Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
Hello everyone,
I’m a Physics teacher. I have a Bachelor in Physics from an engineering school and a Master’s in Education, plus an additional qualification in Physics from the University of Toronto.
I have 9 years of teaching experience, teaching Science in middle school, Physics in high school (including Advanced Physics) and Math in high school (but not calculus!). I have no IB or A-level experience.
I am currently teaching in a Canadian program in Asia. We follow the curriculum of the Canadian province where the program is accredited. It is not an international school per se but rather a Canadian program within the main, larger school. All our students are locals (does it count as IS experience?). I’m teaching Math 12 (but not calculus) and Advanced Physics 11 & 12.
I’m not a native speaker but I’m absolutely fluent professionally; my principal told me I have no accent and could pass for a native while a colleague told me I have a slight, hardly discernible accent.
I’m single, no dependents.
With that in mind, I’d like to ask what are my options in IS? My preference would lean towards Singapore (although I’m not bent on it) for the blending of Asian & Western culture and the use of English in daily life ‒ but it seems to be pretty competitive. Do I even stand a chance? It seems that Physics is in high demand in IS; how much of an edge does it give me to land a job in Singapore?
If Singapore is unrealistic, what other countries would you recommend with a decent work/salary balance? I’m especially interested in Asia, here.
When it comes to A-level, IB, or AP Physics: which one would be the best option for me? What doors do they each open? My preference would go for AP because it’s quite close to the Advanced Physics I have already taught/am currently teaching. A-level positions can be found in the UK (there’s also a host of Physics positions there) – would it be a smart move to go there and get some A-level experience? And if necessary, where/how to get some IB experience? I’ve read it’s easier to enter into IB via tier 3 schools ‒ how does one know what tier a school belongs to? And how overwhelmed are IB teachers by their teaching workload?
Also, if that is not too much to expect, where are students most fluent (or fluent enough) in English? In my current school, students’ English is just not quite there – most have clear difficulties in understanding English in grade 10, and even in grade 12, they’re pretty limited in terms of vocabulary. When it comes to expressing something, I’m afraid to say that they all fall far short, especially orally. This results in me doing all the talking during class time, with little to no interactions with students… So while I’m not seeking a school where all students are perfectly bilingual, it would be appreciated if they could somewhat articulate their thoughts in English, at least.
Thank you very much your time and attention.
Looking forward to reading your responses.
I’m a Physics teacher. I have a Bachelor in Physics from an engineering school and a Master’s in Education, plus an additional qualification in Physics from the University of Toronto.
I have 9 years of teaching experience, teaching Science in middle school, Physics in high school (including Advanced Physics) and Math in high school (but not calculus!). I have no IB or A-level experience.
I am currently teaching in a Canadian program in Asia. We follow the curriculum of the Canadian province where the program is accredited. It is not an international school per se but rather a Canadian program within the main, larger school. All our students are locals (does it count as IS experience?). I’m teaching Math 12 (but not calculus) and Advanced Physics 11 & 12.
I’m not a native speaker but I’m absolutely fluent professionally; my principal told me I have no accent and could pass for a native while a colleague told me I have a slight, hardly discernible accent.
I’m single, no dependents.
With that in mind, I’d like to ask what are my options in IS? My preference would lean towards Singapore (although I’m not bent on it) for the blending of Asian & Western culture and the use of English in daily life ‒ but it seems to be pretty competitive. Do I even stand a chance? It seems that Physics is in high demand in IS; how much of an edge does it give me to land a job in Singapore?
If Singapore is unrealistic, what other countries would you recommend with a decent work/salary balance? I’m especially interested in Asia, here.
When it comes to A-level, IB, or AP Physics: which one would be the best option for me? What doors do they each open? My preference would go for AP because it’s quite close to the Advanced Physics I have already taught/am currently teaching. A-level positions can be found in the UK (there’s also a host of Physics positions there) – would it be a smart move to go there and get some A-level experience? And if necessary, where/how to get some IB experience? I’ve read it’s easier to enter into IB via tier 3 schools ‒ how does one know what tier a school belongs to? And how overwhelmed are IB teachers by their teaching workload?
Also, if that is not too much to expect, where are students most fluent (or fluent enough) in English? In my current school, students’ English is just not quite there – most have clear difficulties in understanding English in grade 10, and even in grade 12, they’re pretty limited in terms of vocabulary. When it comes to expressing something, I’m afraid to say that they all fall far short, especially orally. This results in me doing all the talking during class time, with little to no interactions with students… So while I’m not seeking a school where all students are perfectly bilingual, it would be appreciated if they could somewhat articulate their thoughts in English, at least.
