Best plan for becoming an international teacher? I'm 18.

[imnewhere]

Hi,

I’m from BC, Canada and I want to become an international teacher. If you could help me devise the best plan for achieving this goal, I’d greatly appreciate it. Here is my general plan along with some questions:

First, I’m going to get a math degree. Is a minor in physics (or another subject) worth the extra effort to improve my marketability?

Next, I’m going to get a Bachelor of Education specializing in secondary math. Ideally, I will get into UBC’s IB Diploma Programme, which will allow me to do my student teaching at an IB school. Afterwards, should I teach domestically for 2 years, or can I start applying to international schools and BC offshore schools? How does the application process work?

Lastly – and I know this is pretty far away – what sort of master’s degree should I get? A master’s in math education or something else? Also, can I do it online while teaching abroad, or should I go to a brick-and-mortar school in Canada, the US, or the UK?

Thanks for your time.

[shadowjack]

Hello! Nice to see someone who knows where they want to go.

First off, Math Physics is good. Aim for teaching senior high math - do the math major. A physics minor is good, but the math major will be your meal ticket.

Or, do a Chemistry/Physics double major and do your B. Ed in Chem/Physics. That is the gold standard. But Math is right below, especially a good DP math teacher capable of teaching HL.

As to your plan, do your two years in BC. 1, you will be well-supported. The BC off shore schools are not that great - definitely not first tier, and you won't have the resources you will at home. Secondly, it gets you some money in with the BCTF retirement - a nice trick - and ups your Canada Pension later in life. Thirdly, it makes Canadian contacts for if you have to go back home for some reason.

Then go recruiting and you can look at better schools. Ignore the BC offshore schools - nobody I know has taught there, which tells me something about them. Correction. I have one friend who taught at one - and he and his teaching wife got out of there as soon as they could after getting their 2 years of experience.

As for a masters, I would recommend for you a Masters in Mathematics Curriculum, although it depends on what you want to do.

All advice varies, so take this with a grain of salt. Hope this helps.

shad

[durianfan]

Major in the subject that you love. Do you like math? If not, then it's going to be hell for you. Chem/Physics is definitely the gold-standard, as shadowjack says. But again, don't go near either if you don't like them.

[PsyGuy]

I strongly disagree with SJs advise, though I do suggest you consider what you love. If you love maths, great, if your pursuing it because of its marketability and you dont really like maths, your going to be very miserable studying it, teaching it for the next 30 or so years of your life.

To begin with your over emphasizing the academics. Secondary education content whether its AP, IB, or A levels tops out at first year university level mastery, thats it. A degree in maths is about 30 course credits and a masters in maths curriculum is another 36, thats a lot of maths for at most teaching first year calculus and algebra, which is the focus of secondary math; algebra and calculus with some geometry and statistics thrown in. You dont need that much maths, and more importantly its not going to help you in IE. What matters what recruiters look for is ITs who can transfer and teach the introductory principles of maths to students that may well be predisposed against math, and can invent creative solutions on the fly to reteach a concept the students are not getting, all the while managing adolescents in a classroom. The dual degrees is going to have you spending valuable time learning in a classroom that would be far better utilized teaching in a classroom.

I would go straight into a B.Ed program and minor in Maths while majoring in general science, at least a year of each in biology, chemistry, and physics (with labs) should be around 24-30 course credits. The biology will round you out as a science teacher, and qualify you for Biology and ESS (Environmental Systems and Societies), smaller IB ISs often need someone who can wear multiple hats, even if your hired and assigned to a chem/phys/maths class, flexibility in assignment is seldom bad.
Your plan of student teaching at an IB DS for your field experience is a great one, the IB teaching certificate is about 5 courses in itself, that will be part of your B.Ed program and will make you very marketable in IB with a background and credential in maths and science. This is one of those times I would advise you to enter IE as an intern IT (an intern IT is a fully qualified and certified teacher with less than 2 years post certification experience), the reason being that IB DSs are hard to get into, and you will have a better chance finding a third tier IB IS in a hardship location that will allow you to start building a resume on DIP scores.
In IB DIP, scores are what matter, it doesnt matter how great a mathematician or scientist you are it matters how well your students perform, and nothing is more persuasive to a HOS or recruiter than being able to show "my students IB exam scores were this", show a preponderance of students getting 6s and 7s and THAT is going to be your golden ticket, the sooner you start doing that the sooner nothing else is going to matter.

