The International Schools Review Forum

I'm older now (57) and will soon be looking for a new job internationally. I'm fully aware that, by policy or not, age discrimination exists--or at least, in some places, a "preference" for younger teachers exists.

I'm not here to rail against this. Rather, I'm more interested in finding out where I should direct my energies and where I should just forget it.

In your experience, where are older teachers valued?

Thanks!

México as long as you START under 60. You can continue working after that. In general Latin America seems to respect older teachers... As long as you're not a super expensive hire.

China has extended the age limit to 65.

The WE/EU

Thanks to both of you. What is "WE"?

Western Europe

It's really going to depend on the individual school, but I've seen more respect for older teachers in the Middle East than in Western Europe.

alexout wrote:
> It's really going to depend on the individual school, but I've seen more
> respect for older teachers in the Middle East than in Western Europe.

Thanks.

I am also facing the same issue. Here is what I have found:

No visa age limits (as reported by schools):

Croatia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Korea (South), Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Russian Federation, Georgia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Brazil, Malta, Japan, Peru, Kenya, Colombia, Romania, Chile, Latvia, Uganda, Jordan, Lebanon, Switzerland, Bolivia, Italy, Poland, South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, Honduras, Czech Republic, Austria, Portugal, Israel, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Vietnam, Georgia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Taiwan, Congo, Philippines, Mozambique, Togo, Senegal, Ecuador, Guinea, Azerbaijan, Uruguay and probably many other countries.

Visa age restrictions:

55: Thailand

57: Colombia

58: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia

55-59-60: Indonesia

60: India, Iraq, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Thailand, Qatar, Singapore

62: Bahamas, Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles, Malaysia, Oman, Philippines

64: Albania

65: Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, China, Turkey
Teachers' reports differ. Age limits also fluctuate depending on the job seniority and other circumstances. Some schools have been able to negotiate wavers, etc.

Pakistan is 67, I believe.

China info is not exactly true. Numerous teachers in Shanghai, over 60, who have not been here for an extended amount of time, are losing their jobs as there IS an age restriction and the work permits/visas are no longer going to be obtained in the typical way as there is scoring system now.
Be very careful where you apply and do your research. Our counselor is losing her job after 1 contract year and the school new this may be an issue and should have said something before bringing her on.

Many schools in China will allow teachers to exceed the maximum age limits, particularly if you have already been teaching at a school before reaching the age limit ( 60 as I believe it is now), and also if you teach certain subjects (particularly HS math/science). It also depends on where you are willing to work, that being a smaller, lower tier school, or a less enviable location. You may have various challenges, regarding resources and students' abilities, but as an experienced teacher you will be able to contend with these challenges (if they exist), to the delight of the school, students and parents, where a younger , less experienced teacher might be over-whelmed by the fact that a Smart Board is not available in every classroom, and the internet speed is not always reliable.

Although there seems to be some who are worried about the status of their schools/locations, many of the smaller, "poorer" provinces are more open minded in their hiring policies. Mind you, you will not always be reimbursed according to your teaching experience, since many of these schools offer pay grades according to your time at their school only. There seems to be more reverence for experieced teachers, read "older" ( particularly from parents) in provinces like Yunnan and Guizhou, where you get the added benifit of quieter, less polluted cities that may appeal more to those teachers not chomping on the bit for a second shot at their 20's, or a first shot at China's night life, where mind you, as a foreigner in a smaller city, you will have less competion for your "rock star" staus ;)

Salaries are perhaps a bit lower, but cost of living is much lower and the over all quality of life is quite good, especially if you are not running around looking for every foreigner/western this or that, but are rather interested in experiencing China and its people.

I have taught in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou and while I had positive experiences there, my time in Yunnan and Guizhou have been by far my best experiences teaching in China( being north of 50 myself, and a country boy at heart ).

Good luck in your endevors, and if you find a good situation in China, you should have little trouble making a run out of it.

The Colombia age restriction of 57 is inaccurate and/or outdated. I have a friend working there who just turned 70!

@jschott

WE = Western Europe.

Wow, all these age limits are really discouraging. 60 is not that old, you know--at least to some of us.