The International Schools Review Forum

Hello all,

Sorry if this is the wrong forum - I don't understand the distinction between the two.

I've been reading the forums here over the last day or so, and there seem to be lots of knowledgeable and helpful international teachers giving advice to all-comers, so I thought I'd ask for some myself, if that’s ok. This is basically a "what are my chances?" and "what sort of schools should I be looking at?" appeal.

I've wanted to teach overseas pretty much ever since I wanted to be a teacher, aged 18 or so. I'm currently teaching mathematics at a top private school (not an international school) in London (in my native UK), and I have full UK certification to teach mathematics. I definitely want to stay in my current school for another couple of years before moving overseas (there are reasons for this, but they are boring).

I have a degree in mathematics from a (possibly "the") top university in the UK, which is technically a bachelor’s degree but is certificated as an MA. By the time I leave, I will be at least 29, with no spouse or dependents (hopefully!), having completed a newly qualified year in a state comprehensive school (I believe these are the equivalent of public schools in the USA), followed by at least four years at my current school. I also have six months experience of teaching mathematics at a remote school in a jungle in the South Pacific, but that was a temporary "Gap-year" style contract straight after university (i.e. pre-certification).

A main downside is that I have only ever taught English A-level (in both mathematics and further mathematics), although I have read the IB Diploma mathematics syllabi and some past exam papers in detail and find the style of exam questioning to be fairly similar to A-level (especially compared to the US AP exams which are totally different in style, with syllabi I’m not particularly keen on). Do schools generally expect you to be able to teach all of the optional courses in the diploma? Out of the 4 options in HL mathematics, I'd be comfortable teaching 2 of them. The others would require a bit of reading (which I'm obviously happy to do). Obviously the core material is all fine. How much emphasis do top schools place on you having taught IB before, especially in mathematics?

My top choice for overseas living would certainly be Japan. I have visited twice, and identify far more with the way of life than I do with that in the UK. I'm also used to the work ethic! I would want to be in either Tokyo/Yokohama or Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto or Kobe) if possible. Because I am limiting myself to such an extent geographically, is it still worth registering with a recruitment firm, or should I be thinking of applying to individual schools? What are my chances with the top schools out there? Which are the top IB schools (I realise that ASIJ, which many consider to be the best school, offers AP), both in terms of results and/or personal opinion?

I’ve been looking at Canadian Academy in Kobe, which seems excellent, but doesn’t have reviews on this site. Also Osaka International School looks good. I can’t figure out much about the quality of the Tokyo Schools, although I don’t think I’d be able to work in a strictly Christian school.

Anyway, sorry if this turned into a bit of a ramble! I’d be most grateful if any of you could offer me anywhere near the level of great advice I’ve seen elsewhere on the forum. Thanks!

You got the right forum.

Your very qualified and very competitive in a very in demand subject, no worries there. About the only issue would of course be a lack of IB training and a lack of american curriculum teaching experience, they can be a non issue for a school or a major deal breaker. Schools in Japan are use to getting exactly what they want, and if a school requires IB experience, your not likely to get an interview. They can afford to be selective, a school gets hundreds of applications per position.

schools want someone that is flexible and can do the whole curriculum in their subject. That said very few even small schools have a department of one, so there is at least "some" flexibility in scheduling. Usually senior teachers (those there before you) get first choice at the schedule and assignments. It could easily be a deal breaker if you go into an interview expressing a limited interest in only some of the math course offering. Japan is a very competitive location, lots of people want to teach there and they have great resumes too.

Im conflicted about recommending an agency to you. Normally, my advice is that if you have a very narrow/limited/focused job search that is otherwise "small" the agencies cant really do anything for you. They dont actually get you a job, what you get is accesses to the jobs database and invitations to the fair. There is only a handful of a dozen real ISs in Japan and you could easily enough bookmark their HR pages and visit them daily waiting for a math vacancy. The school profile pages would give you a look an idea of their compensation packages, but there is likely to be about 2 positions in any one year for a math teacher in japan, and you could easily post on this forum asking for the background information of a school or two. The real dilemma is with the fair. Schools in Japan are very selective and they like to interview in person, especially the top schools. The fair gives you access to a face to face interview, but usually you only see a couple schools from Japan that attend the fair, thats a lot of time and money to go to a fair that may only have a couple schools, that would need to be looking for a math teacher at that time, and then after waiting in line during sign up, actually get an interview time and then get an offer. Thats a lot of things that have to happen.
If you were interested in branching out to a world wide search or even asia in general it would be easy and id recommend an agency.

Thank you very much for the very helpful advice. I'm not surprised only a couple of maths jobs come up in Japan each year - I guess I'll just have to try to be in the right place at the right time to even get an interview!

Does anyone happen to have an opinion (subjective or objective) on the top IB schools in the Tokyo/Yokohama area? I think I've managed to work it out for the Kansai area, but there are so many in Tokyo.

Thanks!

Well if you don't mind not being "in Tokyo" Yokohama international school is probably "the best" IB school in Kanto. With Tokyo International School and K International School also being good and with a generally younger staff.

ASIJ would be hitting the jackpot and I would definitely have them on your radar. They are somewhat unlikely to hire someone without any previous international experience though, but a well-qualified math teacher would interest them.

Japan is about timing. And you should learn Japanese if you really wanted to go. I obviously teach Math, and I turned down a position there after I miraculously got some ridiculous amounts of choice after the main fairs.

Their packages sucked for me since I have a family. But if you are hoping for no dependents, then there are things you can do about that. If you really plan no spouse....well.....

If I was you, just bookmark the schools and check every year. Don't be surprised if they don't write back since it is competitive. Having a profile with search seemed to be the determining factor when offering me interviews.

Your better off learning japanese when you get there, immersion is almost always a better teacher then rote training.

Japan is easiest financially being single or with a spouse only. The cost of housing alone for a family is exponentially more expensive, and schools dont generally give adjusted allowances for family size.

If it really is just a handful of schools in Japan your interested in book mark the HR pages and keep checking every week. An agency (like Search) wont help you much, and while they may make some schools more convenient not all schools in Japan are with Search or ISS.

I cant really say if an agency would get you hired or be a deciding factor, since you dont know if not being a member would have made a difference. Many people get jobs without an agency, many people get jobs with an agency. There is no practical way to test that hypothesis.