I would not get a Masters in Math Curriculum, it will get you a salary boost but gives you nothing in terms of utility for your resume. At most it will qualify you for HOD, but you dont need a Masters in Maths to be an HOD, and many ISs award that to the most senior faculty member in the department, or whoever wants the job. The gold standard would be a M.Ed in Ed.Ld or Education Leadership, since even without a credential or qualification you can push that into an administration position. The other options for Masters with utility are those that move you into one of the other three junior admin roles either counselor, librarian or technology. with your maths/science background a Masters of Educational technology would position you for Technology Director, etc.
You can do the Masters online or F2F, unless your going to an Ivy level university it doesnt really matter, and in many ways the online degree allows you to continue working overseas building classroom experience while completing the degree, of course there are excellent overseas universities you could attend F2F as well if you were in the right location.

Many of the BC and Canadian offshore ISs are not upper tier ISs, and they arent really resourced to mentor a new IT to the profession.

There are several different methods of application including direct application and using a premium agency, but many ISs are requiring their own application now, even if your repped by an agency. The application process basically involves completing an online application or emailing an application packet (resume, degrees, certificates, photo) to the ISs recruitment contact, and then participating in an online (Skype) interview, or attending a fair and interviewing in person. This could become a very long post discussing the intricacies of applications and fairs, and their is much on the forum already written about it, and your about 4 years away, which by then we may have transitioned entirely to online dossiers that contain pre-recorded interviews, and all IT candidates do is click their interest in an IS and vacancy and wait for a reply to come from the recruiter.

[imnewhere]

@shadowjack
Thanks for your help! Good to know about the BC offshore schools.

@PsyGuy
Thanks for your detailed advice! I assure you that I’m studying math because, first and foremost, I enjoy it.

So you’re saying it’s more valuable to become a generalist than a specialist? Hmm, I’m not sure if I have enough interest in the sciences to pursue a general science degree. But if that is the ideal path, I will certainly think about it. Thanks again.

[shadowjack]

PsyGuy,

you obviously are not familiar with BC. They phased out 5 year secondary B.Ed's years ago. You cannot go right into a B. Ed unless you are pursuing primary. Then you can teach in BC after 4 years, as you gain your certificate, but you have to complete a fifth year within two years of graduation. Unless they changed that in the past ten years.

So do your undergrad as a math major - preferably honours. And get first class. Things like that stand out as admin scans resumes. It would also help if you were a techie. Can you fit in a minor in computers or computer science? It would complement your math skills and allow you to integrate technology into your math classes if you choose - very 21st Century learning skills. Forget the generalist degree if you really love maths. My maths teacher friends are never without work.

Hope my advice helps - I left BC years ago.

Shad

[MedellinHeel]

I wouldnt listen to all the people that say dont do it if you dont love it.

Teaching is a job. You are gonna have to lesson plan, teach, grade etc. Very few people in this world actually love to wake up and go to work.

Your personal / social / family life will be much more important and reflect on overall happiness than whether you teach x or y.

So long as the work is not very stressful or time consuming you should be able to get by just fine whether you love x subject or not. (it helps if you love it no doubt)

My vote is for the high level math or science, then get two years experience in your home country.

[PsyGuy]

SJ makes a good point (I suppose it really has been that long), the advice is still the same though 4 year Bachelors degree followed by a 1 year B.Ed is still 5 years and I strongly disagree with the advice of putting so much time into math studies (though Im glad you enjoy it) when the science background is going to consume for credits in a degree than the math will, and a degree in math is overkill. Your going to need a year of Bio, Chem, Phys, with labs is going to come out to near 30 credits, where as a minor in maths at closer to 15/18 credits will cover the year of algebra, and calculus plus a semester each of geometry and statistics.

