The International Schools Review Forum

Hello,

I am new to the forum and only recently have started researching how to break in to this market. I would appreciate an evaluation of my creds to give me an idea of what I can expect to find in terms of a quality school.

Currently I am teaching English in Korea, and I did this to get my money up and to be closer to the Job Fair in Bangkok, in January. I also needed some experience living in Asia.

Previously, I worked for two years in a public school in North Carolina teaching 7th grade math and social studies. I was successful and I have the full support of my coworkers and administrators. I have a BS in Middle School ED with certs in Math and Social Studies.

I am single with no kids. I have read mixed reviews on attending the Bangkok job fair, i.e. they only want couples, only specialists, only people with stacked credentials. The only advantage I see is that I have a unique combo of math and social studies, and no kids. Other than that, I am at entry level.

Is the Bangkok job fair a good idea for me? Should I start mailing my CV, reference letters, and documents to schools (skype method) in December, earlier? What kind of jobs should I expect? I am willing to be in Asia or Latin America.

One final question...I have a DUI from 2007 before I was in teaching, it doesn't show up on a state background check, so I could teach English almost anywhere. What kind of background checks do international schools require? It will show up on a Federal level check. Is there still hope for me, or am I basically screwed?

Thank you for reading this long post.

On the DUI front: when I lived in S. America, the country to which I was moving did do a police background check. I don't know if a DUI would've sunk me, but it does vary. Two of the three countries I've lived in did not do background checks.

Qualifications: you seem to have good qualifications, and a teaching credential is essential (at least I've found it to be.)

As for the Bangkok fair: I was very successful there as a single teacher, but I had AP and IB experience going into it. I would say this: it is a strange meat market. If you're in a hard to fill slot, I think you get snapped up fairly quickly, but ISS and Search are early fairs; recruiters can take their time. So, it is aggressive, but only for certain people. Without a doubt, couples with no kids and specialists are desirable, but I do think it's fair to say that many people walk away with nothing.

My best advice to you is to have an open mind as to where you might work, and to have a plan B in the unfortunate case a job doesn't come up. As for timing: I'd start in October.