Hi!
I am looking to teach outside of the US, probably elementary/primary in an international school, perhaps in SE Asia. I have 15 years of experience in youth programming (such as day camps, after school programs, and sports coaching/instruction) and 2 degrees with the bachelors in Elementary Education (non-licensure), but, other than 3 months in college of being a 2nd grade teachers aid, I have no experience as a formal, classroom teacher. What do you recommend the route I go for a teaching license considering quality, affordability, and duration? I've looked into several options, but I'm stuck as to what most international schools will accept. I am male, single, and have no kids.
Thank you!
Recommendation on Licensure
Re: Recommendation on Licensure
You need to look at licensure in the US.
While you have the bachelors' degree, you don't have any classroom teaching experience and there's not really anything there which could be credited towards classroom teaching. Your best bet is going to be in your home state, and then getting a year of experience under your belt.
While you have the bachelors' degree, you don't have any classroom teaching experience and there's not really anything there which could be credited towards classroom teaching. Your best bet is going to be in your home state, and then getting a year of experience under your belt.
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goringloosen
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Re: Recommendation on Licensure
Since international schools generally prefer licensed teachers, I recommend pursuing a teaching license through a state-approved alternative certification program. Programs like Teach Now or International Teacher Certification may also be appropriate, offering online options that may be more flexible for your situation. Once you have your certification, gaining some formal teaching experience will make you more competitive for international teaching jobs.
Response
Primary is a very saturated field both in IE and DE. The main issue is going to be youre not a traditional DT fresh out of Uni, so how do you get a job to get the experience you need to get a job. What you need to do is figure out your value and marketability.
I would start by looking at the MA Provisional (Standard grade) credential. Its a handful of pro. edu exams, and your B.Ed will likely meet the other requirements. This would effectively be a lifetime credential. This will allow you to meet the credential requirements with the lowest amount of coin and resources. Since the other options are just going to repeat your B.Ed program and cost a lot more. This lets you shop your resume and find out if anyone wants you on the cheap side.
I would start by looking at the MA Provisional (Standard grade) credential. Its a handful of pro. edu exams, and your B.Ed will likely meet the other requirements. This would effectively be a lifetime credential. This will allow you to meet the credential requirements with the lowest amount of coin and resources. Since the other options are just going to repeat your B.Ed program and cost a lot more. This lets you shop your resume and find out if anyone wants you on the cheap side.
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ncteacher23
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- Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2025 6:55 am
Re: Recommendation on Licensure
I would recommend getting a Masters in your desired teaching subject that comes with a license. Assuming your bachelors is not related.
If your bachelors is related to your desired teaching subject then you can do a Masters in any Edu eg curriculum design
Look into WGU online university.
If your bachelors is related to your desired teaching subject then you can do a Masters in any Edu eg curriculum design
Look into WGU online university.
Reply
@ncteacher23
The LW has a B.Ed and their interest is in primary. They have a second degree and while not explicit it could be a Masters. Regardless theres nothing they are going to find in a C&I M.Ed that isnt going to be a revisit of their B.Ed program. US based Masters in edu tend to be warmed over versions of EPP/ITT (Post Bach) or B.Ed programs (assuming you can find one).
WGU is a rather poor recommendation. Its about USD$17K for two years (assuming you finish it in that time), and WGU certainly doesnt have any prestige attached to it. UPe is about a third of that at around USD$5K, and Uni. Buckingham is £4K The MA Provisional (Entry grade) assessment route is a few hundred USD (youd need to do something through the IB or Coursera or elsewhere to meet the primary/elementary credentialing requirements).
A Masters should do more than just get you into a classroom. Uni Buckingham has an M.Ed. Ed.Ld program for £6K. You can do the MA Superintendent (Executive Leadership) credential with the same Literacy exam, and three years of edu supervisory experience including something like HOD or coordinator of something. You can do the Harvard Certificate in School Management and Leadership (CSML) for USD$2K. All of that is still about half the cost of WGU, and a lot more marketable than WGU.
The LW has a B.Ed and their interest is in primary. They have a second degree and while not explicit it could be a Masters. Regardless theres nothing they are going to find in a C&I M.Ed that isnt going to be a revisit of their B.Ed program. US based Masters in edu tend to be warmed over versions of EPP/ITT (Post Bach) or B.Ed programs (assuming you can find one).
WGU is a rather poor recommendation. Its about USD$17K for two years (assuming you finish it in that time), and WGU certainly doesnt have any prestige attached to it. UPe is about a third of that at around USD$5K, and Uni. Buckingham is £4K The MA Provisional (Entry grade) assessment route is a few hundred USD (youd need to do something through the IB or Coursera or elsewhere to meet the primary/elementary credentialing requirements).
