I have been lurking and posting on this board for a few years now. Each year asking for new advice since my situation and credentials keep changing. I still want to get back abroad though so here we go!
I'll start with the basics.
BA English
EC-6 Certification
3 years certified teaching experience
1 year ESL in South Korea
.5 year student teaching in IB elementary School
2 years of Teaching Assistant
Married to a non-teaching spouse, but his current position is in IT at an elementary school. He basically fixes the computers/ipads and internet problems they may have. He also completes other tasks such as shooting and editing videos for the school, updating the school website, taking pictures and many other duties. Every now and then they may put him in the classroom to help sub and also works the front desk part of the day. His core duties are his IT responsibilities.
Spouse has an AA degree and currently working towards finishing his BA online. About 2 years to go. He would like to get certified to teach as well, but is also interested in IT.
We also have a dependent on the way. Will be here May 2017.
We have flirted with the idea of going abroad before he finishes his bachelors and while abroad he would complete it online. My question is, would my husband be able to get employment at a school in a non-teaching position without his BA? He's not interested in being a stay at home dad while abroad.
So what are our options? What countries are available to us if my husband doesn't have his BA yet, but still would like to work.
Thank you!
What to do next?
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eion_padraig
- Posts: 408
- Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:18 pm
Re: What to do next?
@Cherrypop,
I've know a couple who has the situation where one of them is a tutor for English speaking international school students. I believe he was working on his teaching degree and it may have been his BA degree. This is informal work and is probably technically illegal, but not likely to draw the attention of authorities in the country I'm in (China).
Some schools may hire spouses to substitute teach on a casual basis, but that depends on the school and the regulations of the country.
The issue for both of those situations is that the full-time working spouse has real structure to her/his life and the other person does not. That can work if both people are okay with that being the agreement, but it can lead to real issues.
I suspect there are few countries where an AA degree is going to allow a foreigner to seek broad employment with companies. Maybe you'll get some useful leads here.
However, going overseas is stressful already. Having a new child is another new stress. Waiting a little longer until you both have qualifications that will set you up for full-time work can lead to a much better outcome. I know I was eager to return overseas again after I left as an ESL teacher and I had to wait longer than I wanted to make it happen, but in retrospect it was the right choice. Everyone's situation is different and things could possibly work out great if you head over sooner. I doubt you'll get a clear roadmap of what that path might look like from people here.
Good luck.
Eion
I've know a couple who has the situation where one of them is a tutor for English speaking international school students. I believe he was working on his teaching degree and it may have been his BA degree. This is informal work and is probably technically illegal, but not likely to draw the attention of authorities in the country I'm in (China).
Some schools may hire spouses to substitute teach on a casual basis, but that depends on the school and the regulations of the country.
The issue for both of those situations is that the full-time working spouse has real structure to her/his life and the other person does not. That can work if both people are okay with that being the agreement, but it can lead to real issues.
I suspect there are few countries where an AA degree is going to allow a foreigner to seek broad employment with companies. Maybe you'll get some useful leads here.
However, going overseas is stressful already. Having a new child is another new stress. Waiting a little longer until you both have qualifications that will set you up for full-time work can lead to a much better outcome. I know I was eager to return overseas again after I left as an ESL teacher and I had to wait longer than I wanted to make it happen, but in retrospect it was the right choice. Everyone's situation is different and things could possibly work out great if you head over sooner. I doubt you'll get a clear roadmap of what that path might look like from people here.
Good luck.
Eion
Response
Much would depend on the region, in some regions (mainly in the EU) a dependent on a spousal/dependent visa can work to some degree. In most regions however, there is some form of option that allows a visa for unskilled workers (unskilled is a broad category), that would allow your spouse to work on a work visa. Its much easier in most cases for an IS to support such a visa once you are on site. The other option in some regions is that you can sponsor a visa for your spouse that would permit your spouses working visa. The real issue is going to be if your IS wants to hire your spouse.
The other option is your spouse can work in coin based business such as tutoring where they collect their coin directly. The other option is to start a business or operate a business that is essentially virtual.
The other option is your spouse can work in coin based business such as tutoring where they collect their coin directly. The other option is to start a business or operate a business that is essentially virtual.
Re: What to do next?
First advice - wait for the baby to arrive! This will be hectic and stressful enough for you without having to pile on the pressure of moving to another country where only one of you might have a job, then trying to find a house big enough for the three of you on one salary / housing allowance, then trying to find a job for your husband, then trying to find suitable childcare for your baby.......
If I were you, I'd put it on the back burner again for a couple of years. Your husband will have completed his BA, the baby will be a toddler (which has its own issues but probably still better) and you'll be in a better place financially with two more years' earnings behind you.
If I were you, I'd put it on the back burner again for a couple of years. Your husband will have completed his BA, the baby will be a toddler (which has its own issues but probably still better) and you'll be in a better place financially with two more years' earnings behind you.
