The International Schools Review Forum

When I got my current job (SS/ELA MYP in middle school) I thought that after a few years I would apply to be transferred to DP history since it would be higher demand (not HIGH demand though, I realize). Now I'm not so sure. I love teaching middle school - and I think I'm really good at it. I also don't really like older teenagers. Furthermore, I don't think I would enjoy the more content-prescriptive emphasis of the DP, as opposed to inquiry-based MYP.

If I love what I do and I'm good at it (and will get good references), is there any reason to diversify my resume? My goal is to get into a tier one in Asia/ME in about three-four years.

Yes and no. Simply put, yes, diversifying will make you more marketable, but for what jobs? Do you really want to be stuck hired for a job you don't want to do just because of the "prestige" of a school? After all, Tier 1-2 schools have middle school, too! If you can pick up a single section of DP Lit or History, cool. But in general I would say stick with what you are good at. Specialize in MYP, but diversify internally--6th lit, 8th history, department head, MYP coordinator, extracurriculars, trying new unit ideas, etc. It's nice to say you have taught a senior class and therefore know what the "end goal" is--or just to know you can do it and to prove it--if the chance comes up to do a tiny bit. But really, you aren't more likely to get a job at something that is not your strength, and even if you do, is it a job you would want?

I have found that while most people can adapt their teaching to HS, middle school teachers are born, not made. Build your resume around what you do well and what you enjoy. Diversify, sure, but stick to your strengths rather than bouncing around aimlessly to fill checkboxes. Eventually one of your target schools will need a MS teacher!

We can't comment on feasibility of your plan and timeframe, though, if we don't know your experience, family status, and where you are now.

Yes, the main reason being youll have a better probability getting to a first tier IS. IB ISs mostly fill the 2nd tier, its a bridge between third and first tier, but most first tier ISs are NC ISs. To maximize your marketability you want to have all secondary experience, and that means school leaving level experience, and that means having assessment performance data. The expectation is that you can teach any and all levels in your subject field, and without any upper secondary experience your handicapping yourself. You can still focus on lower secondary as your career focus, but your going to want to round out your resume and fill experience gaps to maximize your marketability.

I dont agree with the position of @Thames Pirate, yes 1st tier ISs have lower secondary/middle school but there is a very small number of classical IB World Schools that are 1st tier, many 1st tier ISs that have IB have it as a school leaving option and only have DIP.
Lets be honest MYP is more than it was but its really not much of anything. If you arent the IT in charge of Project/Portfolio, in lower secondary for a full year SS IT, your 50 hour subject IB requirement is little more than a checklist alignment and knowing the IB Learner profile and the Concepts are used.

What if I get annoyed and throw a chair at a senior? How does that help my resume?

But if a lot of top-level schools don't have MYP, that doesn't make any difference to my question, does it? I mean, there are only 2 years of DP, but 5 years of middle school plus grade 9 & 10.

@chilagringa

Surprisingly, there are some educators in leadership that at least on a personal level would respect that.

Because these are top tier ISs that dont have a choice of you or no one, and the expectation is that a secondary IT can and could do anything and everything in their teaching subject. Scheduling can be complicated why hire someone that's handicapped. The result is you end up waiting longer, and have fewer opportunities and options. Is your goal to teach what you want or 1st tier IS?

Maybe I've become overly optimistic because I pretty much landed high tier my first time out. (Not that I'm especially special, I just knew someone and got lucky). Not sure if I'm tier one, but I'm in the US embassy-supported school in a Latin Amerixan capital. Maybe I'm naive and think I can go up to tier one Asia/ME next round.

Are middle schools not usually separate in international schools? Nobody at my school teaches in both.

@chiagringa

They arent usually separate. The primary and the secondary are separate, but most ITs in top tier ISs teach the same thing year after year. Assignments dont generally change until the IS grows or restructures. That's not the issue though. Its your applying to ISs that can get 1000 applications for one vacancy and many, many ITs are very in distinct from one another. In the recruiter or staff member screening and selecting all those applications they are imagining a scenario where some lower secondary IT may have to move into upper secondary/school leaving level. The reality is they need to get that pile of 1000 applications down to 5 that senior leadership is going to interview and why give the middle school/lower secondary only applicant one of those interviews when there are applicants who have everything, because maybe someday they need you to teach a school leaving level course/class.

@chila
Not quite sure I understood Dave's comments - but then I rarely do.
If you're a middle school teacher wanting to go to Asia, you will find that most of the big American and American/International schools operate separate middle schools. The best are in the IASAS group, but you should also look at Shanghai AS, IS Beijing and ASIJ. Take a look at UWC Singa as well. If you can get your Principal, or better still your Head, to advocate for you, that will help you to get to an interview.

Stick to what you love. Good schools care about their middle school and want teachers who specialize. Make yourself marketable that way. It's the poor schools that think high school teachers are some sort of elite. Give me a middle school teacher who wants to be there and I'll show you someone who has mad skills. Those little squirrelly oddballs need teachers who love them for themselves.

Choose what you are good at. If you try to teach the ever-changing DP curriculum (almost like teaching first year college) and if your students don't get good results, you can't expect a great reference from the admin. Think hard and decide where you can deliver year after year.
As far as schools treating high school teachers as elite, it is partially true. I have also seen middle school teachers who hardly get any PD, have serious misconceptions (they themselves don't understand what 'electricity' is), and just take their job for granted. For a high school teacher delivering DP or AP, there is a greater degree of accountability as the results can expose them in a year or two. Not sure how many administrators usually verify middle school teachers' tests or lesson plans for rigour. Some even mislead their students due to inadequate content knowledge. You reap what you sow.