off the bat - but if you have strong references and work your way up you'll find that you can make your way to one of the top tier schools much faster than many other people....
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
Thank you for your responses. I have signed up for TIE and have sent resumes/CVs out to quite a few schools and have heard back from a couple. I was really wondering if I will be considered for classroom teacher positions even though my only experience is in Special Ed. Do schools hire through July or am I SOL if I don't have a contract by March?
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
You might get consideration for elementary positions, but not generally by the larger better schools. Those schools simply have hundreds of applications from well qualified and experienced elementary teachers to choose from.
You may find yourself in just the right spot at the right time for a decent to good school to look at you for elementary but I think your best chance to get into the best level of school will be in SPED (I say that as a SPED teacher who has taught in 5 countries). I got my first job with just 2 years experience at a small school in Egypt and haven't looked back since.
Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
You may find yourself in just the right spot at the right time for a decent to good school to look at you for elementary but I think your best chance to get into the best level of school will be in SPED (I say that as a SPED teacher who has taught in 5 countries). I got my first job with just 2 years experience at a small school in Egypt and haven't looked back since.
Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Response
I would first start by working your DODEA connections, thats the best bet for you and there really isnt a freeze, their is justa lot of reduction in staff with schools closing and excess. Still you have a much better network than many people in IE.
Your top picks are everyone elses last choices, and as such those regions (except to some degree in EE) meaning the competition is easier, though not guaranteed by any standards.
Its late in the recruiting season the peak of recruiting ended with the BOS fair.
I agree with wrldtrvlr123 in that you arent competitive in the market for a primary position, unless you have or are able to get PYP experience (not just training) but then youd have primary teaching experience. Primary positions are often reserved for high needs teaching couples where one spouse is a high value teacher and the other is a primary teacher. The positions left over are highly competitive.
Most ISs DO NOT have a SPED program, its really only common at upper tier schools, which is a blessing and a curse, int hat schools with SPED usually have more resources and stronger reputations and that lends itself to higher tier schools, and while there is a smaller group of applicants there are far fewer OSH positions. SPED as you know it is more accurately referred to as "SPED lite". Many SPED teachers in IS dont do what you would think is SPED, and usually they are a staff of one or two, with support from the admin team, and they supervise a small group of tracking or monitor substitutes.
You can still find a job, though it will be harder, teaching spouses are usually a schools first choice, as their are logistical benefits, still a trailing spouse is FAR less of a burden then 3 kids and a trailing spouse.
I would forget "focusing" and apply to any SPED position you come by. Typically a premium agency like Search Associates (SA) or International School Services (ISS), combined with an International job board like TIE or Joy Jobs.
The ME of China will probably provide you the most interest.
Your top picks are everyone elses last choices, and as such those regions (except to some degree in EE) meaning the competition is easier, though not guaranteed by any standards.
Its late in the recruiting season the peak of recruiting ended with the BOS fair.
I agree with wrldtrvlr123 in that you arent competitive in the market for a primary position, unless you have or are able to get PYP experience (not just training) but then youd have primary teaching experience. Primary positions are often reserved for high needs teaching couples where one spouse is a high value teacher and the other is a primary teacher. The positions left over are highly competitive.
Most ISs DO NOT have a SPED program, its really only common at upper tier schools, which is a blessing and a curse, int hat schools with SPED usually have more resources and stronger reputations and that lends itself to higher tier schools, and while there is a smaller group of applicants there are far fewer OSH positions. SPED as you know it is more accurately referred to as "SPED lite". Many SPED teachers in IS dont do what you would think is SPED, and usually they are a staff of one or two, with support from the admin team, and they supervise a small group of tracking or monitor substitutes.
You can still find a job, though it will be harder, teaching spouses are usually a schools first choice, as their are logistical benefits, still a trailing spouse is FAR less of a burden then 3 kids and a trailing spouse.
I would forget "focusing" and apply to any SPED position you come by. Typically a premium agency like Search Associates (SA) or International School Services (ISS), combined with an International job board like TIE or Joy Jobs.
The ME of China will probably provide you the most interest.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
I disagree with the characterization that most int'l school don't have a SPED program and that only top tier school do. I don't have the full stats (would love to see some) but I am very familiar with schools in certain areas. For example, if you look at the top 10 to 12 schools in Beijing, they range from Elite to 3rd tier. Every single one has some type of learning support/SPED Lite program, even if it is only one or two people. Now, Beijing is not everywhere but it is also not known for being especially enlightened or friendly toward students with learning disabilities. Look at some other places with a large number of schools like Hong Kong. Is there a school there that does not have some type of LS teachers? I think you could go 30 schools deep (if you include ESF) before hitting such a school (if there is one).
Also, when job season is in full swing, look at how many schools are looking for LS teachers. Again, they will run the gamut from Elite to 3rd tier. I guess we could quibble about whether most do, or most don't but it is clear that a very large percentage do hire LS teachers (which is basically what we are talking about). The actual numbers and details would be interesting but the important thing is people researching LS jobs in int'l schools should have a more accurate picture of the situation.
