Sorry if this has been covered in earlier posts. I tried to do a search but couldn't find anything that resembled my situation.
I have a relevant education masters and bachelors and 2 years of teaching experience. My certification is math 6-12.
I was wondering what you think my chances are of acquiring a position for the upcoming school year? I have had a director contact me and tell me that I had glowing references on Search, but he never contacted me back. I am trying to keep in mind that I have only been on Search for a few weeks.
I think maybe I'm aiming out of my reach, Europe, and I should try for Africa, Asia, or SA. For personal reasons, I have been focused on Europe. Have I not heard anything back from anyone because I'm too late in the game? Is it because I don't have the qualifications?
If you don't think I can get a job for 2015-2016, what Search job fairs do you think I should focus on for getting a job in Europe? and is there anything I can do to make me more desirable?
I really appreciate your opinion. Thanks.
Too little, too late?
Too little, too late?
Last edited by chimath on Sat May 02, 2015 10:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Too little, too late?
It is pretty late in the season, for sure, but vacancies do come open for various reasons as people's circumstances change (or, sometimes, they just change their minds). While you don't have a ton of experience, math teachers are often hard to come by so I think your chances are better than even IF you will broaden your horizons beyond Europe. A lot of people want to teach in Europe. You do NOT, as some will suggest, have to set your sights on lousy schools to get your foot in the door. But most of us will tell you it really pays to be open-minded about locations, and that a good school in a city you hadn't considered before might turn out to be a good fit. Figure out first what your absolute no-gos are (Mongolia, say, or Tangier) and then look at some countries that might appeal to you.
Re: Too little, too late?
Yes, it is quite late in the season, but that doesn't mean there's no chance at all. I was looking at the websites of some very good European schools last week (doing research for next year's recruiting season which will start this Oct/Nov), and I saw that some of these schools still have vacancies listed for the 2015-2016 school year. They don't have many listed, but positions still do exist.
If you have to remain at home for one more year, use that year to beef up your resume. You say you're certified 6-12 math, but what have you actually been teaching these 2 years? Would it be possible to switch grade levels or teach AP/IB to broaden your experience? Or could you show how you could contribute to a school community by coaching a sport or sponsoring a club like Mathletics or robotics? Or can you take on a position of leadership, like a grade-level or team lead?
Being open to other parts of the world is helpful too. Perhaps consider places that are easy flights to Europe, like the ME or N Africa (but do your due diligence because many schools in these regions are awful). Good luck!
If you have to remain at home for one more year, use that year to beef up your resume. You say you're certified 6-12 math, but what have you actually been teaching these 2 years? Would it be possible to switch grade levels or teach AP/IB to broaden your experience? Or could you show how you could contribute to a school community by coaching a sport or sponsoring a club like Mathletics or robotics? Or can you take on a position of leadership, like a grade-level or team lead?
Being open to other parts of the world is helpful too. Perhaps consider places that are easy flights to Europe, like the ME or N Africa (but do your due diligence because many schools in these regions are awful). Good luck!
Re: Too little, too late?
Thanks for the replies.
Monkey, I have been teaching algebra I, precalculus, and geometry. I use to work for MuAlphaTheta a math honors society and am very confident in getting a charter started somewhere. I'm not sure about prospects from for next year as I haven't attmpted anything beyond IS. I know there are a handful of schools in Europe looking for math positions, but I just don't know how long I should expect to wait for responses.
Heyteach, I am open minded to anywhere besides ME. Thanks for telling me I don't have to take crappy positions, I felt like I might have to accept a position somewhere I would dread just to get in the door.
Maybe I should just be patient?
Monkey, I have been teaching algebra I, precalculus, and geometry. I use to work for MuAlphaTheta a math honors society and am very confident in getting a charter started somewhere. I'm not sure about prospects from for next year as I haven't attmpted anything beyond IS. I know there are a handful of schools in Europe looking for math positions, but I just don't know how long I should expect to wait for responses.
Heyteach, I am open minded to anywhere besides ME. Thanks for telling me I don't have to take crappy positions, I felt like I might have to accept a position somewhere I would dread just to get in the door.
Maybe I should just be patient?
