Response
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 2:55 am
Long Post Ahead.
I understand what you are asking, one of the issues we have on this site is we get asked a lot of the same questions and one of those questions is how do i become an IT now because im overseas, which triggers a certain response. In that context a lot of the previous contributors advise and counsel is very appropriate.
You arent looking to become an IT now, you really are backpackers/travelers, who are just using education (albeit English Language education) as a means of supporting your travels, and in your case this really is the way to go, since ES education has two very strong factors that support that form of lifestyle: 1) You will find work everywhere, year round. Its far less stressful not having to deal with agencies, or references, or year long job search times and then being locked into 2 year contracts and locations. 2) You can actually travel and experience and explore a region or city. You can find a position somewhere that will give you a flight allowance, stay a few months, then move to a neighboring country spend a few months there, then head out of the capital, etc. Being an IT requires commitment in resources and energy, you dont get to travel much except over long holiday breaks, being an ET requires a pulse and a smile. You show up on time do the Genki/monkey dance, and leave. You dont have much marking or planing to do, and the instruction is more 'edutainment'.
It would be just as big a mistake to spend 2 years and the money getting a masters and/or certification and finding out you dont like teaching and/or kids.
If your partner really is interested in woodworking and has other related skills then with a science background Design Technology is a marketable option. Martial Arts is more an ASP. Though instead of ET he may find opportunities to teach/coach martial arts as a sort of pseudo business to local expats who dont have the host language ability. It would be like any private/tutoring on the side. Put up some flyers and meet in a park collect the fee then provide an hour lesson.
Since you have plenty of time and have not done advance degrees already, and you are interested in IB, I would strongly look at the Universities that provide an IB Teaching Certificate. There are a number globally (disclaimer, I have one). In the US the IB Teaching and Learning Research certificate (the higher level certificate) is only available at George Mason University in Virgina, its an expensive university, and there is considerable debate about the value of a IB teaching certificate, but you would be able to get both masters degrees, the IB certification, and state certification in your fields (Literature and Chemistry).
Certification programs vary greatly in the US (and overseas certification is available and a possibility). In the US the two states that are the gold standard for parking (the process of moving certification by reciprocity to an advantageous state) are: 1) California, 2) New Jersey. The issue with renewal and moving to one of these two states has less to do with testing and more to do with PD (Testing is going to be a reality of wherever you go, how easy that testing is to organize is the issue based on where you are and what programs you pursue). So before going into PD (Professional development requirements required to renew a certification), most states have layers/levels/tiers of certification that can be divided into generic categories of 1) Entry level, 2) Professional level, 3) Advance level. Some states have all some only have 2 and some only have 1. In addition states have various "transitional" or temporary certifications that apply to various types of applicants (the most relevant, is those that apply to out of state candidates).
CA has two certification levels the preliminary certificate (entry) and the CLEAR certificate (professional). The preliminary certificate is what you get if you dont meet all the requirements for the CLEAR certificate, and CAs CLEAR requirements are esoteric, they essentially require a masters degree and full/professional certification in ESOL, otherwise you ahev to spend a year in induction essentially repeating a year of ITT/EPP (ITT is Initial Teacher Training, a common term in the UK and EPP is Educator Preparation Program, a generic term for referring to programs that train new teachers for professional education).
The benefit of the CA CLEAR certification is that 1) CA drives WASC accreditation which is the most prominent accrediting body for overseas American curriculum programs. 2) The 5 year certificate requires no PD requirements, you just submit a renewal application online and pay the fee.
NJ is the only state to offer a lifetime permanent certificate. There is no PD requirement and there is no renewal process. As long as you dont do anything that would invalidate your certificate you dont have to do anything. The disadvantage is that its New Jersey, and doesnt enjoy the same reputation and popularity as CA. does (and NJ also has some esoteric requirements as well).
