Hi everyone!
I'm so glad to have found a community of such helpful folks while I'm researching this new job path. I figure the easiest way to do this is to explain my situation, and then ask my questions. So here it is:
I just graduated with a degree in Journalism & Political Science. My boyfriend is about to graduate with a degree in Chemistry. In January we are going to start our teaching journey by taking the CELTA, and plan to teach English as a Foreign Language for a few years (starting in South Korea). We have both taught/tutored in some capacity in the past and loved it, and we both want to travel the world and live in new places. We currently live in North Carolina, and that is where our family & friends currently are (if that is relevant). After doing the TEFL thing for a few years and making sure that we want to pursue teaching as a life-long career, we would really like to move into the world of International Schools. We both went to a high school that had an IB program (though neither of us were in it, but we are relatively familiar with it due to the merging of AP & IB courses, as well as talking to friends who went through the program), and ideally I would like to aim for becoming IB teachers. I would love to teach English (literature/composition rather than as a language), though I would probably be happy teaching Social Studies as well. My boyfriend would love to teach chemistry, and could also do physics and possibly math courses (his true passions, however, are woodworking and martial arts, so if there's any way those can be incorporated...?).
My questions are mostly regarding the best path to becoming a certified teacher. I know that different states have different rules, regarding the requirements to get a certification and how long that certification is valid (plus how easy it is to renew), but I don't know what the best way is to get (and keep with minimal red tape) a certification. I also think there are separate certifications for the subjects you can teach, but I'm not positive on how that works. Also, there's the matter of our education. Should we get Masters of Arts in Teaching from the start, or is there some other path to certification that includes teaching us how to teach in our subjects? Will having a Masters make it easier to find jobs, or command a significantly higher salary, and is it necessary to teach in IB schools? We will be looking for jobs together as a couple - are there certain combinations that will make it easier for us to be placed at the same school? If we do a Masters program and are aiming for IB, is there a specific program that we should do, or any schools that are highly regarded (besides the ones that charge so much it's not even worth it)? Should we do the program in the state that is best to keep the certification in, or does that not matter?
Basically, if you could start from the beginning, knowing what you know now, how would you go about becoming an IT with minimal stress and maximum payout - from the starting point of having Bachelor's degrees that aren't in education?
Thank you so much for your help!
What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
-
shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
A few thoughts. Your CELTA and teaching TEFL won't count for anything with pretty much any school you work with. It isn't considered teaching. It might come into play as "We can live and thrive in a foreign culture". My question for you is, do you want to be tourists or do you want to be teachers? Most ITs got into teaching because they wanted to be teachers. Going international came later. Others came into it because they saw it as a good way to see the world. We call them tourist teachers and good schools try to avoid them like the plague.
Once you have figured that out, you can start looking at programs. If you want to teach and train at the same time, you could do Teacher Ready out of Florida or Teach-Now out of Washington DC. They give Florida and DC certification. Drawback to Florida is you have to go there to take the tests. Nice thing about DC is that you can do your Praxis in many places.
No offense, but you will be a fairly common, dime a dozen teacher. Your boyfriend, though, if he is smart, will major to teach Chemistry and Physics with a math minor or Math cert as well. He will be in much higher demand. A masters isn't necessary at this point - if you really want one find a school that offers a SUNY cohort on campus and subsidizes your masters and work like hell to get there.
Hope that helps.
shad
Once you have figured that out, you can start looking at programs. If you want to teach and train at the same time, you could do Teacher Ready out of Florida or Teach-Now out of Washington DC. They give Florida and DC certification. Drawback to Florida is you have to go there to take the tests. Nice thing about DC is that you can do your Praxis in many places.
No offense, but you will be a fairly common, dime a dozen teacher. Your boyfriend, though, if he is smart, will major to teach Chemistry and Physics with a math minor or Math cert as well. He will be in much higher demand. A masters isn't necessary at this point - if you really want one find a school that offers a SUNY cohort on campus and subsidizes your masters and work like hell to get there.
Hope that helps.
shad
-
chilagringa
- Posts: 335
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:19 pm
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Why waste time doing EFL?
I wish I had started classroom teaching earlier. I could have traveled AND saved more money. I have done both teaching English and international school teaching overseas. The latter is far more rewarding and stable.
I wish I had started classroom teaching earlier. I could have traveled AND saved more money. I have done both teaching English and international school teaching overseas. The latter is far more rewarding and stable.