Response
Everyone wants to go to WE, many single girls want to be in Italy/France/Spain/Switzerland, have a sun dress their hair ina braid and riding their bike to a chateau or villa. Everyone thinks they deserve a top tier school.
The problem is your experience, 2 years is just barely the bar to qualify you to be an entry level IT, most people have far bulkier resumes by the time they are marketable to WE. I dont know why you have to go to WE, but you really are either looking for a very low tier school or a less desirable location such as Asia or S.A. (realistically you need to look at hardship locations). Consider that Europe is much closer to just about everywhere thats not in North/South America.
This is the end of the peak recruiting season, but someone with your limited experience wasnt going to get much interest outside the BOS fair anyway. This is the time when the mid tier and lower schools are doing their recruiting. The rule for fairs is you go to the best (and earliest) super fair you can get into (BKK, LON, BOS), those are the only fairs worth going too.
At this point you should be applying for every math position available and THEN when you have options determine where you want to go and what your best offer is.
Another option is to expand your search to domestic overseas open schools (these are public/regulated/municipal schools overseas) in Europe. The trade off is that like a local "open" school you get a local hire package (salary and social insurance), and dont get an OSH package (flights, housing, relocation, etc). They do get you to WE and since their recruiting is later (Spring) you still have time.
Options to consider increasing your marketability:
1) Get an EU passport, if you have an EU passport there are schools (mostly Spain) that will hire you this year still.
2) A secondary anything teacher needs to consider exit qualification level courses/grade levels and assessment performance. This means success with IB/DIP, IGCSE/A-levels, AP courses. IB is especially marketable.
3) Add a second complimentary certification/qualification such as science or ICT. A significant number of positions especially at small schools need teachers who can wear 2 hats.
4) Expand your search to outside SA (Search Associates) you should be using TIE and TES as well.
Leadership opportunitys arent going to help on your resume too much at this point, they wont hurt, but an admin isnt going to believe your TLR duties are really marketable. The minimum for marketability is HOD, anything below that is of negligible value.
Everyone does XC/ASPs its just a given, and unless a school can market or sell a particular activity it isnt going to increase your marketability. I dont see a math honors society as being hugely marketable, an general honors society maybe, but its still a very minor factor to your marketability.
It has only been a few weeks but dont disillusion yourself the pool of vacancies is getting smaller even with vacancies being a dded, more are being closed and filled, by the time the last EUR vacancies are filled it will be that much closer to their not being anything for this upcoming year.
If you want a very general idea of your marketability this is the PsyGuy applicant scoring metric:
PsyGuy Applicant Scoring System:
1) 1 pt / 2 years Experience (Max 10 Years)
2) 1 pt - Advance Degree (Masters)
3) 1 pt - Cross Certified (Must be schedule-able)
4) 1 pt - Curriculum Experience (IB, AP, IGCSE)
5) 1pt - Logistical Hire (Single +.5 pt, Couple +1 pt)
6) .5 pt - Previous International School Experience (standard 2 year contract)
7) .5 pt - Leadership Experience/Role (+.25 HOD, +.5 Coordinator)
8) .5 pt - Extra Curricular (Must be schedule-able)
9) .25 pt - Special Populations (Must be qualified)
10) .25 pt - Special Skill Set (Must be documentable AND marketable)
In IT there are two things that matter 1) what you can teach (degrees, certificates, etc) and 2) what you have taught (experience), and of those two experience is king. The rule generally goes no amount of experience equals any amount of training.
The problem is your experience, 2 years is just barely the bar to qualify you to be an entry level IT, most people have far bulkier resumes by the time they are marketable to WE. I dont know why you have to go to WE, but you really are either looking for a very low tier school or a less desirable location such as Asia or S.A. (realistically you need to look at hardship locations). Consider that Europe is much closer to just about everywhere thats not in North/South America.
This is the end of the peak recruiting season, but someone with your limited experience wasnt going to get much interest outside the BOS fair anyway. This is the time when the mid tier and lower schools are doing their recruiting. The rule for fairs is you go to the best (and earliest) super fair you can get into (BKK, LON, BOS), those are the only fairs worth going too.
At this point you should be applying for every math position available and THEN when you have options determine where you want to go and what your best offer is.
