The International Schools Review Forum

I need advice to advise a friend

Here's the background info. A friend of mine has been working as an early childhood teacher in the US since 2002 for regionally and NAEYC accredited preschools and is interested in teaching internationally now. All that time, despite working at notable inquiry, play-based EC schools in her city she has been working under a CDA (Child Development Associate) credential while trying to finish her university education.
In the US, a CDA is more than a sufficient qualification to work with young children up to age 5. She'll FINALLY complete her Bachelor's in Elementary Education next month, and will start her master's program this fall. Before anyone judges the length of her study, she hasn't necessarily had an easy life and had more than a few curveballs while working full time and paying for school out of her own pockets; but she persevered. She has no children.

I'm having a hard time giving her advice on how to market herself for the 2018-2019 recruiting year. It looks dodgy on her resume to have only finished college this year while having an extensive work history in schools going back 15 years. She knows that a CDA means nothing outside the USA and I doubt most admin in international education even know what it is. She also wants to move away from ECE to the primary grades.

How can she market herself and address her seemingly odd work history to potential admin? I told her that she should work for a few years in ECE at an international school since that is where she is most experienced in, then transition to older grades. But she might get lucky because recently we've seen openings at many tier 1 schools in ECE; and if she recruits early she could potentially have a number of offers. However, I told her that despite her years of experience she might be on a salary scale based on when she received her degree.

I know that most people say that only post-graduate experience matters, but I think her situation might be an exception, or is it? We're talking 15 years of working as a lead teacher in ECE. She's definitely not a newbie teacher. Advice please?

I assume your friend has a CDA from CA?

First, the length of her academic study really isnt relevant or even noteworthy for dates just include the year of graduation. A recruiter or leadership isnt going to give the length of the degree more than a few seconds. You graduated, and it wasnt an Ivy so nothing to see there.

Second, experience that counts is generally experience thats post certification not post graduation, of which her experience has been earned in so much as its EC experience.

Third, the real issue is that she doesnt have a primary/elementary credential to actually teach elementary/primary grades. Thats what she needs to get, more so than a masters.

A CDC doesnt mean nothing, at most a little bit of education on the recruiters side which isnt insurmountable.

Your advise is pretty strong, she has two options really go into ECE at an IS where she has a pretty marketable resume, or she can pursue primary/elementary, a field she isnt credentialed in and doesnt have a lot of applicable experience. If she wants to move into primary her next big challenge is getting credentialed in elementary/primary education.

It doesn't matter which state a CDA is earned in, as it's a nationally recognized credential for early childhood educators. She is actually credentialed as an Elementary generalist for her state. Outside of student teaching though, she doesn't have any real experience with teaching the primary grades. I think that's her biggest issue.
I'm assuming that she should include the year she earned the CDA on her resume then, and go for EC positions.

@peachestotulips

A nationally recognized EC credential? I know of no such credential, but okay fair enough.

Which would she rather be in pursuing an appointment: a strong marketable EC IT or weak newbie elementary/primary IT?
One factor is going to be grade level. If she markets herself to years 1 maybe 2 in primary then she can push the EC experience. Depends what the meds/peds of delivery is, if shes strong in learning centers and she finds an IS that still uses learning centers in early primary shed be marketable. If however her background is learning centers and the IS has a direct teach model than shes going to be weaker in regard to experience.
Shes not going to be very marketable to later grades (4-6).

My guidance would be to pursue ISs that have EC and primary programs, and start in EC and then move up to primary internally, while pursuing external early primary vacancies with delivery models she can push to her strengths.