I would however not recommend getting certified in either CA or NJ, while the requirements for out of state transfers are esoteric, NJs is easier than CA, but both processes for ITT/EPP programs have very high work expectations. The problem being that as an English Lit teacher (DT) in either of those states have very low vacancy availability which you would need to do to get the professional certificate.
Another option which might be very attractive to you since your degrees and academic background relate primary to your areas of certification is to simply apply for QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) in the UK which is also a lifetime certificate that requires no PD or renewal (for ITs anyway) after you obtain whatever state certification you pursue.
There really arent any "best" states to get certified in. CA and NJ are the ideal places to park a certificate and D.C. is the clearing house for reciprocity towards US educator credentials. Another brief background. There are 2 type of educator certification programs:
1) "Traditional" programs which are largely university based and coursework/degree focused. You want to be a teacher you go to a university with a certification program either as an undergrad, a grad student or in a hybrid called a "Post-Bachelors" (PB) program. The undergrad route consists of applying as an undergrad and completing a second major in education and any required courses for your major. The benefit of this route is you get another degree in about a year (though another bachelors degree). The cost is usually lower for undergrads than grads. The graduate pathway is often combined with a Masters program and typically take 2 years (though some are as short as 15-18 months). These cost more, take longer, are more work, but you get a masters (though its going to be in education and not a teachable content area) this is also likely the only route in your state to add something in educational support such as librarian or counselor. The Post-Bach pathway is about a year of professional education coursework combined with student teaching. You get certified and some credits but no additional degree, though the cost and time investment is less.
The other primary benefit of a traditional program is that you will be guaranteed a student teaching placement (field experience), which will not delay your certification (which could be a major problem for an English Lit teacher).
2) Non Traditional or Alternative Certification Programs (ACP). These are certification programs offered by private organizations and businesses. They vary greatly, some of them are online, some of them are F2F (face too face), some of them are combined. Some of them have multiple options for field experience (a generic term to describe the hands on training done in a school and classroom and include student teaching, clinical teaching, practicum, and internship, etc. ). The majority of these programs do not provide course credit, but use various types of seminars to deliver the primary training. Then when youve completed those seminars you either compelte clinical teaching (student teaching essentially) over the course of a semester or do an internship that involves you teaching as the teacher of record for a year under little supervision. Practicum is similar to internship but involves more supervision and is more like co-teaching or team teaching (practicum is more common in areas like counseling or administration, etc.).
Texas has ACP programs that can certify a DT in one semester (4-4.5 months) from start to finish. Most ACP programs are between 9-12 months and cost between $5K-$6K, about half or less than a year of tuition and fees in a university environment.
The best place to start is what is locally in your state and close to home, since you will qualify for in-state tuition at a university. Some states have better reputations than other states especially at lower tier ISs where status and prestige mean more than quality that local recruiters are not likely to understand. Try to avoid fly over and southern states, they have generally poorer reputations in student success which translates to recruiters as inferior trained DTs.
Since you are interested in IB, it would be too your advantage to do your field experience in an IB school, even if not in the IB program the closer you can get to IB the better you can spin it on your resume.
Generally, states have a generalist certification for primary (elementary, K-6) and single subject certification for secondary (6-12), with K-12 options for some specialty areas such as the fine and performing arts and/or technology, reading, SEN/LS (SPED, Special Education), etc. Some states have combined certifications that combine a group of certifications into one category, the most common being "science" that combines biology, chemistry, physics, etc into one certification and "social studies" that combines history, social science (psychology, political science, sociology), civics, geography, etc. into one certification. I have also seen Language arts that combines Literature, drama, speech, journalism, etc. into one certification. A major issue is how easy your state allows you to add endorsements (these are additional areas of teacher certification), some states only require you take an exam, some states require you to have a minimum number of credit hours close to or equivalent to a degree (about 24 course hours). The exam route is far less costly in time and resources.
