The International Schools Review Forum

Hi,

I am a British teacher, with a good degree and have been teaching for over 4 years now. I've always wanted to teach abroad, particularly in the States, but I keep being told the chances are very slim. After a lot of research, I've found very few opportunities and they also seem rather complicated! Please could any teacher who has been successful in this give any advice? Similarly anyone who works in the States and might be knowledgeable on this?

I'd really very much appreciate any and all advice!

Why the States? Working conditions are so much more enjoyable in international schools. Well, I taught in public school in Canada but I assume it would be similar.

I think your chances would be quite good, given the severe teacher shortage in many states. There is a reason for that shortage, though, and I would discourage anyone from teaching in the U.S. unless you hook up with a good private school. Understand, however, that unlike the international schools in other countries, you will not be getting housing or a housing allowance, nor a "settling in" allowance, nor assistance getting the proper visa, nor airfare or shipping allowances.

I taught in the U.S. for 22 mostly-good years, but three months into my first overseas job, I vowed never to teach in the U.S. again.

In the US, you have to get a license and each state has it's own licensing arrangements. A lot of states will give you a certain amount of time to be compliant so you might be able to get a provisional until you are able to be state licensed. That's for public schools...private schools can hire teachers without the same conditions.

Schools in the US will be often quite concerned with their state standards, the Common Core, etc. and would want to know you can deliver. If you don't know the "lingo" and how you could meet their needs, that might be a challenge. There are, however, a number of private schools in the US that run the UK curriculum. There's one in Houston, Tx...you might want to search for schools that use the UK curriculum and see if you can get something going in that direction.

Hawaii always needs teachers. What do you teach?

Nord Anglia owns a chain of British schools in the US. You can find more information here.
http://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools

Thank you for your advice.

I'm currently a Primary School teacher, so I work with children from 5 to 11 years

The US has ISs, just like anywhere else. A number of private/independent ISs offer the British Curriculum in the US in many major metropolitan cities.

Its not that complicated, but there isnt a national teacher qualification. Each state has their own certification requirements, but almost all of them will recognize QTS and give you some type of license, even if its a short term license. At most you will have is some testing requirements.

The most difficult part is getting a visa, many private/independent schools just wont go through the expense and effort to apply for one, with a high probability of being denied (lots of teachers in the US).

A public/regulated DS would be worse then what you would find in some of the worst DSs in the UK. I cant possibly imagine you wanting to teach there, and no one would be impressed.