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Shad,
Thanks for responding to me, and for your honesty. In response to your question - we want to do both. Is there anything wrong with wanting to see the world and have a passion for teaching? I understand the bias towards "tourist teachers" since stability is important for schools and students. To be honest, that's part of why we want to do TEFL first - see a bit more of the world a bit faster. Also, neither of us has any real classroom experience, and we're still figuring out what we want to do. TEFL is a bit like a teaching test run - if we truly enjoy it, we will pursue a career in it. If we don't, then we'll figure something else out. Also - the CELTA is a done deal (course and plane tickets paid for), so it would be a bit silly to back out of that now. However, I don't understand why there would be bias against teachers with TEFL experience. At international schools, won't there be a number of students for whom English will not be their native language... and thus it might be useful (especially for an English teacher) to have experience teaching EFL? It's interesting that there is a bias against TEFL teachers in the IS world, though, and something I will certainly keep in mind.
Also, could you elaborate on what you mean by a SUNY cohort school? Thanks!
Thanks for responding to me, and for your honesty. In response to your question - we want to do both. Is there anything wrong with wanting to see the world and have a passion for teaching? I understand the bias towards "tourist teachers" since stability is important for schools and students. To be honest, that's part of why we want to do TEFL first - see a bit more of the world a bit faster. Also, neither of us has any real classroom experience, and we're still figuring out what we want to do. TEFL is a bit like a teaching test run - if we truly enjoy it, we will pursue a career in it. If we don't, then we'll figure something else out. Also - the CELTA is a done deal (course and plane tickets paid for), so it would be a bit silly to back out of that now. However, I don't understand why there would be bias against teachers with TEFL experience. At international schools, won't there be a number of students for whom English will not be their native language... and thus it might be useful (especially for an English teacher) to have experience teaching EFL? It's interesting that there is a bias against TEFL teachers in the IS world, though, and something I will certainly keep in mind.
Also, could you elaborate on what you mean by a SUNY cohort school? Thanks!
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Quote "Is there anything wrong with wanting to see the world and have a passion for teaching?"
It's not that there's anything wrong with it, but in my experience, tourist teachers are usually the ones who refuse to work past their teaching hours and basically disappear at 3pm every day. The fact is, teaching is a difficult job and requires a great deal of dedication. This is especially true during your first year or two, when it is is not uncommon to work 50+ hours a week. Depending on the school, you might also be surprised at how little time you actually have to travel outside of the major school holidays.
"I don't understand why there would be bias against teachers with TEFL experience"
Because babysitting a class of hagwon students is nothing like managing your own classroom. I also came from the world of TEFL, along with most of my TeacherReady cohort, and many of them haven't made it through their first IS contract. Unlike a hagwon, being fun and friendly isn't enough. Also, no, most of your students will not be EFL students, unless you work at a lower tier school. Even at my school, which is something like 90% local, our students must be fluent in English to attend.
To answer some of your other questions: A Master's will put you slightly higher on the salary scale, but it is not necessary in order to get an IS position. If you or your boyfriend have aspirations for IB, you need experience teaching your subjects. TEFL will not count at all, and I don't know of any school that would hire someone for an IB/DP positions without having proven their mastery of the subject in the classroom. That's not to say that you won't be able to find a position, but you may need to start out a bit lower on the totem pole.
Regarding certification - I graduated from the TeacherReady program and was quite happy with it. You will need to take separate tests for each subject you plan to become certified in, but they are rather basic.
If i were to start over from the beginning, I would have completely skipped my years of TEFL, as it was worthless career-wise. Instead, I would have started where I did 3 years ago by getting a job at a 3rd rate bilingual school while getting my teaching certification, and then jumping into a mid-tier IS.
It's not that there's anything wrong with it, but in my experience, tourist teachers are usually the ones who refuse to work past their teaching hours and basically disappear at 3pm every day. The fact is, teaching is a difficult job and requires a great deal of dedication. This is especially true during your first year or two, when it is is not uncommon to work 50+ hours a week. Depending on the school, you might also be surprised at how little time you actually have to travel outside of the major school holidays.
"I don't understand why there would be bias against teachers with TEFL experience"
Because babysitting a class of hagwon students is nothing like managing your own classroom. I also came from the world of TEFL, along with most of my TeacherReady cohort, and many of them haven't made it through their first IS contract. Unlike a hagwon, being fun and friendly isn't enough. Also, no, most of your students will not be EFL students, unless you work at a lower tier school. Even at my school, which is something like 90% local, our students must be fluent in English to attend.
