Hello all!
A little background.
English major/History minor
1 year ESL in Korea
7 months tutor/substitute in States
Florida State Certification. Will be finished this Oct.
Certification areas: Art K-12 and Elementary Ed.
ESOL k-12 and English 8-12 areas will be added next year.
Female and single. No dependents.
I will start applying to international schools this fall to hopefully find a post starting August 2014.
So, I just accepted a position at an IB elementary school which starts next month. I'm only a teachers aid though. So basically tutoring the kids, grading homework and other office type of work. It is possible that once I get my certification I could start teaching at this school in Jan. but that may not happen.
Either way, I was pretty excited about it being an IB school because I know how important that is for international schools. Though since I'm not actually a certified full fledged teacher in the school, does it still count as IB experience? And will working at this IB school put me above other applicants?
Thanks in advance!
Does working in an IB school but as a teachers aid count?
Thank you oldmanChan!
I suppose I forgot to mention this, but I'll also be doing the rest of my "student teaching" at that school. I'm in the TeacherReady program and the student teaching or field experiences are spread throughout the whole program.
Most of which has already been completed in Korea at my previous public school. The rest, which includes a week of teaching in my mentor teacher's classroom for a week will be in the IB school that I am now employed at. Of course, the school is not going to give me IB training unless they hire me as a teacher. Would this small amount of student teaching experience in the IB school count as any amount of significant IB experience towards international schools?
I suppose I forgot to mention this, but I'll also be doing the rest of my "student teaching" at that school. I'm in the TeacherReady program and the student teaching or field experiences are spread throughout the whole program.
Most of which has already been completed in Korea at my previous public school. The rest, which includes a week of teaching in my mentor teacher's classroom for a week will be in the IB school that I am now employed at. Of course, the school is not going to give me IB training unless they hire me as a teacher. Would this small amount of student teaching experience in the IB school count as any amount of significant IB experience towards international schools?
Tyshine,
I'm not in Korea anymore. Now I live in Texas and will start working at an IB school this fall. I was doing my student teaching or (field experiences) in the Korean public school that I worked at. It's ok to do that as long as the teacher you are working under is certified. My Korean co-teacher was a certified teacher through a Korean certification program. The field experiences in the beginning of the TeacherReady program consists of mostly observation anyway which can be done in virtually any classroom.
oldmanchan,
Yes, I suppose that is another option. I'd really like to be abroad by fall 2014 though. The only reason I came home was because I had to take my Florida state tests in America. Since I'm getting certified in so many areas I knew I had to be here for a few months and get a job. If possible, I'd be working at an international school in January, but I doubt that would happen.
Also, just FYI for some people curious about having to come home to take the Florida certification tests. They do not have to be taken in Florida. There seems to be an overwhelming idea that that is the case. They can be taken at virtually any Pearson Vue center in America. There are 3 in Texas and 1 or more in almost every other state. They could also be taken abroad on army bases. If you or your husband/wife is in the army, you have access. If you aren't you have to ask permission. Someone would have to sign you on base, and an individual in the army has to watch you take the test the whole time. This is what I was told. No one would watch me at the army base I was near in Korea and my contract was ending soon so I opted to take them in America. I know there was no question about this, but I've read a lot of false information given about this program on this website and just want to clear the air.
I'm not in Korea anymore. Now I live in Texas and will start working at an IB school this fall. I was doing my student teaching or (field experiences) in the Korean public school that I worked at. It's ok to do that as long as the teacher you are working under is certified. My Korean co-teacher was a certified teacher through a Korean certification program. The field experiences in the beginning of the TeacherReady program consists of mostly observation anyway which can be done in virtually any classroom.
oldmanchan,
Yes, I suppose that is another option. I'd really like to be abroad by fall 2014 though. The only reason I came home was because I had to take my Florida state tests in America. Since I'm getting certified in so many areas I knew I had to be here for a few months and get a job. If possible, I'd be working at an international school in January, but I doubt that would happen.
Also, just FYI for some people curious about having to come home to take the Florida certification tests. They do not have to be taken in Florida. There seems to be an overwhelming idea that that is the case. They can be taken at virtually any Pearson Vue center in America. There are 3 in Texas and 1 or more in almost every other state. They could also be taken abroad on army bases. If you or your husband/wife is in the army, you have access. If you aren't you have to ask permission. Someone would have to sign you on base, and an individual in the army has to watch you take the test the whole time. This is what I was told. No one would watch me at the army base I was near in Korea and my contract was ending soon so I opted to take them in America. I know there was no question about this, but I've read a lot of false information given about this program on this website and just want to clear the air.
Cherrypop - This is off topic, but did you use any particular material to study for the FTCE tests, specifically the General Knowledge and Professional Education exams? I'm starting the TeacherReady program next week and will take my tests in October when I'm back in the US for a family wedding. There are several books available on Amazon from REA and Mometrix, but I'm not sure which, if any, are worth the money.
Marieh,
I would definitely vouch for the updated CliffNotes study guides for both the Professional and General Knowledge! You will pass first try if you study those guides! The layout makes it very easy to understand. There are "check points" (3-4 questions) throughout the whole book that test you on the information recently learned with the answers immediately following. There's also mini practice tests (15 questions) throughout the whole book and full practice tests at the end. I bought kindle versions from amazon and went into the testing center feeling very confident after studying 2-3 weeks for each. You can also look at the reviews others have posted on Amazon.