As described above, A masters is one way of getting certification and will give you a compensation increase, but their are two components that build an ITs resume: 1) What they can do (certifications, degrees, etc.), and 2) What they have done (experience). Of the two experience rules. After a few years recruiters care less about your academic background but what you can do in a classroom as far as moderating your students success. The problem is that the standard bar to entry in IE is 2 years post certification experience, it might be very hard doing that in Literature, so a graduate program allows you to put your time to use while job searching. Many ITs as they advance to the middle of their career have a masters, that does make you more competitive all other factors being equal. Experience though is king, 2 years in a classroom honing your craft is far more marketable then a degree that takes you out of the classroom.
Unless you are considering an "Ivy" such as Harvard, Yale, OxBridge, the Sorbonne where you get your masters doesnt matter much, unless a particular recruiter/admin/manager happens to be an alumni.
Schools have different compensation scales based primary on a matrix of experience (step) and degree (band). Some ISs pay very little for a Masters over a Bachelors some pay significantly more. At tier 1 ISs the difference is about 10% more for a masters.
There are many IB ISs that will not look at your resume without IB experience. However the IB is growing very quickly, and there are IB ISs that will take inexperienced ITs. Many IB ITs got their initial experience in a DS or a low tier IB IS. IB training is generally regarded as worthless and the rule is no amount of training is worth any amount of experience. Anything you can do to add IB experience is going to give your resume utility. You dont need to be qualified you just need to edge out all those less qualified than you.
Smaller ISs generally need ITs to teach across multiple areas. Common combinations (especially at lower secondary) are Maths/Science and Literature/Humanities (Social Studies). The best combinations are those that involve school leaving level or very niche/specialized areas.
For couples you should strongly consider adding or pursuing primary (elementary) education, its much easier for an IS to create or appoint in primary then it is to create a literature vacancy. All leadership really needs is a room and to divide a class/grade into smaller classes. Which at primary isnt an issue for scheduling compared to departmentalized classes in secondary. ISs will do this and create a vacancy for a high needs IT and the partner/spouse is part of the package.
The worst scenario would be if both of you were certified in the same area, such as both of you being counselors.
ITs that are entering the profession for travel are tourist teachers and they are avoided, they are usually the ones that put in the minimum, and are gone as soon as they can.
There is a vast difference between teaching English as literature and teaching English as a language. The only thing they really have in common is English in their name. TESOL is nothing like teaching as an IT, as the previous contributors indicated it is basically babysitting and edutainment in an English immersion environment. Recruiters are very weary of ETs trying to slide into an IT, and at a certain level of IE in the lower third tier you find a variety of academies, bilingual schools and EAP programs that resemble IE. The language of instruction in ISs is English, students need a working understanding of it to attend most upper tier ISs, and while lower tier ISs do provide ESOL support many of the students in ESs are working on their English language so that they can attend ISs. Recruiters generally treat anything with ESOL attached to it as poison.
SUNY is the State University of New York, as @SJ indicated they (as well as the TCNJ, Teachers College of New York) offer international cohort education programs that are primary aimed at an 'International Masters" program that offer certification options. They arent bad but they are expensive, especially at out of state tuition rates.
The general requirements to enter IE as an entry class IT is a bachelors degree (it need not be in your subject, but early in your career it helps), a professional credential, and 2 years post certification experience. When an IT candidate lacks the 2 years post certification experience they are considered an "intern class" IT. There is an intern section of the SA BOS fair. Intern vacancies are not common, typically its one or two whole school vacancies and many ISs dont have one at all. Most ISs are not resourced to mentor an intern IT and ISs are largely private/independent ISs that collect tuition for which parents are not paying to have their children taught by inferior teachers while training.
Most ITs were DTs for a number of years before pursuing IE. Thats really the common path of entry.
Teach Now and Teach Ready are the primary pathways for ITs who are already overseas either in the ESOL field or at the bottom of the IS field. There are ISs that hire ITs without professional credentials, but these ISs are the train wrecks of IE, many of them in hardship locations. Teach Now and Teach Ready facilitate the challenge of completing field experience requirements for certification.
