Thanks to everyone who posts on this board! It's been great to have some guidance as my husband and I start on this international adventure. I have a couple questions about what my expectations should be.
Brief background: My husband and I just started our 12th year teaching outside DC. He has a BA, teaches math (AP Statistics, geometry), and coaches. I have an MA, teach social studies (AP Psychology and AP Human Geography), sponsor clubs/have coached, and am very involved with PD in my county/school. We also have two young kids who will be 5 and 3 next summer. We are registered with Search, attending the Cambridge fair.
Questions: Initially I'm curious about how competitive we might be, but I am mostly wondering about teaching abroad with two young kids. My oldest would be entering kindergarten and from Search and this board I understand that it is common for tuition to be included. What about for my younger, though? Some schools start at age 3 and some at 4. If a school does not enroll 3 year olds, how common is it to find a preschool type program or day care abroad? I was a student at an international school and I know how much I loved it (thanks MIS). I want that for my kids, too. Just not sure about the logistics. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks
Expectations Questions
Re: Expectations Questions
In our last school in Africa our two year old was in the baby toddler class at our school, even though the minimum age was three. My classroom was not more than 150 metres from hers. It was free and she rode the bus to school with us.
Our current school in Asia doesn't have a preschool, however, the organisation we work for does, and we receive a 50% discount. However, the preschool is four kilometres from our school and has different opening and closing times to our school, so we had to hire a full time nanny to deal with pick up and drop off. It's quite a big expense.
We like the city we live in now , so are contemplating sticking around another couple of years. However, we are looking at possibly moving schools, to one that has a preschool, where we could drop off and pick up our daughter. Tuition would be free and we wouldn't need a nanny for such long hours.
When looking at packages, it's not all about the salary, you have to look at the expenses side too. There will always be solutions, but the best solutions may not be immediately obvious when you hit the ground.
Our current school in Asia doesn't have a preschool, however, the organisation we work for does, and we receive a 50% discount. However, the preschool is four kilometres from our school and has different opening and closing times to our school, so we had to hire a full time nanny to deal with pick up and drop off. It's quite a big expense.
We like the city we live in now , so are contemplating sticking around another couple of years. However, we are looking at possibly moving schools, to one that has a preschool, where we could drop off and pick up our daughter. Tuition would be free and we wouldn't need a nanny for such long hours.
When looking at packages, it's not all about the salary, you have to look at the expenses side too. There will always be solutions, but the best solutions may not be immediately obvious when you hit the ground.
Re: Expectations Questions
As you are probably aware - your husband will probably be the more marketable out of the two of you. This is mainly due to the fact that there are more humanities teachers out there than math teachers.
One advantage you may have though is that some of the better schools will not fill the humanities position until they find a high need job with a partner (such as you and your husband). English, humanities and primary positions are the jobs which some schools keep open for longer in case there is a 'teaching couple' such as yourself.
Having two children of that age will limit your marketability but not that much. It will probably be less of a problem when your youngest is 5. Some schools are great with supporting younger parents - while some are terrible. My current school is the former and actually has individual ayis (or aunties) which look after your little one. You can even breast feed your baby during your breaks!! However - this is more the outlier than what is expected.
If you interview well and the job god smiles down on you (meaning there are a few schools with humanities/math positions) then you will probably have a good chance. This would of course increase in 2 years time when your youngest is of elementary school age
One advantage you may have though is that some of the better schools will not fill the humanities position until they find a high need job with a partner (such as you and your husband). English, humanities and primary positions are the jobs which some schools keep open for longer in case there is a 'teaching couple' such as yourself.
Having two children of that age will limit your marketability but not that much. It will probably be less of a problem when your youngest is 5. Some schools are great with supporting younger parents - while some are terrible. My current school is the former and actually has individual ayis (or aunties) which look after your little one. You can even breast feed your baby during your breaks!! However - this is more the outlier than what is expected.
If you interview well and the job god smiles down on you (meaning there are a few schools with humanities/math positions) then you will probably have a good chance. This would of course increase in 2 years time when your youngest is of elementary school age
Re: Expectations Questions
Our current school in Africa has 3- and 4-year-old classes. Our youngest was 2 months shy of the age cut off for the 3 year old class, but they allowed her to enter with the expectation that she'd repeat it the next year. It's working out well for us. We also have to hire a nanny and a driver, however, because the early childhood classes are dismissed at 1:30.
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Lebenstraum
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- Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:39 pm
Re: Expectations Questions
Thanks everyone! Fingers crossed we can find a school with EC, but knowing most major cities have day care/pre-school is reassuring. Professionally, this seems like a really good time to make a move - glad to know it will be feasible with our young family, too. Thanks. Happy recruitment season!