Prospective IT Evaluating Options

[braves6114]

Hello all, I have been reading posts on this forum for a couple of years and feel like my wife and I may be coming up on taking the plunge so I wanted to ask a couple of specific questions.

First, a little background info: I am heading into my 10th year of teaching social studies in 6-12, will be completing my Master's Degree in Education Leadership this year, and obtained my principal license in my home state this summer. I have taught at an IB school but have not been IB trained. My wife is heading into her fourth year teaching 8th grade math and has a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction and also is not IB trained. We have one son who is heading into 7th grade.

Now, my question: I am looking to get into administration but my opportunities in my home district may be dependent upon the outcome of a mill levy override vote in November. I teach in a small district with few opportunities as it is so a failure of the issue would guarantee a few more years worth of waiting. I am wondering what is the best course of action, waiting to get the admin experience in the states before heading overseas or accepting teaching positions and working my way up in the IS's. Do IS's promote from within in that fashion very often? Thank you all for contributing to this great resource.

[Overhere]

As a long time teacher and one with more than several years of teaching overseas, I would like to see you gain some teaching experience overseas before you became and admin overseas. Not that you couldn't do it, and not that teaching overseas is radically different from teaching in the US, but I think having the IT perspective is important to an administrator in an international school.

My last principal was brought in directly from the states and he has spent the last few years ruffling feathers that didn't need to be ruffled and is now spending time trying to repair relationships that didn't need to be broken. I believe that a little time overseas as a teacher would have prevented some of the issues he is facing.

I also think coming in as a teacher would give you a better idea of where you might want to be an admin and perhaps a better shot as well. I think having no overseas experience as well as no experience as an administrator will put you at the bottom of the barrel with regards to administrator positions. Whereas if you come in as a teacher a school might look at your credentials and feel you could fill some other type of leadership position.

Of course this is IMHO

[PsyGuy]

You need to get overseas ASAP, you have no admin experience and an IS isnt going to give the keys to an unproven admin with a blank resume (in administration). There are three ways to get into admin:

1) You find a lower tier IS work there for your first contract all the while doing a good job and when everyone else leaves for better ISs you stay, you can move into a senior admin position in about 3-4 years this way (sometimes less). In these cases its about ownership being comfortable with you and trusting you.

2) You slowly work your way through the tiers until youve become a master IT and then even without an admin credential you know how ISs work and how they run and youve been at the IS forever and again, everyone in ownership knows you and trusts you and then the retiring or leaving leadership leaves.

3) You get an admin credential and an advance degree and your work domestically as an admin working your way up to principal and then you get recruited from an agency or IS for a vacancy.

[braves6114]

Thanks for the responses, you both provided some valuable topics for my wife and I to discuss. Looks like it is time to start some research!