Teach Ready requires you to take your exams in the US, and has a less structured (move at your own pace program), Your field experience however is only 5 days. Teach Now uses the Praxis which can be taken globally in many locations, there program is more structured, you have to move at the pace of your cohort. Teach Nows field experience is 12 weeks long, this provides more time int eh classroom but can be more difficult to arrange since 12 weeks is most of a term which is a harder sell to an IS you arent already working with as opposed to Teach Readys 5 days which is much easier to arrange and schedule.
From my perspective I would not go the US route to certification. It has little to do with IE, and it focuses way to much on Common Core, Assessment, and ESSA, with the new legislation there is going to be a significant dilution in ITT/EPP programs. Its going to take a number of years for the new regulations to be interpreted and work themselves out. Since you have a lot of freedom, and time I would suggest a B.Ed from Canada in your fields (a 12 month program) at somewhere like UBC where you can also complete an IB Teacher and Learning Certificate as well. You can then use the CAN certificate and apply for certification in D.C. which gives you a US certification by completing some Praxis tests (you can take globally, and you can then apply for QTS in the UK by completing an application.
However to answer your question of a "magic bullet" You are likely going to want an ACP program, since internships are more common and the norm where you can use the internship experience as teaching experience on your resume. An ACP program is also going to have the most lax admission requirements for your partner.
I would recommend the Texas Teachers Certification program given your specific requirements:
www.texasteachers.org
1) Their program has a full year internship option and a 12 week clinical teaching option. You being an English Literature teacher is going to be a challenge to a full year internship. You may consider something like ESOL or SPED for your internship and then add English literature.
2) They have both all online and blended learning in a classroom delivery environment as options.
3) The GPA requirement of 2.5 can be exempted and any bachelors degree is accepted for any area, of which they offer more than 60.
4) The program fee is around $4K and $195 to start, there is no application fee.
5) You can transfer the Texas certification to NJ for a standard certificate assuming you complete the one year internship.
I understand what you are asking, one of the issues we have on this site is we get asked a lot of the same questions and one of those questions is how do i become an IT now because im overseas, which triggers a certain response. In that context a lot of the previous contributors advise and counsel is very appropriate.
You arent looking to become an IT now, you really are backpackers/travelers, who are just using education (albeit English Language education) as a means of supporting your travels, and in your case this really is the way to go, since ES education has two very strong factors that support that form of lifestyle: 1) You will find work everywhere, year round. Its far less stressful not having to deal with agencies, or references, or year long job search times and then being locked into 2 year contracts and locations. 2) You can actually travel and experience and explore a region or city. You can find a position somewhere that will give you a flight allowance, stay a few months, then move to a neighboring country spend a few months there, then head out of the capital, etc. Being an IT requires commitment in resources and energy, you dont get to travel much except over long holiday breaks, being an ET requires a pulse and a smile. You show up on time do the Genki/monkey dance, and leave. You dont have much marking or planing to do, and the instruction is more 'edutainment'.
It would be just as big a mistake to spend 2 years and the money getting a masters and/or certification and finding out you dont like teaching and/or kids.
If your partner really is interested in woodworking and has other related skills then with a science background Design Technology is a marketable option. Martial Arts is more an ASP. Though instead of ET he may find opportunities to teach/coach martial arts as a sort of pseudo business to local expats who dont have the host language ability. It would be like any private/tutoring on the side. Put up some flyers and meet in a park collect the fee then provide an hour lesson.
Since you have plenty of time and have not done advance degrees already, and you are interested in IB, I would strongly look at the Universities that provide an IB Teaching Certificate. There are a number globally (disclaimer, I have one). In the US the IB Teaching and Learning Research certificate (the higher level certificate) is only available at George Mason University in Virgina, its an expensive university, and there is considerable debate about the value of a IB teaching certificate, but you would be able to get both masters degrees, the IB certification, and state certification in your fields (Literature and Chemistry).
