@psyguy - I see you're not taking my advice to check your posts before hitting the submit button. If you did, you would see that you replied to the wrong thread with your post. Sigh

Hi guys,
Thanks for your input.

@WinterFerret
Being a licensed teacher is not a requirement for obtaining a teaching position with many top ISs. I have friends that are working in top tier schools in Caracas, Manila, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei that are not licensed teachers, but have completed accredited teacher preparation courses. I, myself, have just accepted a position at a top tier school and I am not, nor have I ever been, a licensed teacher. The only time I have come across the need to be licensed is when the IS is an offshore school tied to their home country. For example, the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh requires their teachers to have or obtain a teaching certificate from the Canadian province of Alberta because the school is connected to the Education Ministry of Alberta.
Thank you for your time :)

@psyguy
I've been reading your posts for the last few years and I know that you have a lot of good information to share... I just wish you wouldn't consistently come across as such a condescending prck. I encourage you to reread your posts and ask yourself "Do I sound like a prck again?" and edit your thoughts (because 9/10 times you do) before you hit the Submit button.

I never said that one has to have an SS# to get a fingerprint check.. duh. That was not what my question was about.
As for TCNJ, after completing their teacher preparation course, I was issued a Certificate of Qualification (CQ), which, and I quote from the letter from the State of New Jersey, Department of Education letter I have in front of me, XXXX is not a citizen of the the United States who does not hold a US Social Security Number. As such, he is not able to apply for certification by regulations governing certification in New Jersey. Instead he was issued a Certificate of Qualification from this office". "Federal and State Policies for any state-issued certificate in professional education require that the candidate holds and submits a valid U.S. Social Security Number". Issuance of the CQ 'serves as validation that XXXXX completed a New Jersey Department of Education-approved program in Elementary Education'.
And, as I said above, I have recently obtained a position at my third international school with only the CQ.

I didn't, as you say, misunderstand the current requirements for a Z visa. When was the last time you applied for one? I have just gone through the process for a second time and things have changed in the last year.
As for authentication (I received this from the visa bureau here in Jiangsu province):
Step 1 - All non-government issued documents must be notarized by a local notary public
Step 2 - All documents must be certified by the Secretary of State’s office in the state where the document was issued.
Step 3 - Documents issued in certain states must be authenticated by the US Department of State after certification by local secretary of state’s office. These states include Washington DC, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Did you happen to recognize the words 'Washington DC"? Ya, that's right, that's where Teach-Now issues its documents from. I know that professional educator credential isn't required, but it gets you points under the new Chinese visa system. The more points the better.
You wrote "You cant have a state credential authenticated (apostiled) by the US SOS". Firstly, I'm not sure what US SOS is. Did you mean US DOS? Again, please proofread and edit. Please understand that Authentication Certificates and Apostilles are not the same. "Authentication Certificates are issued for documents which are destined for use in countries that are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention" ie. China. If you follow the link below, you will see that there are general documents, such as diplomas, that can be authenticated by the US DOS. Have a look:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel ... tions.html

Anyone who has read a few of your posts knows your opinions about Teach-Now (even though you've never completed it), but are you sure you know what you are talking about when you say that they are not accredited?
As for Teach-Now accreditation:
The TEACH-NOW Graduate School of Education has been nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accreditation Commission and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The Educatore School of Education’s degree programs have been approved by Washington, DC’s Office of State Superintendent of Education and the Arizona State Department of Education.

I am so thankful for being a part of the ISR community. I just wish people contributing here would stick to writing about things they know as factual.

Here's a link to a list of Ontario offshore schools in China:
https://www.cicic.ca/982/Perform-an-adv ... p=ON&c=109

Hi,
My wife is currently enrolled in the teacher preparation certificate program with Teach-Now.

Q1 - The admin wanted her to sit the Praxis tests and get an FBI fingerprint check, but because she is not an American citizen (no SSN) and has no desire to ever get registered to teach in the States, she doesn't feel that it's necessary to do so. At first the admin said it was mandatory, then they capitulated when she explained the reasons why, but now a few of the instructors are saying that she should. I completed the teacher prep course with TCNJ and for the same reasons I wasn't required to sit for any Praxis tests.
Does anyone have any experience with this?

Q2 - I'm wondering if anyone that has completed the program has put their certificate through the authentication process required for a Chinese Z visa. The cert would need to be certified by the Secretary of State's office then authenticated by US Department of State and then go to the Chinese embassy for authentication. I have had my TCNJ cert authenticated twice without any problems, but I'm wondering if the Teach-Now cert would hold up. Thoughts?

Thanks :)

I was recently in the same situation. I sent them another message through SA that was titled "Continued Interest" and wrote a short message saying that I was still interested in talking with them. I attached my previous message, just in case.
I was contacted by the school two days later with an interview request.

I've got a good friend that has been at ECA in Caracas for 3 years and he is really enjoying it. Earning USD is the key, but he also loves the culture and the natural beauty.

My wife and I are seriously thinking of moving down there to teach. Unfortunately, my emails and Search Associates messages have been unanswered as of yet... hint hint @yasirp

Barry in HK has been good to me. I had misconceptions on what exactly the school received/saw when I sent them an email and he gave me some pointers.
I also had no idea that your associate is able to read every message that you send or receive. That kinda freaked me out.

I try to make the message as personal/relevant as possible. Go on the school's website and find out the name(s) of the department heads and use their names. I find two or three things on the site that connect to my teaching philosophy or that I admire and I comment on them.

Hope that helps :)

@usaartteacher - in the introductory email my associate sent me, there was an attached document that offered suggestions on how to apply and what to include. Did you receive something like that? I'm asking because I actually missed it and was instructed to go back and read it

^^^ very good advice, me thinks ^^^^

Hi - I lived in Taipei (N Taiwan) for 11 years and didn't worry once about the pollution. Typically, the pollution levels in the south are less than in Taipei. Nothing like the 'air' I am breathing here in China. Ugh

Having said that.... if you are thinking of applying at the same school in S Taiwan that I just did, the pollution is HORRIBLE! I mean it's so bad that kittens die from it. Seriously.

Hope that helps

In conclusion:
Teach Now has cohorts - as per PsyGuy
TeacherReady has cohorts - as per cms989
Teach Ready doesn't have cohorts - as per PsyGuy

In conclusion:
TeacherReady has cohorts
Teach Ready doesn't have cohorts

Hi - my wife is starting the program tonight. Even though the Teacher cert is only 9 months and they have cohorts starting every month (except December), the October cohort is the last you can join to be certified before September of the following year because they break for three months over the (North American) summer. Just something to keep in mind

Hi - you are not allowed to mention specific schools on this side of the site.
If you would like more information about a school, you will need to visit the Member's Area (the paid section).

Thanks for the replies; I appreciate it.

Let's say I get around having to sign my spouse up, won't any schools that access my profile before making contact be confused as to why I didn't declare that my spouse is also looking for work?