Maybe, I'm a little off base. If so, I would love for people to post about the schools they know of first hand that have not a single LS staff person on the faculty.
PS: Even at this late date there are like 40 LS type positions advertised on Search right now. The vast majority are 2nd and 3rd tier schools. Hardly definitive but definitely informative. You may need to adjust your view of the prevalence of LS positions in int'l teaching (although I won't hold my breath just yet).
Also, when job season is in full swing, look at how many schools are looking for LS teachers. Again, they will run the gamut from Elite to 3rd tier. I guess we could quibble about whether most do, or most don't but it is clear that a very large percentage do hire LS teachers (which is basically what we are talking about). The actual numbers and details would be interesting but the important thing is people researching LS jobs in int'l schools should have a more accurate picture of the situation.
Maybe, I'm a little off base. If so, I would love for people to post about the schools they know of first hand that have not a single LS staff person on the faculty.
PS: Even at this late date there are like 40 LS type positions advertised on Search right now. The vast majority are 2nd and 3rd tier schools. Hardly definitive but definitely informative. You may need to adjust your view of the prevalence of LS positions in int'l teaching (although I won't hold my breath just yet).
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
I read a lot of about these "tiered schools" on this forum and I honestly am so new that I don't understand this "system". Sometimes I see schools that look really nice on TIE and when they come up on the forum people are saying they're 2nd or 3rd Tier schools. Can someone explain? Right now I am in contact with one school (don't want to say which one) and I thought it looked like a decent school with a workable package but when I searched for it on this forum people were saying it was a Tier 3 school. I'm also confused because some schools I have seen with Sped Resource/Learning Support positions that look like they could definitely be third tier schools, yet they have a sped program...I don't know, I guess if someone could explain the tiers in layman's terms to me that would be helpful.
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
I'm sure someone will be along to write you a dissertation on the whole tier concept but I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are no real hard and fast rules about what makes a school fit into a particular tier and there is no certainty that working at a "tier 1 school" will make you any happier than working in a "tier 3" school.
In general, there are schools that most people could agree are tier 1 schools (based on package, facilities, reputation, perceived quality of education and working environment) and these would be the top one or two schools in a given city/country. That doesn't mean the school is perfect and there are likely to be trade offs for teaching there (e.g. high expectations, pressure from admin and parents, high workload, etc).
There are also groups of schools that many/most people would agree are tier 3 (or lower) based on poor package/faculties, dodgy ownership, no accountability for students, shaky job security etc). That is not to say that some of those schools wouldn't be a good fit for some teachers for a time and/or that you couldn't be relatively happy under some circumstances.
In between there are many schools (probably the majority of schools) where personal preferences and priorities (savings potential, location, location, location, admin reputation/quirks etc) will raise or lower the school's appeal to a given teacher.
If you find a school with a seemingly workable package and the location and working environment appear doable for you personally, don't abandon it due to a few comments on a chat board. Do your due diligence, try to get first hand feedback and make an informed decision.
In general, there are schools that most people could agree are tier 1 schools (based on package, facilities, reputation, perceived quality of education and working environment) and these would be the top one or two schools in a given city/country. That doesn't mean the school is perfect and there are likely to be trade offs for teaching there (e.g. high expectations, pressure from admin and parents, high workload, etc).
There are also groups of schools that many/most people would agree are tier 3 (or lower) based on poor package/faculties, dodgy ownership, no accountability for students, shaky job security etc). That is not to say that some of those schools wouldn't be a good fit for some teachers for a time and/or that you couldn't be relatively happy under some circumstances.
In between there are many schools (probably the majority of schools) where personal preferences and priorities (savings potential, location, location, location, admin reputation/quirks etc) will raise or lower the school's appeal to a given teacher.
If you find a school with a seemingly workable package and the location and working environment appear doable for you personally, don't abandon it due to a few comments on a chat board. Do your due diligence, try to get first hand feedback and make an informed decision.
Reply
@wrldtrvlr123
I did not write top tier I wrote upper tier which is the elite tier, first tier and some part of second tier.
Really "Someone" will post the tier dissertation?
Yes HK has a not insignificant SPED presence, jump across to the mainland in GZ and you find one school ASG, BSG (British) doesnt even have a SEN/LS department or staff member and theyre an upper tier school.
@spedwa
While SPED is growing the issue is that the lower tier (third tier and some of second tier) ISs are growing faster, and there is still a LOT of lower tier ISs that just dont do SPED lite at all, or even worse say they do but provide no services, which is a growing trend to hire a LS/SEN (LS is Learning Support, and SEN is Special Education Needs), but provide no services this person ends of teaching as an HRT and then meets after school with students that need extra help, or they are available to other teachers as a resource but again with no resources to work with. Ive seen schools with LS?SEN programs that you cant find anything resembling a SPED program looking anywhere, except on paper. I dont see any significant growth coming out of third tier schools. Nor is SPED exploding in IE.
Having a SPED/SEN/LS program does not grant automatic inclusion ina higher tier. As ONE factor in tier status the major factor that matters is what does the program provide. It is very easy to create literature and a web pages that are misleading.