To answer some of your other questions: A Master's will put you slightly higher on the salary scale, but it is not necessary in order to get an IS position. If you or your boyfriend have aspirations for IB, you need experience teaching your subjects. TEFL will not count at all, and I don't know of any school that would hire someone for an IB/DP positions without having proven their mastery of the subject in the classroom. That's not to say that you won't be able to find a position, but you may need to start out a bit lower on the totem pole.
Regarding certification - I graduated from the TeacherReady program and was quite happy with it. You will need to take separate tests for each subject you plan to become certified in, but they are rather basic.
If i were to start over from the beginning, I would have completely skipped my years of TEFL, as it was worthless career-wise. Instead, I would have started where I did 3 years ago by getting a job at a 3rd rate bilingual school while getting my teaching certification, and then jumping into a mid-tier IS.
Last edited by marieh on Fri Dec 11, 2015 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Marieh,
Thanks for your reply, and for responding to my questions about TEFL experience. As I stated earlier, we are already set on taking the CELTA and spending some time as TEFL teachers. I understand that it isn't a plus to my resume, so long as it isn't counted against me. I'd like to better understand what the options are moving forward, for becoming an IT after our TEFL adventure.
Could you elaborate on how you made the transition, and what ways you find are most common for teachers to break into the IS industry (without a BA in Education)? For example, will it be necessary to teach in the US for a certain number of years, or will we be able to jump straight into teaching abroad? Are there any schools known for taking beginner teachers? How can you teach while getting your certification (considering you don't yet have the certification to teach)? I've heard of "intern" ITs - what exactly does that mean, and is this how most ITs begin? Are most certification paths going to be online, or are there known/reputable in-person certification courses as well? I've looked at TeacherReady and TeachNow, and while these seem to be popular from reading this forum, I know that I learn better in the classroom rather than online.
Thanks for your time!
Thanks for your reply, and for responding to my questions about TEFL experience. As I stated earlier, we are already set on taking the CELTA and spending some time as TEFL teachers. I understand that it isn't a plus to my resume, so long as it isn't counted against me. I'd like to better understand what the options are moving forward, for becoming an IT after our TEFL adventure.
Could you elaborate on how you made the transition, and what ways you find are most common for teachers to break into the IS industry (without a BA in Education)? For example, will it be necessary to teach in the US for a certain number of years, or will we be able to jump straight into teaching abroad? Are there any schools known for taking beginner teachers? How can you teach while getting your certification (considering you don't yet have the certification to teach)? I've heard of "intern" ITs - what exactly does that mean, and is this how most ITs begin? Are most certification paths going to be online, or are there known/reputable in-person certification courses as well? I've looked at TeacherReady and TeachNow, and while these seem to be popular from reading this forum, I know that I learn better in the classroom rather than online.
Thanks for your time!
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
You seem pretty set on the ESL thing which like other posters I would suggest avoiding.
I spent a couple years doing the ESL thing pre-cert. It was a lot of fun but the money was not awesome, the travel opportunity limited (not many vacations) and professionally it was no more valuable than working at a summer camp (I just learned I could deal with kids all day).
If I could do it again I would have gotten training and then worked domestically or tried to break into IE. Working for a hagwon exposes you to the same sort of abuse that working for a lower tier IS except the hagwon experience will be guaranteed to count for nothing later. The only perk to the hagwon is that it is really easy as basically nothing is expected of you.
In my experience working as an EFL teacher would not be a good test run for being a teacher in an IS. You would be better off volunteering in a local school wherever you are.
The bias against EFL experience is that people in the IE world are aware of how crap many EFL institutions are.
If you worked at an okay international school in Asia you would likely have at least equal pay (almost assuredly more), better holidays (hagwons give you like 2-3 weeks off a year often) and you would be developing professionally.
I spent a couple years doing the ESL thing pre-cert. It was a lot of fun but the money was not awesome, the travel opportunity limited (not many vacations) and professionally it was no more valuable than working at a summer camp (I just learned I could deal with kids all day).
If I could do it again I would have gotten training and then worked domestically or tried to break into IE. Working for a hagwon exposes you to the same sort of abuse that working for a lower tier IS except the hagwon experience will be guaranteed to count for nothing later. The only perk to the hagwon is that it is really easy as basically nothing is expected of you.
In my experience working as an EFL teacher would not be a good test run for being a teacher in an IS. You would be better off volunteering in a local school wherever you are.