A first class or honors degree doesnt mean anything, and I cant think of a recruiter that ever binned a resume because the candidate didnt have an honors degree. Once you have solid performance in teaching IB thats all thats going to matter.

I would wait to pursue the technology program as your masters degree if you dont do an M.Ed in Ed.Ld, the more academic you pile on is just longer your out of the classroom. Aside from that anything you learn in university is going to be outdated by the time you graduate.

Its not an issue of being a specialist or generalist, youre bringing a cake cut into 4 pieces (maths, bio, chem, physics) to the table, youre bringing 4 cakes.
That aside, smaller ISs need faculty who can wear multiple hats, science and maths are natural pairs, and will make you a viable candidate for those ISs that have combo positions, which a lot of small ISs need. Especially if you want to go IB all the way. Many of the really large ISs are national curriculum ISs (American or British), its the smaller ISs that describe the majority of IB ISs.

[IAMBOG]

Some truths about BC offshore schools vs. 'do[ing] your two years in a BC school.'

1. BC offshore schools are not tier 1, but then most international teachers don't work in tier 1 schools. Anything below tier 1 does not mean sweatshop. BC offshore schools can be decent places to work (some, not all).

2. BC offshore schools can pay well (and generally do). You can save, travel and live in a nice apartment.

3. BC Offshore schools can be under resourced, but most have at least as much as you would expect in a school in Canada. Many have more.

4. Unless you are very, very lucky you are not going to be able to do two years in a BC school off the bat. Even with math and science you’re going to be doing some subbing, particularly if you live on the Lower Mainland. That two years is likely to turn into four.

5. You won’t get much support at a BC Offshore, it is very much in at the deep end, sink or swim.

6. If you end up working at a school in the BC boonies, just to get your foot in the door, how much support can you really expect? I have a friend who came out of her B.Ed., went to a remote school with twenty students. The second year she was made principal. How much support can they practically offer in those circumstances?

Just my thoughts. There are pros and cons for both, depending on your future plans.

[PsyGuy]

To expound on IMB post and comments:

1) I dont really know of any tier 1 Canadian ISs at all. The good ones tend to be tier 2 or high tier 3 (floaters), but there are a number of bottom tier "local" ISs/DSs that are licensing curriculum and diplomas from various Providences in Canada.

2) This is true of tier two and high tier 3 ISs in general. Much depends on the region and the cost of living, and how extensive the OSH package is. Once you take account for housing and flights ina package most of your salary even if its low becomes discretionary income.

3) Agree, but many ISs that arent 1st or elite tier tend to be under resourced as well. Its the ISs money they are spending not the tax payers or government. Ina municipal school you spent your budget or you have to justify why you have a surplus, at an IS or any independent school fiscal responsibility in leadership is highly valued. That said parents are paying good money and they expect their children to have appropriate and adequate resources, and ISs that dont outfit and resource classrooms suffer in their reputation, lose students, and have to drop tuition (further reducing resources) ISs that do this too long dont stay in business.
Much really depends on the resources you are referring too. In municipal DSs you have a lot of text books, and yet in many ISS there really isnt a text book. You see different trends in everything from science equipment to technology.

4) Strongly agree with number 4, and is the crux of my reason for recommending you enter IT as soon as you can. The probability of getting a job fresh out of Uni is very low, and getting into an IB DS would be like winning the lottery. It would be closer to 4 years before your done in Canada and closer to 6 or 8 for an IB DS. Thats a lot of wasted time.

5) This is again many ISs they are not resourced or have mentoring programs implemented for new teachers. They expect you to have experience in creating lessons and managing a classroom.

[imnewhere]

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate the help and you've given me a lot to think about.

[IAMBOG]

Just to add, your chances of getting a math / science job in a BC offshore school straight out of your B.Ed. are very high.