Thank you very much your time and attention.
Looking forward to reading your responses.
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
I'm French, male, white.
I don't know what NES means.
I don't know what NES means.
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
Native English Speaker
PsyGuy loves acronyms
PsyGuy loves acronyms
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
Oh, I see now. Thanks!
I'm gradually learning the acronyms and the jargon on this forum.
I'm gradually learning the acronyms and the jargon on this forum.
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2024 4:39 pm
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
You are well qualified, and good physics teachers are in very short supply, so I would advise you to apply wherever you see a position you are interested in, even if they stipulate IB or A-Level experience. The fact that you don't have IB Diploma or A-level experience might count against you if there are other candidates with more relevant experience, but in reality, IB Diploma, A-level and IP are at similar levels, with slightly different emphases. If you can teach one, you can teach them all, and a good school will provide you with appropriate professional development. A "true" International School (one committed to diversity and intercultural understanding) would welcome a bilingual teacher at this level, so don't worry about not being a native speaker of English. A good international school will enroll students from a variety of nationalities and mother tongues, and support high levels of fluency in English, with additional programs to support English learners. English will be the common language of the school. If you are concerned about your students' level of English you might want to avoid schools which are actually national schools in non-English speaking locations enrolling local students but following an international curriculum. As to work load, I don't think one curriculum is more demanding than another - it comes down to how many contact periods the school gives its teachers, and average class size. I know the IB Diploma best, and it does come with a lot of formative and summative assessment requirements, so you need to plan your year carefully, but it's not that difficult. Good luck!
Inquiry
@d.Phys-IS
NES = Native English Speaker.
Do you have a credential? Do you have a CAPES from France or do you have registration with the Ontario College of Teachers? Some other credential (other CAN province registration, QTS, registration with one of the UK GTCs, etc.)?
NES = Native English Speaker.
Do you have a credential? Do you have a CAPES from France or do you have registration with the Ontario College of Teachers? Some other credential (other CAN province registration, QTS, registration with one of the UK GTCs, etc.)?
Re: Inquiry
@ PsyGuy
I'll make a long story short: I have the CRPE (CAPES for primary education), but I disliked primary education so much that I didn't stay there. So I taught in secondary education in private schools and vocational institutes ‒ meanwhile transferring my credentials and diploma to Ontario and "upgrading" it to a teaching certificate in Physics.
The problem with French CAPES and CRPE is that they are not a "teaching certificate" per se as you have in most countries. They grant the right to teach in French national schools but their validity is conditional upon us actually teaching in French national schools. If we don't, we forego the right to teach as a tenured teacher. Can still teach as a contract worker, but pay is lower and the situation is a lot more precarious.
In this regard, it's much better to have a valid Ontario teaching certificate (what is more, in Physics) than to go through the pains of explaining the peculiarity of the French system to people who aren't familiar with it.
I'll make a long story short: I have the CRPE (CAPES for primary education), but I disliked primary education so much that I didn't stay there. So I taught in secondary education in private schools and vocational institutes ‒ meanwhile transferring my credentials and diploma to Ontario and "upgrading" it to a teaching certificate in Physics.
The problem with French CAPES and CRPE is that they are not a "teaching certificate" per se as you have in most countries. They grant the right to teach in French national schools but their validity is conditional upon us actually teaching in French national schools. If we don't, we forego the right to teach as a tenured teacher. Can still teach as a contract worker, but pay is lower and the situation is a lot more precarious.
In this regard, it's much better to have a valid Ontario teaching certificate (what is more, in Physics) than to go through the pains of explaining the peculiarity of the French system to people who aren't familiar with it.
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
@ dunteachin
Thanks for you reply and sorry for the delay: I haven’t come to ISR in a few weeks, it seems.
I will give those positions a shot, probably next hiring season. I know I’ll get good references from my current and previous principals and from my current head of science – that could give my application a boost, too.
Thanks also for your input on the English language in (true) IS.
“national schools in non-English speaking locations enrolling local students but following an international curriculum.” ‒ Exactly where I am! Students are lovely, but English is quite a problem…
Re IB workload: thanks for the heads-up. I’m pretty organized with strong planning skills. I should be able to work my way through the IBDP.