The bias against EFL experience is that people in the IE world are aware of how crap many EFL institutions are.
If you worked at an okay international school in Asia you would likely have at least equal pay (almost assuredly more), better holidays (hagwons give you like 2-3 weeks off a year often) and you would be developing professionally.
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Thank you for your response. However, I'd like to reiterate what my actual questions are:
What is the best way to go about getting certification?
What are the necessary steps to becoming an IT?
Will we need domestic experience first and if so how much?
What state is it ideal to be certified to teach in?
What are the reputable programs for gaining certification with the intention of being an IT?
How valuable is a Masters vs other programs for certification?
Thanks!
What is the best way to go about getting certification?
What are the necessary steps to becoming an IT?
Will we need domestic experience first and if so how much?
What state is it ideal to be certified to teach in?
What are the reputable programs for gaining certification with the intention of being an IT?
How valuable is a Masters vs other programs for certification?
Thanks!
-
shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Gwyn said, "What is the best way to go about getting certification?
What are the necessary steps to becoming an IT?
Will we need domestic experience first and if so how much?
What state is it ideal to be certified to teach in?
What are the reputable programs for gaining certification with the intention of being an IT?
How valuable is a Masters vs other programs for certification?"
1. There are many ways to get certification. The best ways are the learn and earn - Teach Now and Teacher Ready. You have to find a school to work with you - or that you are teaching at. An EFL institute doesn't cut it. To find out more, ask questions of forum members like Marieh, Finedude, or Medellinheel.
2. Get certified in a teaching area. That said, you can go to some countries like Kuwait or Mongolia and work at schools where you are not certified, but they hire you anyway. That's one way of getting your school lined up for Teacher Ready or Teach Now.
3. You do not. But you won't be working at any great schools without it. Decent schools, unless they are stuck or you are a specialist, usually want 2 years minimum teaching experience. EFL doesn't cut it.
4. A state with permanent certificates where you never have to take a test again. They are out there. Others can speak more to that.
5. There are many reputable universities and colleges out there to do your teacher training at. Harvard springs to mind. So does the UC system in Cali. So does U of Michigan. And many many more. But if you want to teach and earn at the same time, Teacher Ready and Teach Now will meet those goals.
6. A masters is a masters. Some get you further than others. Some people do an M.Ed or MA and get certification along with it.
7. You seem very determined to ignore almost every poster who comes on who has your background who went into teaching. Just an aside :-)
I hope my answers helped. PsyGuy will be along shortly to answer much more expansively, and then Senator will come on to tell you that teaching in the States is just as rewarding and much more satisfying for the inner soul, if not the inner city. That's an inside joke for posters who have been around awhile - or a little while at any rate :-)
Over to you PG and S!
What are the necessary steps to becoming an IT?
Will we need domestic experience first and if so how much?
What state is it ideal to be certified to teach in?
What are the reputable programs for gaining certification with the intention of being an IT?
How valuable is a Masters vs other programs for certification?"
1. There are many ways to get certification. The best ways are the learn and earn - Teach Now and Teacher Ready. You have to find a school to work with you - or that you are teaching at. An EFL institute doesn't cut it. To find out more, ask questions of forum members like Marieh, Finedude, or Medellinheel.
2. Get certified in a teaching area. That said, you can go to some countries like Kuwait or Mongolia and work at schools where you are not certified, but they hire you anyway. That's one way of getting your school lined up for Teacher Ready or Teach Now.
3. You do not. But you won't be working at any great schools without it. Decent schools, unless they are stuck or you are a specialist, usually want 2 years minimum teaching experience. EFL doesn't cut it.
4. A state with permanent certificates where you never have to take a test again. They are out there. Others can speak more to that.
5. There are many reputable universities and colleges out there to do your teacher training at. Harvard springs to mind. So does the UC system in Cali. So does U of Michigan. And many many more. But if you want to teach and earn at the same time, Teacher Ready and Teach Now will meet those goals.
6. A masters is a masters. Some get you further than others. Some people do an M.Ed or MA and get certification along with it.
7. You seem very determined to ignore almost every poster who comes on who has your background who went into teaching. Just an aside :-)
I hope my answers helped. PsyGuy will be along shortly to answer much more expansively, and then Senator will come on to tell you that teaching in the States is just as rewarding and much more satisfying for the inner soul, if not the inner city. That's an inside joke for posters who have been around awhile - or a little while at any rate :-)
Over to you PG and S!