Certification programs vary greatly in the US (and overseas certification is available and a possibility). In the US the two states that are the gold standard for parking (the process of moving certification by reciprocity to an advantageous state) are: 1) California, 2) New Jersey. The issue with renewal and moving to one of these two states has less to do with testing and more to do with PD (Testing is going to be a reality of wherever you go, how easy that testing is to organize is the issue based on where you are and what programs you pursue). So before going into PD (Professional development requirements required to renew a certification), most states have layers/levels/tiers of certification that can be divided into generic categories of 1) Entry level, 2) Professional level, 3) Advance level. Some states have all some only have 2 and some only have 1. In addition states have various "transitional" or temporary certifications that apply to various types of applicants (the most relevant, is those that apply to out of state candidates).
CA has two certification levels the preliminary certificate (entry) and the CLEAR certificate (professional). The preliminary certificate is what you get if you dont meet all the requirements for the CLEAR certificate, and CAs CLEAR requirements are esoteric, they essentially require a masters degree and full/professional certification in ESOL, otherwise you ahev to spend a year in induction essentially repeating a year of ITT/EPP (ITT is Initial Teacher Training, a common term in the UK and EPP is Educator Preparation Program, a generic term for referring to programs that train new teachers for professional education).
The benefit of the CA CLEAR certification is that 1) CA drives WASC accreditation which is the most prominent accrediting body for overseas American curriculum programs. 2) The 5 year certificate requires no PD requirements, you just submit a renewal application online and pay the fee.
NJ is the only state to offer a lifetime permanent certificate. There is no PD requirement and there is no renewal process. As long as you dont do anything that would invalidate your certificate you dont have to do anything. The disadvantage is that its New Jersey, and doesnt enjoy the same reputation and popularity as CA. does (and NJ also has some esoteric requirements as well).
I would however not recommend getting certified in either CA or NJ, while the requirements for out of state transfers are esoteric, NJs is easier than CA, but both processes for ITT/EPP programs have very high work expectations. The problem being that as an English Lit teacher (DT) in either of those states have very low vacancy availability which you would need to do to get the professional certificate.
Another option which might be very attractive to you since your degrees and academic background relate primary to your areas of certification is to simply apply for QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) in the UK which is also a lifetime certificate that requires no PD or renewal (for ITs anyway) after you obtain whatever state certification you pursue.
There really arent any "best" states to get certified in. CA and NJ are the ideal places to park a certificate and D.C. is the clearing house for reciprocity towards US educator credentials. Another brief background. There are 2 type of educator certification programs:
1) "Traditional" programs which are largely university based and coursework/degree focused. You want to be a teacher you go to a university with a certification program either as an undergrad, a grad student or in a hybrid called a "Post-Bachelors" (PB) program. The undergrad route consists of applying as an undergrad and completing a second major in education and any required courses for your major. The benefit of this route is you get another degree in about a year (though another bachelors degree). The cost is usually lower for undergrads than grads. The graduate pathway is often combined with a Masters program and typically take 2 years (though some are as short as 15-18 months). These cost more, take longer, are more work, but you get a masters (though its going to be in education and not a teachable content area) this is also likely the only route in your state to add something in educational support such as librarian or counselor. The Post-Bach pathway is about a year of professional education coursework combined with student teaching. You get certified and some credits but no additional degree, though the cost and time investment is less.
The other primary benefit of a traditional program is that you will be guaranteed a student teaching placement (field experience), which will not delay your certification (which could be a major problem for an English Lit teacher).
2) Non Traditional or Alternative Certification Programs (ACP). These are certification programs offered by private organizations and businesses. They vary greatly, some of them are online, some of them are F2F (face too face), some of them are combined. Some of them have multiple options for field experience (a generic term to describe the hands on training done in a school and classroom and include student teaching, clinical teaching, practicum, and internship, etc. ). The majority of these programs do not provide course credit, but use various types of seminars to deliver the primary training. Then when youve completed those seminars you either compelte clinical teaching (student teaching essentially) over the course of a semester or do an internship that involves you teaching as the teacher of record for a year under little supervision. Practicum is similar to internship but involves more supervision and is more like co-teaching or team teaching (practicum is more common in areas like counseling or administration, etc.).