A Masters should do more than just get you into a classroom. Uni Buckingham has an M.Ed. Ed.Ld program for £6K. You can do the MA Superintendent (Executive Leadership) credential with the same Literacy exam, and three years of edu supervisory experience including something like HOD or coordinator of something. You can do the Harvard Certificate in School Management and Leadership (CSML) for USD$2K. All of that is still about half the cost of WGU, and a lot more marketable than WGU.
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ncteacher23
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2025 6:55 am
Re: Recommendation on Licensure
The whole point of WGU is to get a degree as quickly and cheaply as possible to allow someone qualify for a job or pay raise.
The C&I Masters can be completed in 2 months for around 4-5k USD. It is work at your own pace.
If OP has Masters already, then they could just do something like Moreland or TeacherReady.
However, if they can get a Masters in Leadership that comes with a teaching license for under 8k, then I would recommend that one.
Opens up the doors for getting a cushy admin job down the line.
The C&I Masters can be completed in 2 months for around 4-5k USD. It is work at your own pace.
If OP has Masters already, then they could just do something like Moreland or TeacherReady.
However, if they can get a Masters in Leadership that comes with a teaching license for under 8k, then I would recommend that one.
Opens up the doors for getting a cushy admin job down the line.
Reply
@ncteacher23
WGU uses a competency based approach, and while efficiency and economical tend to be an outcome thats not their goal.
Terms at WGU are 6 months and cost USD$4250/term and degree conferral is available monthly. For that matter you could get the entire 10 course sequence done in one month maybe even 10 days, those and other time lines (including 2 months) are possible, but thats not what happens. Im sure there are case examples of such feats being accomplished but aside from the extremely small niche of students that could complete the coursework so rapidly the limiting factors are going to be:
First, the Capstone which is going to require data collection, IRB, etc. Even if you had the proposal (literature review and methodology) done youd still have to have had the prior 9 courses finished in the first 4 months to meet the 8 week deadline for enrolling in the Capstone and conducting research is going to slow the student down.
Second, you cant finish field experience (student teaching) as part of the EPP/ITT credentialing process at your own pace (and its not available for the C&I program either). The MA Elem. Edu is 28 courses and requires 65 hrs. of clinicals and no less than 60 days of student teaching. The length of contact time is limited to so many hours of instruction per day with the number of days restricted. You cant get it done in two months because your student teaching alone is at least two months, which is really at best 3 months because you only have instructional contact with students about 20 days out of a month. Your 65 hrs of clinicals is going to take about 10 more days so youre looking at 3 and a half months and your restricted to the DS/IS calendar. You also have nearly three times as many courses at 28 to complete.
Could you get the MA Elem. Edu. with a credential done in two months, no, hard stop. Could you maybe get it done in one term. 3.5 months for field experience in a 6 month term leaves 10 weeks to do the remaining 24 courses, thats one day to read, one day to write, half a day to wait on assessment. If time is the ONLY factor, then its possible, but this isnt happening in a bubble, so is it a practical time line, no.
Could you get the MS C&I done in a term, maybe. Youve got to get the first 9 courses done in the first 4 months to start the Capstone by the 8 week end of term cut off (without needing special approval). Thats better, 16 weeks for 9 courses is about 12 days a course. Only about 60% finish within a year which is two terms and while thats better than half its not most. So youre looking at USD$8500 for a year. Both UPe and Buckingham are significantly less than that for the same amount of time (one year).
Why do Teach Now or Teach Ready compared to the few hundred USD the MA Provisional assessment pathway costs and which could be completed over a month compared to the year Teach Now or Teach Ready would take.
US Ed.Ld Masters dont typically include teaching credentials but admin/leadership credentials. DC offers a credential that requires a Masters, 2-4 years of Pro. Edu. experience (including as a DT/IT) and a Pro. Edu. exam (SLLA exam). There is no EPP/NPQ program requirement. Uni Buckingham has a 18 mth. M.Ed Ed.Ld degree for £6K.
WGU uses a competency based approach, and while efficiency and economical tend to be an outcome thats not their goal.
Terms at WGU are 6 months and cost USD$4250/term and degree conferral is available monthly. For that matter you could get the entire 10 course sequence done in one month maybe even 10 days, those and other time lines (including 2 months) are possible, but thats not what happens. Im sure there are case examples of such feats being accomplished but aside from the extremely small niche of students that could complete the coursework so rapidly the limiting factors are going to be:
First, the Capstone which is going to require data collection, IRB, etc. Even if you had the proposal (literature review and methodology) done youd still have to have had the prior 9 courses finished in the first 4 months to meet the 8 week deadline for enrolling in the Capstone and conducting research is going to slow the student down.