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
The most common way for teachers without a B.Ed to break into teaching is an alternative certification program, which is exactly what I did. If you google these, you will come up with several, including TeacherReady, TeachNow, ABCTE, WGU (M.Ed with certification), etc. All of these, to my knowledge, will require you to be placed at an accredited school in order to gain experience. Additionally, you will need to be teaching one of the subjects that you would like to become endorsed in. If you would like to teach full time while doing this, you can search for schools that are lower tier or in dangerous areas. These schools are willing to hire non-certified teachers because they are unable to attract enough fully certified teachers for one reason or another. You may not make a lot of money in such a position, and your lifestyle may be less than stellar, but it will be over in 9 months and you will have invaluable classroom experience.
Regarding "intern" teaching positions and in-person certification course - I know very little of these, as I was never in a position to consider them. I have heard that some schools (AISC in Chennai comes to mind) that will hire interns, but I have no idea as to the requirements for such a position.
Regarding "intern" teaching positions and in-person certification course - I know very little of these, as I was never in a position to consider them. I have heard that some schools (AISC in Chennai comes to mind) that will hire interns, but I have no idea as to the requirements for such a position.
-
MedellinHeel
- Posts: 169
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:59 am
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Wonder how TeachNow compares to TeacherReady with regards to price and time frame.
Its a pain in the butt to have to come back to the US to take those exams.
Its a pain in the butt to have to come back to the US to take those exams.
-
MedellinHeel
- Posts: 169
- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:59 am
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Just checked TeachNow's website. Seems almost identical to TeacherReady.
9 months
6,000 dollars
8 Modules
Culminating Final Student Teaching
Any Teach Now people? Curious to how you would describe the amount of time commitment and difficulty of the work.
TeacherReady was very easy and didn't really take a lot of time commitment that I remember.
If someone lives outside the US though, seems TeachNow is def the better option due to being able to take the Praxis abroad.
9 months
6,000 dollars
8 Modules
Culminating Final Student Teaching
Any Teach Now people? Curious to how you would describe the amount of time commitment and difficulty of the work.
TeacherReady was very easy and didn't really take a lot of time commitment that I remember.
If someone lives outside the US though, seems TeachNow is def the better option due to being able to take the Praxis abroad.
-
shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
I know people who have done Teach Now. You had to keep up on the modules and keep a steady work pace. Might be more time commitment because many taking it are already teaching full time at a school somewhere as a classroom teacher. But the benefits of doing praxis anywhere is a great one.
Back to Gwyn - if you have a passion for teaching, you usually become a teacher. I can assure you that on the circuit (of international schools) pretty much everybody in a position to hire you does not view teaching at language schools whereever you may be to be showing a passion for teaching - and many, if not most, don't consider it teaching.
If you go the route you want to go, you will have to think of a spin that doesn't put language schools as a passion for teaching, because their mental radar will be, "but people who have a passion for teaching become teachers..."
As to SUNY cohort, State University of New York, usually the Buffalo campus, runs masters programs in conjunction with schools around the world in different regions. If you are at such a school, your costs are slightly cheaper and the school subsidizes them further. You also do the masters while you are teaching so that there is no time lost. Others (I raise my hand here) do their masters in the summer, or a mix of summer on-site courses and online courses. Still others do the TCNJ global program out of different cities in the world, such as Mallorca, Spain, Bangkok, Thailand, or Jo'burg, South Africa, where they spend 5 weeks over two or three summers doing their masters. The most convenient and cheapest would be the SUNY cohort model.
Hope that helps,
shad
Back to Gwyn - if you have a passion for teaching, you usually become a teacher. I can assure you that on the circuit (of international schools) pretty much everybody in a position to hire you does not view teaching at language schools whereever you may be to be showing a passion for teaching - and many, if not most, don't consider it teaching.
If you go the route you want to go, you will have to think of a spin that doesn't put language schools as a passion for teaching, because their mental radar will be, "but people who have a passion for teaching become teachers..."
As to SUNY cohort, State University of New York, usually the Buffalo campus, runs masters programs in conjunction with schools around the world in different regions. If you are at such a school, your costs are slightly cheaper and the school subsidizes them further. You also do the masters while you are teaching so that there is no time lost. Others (I raise my hand here) do their masters in the summer, or a mix of summer on-site courses and online courses. Still others do the TCNJ global program out of different cities in the world, such as Mallorca, Spain, Bangkok, Thailand, or Jo'burg, South Africa, where they spend 5 weeks over two or three summers doing their masters. The most convenient and cheapest would be the SUNY cohort model.
