The International Schools Review Forum

So I have decided to go the masters in SPED route. The school I am applying to has a superb program that allows you to work full-time in the school district during the 1.5 year program. I have a couple questions that perhaps some experienced SPED teachers could answer.

1.) What certs compliment SPED well? I did my degree in Economics/Business, so I could easily get certified in social/business studies and I was thinking about doing ESOL too. My concern is that by getting too many certifications, it may make me look like a jack of all trades and a master of none.

2.) How much subject specific knowledge is a SPED teacher suppose to have? If for example, I am working with a special needs kid in a Bio class(a subject which I have entirely forgotten), what exactly is my role?

3.) For you international SPED teachers, are you working in a dedicated SPED position? Or do you find yourself teaching regular subject classes too?

1. I think that ESOL is the best match to a Learning Support role. Some schools would like to pair the position with Talented and Gifted also. Being qualified in a Math or English could also be a benefit. I think the actual experience in teaching in the certification area is quite important, but it doesn't seem to hurt to have a few different ones. I do.

2. It probably depends on the year level you are working with but the most important thing is probably not the subject but ways in which you can help organize the student and help the subject teacher differentiate, etc. If you're co-teaching, you would need more subject knowledge. I find it more helpful to the student when I'm working in an area of strength.

3. I work as a dedicated Learning Support teacher. We have a team of 6.

Im a second year special education teacher...in the United States. hopefully biding my time of working one more whole year before I start trying to get an international teaching job as a SPED teacher.. I would really like to hear any SPED teachers hiring experience on the international stage.. were there any expectations, when hired, to become certified in other subjects? At the big fairs was there a lot of teachers applying for SPED jobs? Any input is appreciated... Hope this post goes along with the OP as I'm not trying to hijack said thread

I have never heard of a school asking for a Learning Support/Resource Teacher to get any additional certifications. It's not that important abroad. I've been to 2 of the major Search fairs and there are both a decent number of SPED jobs and applicants for those jobs. It is being increasingly common for international schools to offer some type of learning support program. The size of that program will vary greatly from one person for the entire school to teams in some of the larger/more progressive schools. What you will find is that a good number of schools will hold those positions for the spouse of a subject area teacher.

DC Girl.. What would be your suggestions for a person in my situation who has a certification in SPEDK-12 with two years experience at the end of this academic year and a certification to teach English/Language Arts at the middle school level? Is it two early for me to be a legitimate candidate for an international job? If not what would my next step be? join Search or send out resumes to schools that have SPED programs?.. any help is appreciated..

If you haven't registered for any agencies, you're a little late in the game and my my biggest suggestion is to get moving quickly. Hiring season is at the beginning stage.

I think that if you're single or a part of a teaching couple, that you should not have a problem getting hired. It might not be at your first choice or top tier school, but someone will give you a chance.

I would absolutely register with Search or another agency and TIEonline ASAP. I would apply to jobs online and get to a fair for the most bang for your buck. You could look into UNI as a fair option. Schools there tend to be pretty kind to newer teachers. The registration deadline seems to be in early January.

1. My current position includes ESOL and SPED. Many Intl schools combine the department if not the position as well. You will likely be asked to support in English and Math the most, but generally you will support in all subjects. Being competent in many subjects is not a bad thing; it is not likely that you would need certification beyond SPED.

2. It has been my experience (5 years intl.) that the ability to collaborate with the subject teachers is a more important skill than specific subject knowledge. However, a strength in English and/or Math will be a step ahead of those that cannot say or so the same. I am in my third round of job hunting; I get collaboration questions, assessment questions, and differentiation questions, not content questions.

3. Currently, I am .8 SPED, .2 ESOL, and teach an - writing course for our SPED students in the IB diploma program on a team of 7.

When entering the intl school world, I had one year of experience and a dependent.

Thanks for all the info everyone. This forum is really a gold mine!

The SPED certification in my state is k-12 and so I was wondering which age group would be best to hone in on. I like kids in general so I am very flexible in this regard. Most of the overseas SPED positions I have seen posted are for primary or middle school. Anyone want to weigh in on this?

You'll find most positions in Primary, some in Middle, and very few in High School. Many schools offer support in early years as early intervention. Unfortunately, as grade levels go up, many kids are weeded out through placement tests, etc., thus eliminating the need for Learning Support.

[quote="lloydkirk"]Thanks for all the info everyone. This forum is really a gold mine!

The SPED certification in my state is k-12 and so I was wondering which age group would be best to hone in on. I like kids in general so I am very flexible in this regard. Most of the overseas SPED positions I have seen posted are for primary or middle school. Anyone want to weigh in on this?[/quote]
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From my experience (taught SPED/Learning Support in 5 countries now), open positions tend to be spread across age groups. Yes, some schools will tend to feel that students in high school should be able to succeed or fail on their own but many, many (many) schools tend to have at least some support at all levels, even if it is only one person per division. Good to great schools tend to have more than that, even at the secondary level.

Personally I have really enjoyed working with the middle school population/curriculum and feel that it is fairly easy to sell that successful experience as being very relevant/applicable to either elementary or high school should an ES/HS position become available at a school or location that is very high on my wishlist.

You really can't go wrong with any age group in SPED/LS. There will always be positions at a good range of schools every year (and likely to be more as the years go by).

Good luck!