There is no objective definition of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3, and as such there is no "master list" of who is in which list, and to that end even if there was no one would agree on it. Youd have some consensus with schools like WAB (Beijing), and ISB (Bangkok), but there would still be a lot of disagreement. As a community we tend to agree achieve consensus on the top and the bottom of the tiers. Our biggest disagreement is the margins in-between and the middle. Though if your on the international school circuit long enough you get a feel for which schools are at which tier. School quality also has a lot to do with where you are a tier 2 school in Hong Kong, might be a tier 1 school in mainland China...
There is no "definition" of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. Its all subjective, There are several models generally applied to dividing of the tiers, the teacher model is:
Elite Tier: Top schools in the first tier usually 1-2 schools.
1st Tier: The top 5%
2nd Tier: 75%-95%
3rd Tier: Bottom 75%
Upper tier is typically the elite, first tier and some portion of the second tier. Lower tier is the third tier and some portion of the second tier.
In general when teachers describe a tier 1, etc school from one another it comes down to
1) Compensation package
2) Work environment.
Historically the compensation package is the priority, not because of greed or anything, but because its easy to quantify. If your in Brazil, $30K is better then $28K. Schools that pay more for a given region tend to have more stable finances (a sign of longevity, given enrollment, and reputation), and have larger endowments, meaning they have been around long enough to develop efficiency and have well planed capitol projects. Better schools can charge more in fees, and be more selective in their admissions. This creates more "cash" on hand for salaries and benefits.
COMPENSATION:
Typically includes (in this order of importance/priority:
1) Salary (based on number of contract or teaching hours per week)
2) Housing (including utility costs)
3) Tuition (If you have kids. In addition if you have a non teaching spouse, how easy is it for them to find a job)
4) Transportation (Including Airfare, moving, and settling in allowances).
5) Insurance (Mostly how good the medical is)
6) Retirement (Including end of year bonuses).
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Working conditions is the far more subjective of the two. It means something slightly different to everyone. But can include as a general principal (and these get more "fuzzy" the lower I go):
1) Staff/Faculty/Parents:How qualified are your co teachers? Do they know what they are doing? Do the aids, secretaries try and help you? Is the PTA crazy helicopter parents? Are the parents really the ones running the school?
2) Admins Management Style: Biggest reason for a school to go down hill. Does the admin back the teachers? Are they just a spokesperson for the owners? Do they yield to parent pressure? Do they value faculty input? Do they care?
3) Organization: Does the front/back office run efficiently? Do you get reimbursed in a timely fashion? Are salaries paid on time? Is the school relationship with the local immigration bureau good, can they process visas, permits, etc quickly?
4) Resources: Do you have a projector? Access to computers, internet? Can you make copies when you need too. What about textbooks, are they old and out dated, do teachers even use them? Whats the library look like? Whats the cafeteria look like (do they feed the teacher lunch?) Do you have a classroom/department budget, or do you have to ask for everything?
5) Academics: Do they have a curriculum? Do they use the curriculum? Does the department share a common curriculum or does everybody teach what they know and prefer? What are the assessment/grading policies and procedures?
6) Community: Are the people nice, friendly, helpful? What's there too do in the area? Is it safe? Clean? Is transportation easily accessible? Availability of shopping/groceries? Medical Care? This could be a long one....
JOB SEARCH:
1st tier schools are typically non-profit private prepatory schools that focus on an international student body. They are very westernized, and would be very similar to a private school in western cultures.
2nd tier schools are private private non-profits that act like for profits. They are predominately domestic students, who are affluent. They are equivalent to a "good" public school in a western culture.
3rd tier schools are for profit schools that are run as business. The purpose is to make generate revenue, and provide the owner with some level of prestige and status. Education is just the product, the students parents just the consumers.
Most 3rd tier schools advertise on TIE Online, Joy Jobs, and with SEARCH. You can also find them on Daves ESL Cafe (They advertise everywhere, except the "selective" recruitment agencies, such as ISS)
Tier 3 schools either pay very well because the only reason someone would work there is the money, or they pay enough to get by. Most of these schools are in the middle east or africa. There are some very "beautiful" schools that Dante could use to deepen the levels of hell a bit, and the only reason they have faculty is because 1) The money, 2) Desperate teachers who cant do any better. Of course one issue that i see common with Tier 3 schools is related to "safety" either the regional culture is very very rigid, with serious consequences for what you might consider "minor rule infractions" or the region/area could become quickly hostile and dangerous...
Your typical "ESL School" is right around the border between tier 3 and tier 2 schools.
"Elite" (also called prestige or premier) schools are a subset of tier 1 schools, that represent the top school(s) in the region.
An "elite" or "premiere" international school is simply the top (or contested top) tier one school in a region (or city). What differentiates them is they usually have the best reputation in an area as "THE" school, and you see that in a compensation package that is substantially higher then the other tier one schools in the area, as well as in their staff support, resources, and facilities.
