We are in South Korea and have a 2 children. There are lots of families with 2 or even 3 kids here. All teachers receive a 3 bedroom apartment with an office that can be converted to a bedroom regardless of family size. We are in a suburb so there are lots of parks and a great sense of family and community amongst the faculty. Just wanted to share another experience!

Wanted to reply b/c though I am not a teacher this was my husbands exact position and we are moving in August to S. Korea! Even with three dependents we will have a 3 bedroom apt., free school for the kids and any money I make will just be icing on the cake. Because of all the perks we will pay off our debt in the first year.

All this to say I think that math/science teachers seem to have an edge at the fairs and while European schools might not be interested for the reasons stated in above posts there are a lot of great schools that will be. My husband had a very creative resume which made him stand out at the fair so that is definitely something I recommend!

Happy to answer any questions about our experience!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

@sevarem
Crazy that in all my research on their website that never came up about student teaching! Thanks for that very important info. I'll let you know if I have any other questions but it looks like if I wanted to go that route I will need to wait until this contract is over.

@seinfeld
This looks great! I am looking over the website now. It even looks like WA state will review a PGCE and possibly allow me to teach in the state should we move back so that is great.

@PsyGuy
Yes, the student teaching aspect seems tricky. However, when my husband was interviewed for his upcoming position the Elementary Principal mentioned that they allowed student teaching at the elementary level so maybe that is an option. Hoping that wasn't just a ploy to sweeten the deal:) I am going to contact her tonight.

If anyone knows of any other online programs that are respected in the international community send them my way!

Cheers

Sorry to highjack this post but I have a question relating to the one posed.

My husband just got a great package in South Korea and we are going to be able to pay off all our debt in the first year (not including mortgage back home, which will be paid by renters).

I have a BA in English and am interested in getting certified to teach elementary. This would probably be during the second year of the contract as we would have disposable income then. The hope is that we could then be even more competitive as a teaching couple for our second contract.

Questions: Does anyone know of programs that you can enroll in abroad that would not pose a problem if/when we return to the US (WA)? The only one I have found is College of New Jersey, which includes, summers in several international locations, online courses and student teaching, which I believe I could do at my husbands school.

We plan on returning to the US in the summer so I am looking for something online OR with classes in WA state (long shot I know) in the summer.

I know that most schools require 2 years but my husband has a masters, teaches math and will at that point have 8 years teaching experience, with two of those being at an international school. Do you think a top tier school would hire me as a concession:) ?

Curious if any trailing spouses have gone through this process while abroad.

Thanks in advance!

I would agree that there seemed to be very few jobs. My husband only had three interviews, which we were initially very disappointed about. However, he received two job offers and was told by the other school that they wanted to hire him but needed to wait until they had interviewed all the (single) candidates as he would be bringing a trailing spouse and two children.

He is a Math teacher which I know helps a ton but honestly we can't believe it b/c he is a newbie with quite the entourage.

I say this only to encourage people who have avoided applying for International teaching jobs b/c they have a trailing spouse and children.

Now we have to make the difficult choice between two fabulous schools with amazing benefits.

Missy- this was the Search fair

I agree! Of course many of the schools we were excited about are now not even coming. I have noticed that the jobs are still posted on their site so maybe they have yet to remove them or they have some many applicants they don't feel the need to show up at the fair.

We are looking at it as a way to network and get interviewing experience.

Good luck to you!

Daisy-thanks for the info on Hamburg, sounds like a less then ideal working environment.

We know that ASL is a long shot and a financial stretch but we had the same thought that it would set us up for success down the road. I have some connections in the UK and think that I could get a job which would be necessary, as going into debt is not part of our game plan!

We love Vienna but can see how going somewhere without a reputation can be risky.

We are also very interested in SSIS but trying to not to be overly enthusiastic about any one school.

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses, we really appreciate it.

Alia, I will be sure to let you know how it goes for me at the fair. I think you made a really wise choice though.

I am sure we will post again soon as this forum has been the most forthright and helpful source of information we have found.

Hopefully we will have a destination to funnel our enthusiasm into soon!

alia- Will you be attending the fair as well? I am a trailing spouse too and Search told me to come with my husband. I am totally open to working at the school in a support or secretarial position but I am not sure that will help any. (I have a BA in English and have worked in the film and fashion industries)

It sounds like hiring this year has been a little unusual but as "newbies" we are trying to have realistic expectations and an open mind. I grew up abroad, my parents taught at ISB and TAS and so I am hoping that this history might make us seem a little less green?

Can anyone speak to the level of demand for his qualifications:

Certified Math teacher with 6 years and a Masters. He has taught PE and Technology classes and done lots of coaching. Taught at an IB school but didn't teach any IB classes. He would love to be placed at an IB school to get the training but it sounds like that can be a hard sell (they want experience?).

We are focused on Asia but are of course open to other places.

PsyGuy- I have a few questions.

We are arriving a day early, so should we be slipping his resume and a note in mail slots to attempt to secure interviews ahead of time? We will be pulling an "Ichiro" and have come up with a condensed resume with pictures that showcases his creativity and passion for technology.

Obviously, they will quickly learn that he has a trailing spouse but should we mention our kids right away or wait until we are asked? Is this something they might ask in the sign up session? Should he do this part alone?

I appreciate any feedback!