Last thing, if I can ask for your take on this: should I refresh my Chemistry and take an Additional Qualification in Chemistry (again, with the University of Toronto) to upgrade my Ontario teaching certificate? I have studied Chemistry at an advanced level and have taught it up to grade 10. How interesting would it be for me, in terms of marketability to good IS, to be able to teach at a grade 12 level?
Thanks!
Thanks for you reply and sorry for the delay: I haven’t come to ISR in a few weeks, it seems.
I will give those positions a shot, probably next hiring season. I know I’ll get good references from my current and previous principals and from my current head of science – that could give my application a boost, too.
Thanks also for your input on the English language in (true) IS.
“national schools in non-English speaking locations enrolling local students but following an international curriculum.” ‒ Exactly where I am! Students are lovely, but English is quite a problem…
Re IB workload: thanks for the heads-up. I’m pretty organized with strong planning skills. I should be able to work my way through the IBDP.
Last thing, if I can ask for your take on this: should I refresh my Chemistry and take an Additional Qualification in Chemistry (again, with the University of Toronto) to upgrade my Ontario teaching certificate? I have studied Chemistry at an advanced level and have taught it up to grade 10. How interesting would it be for me, in terms of marketability to good IS, to be able to teach at a grade 12 level?
Thanks!
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
Something also to consider - there are a number of cities which also have French schools (eg Hong Kong) which teach IB but in French language. You could consider that too.
Your 'native language English' question only really applies in cases where you either are going to be teaching English (eg as a foreign language or, say, English Literature) or where a school has its own policy on this, which is unlikely to be a written one.
Your 'native language English' question only really applies in cases where you either are going to be teaching English (eg as a foreign language or, say, English Literature) or where a school has its own policy on this, which is unlikely to be a written one.
Re: Physics Teacher, No IB/A-Level Experience ‒ What Are My Options?
@ expatscot
Thanks for the tip re French-speaking schools. I might look into their offers as well.
And good to know regarding the English language.
Thanks for the tip re French-speaking schools. I might look into their offers as well.
And good to know regarding the English language.
Reply
@d.Phys-IS
The CAPES/CPRE is the pro edu credential for France in so far as IE is concerned, but you have a CAN credential.
All of the main IE curriculum at SLL are highly congruent. Where you will be lacking among them is in their ethos and vocabulary, the Ib has its own language and you wont know or have practiced it, which is going to be a negative against your application. Once you get out of the the third tier and move closer or into the first tier there are IB ISs that wont even look at your resume if you dont have X years of IB experience and those ISs usually get to be selective less so in hardship regions, but still selective, even for maths and hard science fields. Despite that you should apply anywhere youd be remotely comfortable accepting a position. Once you have options you can make choices.
Youre lack of NES is also going to be a challenge, regardless of how fluent you are you have to get passed the screening phase or recruiting which means your resume gets scanned for meeting the requirements including being an NES and your resume is going to get binned without you having the opportunity to demonstrate your English ability, ts just the way it is. You might want to consider creating an e-portfolio with videos of a demonstration lesson and a mock interview. If someone has a few minutes on a slow day they might click on a link and think youre English is really exemplary and they might move you to the next pile. Otherwise the only way youre going to get to demonstrate your English ability is in person, mainly an interview and thats a long road to get there.
I disagree with @dunteachin, the "true" International School (one committed to diversity and intercultural understanding) would welcome a bilingual teacher at this level" is a true Scotsman fallacy. There are plenty of tier 1 ISs that want NES and couldnt care less about additional language fluency. Parents are paying for an English delivery of a general edu program, thats the marketable quality. Its the same argument for diversity and other DEI factors, if ISs really valued those characteristics they would recruit for them 'monolingual applicants need not apply' would be easy enough, they dont do that, they do state often enough "non-NES candidates need not apply".
You likely already know this but ISs get more international' as you progress up the tiers until you reach the embassy ISs. At the lower tiers there are a lot of host national students and English becomes more and more a challenge and a focus in the program.
IE workload can be broken down into contact time and instructional time. Instructional time is how many periods or hours you are scheduled for classroom/teaching activities, contact time is how many periods/hours you must be on site. It usually includes office, conference, prep times (and may include breaks and lunch) as well as the various forms of meetings. Also be aware of ASPs they may be be instructional but more informal and may be in addition to your scheduled instructional time.
It depends more on the IS than on the curriculum, there are IB ISs that dont look very IB at all, and there are BSs that are barely recognizable as BSs. The hardest curriculum from my experience is the German/Swiss (EB) program, the easiest is the UK NC (once you 'know' the schemes of work. Once you learn the IBness of the IB its no more difficult than AP, IGCSE, A*, Gymnasium or Lycee.