Another option is to expand your search to domestic overseas open schools (these are public/regulated/municipal schools overseas) in Europe. The trade off is that like a local "open" school you get a local hire package (salary and social insurance), and dont get an OSH package (flights, housing, relocation, etc). They do get you to WE and since their recruiting is later (Spring) you still have time.
Options to consider increasing your marketability:
1) Get an EU passport, if you have an EU passport there are schools (mostly Spain) that will hire you this year still.
2) A secondary anything teacher needs to consider exit qualification level courses/grade levels and assessment performance. This means success with IB/DIP, IGCSE/A-levels, AP courses. IB is especially marketable.
3) Add a second complimentary certification/qualification such as science or ICT. A significant number of positions especially at small schools need teachers who can wear 2 hats.
4) Expand your search to outside SA (Search Associates) you should be using TIE and TES as well.
Leadership opportunitys arent going to help on your resume too much at this point, they wont hurt, but an admin isnt going to believe your TLR duties are really marketable. The minimum for marketability is HOD, anything below that is of negligible value.
Everyone does XC/ASPs its just a given, and unless a school can market or sell a particular activity it isnt going to increase your marketability. I dont see a math honors society as being hugely marketable, an general honors society maybe, but its still a very minor factor to your marketability.
It has only been a few weeks but dont disillusion yourself the pool of vacancies is getting smaller even with vacancies being a dded, more are being closed and filled, by the time the last EUR vacancies are filled it will be that much closer to their not being anything for this upcoming year.
If you want a very general idea of your marketability this is the PsyGuy applicant scoring metric:
PsyGuy Applicant Scoring System:
1) 1 pt / 2 years Experience (Max 10 Years)
2) 1 pt - Advance Degree (Masters)
3) 1 pt - Cross Certified (Must be schedule-able)
4) 1 pt - Curriculum Experience (IB, AP, IGCSE)
5) 1pt - Logistical Hire (Single +.5 pt, Couple +1 pt)
6) .5 pt - Previous International School Experience (standard 2 year contract)
7) .5 pt - Leadership Experience/Role (+.25 HOD, +.5 Coordinator)
8) .5 pt - Extra Curricular (Must be schedule-able)
9) .25 pt - Special Populations (Must be qualified)
10) .25 pt - Special Skill Set (Must be documentable AND marketable)
In IT there are two things that matter 1) what you can teach (degrees, certificates, etc) and 2) what you have taught (experience), and of those two experience is king. The rule generally goes no amount of experience equals any amount of training.
Re: Too little, too late?
Psyguy:
Could you expand more on the domestic municipal schools in Europe that you mentioned earlier in the thread? I might be spending some time in Germany and if this is a way to get hired locally I really want to look into it. You can PM me if you wish to reply or simply reply here.
Thanks
Could you expand more on the domestic municipal schools in Europe that you mentioned earlier in the thread? I might be spending some time in Germany and if this is a way to get hired locally I really want to look into it. You can PM me if you wish to reply or simply reply here.
Thanks
Re: Too little, too late?
@PsyGuy, thanks for your response.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of those girls. Haha, like I said I have personal reasons that I need to move to Europe. If it weren't for the personal reasons I would be ecstatic to work in SA, SE Asia, or Africa. I looked into getting an ICT license in my state, but I don't meet the required number of course hours. I could probably swing some of my education courses and statistics courses to combine with my programming courses that I took in college but I would still be about 2 courses short. I am on TIE and TES. Venezuela and Bahrain have contacted me, but Venezuela seems to be in chaos at the moment, and I am not good at keeping my atheism at bay (these may be huge assumptions on my part).
I have started the process of looking for domestic work in England, and have acquired QTS. I feel semi-confident that I can acquire a position through this method, however, I would really like to work in IE and build a career.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of those girls. Haha, like I said I have personal reasons that I need to move to Europe. If it weren't for the personal reasons I would be ecstatic to work in SA, SE Asia, or Africa. I looked into getting an ICT license in my state, but I don't meet the required number of course hours. I could probably swing some of my education courses and statistics courses to combine with my programming courses that I took in college but I would still be about 2 courses short. I am on TIE and TES. Venezuela and Bahrain have contacted me, but Venezuela seems to be in chaos at the moment, and I am not good at keeping my atheism at bay (these may be huge assumptions on my part).
