The International Schools Review Forum

I'm almost finished with my B.A. in English right now and i'm trying to figure out my next step. I'm planning to work here in Bangkok teaching English. I'm also planning to attend Buffalo State's Master of Science in Education program in Bangkok and plan to get a stateside teaching license as well. So my question would be:

Is a 2-day AP workshop in English lit and composition worth the money ($400US)? What about an IB workshop? would that be good enough on my resume to justify the time and money spent on it ($600US)?

First, good on you for getting licensed. That's your first big hurdle in opening up job opportunities. While some schools will hire you without a teaching license, the vast majority require one.

An MS in Education will help, to be sure--some schools may pay you a little extra for an advanced degree and I think schools on the whole prefer hiring teachers with advanced degrees.

The workshops themselves really won't mean much to most schools without actual teaching experience, and that' really the next big hurdle you'll need to get over. I suppose it can't hurt to have some background in AP/IB via the workshops, but I doubt it will open up tons of doors for you either. If you've got the money and time, go for it, but don't expect it to do a whole lot for your career.

If I had to select between the two, I would choose the IB workshop. I don't have actual statistics on this, but based on what I've encountered more international schools appear to offer IB over AP (check me if I'm wrong on this).

Do you plan to immediately go into the international circuit after graduation? If so, you'll be passed up by a lot of schools since you lack experience, but you may get some offers from the lower tiered schools in the ME. If you get an offer from one of these IB schools and they will (hopefully!) offer you training, take it. After two years, you'll have IB experience and the requisite two years teaching experience, and you will be a much more competitive candidate in your next job search.

So, if you're good on money, attend the workshop. If money is tight, save it for the expenses at the UNI Fair as (I think) they don't require candidates to have two years of teaching experience. Good luck to you.

Hi There!
Teller is bang on the money here. First and foremost, certification and advanced degrees are a necessity. Next you need experience. I would also lean in favour of IB over AP.
There are also online courses you can do with the IBO which don't cost so much. I have done several IBO workshops and they have been very good, but I know others for whom the experience has been hit and miss.
If you are short of cash, stick with the mainstream certs/degrees and get experience.
Good luck!

Thanks, i appreciate the responses.