The International Schools Review Forum

That is the question I am now grappling with. Here's my dilemma. I had some promising leads and great interviews going into the SF fair, but ended up empty handed. I came back home with my head down and depressed. I actually wrote on this forum about how rejection sucks. It still does. (By the way, thanks for the responses from everyone. Also, I really wasn't out to illicit sympathy because it seemed like I perhaps was.)

Immediately afterwards, I stuck to it and applied where I could. Still nothing after like 15 or so apps sent out. Well, I got one interview, but it was by far my worst one so far this season. Despite the words of encouragement and uplifting experiences from others in regards to job offers this late in the game, I am beginning to feel demoralized about my chances to obtain an IT position for this upcoming school year.

Just recently, I spoke to the Superintendent/Acting Principal at my current school of employment. He essentially expressed to me that I should apply at a sister school for an opening as a Dean of Students. At this time, I have no idea whether to consider this position. I have always been one of those teachers who always said that I'd die before ever becoming an administrator. I am still debating it solely in terms of if I can handle it or if the school would actually be better off with me as an administrator there.

But here's my question to anyone willing to provide a thoughtful or insightful response: will it help or hinder me should I seek a job in the near future as an IT? My heart still remains in teaching (special needs) and doing it abroad. As this is really the only option I have available to me, I struggling to ponder whether to move forward with wholeheartedly. Or do I pass it up to pursue my ultimate dreams? My thought is that it would remove me from the classroom as a teacher, and thus make me less marketable.

I mean no disrespect to you, but honestly, I don't know if I would want to work under and admin who is only doing it as a last resort. That person might do a great job with the position, but I think that you really need to WANT to be an administrator. It's a tough job. It is usually pretty obvious when someone is doing something that is not their passion.

I'm surprised that you weren't able to find a job in special needs. I know that those positions aren't available in a lot of schools, but there seems to be a good demand for learning support teachers overseas. Maybe with your special needs experience, you would actually do a GREAT job managing a bunch of teachers. :-) I kid, I kid.

If you can be firm, but fair, keep in mind the best interests of the school balanced with the best intersts of the students, then why not go for it?

Admin back Stateside does indeed lead to admin overseas in the IT world - and gives you another aroow in your quiver as you go recruiting down the road. If you are flexible and can teach many subjects, there are lots of openings in interesting places :-)

Don't discount your experience and background.


And...good luck with your continuing job hunt!

@ expatteacher: Yeah, I totally agree with you. That is exactly why I am debating making the jump. When it comes to what I feel is best for my students (primarily special needs, but gen. ed. as well), I have tended to bite my tongue a bit. I don't know if it's because I feel experienced enough, or I wanted to go international, I really let things fly to my admin about how to improve things. Not sure if that prompted by Sup to encourage me to apply for an admin position, but it's the only reasonable explanation. Helping students is my passion, and I had always believed that it happens in in the classroom and not in the front office. Obviously, in my my advanced age, I have changed that position. Again, it's a tough consideration for me given my own internal opposing viewpoints.

Yeah, there was a good number of positions for special needs; though it is now diminishing quickly. You know, it it's funny, I was actually telling one of my colleagues recently that special needs teachers do make the best administrators. Precisely because of the population they tend to deal with. But also because of the nature of the job, in terms of the b.s. paperwork that is involved. But I would like to think that my expertise in handling students with limited emotional or cognitive capacities would indeed prepare me to supervise and deal with teachers all day.

@ shadowjack: Well, therein lies the problem with me accepting a position as an administrator. At least at this stage in my career, I would find it hard to put the interests of the students, and teachers to a lesser extent, ahead of the schools. With that said, I do completely understand the nature of the business we know as education. It is the job of the administrators to keep the school's interest balanced with the interests of the students and the staff. Otherwise, schools probably wouldn't survive that long.

Yes, I do see your point in that it would give me some versatility to offer a prospective school. Moreover, it would give me more avenues to explore job wise in the future. In my case, if I did have some admin experience under my belt, I could conceivably offer a school my expertise as a social studies teacher, special needs teacher, or an administrator. I guess that's better than one.

As to my experience and background, that's been the most frustrating part of this whole process. I had thought that with the number of openings in special needs and with my masters in special education and over a decade of experience in the field, I would have more offers than I do now. The only knock I have is that I have zero international experience. I actually do recall one response saying that the school is only looking for those with IT experience. *sigh* I just need to get my foot in the door to get anywhere.

Thanks to you both for your encouragement and insight.

Tlee10:

One other thing to consider is that at many smaller schools (let's say 800 or less - K-12), there are often opportunities for administrators to be teachers. I actually think it's a good thing for administrators to teach a class or two each year to keep the perspective of what it's like being a classroom teacher and what the real needs of students are.

You already know the answer to this; you love teaching dont take an admin position to bandage your bruised ego, because the ISs didnt hire you. You know in your heart of hearts what your made off.