I am looking for a little perspective and advice. Both the Search and CIS websites seem to indicate that a candidate with no international experience would not seriously be considered for an administrative position in an international school. I am considering "taking the plunge" in 2015, but would be hesitant to move into a position that is a 100% teaching role (a combination would be ideal and something that I truly miss right now as an assistant principal in a large US high school).

I have 10 years of teaching experience, three years of IB/AP coordination, and will have three years in an assistant principal role as of next year. My current position is head of curriculum and instruction in a school with 1850 students. Additionally, I coordinate the counseling dept. and act as SPED coordinator for the school. My wife has 13 years of math teaching experience (10 years MYP and 3 years DP, no HL though). Her current role allows for partial release time to mentor and coach teachers.

We both have masters degrees and are graduates of a top 20 university in the US (if that matters?) We have two young children.

Given our particulars, would it be improbable to find positions (assistant principal/math teacher) in a relatively respected international school? We would be very flexible with location and really just looking for a good fit professionally, maybe save a little money and have a great experience for our family. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

I was hoping to get a little perspective and advice. I have followed the forum mostly from afar, but now have a question that seems pertinent to ask.

First a little background:
Me: 12 years experience in teaching history and related social studies (sadly no economics, though). I have a master's in humanities and an advanced certificate in educational policy and administration. I am dually licensed in both social studies and administration. I have taught both DP and MYP. Currently, I am an IB/AP coordinator along with a host of other "junior" admin duties.

Mrs UM2001: 12 years of math experience. Master's in educational psychology. Math SL and MYP experience. Currently a teacher .80 and an instructional coach to non-tenured teachers.

Both of us have been involved in mentoring new teachers in a teaching residency, coached various sports and held leadership committee appointments at various times. The question revolves around our desire to go abroad in the next 2-3 years.

I have an opportunity to move into an assistant principal position next year at the large public high school where we currently work. Our school has 1750 students and a thriving MYP/DP program, alongside a small program of 200 or so AP exams every year. In reading this forum, it seems that a frequent point of emphasis is that to get a "break" in administration at an IS one may have to move to a less than desirable location/school. Years ago, this would not have been a problem, but we will bringing along two young kids and do not want them in truly awful schools, hoping that things will turn around.

My questions then are: Is it realistic to think that with our experiences (including a future AP assignment stateside) we could land in a reasonable lower tier 1, upper tier 2 school? We are very flexible in terms of location, size of school, etc. Would there be any circumstances where staying IB Coordinator would have benefits? Finally, do admin with only US experience get hired onto the international circuit and will my wife's experience in math/teacher leader be a bonus? Thank you in advance for any advice.

As a current DP coordinator, I agree with the above, but would add:

Being able to work with adults (parents and students) has been the most eye-opening part of the job. Most of the teachers I work with are amazing, but many things in the DP world are deadline specific and protocal heavy. Certain teachers, a DP coordinator needs to figure this out very quickly, need persistent and ongoing support to meet these requirements.

Additionally, in my position (not working in an IS, but large American high school) any reform or change that I want to take on will only be successful if others want to join me and value the cause. I have no "authority" which is part of the fun, quite honestly, but a very different paradigm from that of an upper level admin.

If the school has an MYP, a working knowledge of that program would be essential. Espcially given that there are massive changes coming in 2014.

Lastly, a question. How hard would it be to break into the IS circuit as a DP coordinator (at a respectable school)? I feel I meet many of the requirements in the previous responses. My family includes two young children and my wife is an MYP/DP math teacher with 12 years experience (all at the same school and 10 in IB). From reading this site, she appears to be the "golden" ticket (and IMHO is an amazing teacher), and I would be happy to teach full time and possibly work into a position in the future. Just thought I would ask

Thank you for the perspectives. It is certainly that I do not like my current position, but after 10 years at the same school, I am thinking a change might be good in the near to medium future.

Is the same story true for Assistant Principal positions? I may have an opportunity at my current school to "move up" to an AP position in the next few years.

Thanks again for the viewpoints.

My question centers on the likelihood of obtaining a junior level admin appointment at a Tier II or even Tier I with no international experience, but a good deal of experience stateside.

I am currently an IB Coordinator (MYP and DP) in a robust program (450 students and growing). I also facilitate the AP Program at our school. I have been doing this for three years and have program review and WASC accred. experience. Prior to coordination, I taught Humanities in both the MYP and DP and would be open to a partial return to the classroom.

My wife is an IB Maths teacher with experience in MYP and DP. She is also an instructional coach with our district helping teachers develop curriculum and assessments.

Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I know that there are a number of posts with the same types of questions, but am hoping to gain some much needed advice. Both my wife and I are experienced teachers looking to make the leap into the international circuit in the next year or two.

I am currently an IB Coordinator (DP and MYP) and have experience teaching history/social studies at both levels. I have professional licenses in History and Administration. I would be open to either administration or teaching (or a combination). My wife is an MYP/DP math teacher with experience in both middle school and high school. She, too, has a professional license in math and has written curriculum. Both of us are reasonably fluent in Spanish. We have one son, who would be in pre-school/kinder at the time of our move and would jump at the chance to teach at the same school our son went to.

My questions: What would be our chances at landing at a reputable school? While we have realistic expectations, we would ideally like to have a comfortable (not extravagant by any means) lifestyle. I have looked into both ISS and SEARCH and am wondering one might be better than the other for people in our situation. Lastly, we are open to many part of the world, but generally speaking, what areas might be better for both lifestyle and savings potential?