There are easier ways of adding a chemistry credential. Hard sciences and maths can be paired positions in many ISs, where an IT teaches a mix of courses. Usually though in the higher tier ISs they have bigger rolls so subject roles tend to be more homogeneous. Suffice it to say, those ISs arent likely to assign you an SLL chemistry course without some experience teaching it in the past. Be cross0curriculum qualified is a marketable factor however, and in IE where many ITs are very indifferent from one another small variances can be significant.
I would suggest you look at the various FSs, the FR MOE through the AEFE maintains close to 600 FR ISs (FSs), where your native French fluency would be a prerequisite, and historically FR ITs enjoyed a high degree of marketability (Macrons freezing of the civil employee system comp has resulted in more FR ITs entering IE recently). Some of them are IB but they mainly provide the FR NC with a primary focus (as far as recruitment utility is concerned) at the lycee SLL level.
The CAPES/CPRE is the pro edu credential for France in so far as IE is concerned, but you have a CAN credential.
All of the main IE curriculum at SLL are highly congruent. Where you will be lacking among them is in their ethos and vocabulary, the Ib has its own language and you wont know or have practiced it, which is going to be a negative against your application. Once you get out of the the third tier and move closer or into the first tier there are IB ISs that wont even look at your resume if you dont have X years of IB experience and those ISs usually get to be selective less so in hardship regions, but still selective, even for maths and hard science fields. Despite that you should apply anywhere youd be remotely comfortable accepting a position. Once you have options you can make choices.
Youre lack of NES is also going to be a challenge, regardless of how fluent you are you have to get passed the screening phase or recruiting which means your resume gets scanned for meeting the requirements including being an NES and your resume is going to get binned without you having the opportunity to demonstrate your English ability, ts just the way it is. You might want to consider creating an e-portfolio with videos of a demonstration lesson and a mock interview. If someone has a few minutes on a slow day they might click on a link and think youre English is really exemplary and they might move you to the next pile. Otherwise the only way youre going to get to demonstrate your English ability is in person, mainly an interview and thats a long road to get there.
I disagree with @dunteachin, the "true" International School (one committed to diversity and intercultural understanding) would welcome a bilingual teacher at this level" is a true Scotsman fallacy. There are plenty of tier 1 ISs that want NES and couldnt care less about additional language fluency. Parents are paying for an English delivery of a general edu program, thats the marketable quality. Its the same argument for diversity and other DEI factors, if ISs really valued those characteristics they would recruit for them 'monolingual applicants need not apply' would be easy enough, they dont do that, they do state often enough "non-NES candidates need not apply".
You likely already know this but ISs get more international' as you progress up the tiers until you reach the embassy ISs. At the lower tiers there are a lot of host national students and English becomes more and more a challenge and a focus in the program.
IE workload can be broken down into contact time and instructional time. Instructional time is how many periods or hours you are scheduled for classroom/teaching activities, contact time is how many periods/hours you must be on site. It usually includes office, conference, prep times (and may include breaks and lunch) as well as the various forms of meetings. Also be aware of ASPs they may be be instructional but more informal and may be in addition to your scheduled instructional time.
It depends more on the IS than on the curriculum, there are IB ISs that dont look very IB at all, and there are BSs that are barely recognizable as BSs. The hardest curriculum from my experience is the German/Swiss (EB) program, the easiest is the UK NC (once you 'know' the schemes of work. Once you learn the IBness of the IB its no more difficult than AP, IGCSE, A*, Gymnasium or Lycee.
There are easier ways of adding a chemistry credential. Hard sciences and maths can be paired positions in many ISs, where an IT teaches a mix of courses. Usually though in the higher tier ISs they have bigger rolls so subject roles tend to be more homogeneous. Suffice it to say, those ISs arent likely to assign you an SLL chemistry course without some experience teaching it in the past. Be cross0curriculum qualified is a marketable factor however, and in IE where many ITs are very indifferent from one another small variances can be significant.
I would suggest you look at the various FSs, the FR MOE through the AEFE maintains close to 600 FR ISs (FSs), where your native French fluency would be a prerequisite, and historically FR ITs enjoyed a high degree of marketability (Macrons freezing of the civil employee system comp has resulted in more FR ITs entering IE recently). Some of them are IB but they mainly provide the FR NC with a primary focus (as far as recruitment utility is concerned) at the lycee SLL level.