From Classroom to Administration

[haztam]

I've been teaching for almost ten years now, and while I know that that by no means makes me an expert, I believe that its time for me to take my career beyond the classroom. Currently I hold a master's degree in education with an international focus through Framingham State University. I'm interested in one of two options: becoming some kind of tech coordinator/specialist, or a principal. I realize that either of these career paths will most likely mean either another degree or certification. I need some advice on how to best achieve my goal.

At the moment, I'm learning more towards a principalship but every program I've found requires an internship. Are there any masters programs or certification programs completely online that would allow me to continue living abroad? I have no interest in returning to the states in the near future, especially for an extended period of time. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[sid]

You can often do the internship abroad in your own school. Just have to make sure you pick the right program and that your school will let you do sufficient leadership stuff to satisfy the requirements.

[Bellarex]

Sid is right. I completed my masters online through Liberty University in May of 2016 and did my internship at my international school in Africa. I did ask that question before applying however, and knew that I'd be able to before starting the program.

[ronaldtheclown81]

I did my M.Ed Admin internship through an American public university at the Southeast Asian international school I worked at. A couple of suggestions: 1. Make sure your current principal is on board with you doing the internship. I needed mine to sign off on a lot of papers, and while he was willing to do it, it was a pain and since my principal didn't share my nationality, he wasn't familiar with the processes that I was going through. If your principal isn't willing to sign off on everything, you can't complete the internship. 2. Don't change jobs during the program. You'll end up doing a lot of extra work for the school, and it puts you in a good light. Completing the program puts you in a good position to get promoted at your current school. At least that was my experience. Good luck.

[twoteachers]

Lehigh University, University of Florida, and University of Minnesota all have online programs with summer visits needed for admin degrees. BTW..even if you need an internship, most schools/principals are willing to help you with that.

[PsyGuy]

Dont bother with any of them, and dont bother with another degree or program. Apply through DC (District of Columbia) You need 4 years of experience without proficiency reports and a Masters degree (plus a bachelors) all thats left is you take the SLLA exam which is about USD$450 and a day of testing. You can find the licensing authority here:

http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Notice/DownLoa ... ID=6110144
Rule 1603.7 , on page 9.