For example; ISB (Bangkok) is typically seen as the elite school in Bangkok. ISB (Beijing) is usually tied with WAB (Western Academy of Beijing) in Beijing/China. SAS (Singapore American School) is seen as the elite school in Singapore. ASP (Paris) is the elite school is France. IS Frankfurt is usually (lot of debate on this) considered the Elite school in Germany. ASIJ is well thought of as the elite school in Japan.
Tier status is only comparable to other schools within a region. Local economies, costs of living, cultural differences make global comparisons unhelpful. For example; most european schools dont provide housing, and taxes are high so even though salaries would rival many that you would find in a place like China, the savings potential and lifestyle you can live are very different (and often better in asia).
Elite (also called premier) doesnt equal easy. Elite schools typically expect a lot from their teachers. Some teachers thrive in that environment, some dont.
Why a separate category? well there is typically a substantial and significant increase in work and compensation between the "elite" school and the other tier one schools.
I guess thats 4 levels. is there a lower level, some people throw tier 4, and lower levels around, but i have to think that is really just an individual adding insult to injury when they call a particular school a "tier 4" school.
I did not write top tier I wrote upper tier which is the elite tier, first tier and some part of second tier.
Really "Someone" will post the tier dissertation?
Yes HK has a not insignificant SPED presence, jump across to the mainland in GZ and you find one school ASG, BSG (British) doesnt even have a SEN/LS department or staff member and theyre an upper tier school.
@spedwa
While SPED is growing the issue is that the lower tier (third tier and some of second tier) ISs are growing faster, and there is still a LOT of lower tier ISs that just dont do SPED lite at all, or even worse say they do but provide no services, which is a growing trend to hire a LS/SEN (LS is Learning Support, and SEN is Special Education Needs), but provide no services this person ends of teaching as an HRT and then meets after school with students that need extra help, or they are available to other teachers as a resource but again with no resources to work with. Ive seen schools with LS?SEN programs that you cant find anything resembling a SPED program looking anywhere, except on paper. I dont see any significant growth coming out of third tier schools. Nor is SPED exploding in IE.
Having a SPED/SEN/LS program does not grant automatic inclusion ina higher tier. As ONE factor in tier status the major factor that matters is what does the program provide. It is very easy to create literature and a web pages that are misleading.
There is no objective definition of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3, and as such there is no "master list" of who is in which list, and to that end even if there was no one would agree on it. Youd have some consensus with schools like WAB (Beijing), and ISB (Bangkok), but there would still be a lot of disagreement. As a community we tend to agree achieve consensus on the top and the bottom of the tiers. Our biggest disagreement is the margins in-between and the middle. Though if your on the international school circuit long enough you get a feel for which schools are at which tier. School quality also has a lot to do with where you are a tier 2 school in Hong Kong, might be a tier 1 school in mainland China...
There is no "definition" of Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3. Its all subjective, There are several models generally applied to dividing of the tiers, the teacher model is:
Elite Tier: Top schools in the first tier usually 1-2 schools.
1st Tier: The top 5%
2nd Tier: 75%-95%
3rd Tier: Bottom 75%
Upper tier is typically the elite, first tier and some portion of the second tier. Lower tier is the third tier and some portion of the second tier.
In general when teachers describe a tier 1, etc school from one another it comes down to
1) Compensation package
2) Work environment.
Historically the compensation package is the priority, not because of greed or anything, but because its easy to quantify. If your in Brazil, $30K is better then $28K. Schools that pay more for a given region tend to have more stable finances (a sign of longevity, given enrollment, and reputation), and have larger endowments, meaning they have been around long enough to develop efficiency and have well planed capitol projects. Better schools can charge more in fees, and be more selective in their admissions. This creates more "cash" on hand for salaries and benefits.
COMPENSATION:
Typically includes (in this order of importance/priority:
1) Salary (based on number of contract or teaching hours per week)
2) Housing (including utility costs)
3) Tuition (If you have kids. In addition if you have a non teaching spouse, how easy is it for them to find a job)
4) Transportation (Including Airfare, moving, and settling in allowances).
5) Insurance (Mostly how good the medical is)
6) Retirement (Including end of year bonuses).
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Working conditions is the far more subjective of the two. It means something slightly different to everyone. But can include as a general principal (and these get more "fuzzy" the lower I go):
1) Staff/Faculty/Parents:How qualified are your co teachers? Do they know what they are doing? Do the aids, secretaries try and help you? Is the PTA crazy helicopter parents? Are the parents really the ones running the school?
2) Admins Management Style: Biggest reason for a school to go down hill. Does the admin back the teachers? Are they just a spokesperson for the owners? Do they yield to parent pressure? Do they value faculty input? Do they care?
3) Organization: Does the front/back office run efficiently? Do you get reimbursed in a timely fashion? Are salaries paid on time? Is the school relationship with the local immigration bureau good, can they process visas, permits, etc quickly?
4) Resources: Do you have a projector? Access to computers, internet? Can you make copies when you need too. What about textbooks, are they old and out dated, do teachers even use them? Whats the library look like? Whats the cafeteria look like (do they feed the teacher lunch?) Do you have a classroom/department budget, or do you have to ask for everything?