I have started the process of looking for domestic work in England, and have acquired QTS. I feel semi-confident that I can acquire a position through this method, however, I would really like to work in IE and build a career.
Reply
@spedwa
Domestic municipal school is a local government run school. What youd call a regulated or public school domestically. Various schools have Euro-School or other English programs where the local municipal government will hire native English speaking professional teachers to work in their schools.
The biggest draw back is that its a local hire package. So if you were hired for the international or English section of a German Gymnasium you would get salary, social insurance, and benefits that all the other local teachers get but you wouldnt get an OSH package that would include, travel, housing or relocation/settling/shipping allowances.
@chimath
You may want to consider moving your certificate to another state that offers additional certification by examination. It would cost you a few hundred dollars for the application process and then another couple hundred for the testing fees. The District would be my recommendation, its NEASC which is more common in EUR, the fee is $50 and they accept Praxis exams which you can take anywhere. You may not have to take any exams if your transcript - would warrant the certification. Hawaii would be my next recommendation as they also accept Praxis, though the application is more expensive and WASC is more marketable in Asia.
Domestic municipal school is a local government run school. What youd call a regulated or public school domestically. Various schools have Euro-School or other English programs where the local municipal government will hire native English speaking professional teachers to work in their schools.
The biggest draw back is that its a local hire package. So if you were hired for the international or English section of a German Gymnasium you would get salary, social insurance, and benefits that all the other local teachers get but you wouldnt get an OSH package that would include, travel, housing or relocation/settling/shipping allowances.
@chimath
You may want to consider moving your certificate to another state that offers additional certification by examination. It would cost you a few hundred dollars for the application process and then another couple hundred for the testing fees. The District would be my recommendation, its NEASC which is more common in EUR, the fee is $50 and they accept Praxis exams which you can take anywhere. You may not have to take any exams if your transcript - would warrant the certification. Hawaii would be my next recommendation as they also accept Praxis, though the application is more expensive and WASC is more marketable in Asia.
Re: Too little, too late?
:)
Last edited by chimath on Sat May 02, 2015 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reply
@chimath
I wouldnt advise accepting an appointment with an absolute disregard for factors. WE positions are in high demand, and very competitive. If your goal is WE or nothing I would take the offer and continue looking if its just barely meeting your requirements.
The bargaining table is where you get what you want, however WE ISs dont have or need to negotiate very much, your unlikely to add any significant concessions by bargaining, but in WE every little bit helps when your compensation package has you living in the margins.
IB training is valuable and once your in WE its easier to move up within WE.
I wouldnt advise accepting an appointment with an absolute disregard for factors. WE positions are in high demand, and very competitive. If your goal is WE or nothing I would take the offer and continue looking if its just barely meeting your requirements.
The bargaining table is where you get what you want, however WE ISs dont have or need to negotiate very much, your unlikely to add any significant concessions by bargaining, but in WE every little bit helps when your compensation package has you living in the margins.
IB training is valuable and once your in WE its easier to move up within WE.
Last edited by PsyGuy on Sat May 02, 2015 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Too little, too late?
Thank you, psyguy. I don't think I would want to pay the breaking of contract fee. I think if this opportunity is concrete then I will accept after I try to negotiate a little. Being poor isn't the worst thing for two years. :)
Re: Too little, too late?
@chimath
The breach fee is very, very likely to be unenforceable and even in such cases that it is, would be practically noncollectable.
The easiest issue to negotiate in the WE is relocation (airfare, shipping, and settlement) allowances, since they are one time cash equivalents. Followed next by PD allowances. Salary scale is one of the most difficult, as they are in most cases published, and an IS risks labor violations when not following them. The ideal approach is to negotiate how your experience, studies, and skill set are "value added" and worth/equivalent to steps on the salary scale.
The breach fee is very, very likely to be unenforceable and even in such cases that it is, would be practically noncollectable.
The easiest issue to negotiate in the WE is relocation (airfare, shipping, and settlement) allowances, since they are one time cash equivalents. Followed next by PD allowances. Salary scale is one of the most difficult, as they are in most cases published, and an IS risks labor violations when not following them. The ideal approach is to negotiate how your experience, studies, and skill set are "value added" and worth/equivalent to steps on the salary scale.