The International Schools Review Forum

The basics about myself as a teacher:

8 years experience (1 IB DP, 1 IGCSE, 7 AP) all one country.
American teaching Cert, QTS, IB teaching certification, applying to be an IB grader next year.

Course taught:
AP Calculus AP/BC
AP Statistics
IB Math Studies SL, IB Maths SL, IB Maths HL, IB Further Maths
IGCSE Additional Math
SAT Math
Pre-calculus

Clubs:
Math Club
Math Team (I have taken students abroad to Mathematics Competitions)
Photography Club
International Sports Club (played sports games from around the world)

Honestly, I think I have a decent resume and I know that I have some good references; however, I have only worked in one country. I have gotten all my jobs in this country by knowing people in this country but the schools haven't been true international schools - just host nationals. Thus, I do not know how honest international schools operate.

Because I have a child and a spouse that is a language teacher, would I have to get some experience in MYP to get hired at a decent (top tier-two or lower tier-one) school which has the full IB program (PYP, MYP, DP)?

A co-worker was telling me that any decent international school will have me be an MYP teacher and only after working there for years will I be allowed to have some DP class, and my co-worker was saying that was an big if because I don't have MYP experience.

Do I need MYP experience to get at a decent quality school that is accredited?

Short answer - no. Your IB experience across all three courses will open doors.

Shadowjack,

Thanks, that what I was thinking. Now, what would be the long answer?

Your co-worker got it backwards, if you were an MYP IT with a year in IB youd have to put in a few years at an upper tier IS before they would put you in a SLL (such as DIP) assignment.
You will actually find your resume has a high degree of utility both at upper and lower secondary and at SLL level. The only almost trivial issues might be a BS at A levels and an IB IS with only one year of DIP, but those 7 years of AP (assuming your students scores reflect it) are highly marketable. Is it possible you might get first year only of DIP at an upper tier IS, yes. Are they going to feel uncomfortable with your expertise in MYP, no.

To continue on PG's riff, the long answer is if you can show results at AP and IB and IGCSE then you are very marketable. If your spouse is a language teacher, then it is finding the match for both.

I would recommend signing up for Search Associates - they have a better database and lots of information (although, as provided by the schools themselves, not always 100% reliable, but ballpark for the most part) and it is easy to customize your searches for you and your spouse. Aim to find an IB school for 2019 - 2020.

I would also recommend going on the paid side when you are recruiting to ask questions and get answers to your own questions that you cannot ask on the free side of ISR.

Good luck!

The reason for only one year of IB is that I am currently working at the school and wasn't planning on leaving till the cohort was done, also because the three kids in further maths are really good.

Didn't realize that I would have to pull my students' scores from college board, but I could make up an excel file if needed.

Thanks, everyone for the feedback.

PsyGuy wrote:

What does " SLL level" and "BS at A-levels" mean?

@math-teacher

SLL = School Leaving Level, the period of senior/upper secondary school that awards some qualification as students exit secondary education.

BS = British School

A-Levels = A SLL period that culminates with A/A* examinations at the completion of the UK NC (thats generic for the United Kingdoms National Curriculum) taken in BS types of institutions.
The A is short for "Advanced" level which historically occurred after "O" (Ordinary level exams). Advanced levels are divided into two forms, AS (Advanced Subsidiary), being the lower form and A2 being the upper form. Students now sit all their exams at the end of their final year, they may take exams at AS or A2 level, the marks from AS level no longer contribute to A2 marks. Typically, students would study 4 subjects at AS levels, their lower form year and then drop one of them and study the remaining 3 at A2 level. The "A/A*" significance correspond to AS and A2 levels respectively, as A* is only an available grade at A2, the highest mark achievable for AS is "A".
"BS at A-levels" differentiates A-levels in the UK from other regions such as HK, SG, and India, etc. that also use a similarly named though different system.

I haven't worked at a British school so my IGCSE is mostly with the exams that I have taught, which was used to prepare the students for IB.

@math-teacher

There are plenty of Asian and non-BS ISs that offer or have attached IGCSE exam centers that have little if any resemblance to a BS.