I am a teacher with 5 years+ experience. I am currently teaching in a private school in Bangkok, Thailand. I have my Masters in my subject area (Biology) and am currently getting my Masters of Education in a blended program offered through my University in the U.S.
I am seeking information about my next steps in education. I would really like to become a certified teacher. I am looking into going through some type of program that will eventually lead to my licensure. I have been made aware of such programs as TeachReady and TeachNow. However, I have become increasingly keen to go through an IB certificate course. My main question is, does anyone know if I get an IB certificate from an accredited university, will I be able to work at top International Schools?
Or is it better to go through a program like TeachNow, which ensures that I will have a U.S. state license?
I guess I am just confused about the value of an IB certificate and if it is worth putting my time, efforts, and money towards that at the moment, or if the other route would be better. I am trying to be a well suited candidate by spring 2019.
Thanks for any help or suggestions.
Teaching Certificate and License
-
shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Teaching Certificate and License
The IB cert with no experience is just a piece of paper. It doesn't actually certify you for anything other than you have done a Cat 1 course. It is not a teaching certificate in any sense of the word - it simply shows IB training.
PG - PsyGuy - can likely give you advice on how to convert your degrees to certification relatively easy. From what he has said in the past, you might not really need to do much to get certified.
Good luck!
PG - PsyGuy - can likely give you advice on how to convert your degrees to certification relatively easy. From what he has said in the past, you might not really need to do much to get certified.
Good luck!
Re: Teaching Certificate and License
Thanks so much for the heads up shadowjack! I ran across some forums that PsyGuy contributed to and learned more about the teaching certificate. It seems the IB Certificate is as you said, just a piece of paper that shows that you have done training for this type of curriculum. However, it have also read that it may not be worth paying money out-of-pocket to get certified because if I can get into an IB school, then this would be one of the things they would be committed to anyway.
I will continue to look for information for the best way to get certified and gain my license given my current circumstances and goals!
Thanks again!
I will continue to look for information for the best way to get certified and gain my license given my current circumstances and goals!
Thanks again!
Response
What do you mean by an "IB Certificate" program? Are you referring to a training workshop or do you mean one of the IBs Teaching and Learning certificates?
If you mean a training workshop certificate. Its not much of a commitment, its about 17 hours usually over a weekend if F2F or a few weeks if taken online. The online workshops are the least expensive about £600 the F2F ones are typically about double that but have the additional expense of travel costs.
What do they mean, well you need to be trained to deliver IB instruction. It will save your IS some training costs but no one thinks the CAT 1 workshops are going to make you a master IB practitioner. You get little more than the lexicon and the course guide.
If you mean the IB T&L certificates, than I have to ask, what do you think its going to do for you? If youre a social studies/humanities IT in DIP with a broad number of areas, than the T&L certificate could save you some coin over workshops. In this regard the T&L certificate doesnt do a lot for PYP or specialists like Librarians. MYP is somewhere in the middle.
The other issue is that the T&L certificate will essentially require you to go out and get essentially another Masters and at expensive Unis.
The rule is that no amount of training equals any amount of experience. The only ISs that care about the T&L certificate are the foundation IBWSs and those with a connection to the regional and global IB offices. Outside of that most leadership doesnt even know about them and of the ones that do none of them think an IB T&L certificate is any substitute for experience. You cant 'study' your way through the IB to the top tiers of IB ISs.
If you didnt have a Masters already it might be worth while for you.
Are you a US citizen, if you are you can get a credential without going though a skills pathway like Teach Now or Teach Ready. You already have a Masters and are working on a M.Ed, have you reached out to your Uni to see if they have a credential program?
The US isnt the only option, there are a number of ways of obtaining QTS in the UK including the AO option, which you may qualify for.
If you mean a training workshop certificate. Its not much of a commitment, its about 17 hours usually over a weekend if F2F or a few weeks if taken online. The online workshops are the least expensive about £600 the F2F ones are typically about double that but have the additional expense of travel costs.
What do they mean, well you need to be trained to deliver IB instruction. It will save your IS some training costs but no one thinks the CAT 1 workshops are going to make you a master IB practitioner. You get little more than the lexicon and the course guide.
If you mean the IB T&L certificates, than I have to ask, what do you think its going to do for you? If youre a social studies/humanities IT in DIP with a broad number of areas, than the T&L certificate could save you some coin over workshops. In this regard the T&L certificate doesnt do a lot for PYP or specialists like Librarians. MYP is somewhere in the middle.
The other issue is that the T&L certificate will essentially require you to go out and get essentially another Masters and at expensive Unis.
The rule is that no amount of training equals any amount of experience. The only ISs that care about the T&L certificate are the foundation IBWSs and those with a connection to the regional and global IB offices. Outside of that most leadership doesnt even know about them and of the ones that do none of them think an IB T&L certificate is any substitute for experience. You cant 'study' your way through the IB to the top tiers of IB ISs.
If you didnt have a Masters already it might be worth while for you.
Are you a US citizen, if you are you can get a credential without going though a skills pathway like Teach Now or Teach Ready. You already have a Masters and are working on a M.Ed, have you reached out to your Uni to see if they have a credential program?
The US isnt the only option, there are a number of ways of obtaining QTS in the UK including the AO option, which you may qualify for.