Second, you cant finish field experience (student teaching) as part of the EPP/ITT credentialing process at your own pace (and its not available for the C&I program either). The MA Elem. Edu is 28 courses and requires 65 hrs. of clinicals and no less than 60 days of student teaching. The length of contact time is limited to so many hours of instruction per day with the number of days restricted. You cant get it done in two months because your student teaching alone is at least two months, which is really at best 3 months because you only have instructional contact with students about 20 days out of a month. Your 65 hrs of clinicals is going to take about 10 more days so youre looking at 3 and a half months and your restricted to the DS/IS calendar. You also have nearly three times as many courses at 28 to complete.
Could you get the MA Elem. Edu. with a credential done in two months, no, hard stop. Could you maybe get it done in one term. 3.5 months for field experience in a 6 month term leaves 10 weeks to do the remaining 24 courses, thats one day to read, one day to write, half a day to wait on assessment. If time is the ONLY factor, then its possible, but this isnt happening in a bubble, so is it a practical time line, no.
Could you get the MS C&I done in a term, maybe. Youve got to get the first 9 courses done in the first 4 months to start the Capstone by the 8 week end of term cut off (without needing special approval). Thats better, 16 weeks for 9 courses is about 12 days a course. Only about 60% finish within a year which is two terms and while thats better than half its not most. So youre looking at USD$8500 for a year. Both UPe and Buckingham are significantly less than that for the same amount of time (one year).
Why do Teach Now or Teach Ready compared to the few hundred USD the MA Provisional assessment pathway costs and which could be completed over a month compared to the year Teach Now or Teach Ready would take.
US Ed.Ld Masters dont typically include teaching credentials but admin/leadership credentials. DC offers a credential that requires a Masters, 2-4 years of Pro. Edu. experience (including as a DT/IT) and a Pro. Edu. exam (SLLA exam). There is no EPP/NPQ program requirement. Uni Buckingham has a 18 mth. M.Ed Ed.Ld degree for £6K.
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ncteacher23
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2025 6:55 am
Re: Recommendation on Licensure
If OP already has an MA and only wants a license, then any program that is faster and cheaper than TeachNow would be the best option. (although he also needs to consider where or if they want to relocate back to the West and for that license to be usuable)
If OP doesn't have an MA and can get a license that comes with an MA in Edu faster and cheaper than WGU, then yea that would be the best option.
If OP doesn't have an MA and can get a license that comes with an MA in Edu faster and cheaper than WGU, then yea that would be the best option.
Reply
@ncteacher23
No its not. The LW ideally wants the opposite, they want a slow program, something like a US ACP EPP/ITT program where they can do a full year long internship as part of their credentialing program. Because then they will have at least a year of classroom edu experience to put on their resume. Elementary/Primary is a saturated field for HRTs in IE and DE.
There are three pillars to an ITs resume: What they can teach; What they have taught, and Special Skills. Of those experience is king, the gold ring. Ideally, they would want that slow journey to be in an IS that they actually want to be at so that when that year is over and they have done a great and impressive job the IS will offer them an actual appointment. Getting in and out as fast as they can fills out the white space on the resume faster but then what, theyre done and waiting in the one state theyre credentialed in with qualifications, etc. that make the LW a more expensive hire without the accompanying experience that adds actual value. Its scholar rich, practitioner poor.
The MA Provisional pathway allows the LW to find out for a couple weekends and a few hundred USD what they are worth, or more specifically what their 15 years of youth programing is worth if they have a credential. They can then shop their resume around and see what interest, if any they get; who is interested, where, and for what comp. Once they have some of that data they can decide if its worth spending the thousands of USD to get an Edu. Masters or to do an academic or skills based EPP/ITT program, or if leadership is a viable option.
No its not. The LW ideally wants the opposite, they want a slow program, something like a US ACP EPP/ITT program where they can do a full year long internship as part of their credentialing program. Because then they will have at least a year of classroom edu experience to put on their resume. Elementary/Primary is a saturated field for HRTs in IE and DE.
There are three pillars to an ITs resume: What they can teach; What they have taught, and Special Skills. Of those experience is king, the gold ring. Ideally, they would want that slow journey to be in an IS that they actually want to be at so that when that year is over and they have done a great and impressive job the IS will offer them an actual appointment. Getting in and out as fast as they can fills out the white space on the resume faster but then what, theyre done and waiting in the one state theyre credentialed in with qualifications, etc. that make the LW a more expensive hire without the accompanying experience that adds actual value. Its scholar rich, practitioner poor.
The MA Provisional pathway allows the LW to find out for a couple weekends and a few hundred USD what they are worth, or more specifically what their 15 years of youth programing is worth if they have a credential. They can then shop their resume around and see what interest, if any they get; who is interested, where, and for what comp. Once they have some of that data they can decide if its worth spending the thousands of USD to get an Edu. Masters or to do an academic or skills based EPP/ITT program, or if leadership is a viable option.