Texas has ACP programs that can certify a DT in one semester (4-4.5 months) from start to finish. Most ACP programs are between 9-12 months and cost between $5K-$6K, about half or less than a year of tuition and fees in a university environment.
The best place to start is what is locally in your state and close to home, since you will qualify for in-state tuition at a university. Some states have better reputations than other states especially at lower tier ISs where status and prestige mean more than quality that local recruiters are not likely to understand. Try to avoid fly over and southern states, they have generally poorer reputations in student success which translates to recruiters as inferior trained DTs.
Since you are interested in IB, it would be too your advantage to do your field experience in an IB school, even if not in the IB program the closer you can get to IB the better you can spin it on your resume.
Generally, states have a generalist certification for primary (elementary, K-6) and single subject certification for secondary (6-12), with K-12 options for some specialty areas such as the fine and performing arts and/or technology, reading, SEN/LS (SPED, Special Education), etc. Some states have combined certifications that combine a group of certifications into one category, the most common being "science" that combines biology, chemistry, physics, etc into one certification and "social studies" that combines history, social science (psychology, political science, sociology), civics, geography, etc. into one certification. I have also seen Language arts that combines Literature, drama, speech, journalism, etc. into one certification. A major issue is how easy your state allows you to add endorsements (these are additional areas of teacher certification), some states only require you take an exam, some states require you to have a minimum number of credit hours close to or equivalent to a degree (about 24 course hours). The exam route is far less costly in time and resources.
As described above, A masters is one way of getting certification and will give you a compensation increase, but their are two components that build an ITs resume: 1) What they can do (certifications, degrees, etc.), and 2) What they have done (experience). Of the two experience rules. After a few years recruiters care less about your academic background but what you can do in a classroom as far as moderating your students success. The problem is that the standard bar to entry in IE is 2 years post certification experience, it might be very hard doing that in Literature, so a graduate program allows you to put your time to use while job searching. Many ITs as they advance to the middle of their career have a masters, that does make you more competitive all other factors being equal. Experience though is king, 2 years in a classroom honing your craft is far more marketable then a degree that takes you out of the classroom.
Unless you are considering an "Ivy" such as Harvard, Yale, OxBridge, the Sorbonne where you get your masters doesnt matter much, unless a particular recruiter/admin/manager happens to be an alumni.
Schools have different compensation scales based primary on a matrix of experience (step) and degree (band). Some ISs pay very little for a Masters over a Bachelors some pay significantly more. At tier 1 ISs the difference is about 10% more for a masters.
There are many IB ISs that will not look at your resume without IB experience. However the IB is growing very quickly, and there are IB ISs that will take inexperienced ITs. Many IB ITs got their initial experience in a DS or a low tier IB IS. IB training is generally regarded as worthless and the rule is no amount of training is worth any amount of experience. Anything you can do to add IB experience is going to give your resume utility. You dont need to be qualified you just need to edge out all those less qualified than you.
Smaller ISs generally need ITs to teach across multiple areas. Common combinations (especially at lower secondary) are Maths/Science and Literature/Humanities (Social Studies). The best combinations are those that involve school leaving level or very niche/specialized areas.
For couples you should strongly consider adding or pursuing primary (elementary) education, its much easier for an IS to create or appoint in primary then it is to create a literature vacancy. All leadership really needs is a room and to divide a class/grade into smaller classes. Which at primary isnt an issue for scheduling compared to departmentalized classes in secondary. ISs will do this and create a vacancy for a high needs IT and the partner/spouse is part of the package.
The worst scenario would be if both of you were certified in the same area, such as both of you being counselors.
