Agree with Find Dude. I've worked in both regions and the large Asian school worked me to death.

2- Was young, thought international teaching would be temporary, and had "wanderlust"

5- Turned middle aged, found a local partner, was comfortable in the country and the school environment (which can be hard to get both).

I've worked with a handful of colleagues at several tier 1 schools who earned teaching certification through TeacherNow and TeacherReady. They were hired and often times, proved to be better teachers than those educated at brick and mortar institutions. In the end, talented people will find ways to become quality teachers.

PsyGuy wrote:
> If youre not open to reciprocating the relationship, and manipulating it to your
> advantage than I would concur with @Ifyousayso.

LOL! PsyGuy- you drive me nuts with some of your answers but this response was CLASSIC. Hilarious! I've never considered manipulating the boss to use to my advantage, but no doubt it happens.

Thanks, guys. So I had my friend go into the DODDS system to apply anyway as a School Psych and you know what? There's not even an option or a category for her to apply as a School Psychologist. There is School Counselor but not School Psych. I guess that is very telling.

Thanks, Psyguy. I'll tell my friend not to bother since 1.) is "only" certified as a School Psych and 2.) doesn't sound like they are looking to hire any new School Psychs from outside the system.

PsyGuy or anyone "in the know" about DODDS-

I've heard that DODDS have stopped hiring School Psychologists- Is this correct? I have a School Psych certified friend in the US who would like to apply but I don't want to encourage her if there are no jobs for her any longer. Thanks!

This is something I've struggled with since I went abroad several years ago. I don't particularly enjoy hanging out with most teachers in my free time. I usually have a couple of decent friends on staff wherever I go and it is usually with people that aren't too "plugged in" to the social pipeline of the school since I like my privacy. I find numerous international teachers to be gossipy, clicky, unprofessional, and to have poor boundaries. The latest batch of millennial teachers who have come abroad in recent years are the worst, in my opinion (although it permeates all ages, unfortunately). I prefer to make social connections with those outside the work environment but some administrators and colleagues will look down upon those who would prefer to have a balanced social life outside of school. International teaching can be a lot like high school sometimes in terms of clicks, popularity, and immature drama. I prefer to stay out of that chaos as much as possible.

But on how to be a good colleague, I find that if you show as much respect as you can to your colleagues while ignoring all the "noise" you're much better off. I have found that it pays to be very good at what you do since if you are perceived to be not "social enough" with colleagues plus mediocre at your job, it's much more likely you won't last.

Thanks for the feedback! He is a certified language teacher in Ecuador, but again, doesn't have much experience beyond practicums/internships that were required for the degree.

So it sounds like getting credentialed to be a general Early Childhood or ES teacher would open up the most opportunity for him. However, he is not a native English speaker. He's learned in the last 5 years and is at a C1 level and still has a moderate accent. I'm concerned that some schools would be hesitant to hire a non-native English speaker for ES or Early Childhood. Thoughts?

All of the schools I have worked (6 and counting) have had some sort of learning support services teachers, but just for "mild disabilities."

Based on this thread, I'm starting to think that getting him USA state certified in Spanish may be the best approach for us even if it cuts down opportunities to schools who have Spanish course.

In terms of my experience and credentials, I am a College Counselor.

Hi All,

My partner is from Ecuador and has an Ecuadorian teaching certificate, but little experience. He is considering enrolling in the Teacher Now online certification program to eventually get certified in D.C. or Arizona. We're debating which certifications would be best for him to acquire so that as a teaching couple we maximize our appeal to international schools. I have worked internationally for a while in a high-demand area and we're looking for the best complimentary fit position for him. At this point, we were thinking Early Childhood, Spanish, Elementary Education, or Special Education: non-categorical (K-12). He would prefer to work at the ES or MS level.

I'd appreciate any feedback on possible certifications to target that would be more in demand as the second half of a teaching couple (especially among the 4 I mentioned above). Thanks in advance.