5) Academics: Do they have a curriculum? Do they use the curriculum? Does the department share a common curriculum or does everybody teach what they know and prefer? What are the assessment/grading policies and procedures?
6) Community: Are the people nice, friendly, helpful? What's there too do in the area? Is it safe? Clean? Is transportation easily accessible? Availability of shopping/groceries? Medical Care? This could be a long one....
JOB SEARCH:
1st tier schools are typically non-profit private prepatory schools that focus on an international student body. They are very westernized, and would be very similar to a private school in western cultures.
2nd tier schools are private private non-profits that act like for profits. They are predominately domestic students, who are affluent. They are equivalent to a "good" public school in a western culture.
3rd tier schools are for profit schools that are run as business. The purpose is to make generate revenue, and provide the owner with some level of prestige and status. Education is just the product, the students parents just the consumers.
Most 3rd tier schools advertise on TIE Online, Joy Jobs, and with SEARCH. You can also find them on Daves ESL Cafe (They advertise everywhere, except the "selective" recruitment agencies, such as ISS)
Tier 3 schools either pay very well because the only reason someone would work there is the money, or they pay enough to get by. Most of these schools are in the middle east or africa. There are some very "beautiful" schools that Dante could use to deepen the levels of hell a bit, and the only reason they have faculty is because 1) The money, 2) Desperate teachers who cant do any better. Of course one issue that i see common with Tier 3 schools is related to "safety" either the regional culture is very very rigid, with serious consequences for what you might consider "minor rule infractions" or the region/area could become quickly hostile and dangerous...
Your typical "ESL School" is right around the border between tier 3 and tier 2 schools.
"Elite" (also called prestige or premier) schools are a subset of tier 1 schools, that represent the top school(s) in the region.
An "elite" or "premiere" international school is simply the top (or contested top) tier one school in a region (or city). What differentiates them is they usually have the best reputation in an area as "THE" school, and you see that in a compensation package that is substantially higher then the other tier one schools in the area, as well as in their staff support, resources, and facilities.
For example; ISB (Bangkok) is typically seen as the elite school in Bangkok. ISB (Beijing) is usually tied with WAB (Western Academy of Beijing) in Beijing/China. SAS (Singapore American School) is seen as the elite school in Singapore. ASP (Paris) is the elite school is France. IS Frankfurt is usually (lot of debate on this) considered the Elite school in Germany. ASIJ is well thought of as the elite school in Japan.
Tier status is only comparable to other schools within a region. Local economies, costs of living, cultural differences make global comparisons unhelpful. For example; most european schools dont provide housing, and taxes are high so even though salaries would rival many that you would find in a place like China, the savings potential and lifestyle you can live are very different (and often better in asia).
Elite (also called premier) doesnt equal easy. Elite schools typically expect a lot from their teachers. Some teachers thrive in that environment, some dont.
Why a separate category? well there is typically a substantial and significant increase in work and compensation between the "elite" school and the other tier one schools.
I guess thats 4 levels. is there a lower level, some people throw tier 4, and lower levels around, but i have to think that is really just an individual adding insult to injury when they call a particular school a "tier 4" school.
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
Well that definitely answered my questions, thank you!
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
I am a special ed. teacher (20 years experience, and have never taught a general ed. classroom) and learning support is not relegated to the top schools. I worked at an elite school in China, I work at a so-so school now, and I've been contacted by really crummy schools during that time for jobs. The quality of learning support, like the quality of teaching, depends on the level of quality and integrity of the board, the admin and the school itself. My school in China had an ed psych, 10 learning support teachers, 9 EAL teachers, and 9 counselors. Obviously, the school has the money to put to the resources, but the whole school was well-organized and well-managed. Teachers were highly professional and there was a commitment to the highest learning for all students. That ethos leads to the understanding of the need for a well-developed support system for teachers and students. My current school does have those elements in place and consequently the value that is placed on learning support and EAL is pretty low, with more of the philosophy of "if you can't do it the way we teach it, maybe this isn't the school for you." It's much harder to develop student skills and programming because there isn't a general consensus and philosophy about teaching and learning.
As for "special ed lite" it's true I don't see the range of disabilities. I don't have middle schoolers reading at a 2nd grade level or students in and out of the juvenile justice system. I don't have cognitively impacted children physical impairments, children with high levels of ADHD or behaviour disorders, and hardly any on the spectrum. I do see children terribly neglected (even the wealthiest 1%) and children that deal with a levels of stress that are probably not as common in the States. The immense burden of federally-mandated paperwork is gone, the attention to specific qualification criteria is gone, and I'm free to use best practice and develop our own policies of who is eligible for services, which means a lot more children can get some help. That part is great overseas. For the majority of the children I work with, I am doing what I did in the States, so when people say "there's not special education" I have to disagree. Schools needs to have a good understanding of who they are and what they can provide so that parents and teachers have a clear understanding of the types of needs that a school cannot or will not provide.