ITs that are entering the profession for travel are tourist teachers and they are avoided, they are usually the ones that put in the minimum, and are gone as soon as they can.
There is a vast difference between teaching English as literature and teaching English as a language. The only thing they really have in common is English in their name. TESOL is nothing like teaching as an IT, as the previous contributors indicated it is basically babysitting and edutainment in an English immersion environment. Recruiters are very weary of ETs trying to slide into an IT, and at a certain level of IE in the lower third tier you find a variety of academies, bilingual schools and EAP programs that resemble IE. The language of instruction in ISs is English, students need a working understanding of it to attend most upper tier ISs, and while lower tier ISs do provide ESOL support many of the students in ESs are working on their English language so that they can attend ISs. Recruiters generally treat anything with ESOL attached to it as poison.
SUNY is the State University of New York, as @SJ indicated they (as well as the TCNJ, Teachers College of New York) offer international cohort education programs that are primary aimed at an 'International Masters" program that offer certification options. They arent bad but they are expensive, especially at out of state tuition rates.
The general requirements to enter IE as an entry class IT is a bachelors degree (it need not be in your subject, but early in your career it helps), a professional credential, and 2 years post certification experience. When an IT candidate lacks the 2 years post certification experience they are considered an "intern class" IT. There is an intern section of the SA BOS fair. Intern vacancies are not common, typically its one or two whole school vacancies and many ISs dont have one at all. Most ISs are not resourced to mentor an intern IT and ISs are largely private/independent ISs that collect tuition for which parents are not paying to have their children taught by inferior teachers while training.
Most ITs were DTs for a number of years before pursuing IE. Thats really the common path of entry.
Teach Now and Teach Ready are the primary pathways for ITs who are already overseas either in the ESOL field or at the bottom of the IS field. There are ISs that hire ITs without professional credentials, but these ISs are the train wrecks of IE, many of them in hardship locations. Teach Now and Teach Ready facilitate the challenge of completing field experience requirements for certification.
Teach Ready requires you to take your exams in the US, and has a less structured (move at your own pace program), Your field experience however is only 5 days. Teach Now uses the Praxis which can be taken globally in many locations, there program is more structured, you have to move at the pace of your cohort. Teach Nows field experience is 12 weeks long, this provides more time int eh classroom but can be more difficult to arrange since 12 weeks is most of a term which is a harder sell to an IS you arent already working with as opposed to Teach Readys 5 days which is much easier to arrange and schedule.
From my perspective I would not go the US route to certification. It has little to do with IE, and it focuses way to much on Common Core, Assessment, and ESSA, with the new legislation there is going to be a significant dilution in ITT/EPP programs. Its going to take a number of years for the new regulations to be interpreted and work themselves out. Since you have a lot of freedom, and time I would suggest a B.Ed from Canada in your fields (a 12 month program) at somewhere like UBC where you can also complete an IB Teacher and Learning Certificate as well. You can then use the CAN certificate and apply for certification in D.C. which gives you a US certification by completing some Praxis tests (you can take globally, and you can then apply for QTS in the UK by completing an application.
However to answer your question of a "magic bullet" You are likely going to want an ACP program, since internships are more common and the norm where you can use the internship experience as teaching experience on your resume. An ACP program is also going to have the most lax admission requirements for your partner.
I would recommend the Texas Teachers Certification program given your specific requirements:
www.texasteachers.org
1) Their program has a full year internship option and a 12 week clinical teaching option. You being an English Literature teacher is going to be a challenge to a full year internship. You may consider something like ESOL or SPED for your internship and then add English literature.
2) They have both all online and blended learning in a classroom delivery environment as options.
3) The GPA requirement of 2.5 can be exempted and any bachelors degree is accepted for any area, of which they offer more than 60.
4) The program fee is around $4K and $195 to start, there is no application fee.
5) You can transfer the Texas certification to NJ for a standard certificate assuming you complete the one year internship.