The International Schools Review Forum

G'day

I'm about to finish my Grad Dip at the end of this year and am looking for advice on starting out as an IT.

Looking to start out in IB PYP and am will to go anywhere. A preference for Asia over ME.

Classroom experience is limited to student teaching.

So basically any advice on achieving my first role in IT would be welcome.

Thanks for replies in advance.

Hi Ozgrad,

the teaching market internationally gets more and more competitive each year. 20 years ago it was very different and much more exclusive in number of schools and positions. Now "international schools" are everywhere and international teachers too!

I am going to give you some advice. Teach in your home country or in your country of passport. My recommendation would be Britain as that curriculum opens more doors to British schools. Or Canadian as it is closely aligned with the American curriculum, but people seem to like them.

You might luck into a job overseas, but it won't necessarily be in a place you want to go or a school you want to be at once you arrive. There ARE exceptions for teachers with no experience starting out - but they are the exceptions - akin to winning the lottery.

If you ARE determined to start internationally, join TIEonline, post your resume, look at something like Teacherhorizons and see if they will take you. The big two - ISS and SEARCH Associates will likely pass on you. Your area is fairly common, you have no experience, and you were a lawyer. (sorry, I had to throw that in there! :-)

I hate to burst your bubble and others advice may vary, but I have to call it as I see it.

Shad

Hey Shad

Thanks for the honest advice.

Just following that up, my more concrete options appear to be country WA or UK.

I take it you would reccommend UK, however, do you have any idea how country/remote service is viewed in an international context?

Cheers

Ozgrad

way back when my wife and i got jobs without post-cert experience. it mostly depends on where you're drawing the line in terms of where you want to go. a good interview will go a long way in spite of experience being king/queen of the castle. BUT shadowjack is right - if you can get a year or two under your belt before pushing off, it will become a lot easier for you.

good luck.

v.

Hey Van

Yeah unless I get lucky I'll do my time in Australia or UK.

Even one year in Australia means I can get my full teaching licence.

Thanks for the input, appreciate it.

Ozgrad

Just like Australia currently, there are a lot of teachers trying to get into international elementary education.

If you are currently living in Australia, I'd probably get 2 years experience there and then move internationally. References it what really gets you jobs (along with knowing people or being at the right place at the right time) and that's hard to do with little experience.

I've also heard many horror stories about teaching at some of the rougher English schools - but this is mainly for high schools so that should not affect you.

Good luck.

Hey Sci

I have heard 2nd hand that UK can be quite rough in parts. As you said the younger kids should be more manageable.


Cheers for the advice

Ozgrad

I mostly agree with the forum contributors. SA will take you as an intern, but 2 years is the usual bar to entry in IE. I would strongly advise finding a British school or relocating to Brittan as curriculum experience will be far more marketable. I would also try to find a DS with a PYP program, getting two years of PYP experience, and trained will make you very competitive in Asia for IB primary ISS.

Where my advice differs is that I wouldnt ignore the IE field, subscribe to TES and TIE is free, SA membership is good for 3 years and you can register as an intern, and apply to IB ISs, the cost barrier to entry is minimal.

Hey Psy

Thanks for the response. This is a fruitful forum.

Just to confirm the acronyms:

DS - Domestic School

IE - International Education

Is an intern position similar to a teaching assistant? is this a common route to become an IT?

Cheers

Ozgrad

Hi Ozgrad,

I would be happy to have a chat to you about some possible options.

Please write to nkendell@searchassociates.com if you think it would be helpful.

Regards,

Nick Kendell
Senior Associate
Search Associates

DS = Domestic School
IE = International Education

An intern isnt really like a TA, EA or Assistant Teacher (i qualify that, because some ISs do treat them list assistants). Intern means something different in IE. Domestically an intern is a student who is completing a field experience as part of their ITT/EPP program (student teaching). In IE an intern is a fully certified and degreed teacher who has less than 2 years experience. Many ISs do not have programs in place to mentor noob teachers who havent been in a classroom and havent experienced the difference between the academic concepts of classroom management and actually doing it, etc. Those student teachers that complete such programs in IE, get nothing basically, no salary, no OSH package. Though they can often apply financial aid to the program, many have just saved up from working in the ESOL profession and can afford to pay tuition/fees and live ont he cheap for a semester to a year.

You generally see two type of intern programs:

1) Entry Scale: Your a IT like everyone else at the IS, no one may even know your an "intern" but you get the bottom of the pay scale or a special intern salary. Otherwise your benefits are the same. The IS is basically paying you slave labor. You may get some extra mentoring by a senior member of the department, or some face time with an admin once a week or month.

2) Local Wage Scale: You either dont get an OSH package and are treated as if you are a local hire, or you get an OSH and an hourly wage based on classes you teach which will be a lot less than salaried professional full time ITs get.

When its available its common to move from intern to IT, and for some ISs its the shortest way in. Its the 1st tier ISs that can afford intern programs and if you do well, you may very well be offered a standard contract at would otherwise not be an option. I write "when its available" because there arent a lot of intern programs, the ones that accept lots of applicants are just staffing up on the cheap. The ISs with true intern programs usually only have one vacancy IS wide, and there is a lot of competition for them since they are in upper tier ISs and desirable locations.

Thanks for your detailed info, much appreciated.

The plan at the moment is to cast the net wide and see what happens.

If a a suitable IT position does not eventuate, I'll cut my teeth in Aus or the UK.

Cheers

Ozgrad

Remote/Country service won't mean much. It is about curriculum and teaching - and Brit curriculum opens more doors than Aussie does. As to the little darlings being nice and not the issues of secondary - that is true to an extent. But I could direct you to multiple "international" schools where the little darlings run the show and don't you bloody well forget it. Resources? Nah - we hire teachers, who needs resources? Parental interference? Absolutely. Owners love kowtowing to parents when money is on the line.

Oh there are others out there not as bad, but unless you get lucky, you are more likely to end up at the former rather than the latter.

That's interesting to hear, I was curious how remote/country would be viewed.

As to student behaviour, I have a thick skin and am not expecting it to be easy.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Cheers

Ozgrad

The only time it might come into play is similar climates...usually the extremes. If you can thrive at +50 in the outback, it means that you can survive + 50 in Erbil LOL.