The International Schools Review Forum

Asking for a friend (I had a similar situation but fortunately I am now a happily licensed teacher).

if someone does not have a teaching license but does have international teaching experience and a relevant Master's degree, would the ACSI certificate really make a difference in this person's CV? Or is this certification really only relevant for people working at a Christian school? Just wondering if it would be worth getting for someone in the situation previously described. I am of course aware that the ideal for this person would be to get a proper teaching license but let's just say for the sake of argument that getting a teaching license is not an option for this recruitment season, and this person wants to find a new job for August 2020.

Yes, it could make a difference in an IS regardless of secular or parochial orientation. Two primary motivators: 1) A large part of the issue is getting passed the screening process which is not very flexible. Checking the qualified to teach in ones HOR is an easier explanation having the ACSI certificate than it is to say yes and and then say No, or to say no in the first place. Second, ITs are very indistinguishable from one another on paper, theres very little to differentiate them, especially within a class of ITs. In such cases small almost trivial differences matter.

Where the ACSI certificate finds the most utility is in the temporary certificate which requires little more than a bachelors/first degree. It works in the scenario where an IT needs something and needs it really fast without doing much of anything beyond the application and supplemental materials and the demanding authority will accept the ACSI certificate. Beyond that the standard and professional certificates can require substantial coursework, even in situations with coursework requirements an option like the MA Provisional credential is less resource intensive, effective lifetime validity and an actual edu credential.