As for "special ed lite" it's true I don't see the range of disabilities. I don't have middle schoolers reading at a 2nd grade level or students in and out of the juvenile justice system. I don't have cognitively impacted children physical impairments, children with high levels of ADHD or behaviour disorders, and hardly any on the spectrum. I do see children terribly neglected (even the wealthiest 1%) and children that deal with a levels of stress that are probably not as common in the States. The immense burden of federally-mandated paperwork is gone, the attention to specific qualification criteria is gone, and I'm free to use best practice and develop our own policies of who is eligible for services, which means a lot more children can get some help. That part is great overseas. For the majority of the children I work with, I am doing what I did in the States, so when people say "there's not special education" I have to disagree. Schools needs to have a good understanding of who they are and what they can provide so that parents and teachers have a clear understanding of the types of needs that a school cannot or will not provide.
Discussion
I suppose we disagree, though on what Im not quite sure.
There isnt an IS anywhere (DoDDS schools being the exception, but they arent really ISs) currently that provides SPED services in compliance with US/UK/AUS/CAN law. Among them SAS (Singapore American School) probabley gets as close as they come and even they make a point to inform their parents that they dont provide SPED services in compliance with US law.
The issue is simply this, money. ISs are private/independent schools, meaning that they have to generate the revenue themselves to provide the programs that they do. In absence of government funding, SPED programs are EXTREMELY expensive on a per student basis. You have a very small group of SPED students, and you have to provide them a lot of services. Thats not a sustainable business model. So to run a SPED program a school has to pay for it, and with the exception of some small embassy grants its the parents that have to pay for a SPED program. To put it in perspective The average tuition at a tier 1 school is about $10K, for a SPEd program your looking at an average inception cost of $220K (this is the cost of creating a program without any students), with a distributive cost of $55K/n4 (this means the program doesnt roll out with less then 4 students), thats a lot of money.
Top tier schools though have a reputation and mandate to provide for the communities they serve. The question is "what price point can a school serve its students to the satisfaction of the parents, and generate revenue on those fees?" The solution is SPED lite.
As you increase the degree of disabiltiy you drastically begin to decrease the number of servicing students. The reality is that students with severe needs require more care then just SPED, they reuire a whole host of medical, psychological, social and human services, that are outside the scope of an international "expat" assignment. Simply, parents are not going to be comfortable taking an international assignment with a child requiring such a degree of care. What you see in the majority of a SPED lite programs are (primarily) mild needs students and (secondary) high functioning moderate needs (including LD/ED) students. By restricting services to this class of the student population the school can serve community and still generate revenue, simply because the resources needed to manage this classification of students is much less expensive.
Schools accomplish this by 1) There nature as private/independent schools allows them to be selective of their admissions. They can simply say "were sorry we cant admit your child, as we are unable to provide the services their educational program will require". 2) They are largely self regulated. Typcially these programs have minimal governmental regulation and oversight (such as privacy issues). They get to create the program, can change it very quickly, and typically have a monopoly on this segment of the student population.
So whats a typical SPED lite program, this is my experience (and it differs from other contributors on this site. Its usually a large tier 1 school, with an american curriculum (which may also be an IB program). The SPEd department will consist of a LS (learning Support) or SEN (Special Educational Needs) coordinator, who will be part of the junior admin team. The coordinator will work closely with the school counselor, and serve as the point of contact for outside third . professionals (doctors, psychologists, social workers). The faculty will consist (depending on the size) of full time resource teachers who provide "pull out" service. they usually work in a resource classroom, and may work one on one of in small groups of students. Typically you will have 1 full time teacher for primary and another for secondary, though of course there could be more. In addition you will have a number of part time teachers (though could be full time) of teacher aids/assistants who will provide "inclusion services" (part time is what really saves the school money (part time means no foreign recruited package, and local hires are much cheaper. jane student might only need services for literature and social studies class. no reason to have an inclusion teacher in the classroom for art, PE, etc if its not needed).
Where you will see the major differences is in documentation, procedures and classroom issues. Basically, no ARD committees, or endless amounts of paperwork. Before a SPED student is admitted the administration will send the application and supporting outside reports to the SEN coordinator, who will conduct a screening interview with the parents/student. Depending on the services the school provides, if the student can be accommodated by the schools service plan then they will privide an IEP or Action Plan to the parents (through senior administration) describing what services and limits the school will provide and what the fees will be (sometimes parents just leave). If the parents accepts then the student enters the standard placement path, with modification for the students IEP (for instance some students are served for some classes by being placed in a higher/lower grade classroom, though the IEp may indicate no more then one grade lower).
At this point the students SEN teacher will likely have a conference with the parent either prior too or shortly after the student is placed. On the first day the SEN teacher will meet with the student and introduce them to their inclusion teacher(s) and go over the students schedule, etc. the students general ed teachers will be notified, and any special instructions given. Heres where one of the big differences is, typically the general ed teacher has a much more limited purpose in the classroom with the student. The support (inclusion) teacher or resource teacher does the heavy lifting. Usually the student has outside instruction/tutoring time. You may be asked to give the resource teacher a copy of an exam to be administered, etc. The interruption in the classroom is very minimal.
