Dear all,
I am offered a job in an international school in Austria but I worry for the first time about my teaching qualifications. Indeed, in France, I obtained a Master in Teaching from the university/institution in charge of training our teachers but we have a specificity: we must at the end of it take a competition to obtain either a CAPES or CRPE which are our official teaching certifications. Those certifications are bound to becoming a civil servant.
I didn't make this choice earlier as I did not want to stay in France nor teach there. In addition, I teach French as a second language and no government position nor certification exist for such a position in the country!
What will the Austrian board of Education say about my degree according to your experience or perspective?
What would happen to me and the job offer if I get in trouble? I already mentioned this issue at the early stage of the recruitment process, even before the job offer. I would not like to miss it and get in trouble as well.
Thank you for your help.
Certification criteria in Austria
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Certification criteria in Austria
Far from an expert on the subject but at one point we did consider international schools in Australia. As I recall, the schools we were considering required that teachers be registered with an Australian Registration board like this one:
http://www.trb.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
so that might be a good place to start.
If they have offered you a job then they have hopefully looked at (or at least considered your credentials). If not, the next step would generally be making sure that you would qualify for working/teaching in the country. They ask to see all of your documentation and make a determination (or they direct you to the relevant authority and tell you what status you need to have to be able to complete acceptance of the offer).
It would be unusual for a school to have you travel all the way to the new country and then tell you, sorry, you can't be in the country/teach here (at least for an Australian school, maybe more likely in some schools in the ME. China, etc).
Congratulations and good luck!
http://www.trb.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
so that might be a good place to start.
If they have offered you a job then they have hopefully looked at (or at least considered your credentials). If not, the next step would generally be making sure that you would qualify for working/teaching in the country. They ask to see all of your documentation and make a determination (or they direct you to the relevant authority and tell you what status you need to have to be able to complete acceptance of the offer).
It would be unusual for a school to have you travel all the way to the new country and then tell you, sorry, you can't be in the country/teach here (at least for an Australian school, maybe more likely in some schools in the ME. China, etc).
Congratulations and good luck!
Response
I am at a loss to comment on the statements made by @WT123. In Australia (AUS) "registration" is the term for professional educator credentialing (such as QTS or the various distinctions of "Professeurs" in the French system including CRPE, CAPES, CAFEP, CAPLP, CAPEPS and Agregation), but what result Australian credentialing would have in Austria is confusing. I could see how @WT123s position may be that of the commonly accepted English credentialing options (AUS/CAN/US/UK), AUS is the most likely to issue you some form of registration based on a professional evaluation of your supporting documents (the other option would be the US State of Connecticut) lacking an actual french credential.
In general qualifications such as degrees, are not equivalent to professional educator credentials. While its true that in some regions a qualification is a credential, its becoming more common that some other agency regulates the practice of professional education, even if that regulation is little more than applications of those holding appropriate qualifications. As such you lack professional teaching credentials, however this really isnt an issue for you. ISs, those that are independent/private ISs and not part of the municipal/regulated DE system can essentially appoint and hire who they want irrespective of qualifications, credentials and licenses, as you are an EU national you dont have to contend with immigration issues. Assuming your IS hasnt made a major oversight or assumption and are fully aware of your limitations, a lack of a professional credential will not be a barrier to appointment.
@WT123
Why would you advise about registration in Australia, when AUSTRIA is a country to the south of Germany in WE?
In general qualifications such as degrees, are not equivalent to professional educator credentials. While its true that in some regions a qualification is a credential, its becoming more common that some other agency regulates the practice of professional education, even if that regulation is little more than applications of those holding appropriate qualifications. As such you lack professional teaching credentials, however this really isnt an issue for you. ISs, those that are independent/private ISs and not part of the municipal/regulated DE system can essentially appoint and hire who they want irrespective of qualifications, credentials and licenses, as you are an EU national you dont have to contend with immigration issues. Assuming your IS hasnt made a major oversight or assumption and are fully aware of your limitations, a lack of a professional credential will not be a barrier to appointment.
@WT123
Why would you advise about registration in Australia, when AUSTRIA is a country to the south of Germany in WE?
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wrldtrvlr123
- Posts: 1173
- Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
- Location: Japan
Re: Certification criteria in Austria
LOL. It's called reading the post early in the morning without glasses and before coffee has kicked in.
As for this: @WT123 Why would you advise about registration in Australia, when AUSTRIA is a country to the south of Germany in WE?