Re: What to do next?
Thanks everyone for their replies! I believe we are definitely going to wait at least another year because of the baby on the way. I can't even imagine the pressure of living in a new country and being a new mom. Even though I've lived abroad before, my husband has not so we just want to make the right choice for both of us.
Our eyes are set on the Middle East and Asia. The UAE specifically in the Middle East and multiple countries in Asia.
Does anyone have any specifics about these regions as far as my husband seeking employment without a degree? Or possibly specific countries that he would have visa issues in gaining employment without the degree?
Savings potential is probably the most important, but not at a complete sacrifice to lifestyle. The ideal scenario is that he's hired on at the school I work at full time. How do we present this in a cover letter or during an interview?
Is my husband considered a trailing spouse if we present that he's also seeking employment at the school?
We are also an interracial couple. Are there countries that would look down upon that or our interracial child? Family friendly is definitly important!
Our eyes are set on the Middle East and Asia. The UAE specifically in the Middle East and multiple countries in Asia.
Does anyone have any specifics about these regions as far as my husband seeking employment without a degree? Or possibly specific countries that he would have visa issues in gaining employment without the degree?
Savings potential is probably the most important, but not at a complete sacrifice to lifestyle. The ideal scenario is that he's hired on at the school I work at full time. How do we present this in a cover letter or during an interview?
Is my husband considered a trailing spouse if we present that he's also seeking employment at the school?
We are also an interracial couple. Are there countries that would look down upon that or our interracial child? Family friendly is definitly important!
Reply
@Cherrypop
Your spouses employment options will essentially be self employment, either the dependent visa wont allow them to engage in paid work, or it does but without a degree no one will hire him to do a job a local can do, who speaks the local language. By self employment I am referring to activities like teaching English as private lessons, to other types of instruction, to running a virtual business out of the home.
If you need to push your spouse as a package given the situation don't do it in the cover letter/intro email unless you want to lose out on a lot of opportunities. The best time would be when the interview has progressed to the contract negotiation, then you can explain your spouse and ask what opportunities the IS may have or be able to create. They may be very direct or they may be vague. Its not uncommon for an IS that really wants a candidate to create some type of position for a trailing spouse. In some locations the IS couldnt legally hire your spouse in any capacity, its just not practical or available, in which case they essentially pay you for whatever the work is, but your spouse does the actual tasking. You create more leverage and a better position for yourself the longer you wait, but you also risk that you end up losing the offer and potentially find yourself with nothing.
Your husband is still a trailing spouse, being a teaching couple means both candidates are actual ITs or professional educators, your spouse is actually part of your comp, and if the IS provides your spouse with any type of remuneration than its more comp.
Going to sound bad but IE is almost entirely dominated by Caucasians, an Asian spouse is probably the most acceptable but the darker a minority the more unattractive/undesirable it gets. Its just a perception by local parents of what they see as western education, which they associate with as Caucasian. In a number of locations and regions minorities are openly/casually discriminated against.
The same is true of interracial children, if its not the local population. If your in japan and have a hafu Japanese/Caucasian child thats fine, if you are in India and have a hafu child thats half African and have Caucasian, you will have some issue likely.
Your spouses employment options will essentially be self employment, either the dependent visa wont allow them to engage in paid work, or it does but without a degree no one will hire him to do a job a local can do, who speaks the local language. By self employment I am referring to activities like teaching English as private lessons, to other types of instruction, to running a virtual business out of the home.
If you need to push your spouse as a package given the situation don't do it in the cover letter/intro email unless you want to lose out on a lot of opportunities. The best time would be when the interview has progressed to the contract negotiation, then you can explain your spouse and ask what opportunities the IS may have or be able to create. They may be very direct or they may be vague. Its not uncommon for an IS that really wants a candidate to create some type of position for a trailing spouse. In some locations the IS couldnt legally hire your spouse in any capacity, its just not practical or available, in which case they essentially pay you for whatever the work is, but your spouse does the actual tasking. You create more leverage and a better position for yourself the longer you wait, but you also risk that you end up losing the offer and potentially find yourself with nothing.
Your husband is still a trailing spouse, being a teaching couple means both candidates are actual ITs or professional educators, your spouse is actually part of your comp, and if the IS provides your spouse with any type of remuneration than its more comp.
Going to sound bad but IE is almost entirely dominated by Caucasians, an Asian spouse is probably the most acceptable but the darker a minority the more unattractive/undesirable it gets. Its just a perception by local parents of what they see as western education, which they associate with as Caucasian. In a number of locations and regions minorities are openly/casually discriminated against.
The same is true of interracial children, if its not the local population. If your in japan and have a hafu Japanese/Caucasian child thats fine, if you are in India and have a hafu child thats half African and have Caucasian, you will have some issue likely.