The second main difference is paperwork and documentation requirements. The general ed teacher will typically not be required to do any more paperwork then what they already do for there non SPED students. The SEN teacher will typically do a weekly report, but its a brief report, a few observation, and an update on the students progress. Thats really it.
Usually every couple months the SEN coordinator will review the progress of the student and schedule a conference with the parents, which may often be a telephone conference. They will discuss the students progress and possible modifications to the students IEP. Thats about it. There are no ARD committees and rules and regulatory procedures. The SEN faculty may have a monthly meeting, though once a term or 8 weeks is more common.
Generally speaking chronically, the hot diagnosis are Dyslexia (which include a lot of other mild learning disabilities) and ADHD (which include a lot of other emotional disabilities). Acutely, the SEN department will see acute depression (life events) and muscle skeletal injuries (broken bones, etc).
There isnt an IS anywhere (DoDDS schools being the exception, but they arent really ISs) currently that provides SPED services in compliance with US/UK/AUS/CAN law. Among them SAS (Singapore American School) probabley gets as close as they come and even they make a point to inform their parents that they dont provide SPED services in compliance with US law.
The issue is simply this, money. ISs are private/independent schools, meaning that they have to generate the revenue themselves to provide the programs that they do. In absence of government funding, SPED programs are EXTREMELY expensive on a per student basis. You have a very small group of SPED students, and you have to provide them a lot of services. Thats not a sustainable business model. So to run a SPED program a school has to pay for it, and with the exception of some small embassy grants its the parents that have to pay for a SPED program. To put it in perspective The average tuition at a tier 1 school is about $10K, for a SPEd program your looking at an average inception cost of $220K (this is the cost of creating a program without any students), with a distributive cost of $55K/n4 (this means the program doesnt roll out with less then 4 students), thats a lot of money.
Top tier schools though have a reputation and mandate to provide for the communities they serve. The question is "what price point can a school serve its students to the satisfaction of the parents, and generate revenue on those fees?" The solution is SPED lite.
As you increase the degree of disabiltiy you drastically begin to decrease the number of servicing students. The reality is that students with severe needs require more care then just SPED, they reuire a whole host of medical, psychological, social and human services, that are outside the scope of an international "expat" assignment. Simply, parents are not going to be comfortable taking an international assignment with a child requiring such a degree of care. What you see in the majority of a SPED lite programs are (primarily) mild needs students and (secondary) high functioning moderate needs (including LD/ED) students. By restricting services to this class of the student population the school can serve community and still generate revenue, simply because the resources needed to manage this classification of students is much less expensive.
Schools accomplish this by 1) There nature as private/independent schools allows them to be selective of their admissions. They can simply say "were sorry we cant admit your child, as we are unable to provide the services their educational program will require". 2) They are largely self regulated. Typcially these programs have minimal governmental regulation and oversight (such as privacy issues). They get to create the program, can change it very quickly, and typically have a monopoly on this segment of the student population.
So whats a typical SPED lite program, this is my experience (and it differs from other contributors on this site. Its usually a large tier 1 school, with an american curriculum (which may also be an IB program). The SPEd department will consist of a LS (learning Support) or SEN (Special Educational Needs) coordinator, who will be part of the junior admin team. The coordinator will work closely with the school counselor, and serve as the point of contact for outside third . professionals (doctors, psychologists, social workers). The faculty will consist (depending on the size) of full time resource teachers who provide "pull out" service. they usually work in a resource classroom, and may work one on one of in small groups of students. Typically you will have 1 full time teacher for primary and another for secondary, though of course there could be more. In addition you will have a number of part time teachers (though could be full time) of teacher aids/assistants who will provide "inclusion services" (part time is what really saves the school money (part time means no foreign recruited package, and local hires are much cheaper. jane student might only need services for literature and social studies class. no reason to have an inclusion teacher in the classroom for art, PE, etc if its not needed).
Where you will see the major differences is in documentation, procedures and classroom issues. Basically, no ARD committees, or endless amounts of paperwork. Before a SPED student is admitted the administration will send the application and supporting outside reports to the SEN coordinator, who will conduct a screening interview with the parents/student. Depending on the services the school provides, if the student can be accommodated by the schools service plan then they will privide an IEP or Action Plan to the parents (through senior administration) describing what services and limits the school will provide and what the fees will be (sometimes parents just leave). If the parents accepts then the student enters the standard placement path, with modification for the students IEP (for instance some students are served for some classes by being placed in a higher/lower grade classroom, though the IEp may indicate no more then one grade lower).
At this point the students SEN teacher will likely have a conference with the parent either prior too or shortly after the student is placed. On the first day the SEN teacher will meet with the student and introduce them to their inclusion teacher(s) and go over the students schedule, etc. the students general ed teachers will be notified, and any special instructions given. Heres where one of the big differences is, typically the general ed teacher has a much more limited purpose in the classroom with the student. The support (inclusion) teacher or resource teacher does the heavy lifting. Usually the student has outside instruction/tutoring time. You may be asked to give the resource teacher a copy of an exam to be administered, etc. The interruption in the classroom is very minimal.