If you seriously think I don't know the difference then I have no words for you that would not get me in trouble.
As for this: @WT123 Why would you advise about registration in Australia, when AUSTRIA is a country to the south of Germany in WE?
If you seriously think I don't know the difference then I have no words for you that would not get me in trouble.
Re: Certification criteria in Austria
Thank you.
This sounds reassuring. I know that the school gets subsidies from the Austrian government but it is an IB school.
Accreditations: IB/CIS/Austrian Ministry of Education
Does it bring any insight regarding the outcome of my issue?
Regards,
This sounds reassuring. I know that the school gets subsidies from the Austrian government but it is an IB school.
Accreditations: IB/CIS/Austrian Ministry of Education
Does it bring any insight regarding the outcome of my issue?
Regards,
Reply
@Boomba
Well more insight but now less reassuring, as this might be a regulated (public/maintained) municipal IS, and if so than they may very likely be required to comply with licensing requirements that you have the foreign equivalent of a domestic credential and or be eligible for a domestic license by mutual recognition. If the IS is funded either in whole or in part this may mean they are regulated and thus may be required to follow licensing regulation. They may have a type of funding that gives them a different set of regulation thats more relaxed, or it might not. Those rules might allow for a certain number or proportion of licensed faculty, or there may be some form of waiver, exemption or local permit the IS can obtain on your behalf that fulfills the requirements.
IB ISs can be both regulated (public/maintained) or independent/private, in such cases the IS/DS needs to meet both the licensing requirements of the regulating authority and the PD training requirements of the IB, one does not substitute for the other.
Accreditation in general is verification that an ISs/DSs curriculum meets certain defined standards that then provides some benefit (typically the recognition of diplomas) which is an independent issue of a regulated DS/IS being in compliance with the appropriate regulatory authority (though it would be unusual in practice if it wasnt ).
CIS is not accreditation, their organization does nothing more than externally verify that an IS is doing what they say they are doing, there isnt a mutually shared standard and CIS provides no benefit. CIS is a marketing club for ISs to affiliate themselves with.
At this point you really need to have a direct conversation, preferably by email, with the executive leadership that hired you, and in very explicit language convey to them that you do not have any form or type of a french credential or license, nor any other type of credential from outside France, and that your qualifications are solely based on your experience and your Masters in Teaching. They then need to reply back that they understand and there isnt a problem.
You may also want to keep looking even after that assurance, as regulations change and even with that conversation and assurance they may still have gotten it wrong. You want to make sure come the fall that you have a job and not some last minute sorry, we erred (or the regulations changed), and we cant hire you, so sorry, good luck in your future.
Well more insight but now less reassuring, as this might be a regulated (public/maintained) municipal IS, and if so than they may very likely be required to comply with licensing requirements that you have the foreign equivalent of a domestic credential and or be eligible for a domestic license by mutual recognition. If the IS is funded either in whole or in part this may mean they are regulated and thus may be required to follow licensing regulation. They may have a type of funding that gives them a different set of regulation thats more relaxed, or it might not. Those rules might allow for a certain number or proportion of licensed faculty, or there may be some form of waiver, exemption or local permit the IS can obtain on your behalf that fulfills the requirements.
IB ISs can be both regulated (public/maintained) or independent/private, in such cases the IS/DS needs to meet both the licensing requirements of the regulating authority and the PD training requirements of the IB, one does not substitute for the other.
Accreditation in general is verification that an ISs/DSs curriculum meets certain defined standards that then provides some benefit (typically the recognition of diplomas) which is an independent issue of a regulated DS/IS being in compliance with the appropriate regulatory authority (though it would be unusual in practice if it wasnt ).
CIS is not accreditation, their organization does nothing more than externally verify that an IS is doing what they say they are doing, there isnt a mutually shared standard and CIS provides no benefit. CIS is a marketing club for ISs to affiliate themselves with.
At this point you really need to have a direct conversation, preferably by email, with the executive leadership that hired you, and in very explicit language convey to them that you do not have any form or type of a french credential or license, nor any other type of credential from outside France, and that your qualifications are solely based on your experience and your Masters in Teaching. They then need to reply back that they understand and there isnt a problem.
You may also want to keep looking even after that assurance, as regulations change and even with that conversation and assurance they may still have gotten it wrong. You want to make sure come the fall that you have a job and not some last minute sorry, we erred (or the regulations changed), and we cant hire you, so sorry, good luck in your future.