Hope that helps,
shad
-
wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Most people have already handled the specifics so I'll just chime in with a comment or two. You really have two goals here, one short term and one long term.
You obviously have a yen to travel and live overseas in the immediate future and see ESL as a way to do that. Perfectly fine, perfectly natural. Do it. You will get to see places in a way beyond a normal vacation and be able to see what life would be like in some of these places. You will also get some experience in teaching/planning etc, even if most int'l schools will not value it. I took a CELTA course when I was making the switch to late career teacher and although I never used it (beyond a few private lessons) it was a good intro. to thinking about how to teach, being in front of students, etc.
So, you go, you live, you teach and then look at your long term goal of becoming an int'l teacher. How to do that? People have already talked about some of the ways to do it while overseas. I got certified in FL through an alternative route (with a BA in Psych), taught there for two years and then went overseas. I later got my Masters through an online program. I've always been able to find good to great positions in my area so don't feel that this route held me back at all.
So, you may want to go the alternate route from overseas, find jobs in lower tier schools and work your way up. Or you may be ready to go back "home" for a years, get certified, get experience in a "real" school and then head back out into the world better prepared/qualified to be a candidate at a higher tier of school.
Either way is just fine and should offer good times, challenges and an adventure. Good luck with whatever you decide.
You obviously have a yen to travel and live overseas in the immediate future and see ESL as a way to do that. Perfectly fine, perfectly natural. Do it. You will get to see places in a way beyond a normal vacation and be able to see what life would be like in some of these places. You will also get some experience in teaching/planning etc, even if most int'l schools will not value it. I took a CELTA course when I was making the switch to late career teacher and although I never used it (beyond a few private lessons) it was a good intro. to thinking about how to teach, being in front of students, etc.
So, you go, you live, you teach and then look at your long term goal of becoming an int'l teacher. How to do that? People have already talked about some of the ways to do it while overseas. I got certified in FL through an alternative route (with a BA in Psych), taught there for two years and then went overseas. I later got my Masters through an online program. I've always been able to find good to great positions in my area so don't feel that this route held me back at all.
So, you may want to go the alternate route from overseas, find jobs in lower tier schools and work your way up. Or you may be ready to go back "home" for a years, get certified, get experience in a "real" school and then head back out into the world better prepared/qualified to be a candidate at a higher tier of school.
Either way is just fine and should offer good times, challenges and an adventure. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Re: What is the ideal/best path to becoming an IT?
Thank you all for your responses - you have given me a lot to research!
One question that I still have is about which state is best to be certified to teach in - is there a consensus that obtaining your certification in X state is the most convenient for international school teaching?
Also, I have nothing against teaching our subjects in the US for a couple years before going back out into the world. In fact, I would prefer to take the certification classes in person, rather than online (as all of the suggested certification programs seem to be). I also think it would be best to hold off on the Masters, at least for now, and just aim for certification in our subjects.
So I guess the magic bullet I'm looking for is: a certification program (with Secondary ELA and Chemistry/Physics as subject options) located in a state that has a renewal policy convenient for international teachers, with a teaching component so as to gain a year's experience teaching while doing the certification... and one that is easy enough to get into (my boyfriend's gpa is <2.5) and doesn't require a BA in the subject (I didn't major in English). Does such a thing exist? I think if someone can at least give me a few states to look into I will be a lot better off in my research :)
Thanks!
One question that I still have is about which state is best to be certified to teach in - is there a consensus that obtaining your certification in X state is the most convenient for international school teaching?
Also, I have nothing against teaching our subjects in the US for a couple years before going back out into the world. In fact, I would prefer to take the certification classes in person, rather than online (as all of the suggested certification programs seem to be). I also think it would be best to hold off on the Masters, at least for now, and just aim for certification in our subjects.
So I guess the magic bullet I'm looking for is: a certification program (with Secondary ELA and Chemistry/Physics as subject options) located in a state that has a renewal policy convenient for international teachers, with a teaching component so as to gain a year's experience teaching while doing the certification... and one that is easy enough to get into (my boyfriend's gpa is <2.5) and doesn't require a BA in the subject (I didn't major in English). Does such a thing exist? I think if someone can at least give me a few states to look into I will be a lot better off in my research :)
Thanks!