I did buy another study guide for the English 6-12 because there was no cliffnote version and I have to say I was very disappointed. I believe it was the REA and all the information was given all at once. No check points or mini practice tests. Very hard to follow and understand. Needless to say, I opted to not take the test at the moment, because I did not feel confident in passing that exam.
Hope this helps!
I would definitely vouch for the updated CliffNotes study guides for both the Professional and General Knowledge! You will pass first try if you study those guides! The layout makes it very easy to understand. There are "check points" (3-4 questions) throughout the whole book that test you on the information recently learned with the answers immediately following. There's also mini practice tests (15 questions) throughout the whole book and full practice tests at the end. I bought kindle versions from amazon and went into the testing center feeling very confident after studying 2-3 weeks for each. You can also look at the reviews others have posted on Amazon.
I did buy another study guide for the English 6-12 because there was no cliffnote version and I have to say I was very disappointed. I believe it was the REA and all the information was given all at once. No check points or mini practice tests. Very hard to follow and understand. Needless to say, I opted to not take the test at the moment, because I did not feel confident in passing that exam.
Hope this helps!
Reply
Depends how you spin it. Ib experience is about being able to talk intelligently about the philosophy and demonstrate how you've applied it in the classroom. Some teachers at schools that have IB/National curriculum's never set foot in an IB classroom but had lots of exposure and PD on the IB and could talk a pretty good game. Some IB teachers who have taught for years in "MYP" that was Ib in name only and taught a national curriculum, could barely tell you what IBO and MYP stand for. A lot is going to be how you spin and market that experience. Getting OCC access will make the technical aspect MUCH easier, you should push hard to get that access. Its practically the free equivalent of a level 1 IB workshop. Getting your school or even doing a level 2 workshop at your own expense would maximize that IB experience. The key is focusing on your role and not the "Aid" title
Being an entry level teacher at your career stage any IB experience is going to give you an edge over the vast majority of entry level ITs without any IB experience/training. So yes its going to help your marketability at that level. It isnt going to move you up to be competitive with full IB teachers with classroom teaching experience. Of course depending what your principal would say, you could always spin the work/position as a co teaching position or inclusion classroom teacher and rep yourself essentially as an IB teacher, with experience and some training which would allow you to skip to the experienced tier provided you had an appropriate length of time int he position.
Being an entry level teacher at your career stage any IB experience is going to give you an edge over the vast majority of entry level ITs without any IB experience/training. So yes its going to help your marketability at that level. It isnt going to move you up to be competitive with full IB teachers with classroom teaching experience. Of course depending what your principal would say, you could always spin the work/position as a co teaching position or inclusion classroom teacher and rep yourself essentially as an IB teacher, with experience and some training which would allow you to skip to the experienced tier provided you had an appropriate length of time int he position.
Thank you Mr.C4ke!
That really helps give me an idea of how my experience would compete with others.
Thank you PsyGuy!
That helps a ton! I've been on this forum for a while and people have always mentioned that any amount of IB training does not weigh the same as IB experience and getting it is not really worth it. I suppose in my case, that's different. So OCC is free IB training? Can I get that online? I'll definitely invest in some training then to help my resume.
I actually wasn't planning on being in this position long. My salary is essentially half of what I was making in Korea. Although I suppose better for my résumé, it's very bad for my bank account. She said I'd get a raise after I complete my certification, but it's still not a teacher's salary which right now is significantly higher than what I signed on for. Do you think staying in this IB "aid" position for the full school year would be better than say only for a semester and possibly being hired as a teacher at a non-IB school in the spring? I suppose like you mentioned would depend on how I spin the experience on my résumé and I suppose the recomendation letter from my principal.
Thanks!!
That really helps give me an idea of how my experience would compete with others.
Thank you PsyGuy!
That helps a ton! I've been on this forum for a while and people have always mentioned that any amount of IB training does not weigh the same as IB experience and getting it is not really worth it. I suppose in my case, that's different. So OCC is free IB training? Can I get that online? I'll definitely invest in some training then to help my resume.
I actually wasn't planning on being in this position long. My salary is essentially half of what I was making in Korea. Although I suppose better for my résumé, it's very bad for my bank account. She said I'd get a raise after I complete my certification, but it's still not a teacher's salary which right now is significantly higher than what I signed on for. Do you think staying in this IB "aid" position for the full school year would be better than say only for a semester and possibly being hired as a teacher at a non-IB school in the spring? I suppose like you mentioned would depend on how I spin the experience on my résumé and I suppose the recomendation letter from my principal.
Thanks!!
The OCC (Online Curriculum Centre) is where IB teachers can download official IB documents, get IB teaching guidance for their subject(s) etc. There are also forums for teacher discussion.
I'm currently in between IB schools so haven't had access for 6 weeks. You need login credentials - it is very useful and I agree you should try and get your school to set you up.
I'm currently in between IB schools so haven't had access for 6 weeks. You need login credentials - it is very useful and I agree you should try and get your school to set you up.