The International Schools Review Forum

camiguinpiper:

My husband happens to be doing the Global Program through TCNJ. He already has a certification, but he's doing it to add another one, plus it will give him a Master's degree. This upcoming summer will be his second year in the program and so far, he's found it to be pretty challenging and worthwhile. In other words, they're not just handing out a certification/Master's. There's a lot of work involved, so you'll feel like you're getting your money's worth.

As for the student teaching component: it's not student teaching in the traditional sense, where you intern at a school for fifteen weeks. TCNJ expects you to be already hired within a school that has agreed to let you select a mentor, who will evaluate you a few times and hand in detailed evaluations. But it's not a fifteen week program; they expect that you've been hired for the year as a full-time teacher.

Possibly there are exceptions to this, but all the teachers in my husband's program were already working at schools that had hired them as full-time teachers. And no, they were not all working at third tier schools. Several of them were in your position, where their spouses were working at a decent school and the school agreed to hire them on as well.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the program if you have them.

One online course is with University of Southern Queensland http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/2012/pdfs/PGCE.pdf

It involves you going down there for two weeks and takes 2 years online. It will take 2 years part time to get any sort of PGCE.

Since your a trailing spouse,you could do a PGCE in a year full time.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

@sevarem
Crazy that in all my research on their website that never came up about student teaching! Thanks for that very important info. I'll let you know if I have any other questions but it looks like if I wanted to go that route I will need to wait until this contract is over.

@seinfeld
This looks great! I am looking over the website now. It even looks like WA state will review a PGCE and possibly allow me to teach in the state should we move back so that is great.

@PsyGuy
Yes, the student teaching aspect seems tricky. However, when my husband was interviewed for his upcoming position the Elementary Principal mentioned that they allowed student teaching at the elementary level so maybe that is an option. Hoping that wasn't just a ploy to sweeten the deal:) I am going to contact her tonight.

If anyone knows of any other online programs that are respected in the international community send them my way!

Cheers

It might actually be an often doing your student teaching or internship at the school, the issue is going to be if your program will allow it. Most states require that your field experience be in the state your getting certification. Your program might have international options or be able to work something out for you. I bring up the PGCE because it's all coursework.

[quote="PsyGuy"]It might actually be an often doing your student teaching or internship at the school, the issue is going to be if your program will allow it. Most states require that your field experience be in the state your getting certification. Your program might have international options or be able to work something out for you. I bring up the PGCE because it's all coursework.[/quote]

PsyGuy I think you have been misinformed about the PGCE. It is not all coursework based you also have to do a fair portion of teaching practice with observations too.

I think you are talking about the PGCE (i) which does not lead to qualified teacher status.

You are correct the PGCE portion is the coursework, and then QTS is the field experience, before teachers become NQT. The observations (as part of various courses) can be done at any school that will let the student observe.
Outside of the national school system in the UK, international schools accept a PGCE as a teaching credential without QTS.