The second main difference is paperwork and documentation requirements. The general ed teacher will typically not be required to do any more paperwork then what they already do for there non SPED students. The SEN teacher will typically do a weekly report, but its a brief report, a few observation, and an update on the students progress. Thats really it.
Usually every couple months the SEN coordinator will review the progress of the student and schedule a conference with the parents, which may often be a telephone conference. They will discuss the students progress and possible modifications to the students IEP. Thats about it. There are no ARD committees and rules and regulatory procedures. The SEN faculty may have a monthly meeting, though once a term or 8 weeks is more common.
Generally speaking chronically, the hot diagnosis are Dyslexia (which include a lot of other mild learning disabilities) and ADHD (which include a lot of other emotional disabilities). Acutely, the SEN department will see acute depression (life events) and muscle skeletal injuries (broken bones, etc).
Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
To return to the original post, I have found that LS positions exist at all levels of schools and on all continents. The challenge, of course, is that they are limited position in that there may be only 1-2 positions in a school (my experience in Beijing with such a large department is definitely reflective of the status of the school and not the norm in the international field). My current position is at a school of about 675-700 students. There are 2 LS teachers and 1 EAL teacher and we have no TA support. We run full-on schedules every day, but do have difficulty addressing the needs of all students from preschool through high school.
One thing that has been attractive in hiring is teachers who do have experience with behaviors, ADHD, spectrum, etc. They do tend to be much less common on the international circuit, and the students I've worked with would not raise an eyebrow back in the States, but they tend to stand out more because it's much less common. And, teachers who have worked overseas for long periods of time can be out of practice and perhaps not up to date on what is going on in terms of working with those issues. I've run into a lot of out-dated and old-fashioned ideas and being able to stay current and provide support to teachers and the student has been a draw for me personally. If you can build that experience and talk knowledgeably about what you can bring in those areas, schools may take a look at you, even though they don't have serious needs in those areas.
I have seen LS positions, like many elementary positions, go to spouses of desirable candidates in math and science. That may make it difficult for you. While a lot of schools will hire experienced teachers, those at lower levels or in less desirable places to live may be willing to consider a teacher with less experience and you might have a chance at getting a foot in that way. Sadly but true, there are schools do offer LS services, but don't really believe in them, and may be willing to hire a less-qualified or experienced person in that scenario as well.
My husband returned to teaching (social studies) after 15 years as an administrator and I'm LS, so as a couple we don't have the volume of available positions to choose from as other couples, but we've found that we have been strong candidates (and hired) on the basis of both our backgrounds...he has "carried" me at times, and my experience has done the same for him.
Give it a shot, but be willing to continue staying "home" and build up the experience as well
One thing that has been attractive in hiring is teachers who do have experience with behaviors, ADHD, spectrum, etc. They do tend to be much less common on the international circuit, and the students I've worked with would not raise an eyebrow back in the States, but they tend to stand out more because it's much less common. And, teachers who have worked overseas for long periods of time can be out of practice and perhaps not up to date on what is going on in terms of working with those issues. I've run into a lot of out-dated and old-fashioned ideas and being able to stay current and provide support to teachers and the student has been a draw for me personally. If you can build that experience and talk knowledgeably about what you can bring in those areas, schools may take a look at you, even though they don't have serious needs in those areas.
I have seen LS positions, like many elementary positions, go to spouses of desirable candidates in math and science. That may make it difficult for you. While a lot of schools will hire experienced teachers, those at lower levels or in less desirable places to live may be willing to consider a teacher with less experience and you might have a chance at getting a foot in that way. Sadly but true, there are schools do offer LS services, but don't really believe in them, and may be willing to hire a less-qualified or experienced person in that scenario as well.
My husband returned to teaching (social studies) after 15 years as an administrator and I'm LS, so as a couple we don't have the volume of available positions to choose from as other couples, but we've found that we have been strong candidates (and hired) on the basis of both our backgrounds...he has "carried" me at times, and my experience has done the same for him.
Give it a shot, but be willing to continue staying "home" and build up the experience as well
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wrldtrvlr123
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Re: Special Education newish teacher, what are my chances?
Yep. If I posted the 30+ schools still looking for SPED teachers from Search, there would be maybe 3 schools that most people would consider Tier 1, the rest would be 2nd and 3rd tier. That doesn't prove anything obviously, but if I posted a list from prime recruitment time there would be 100+ schools and the vast majority would still be 2nd and 3rd tier schools hiring SPED/Learning Support/Resource Room teachers. It's not really debatable that SPED is not just for elite/tier 1 schools anymore.
BTW, I don't really have a problem calling it SPED lite. AS a SPED teacher, it's all SPED to me and the labels don't really matter.
BTW, I don't really have a problem calling it SPED lite. AS a SPED teacher, it's all SPED to me and the labels don't really matter.