Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

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AuntFlo
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Joined: Sun May 14, 2017 10:27 am

Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

Post by AuntFlo »

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.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

What was your spouses academic preparation in (degree/major)? Is their credential subject specific?

What is your teaching area/experience in?

In brief and in general:

1) Early Childhood Education: Great if you want a job any job, and want lots of mobility. The reason is there are a lot of PK-K/Nursery-Reception vacancies in most major cities, but these positions are usually compensated and contracted on a LH basis, and pay comparable to the ESOL market. You are basically doing childcare and edutainment.

2) Spanish: Assuming your spouse is fluent in Spanish, its not a bad option. The problem is going to be that while there are FTE appointments they are much fewer globally in IE than other more core academic subjects. Its more likely that an IS would be very interested in you, but give your spouse something as part of your offer to make the deal happen. Otherwise your essentially looking for a position for an intern class IT in Spanish which is likely to be a handful of vacancies each year.

3) Elementary: This is probably the best option, as its the most common for teaching couples, where one of the ITS is in a high demand area, and the spouse appointment is part of the recruiting deal. An IS can usually divide up classes or a grade making them smaller, and Elementary as a certification area is very broad. Some are the cons are that your spouse might be appointed as a Co-IT or appointed at less than FTE, or as a LH.

4) SPED/SEN/LD: This is tricky, the problem is that many ISs dont do SPED/SEN/LD, and the ones that do are typically higher tier ISs, but without experience your spouse isnt going to be very competitive or marketable. Ultimately dragging down your application and reducing your over all marketability.
wrldtrvlr123
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Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

PsyGuy wrote:
>
> 4) SPED/SEN/LD: This is tricky, the problem is that many ISs dont do SPED/SEN/LD,
> and the ones that do are typically higher tier ISs, but without experience your
> spouse isnt going to be very competitive or marketable. Ultimately dragging down
> your application and reducing your over all marketability.
================
Still false, no matter how many times/ways you say it. The vast majority of int'l schools have some type of learning support, SEN/SPED program, regardless of what you/they call it (in other words, they hire teachers with some type of background in SPED).

For the OP, SPED would be a just fine area for certification and is a relatively high needs field. Many/most schools will hire teachers with SPED qualifications (even if it is just one for the whole school), including many 3 tier schools. If a school doesn't have ANY type of SPED teacher on staff, you probably wouldn't want to work there anyway.
PsyGuy
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Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

@WT123

We still disagree and for the same reasons and causes as addressed in previous discussions.

@AuntFlo

I would disagree with @WT123, an IS without any form of SPED/SEN/LD or one in which such students escaped admission, would have conditions so mild as to be similar to general classroom streamed students, would probably be a better experience. You know your not going to have any SPED/SEN/LD students to worry about IEPs/Action Plans, modifications or adaptations. You wont have to differentiate as much, etc.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
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Re: Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

PsyGuy wrote:
> @WT123
>
> We still disagree and for the same reasons and causes as addressed in previous discussions.
================
Yes, except my position is based on reality and yours is based on either willful ignorance or just being contrary for the sake of it/attention seeking.

Since you claim to respect only data (although rarely actually offer any of you own) don't take my word for it. There are many sources which support my view with actual data. Here is just one:
http://www.iscresearch.com/information/isc-news.aspx .

Scroll down to the section titled "International Schools Moving Towards Inclusion".

Or view the actual report here:

https://www.flipsnack.com/International ... natio.html

Either way, it is information compiled from 500+ international schools. While obviously not exhaustive and suffering all of the possible biases contained in self-reporting, it is still data and overwhelming supports the position that the majority of international schools accept some SPED students (even if only mildly impaired and hire some SPED certified/trained staff).

Of particular interest is this:

Only 33% of the schools in the study said that staff working with students with learning differences are entirely qualified special educators. 21.5% said staff are mostly qualified, 39% said some are qualified, and 14% said they have no specialists to support children with learning differences.

So, only 14% of the responding schools (500+ school) )have no SPED specialists. This is data. Feel free to discount it, move the goalposts or shock us by actually offering data of your own that refutes it. I offer it really for anyone who might read your opinions on the subject and end up making decisions based on misinformation. For the future, I can simply respond with a link to this thread.

I'm out.
AuntFlo
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Joined: Sun May 14, 2017 10:27 am

Re: Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

Post by AuntFlo »

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.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

@WT123

Sure, I wont even have to go beyond your article (if you can call it that).

1) This isnt peer reviewed research.

2) This is survey data, which has loads of bias (such as social desirability).

3) They asked 8000+ ISs, and got a response rate back of 584 (first this 8000 number is just an arbitrarily defined population), but its convenient so well use it. This is a return rate of 7.26%.

4) Getting to your case, what does "mostly qualified" and "some are qualified" mean? Could mean a lot of different things, could mean 90% in the first case and 50% in the other case, but lets make it convenient and just add all the ISs that hire at least some SPED/SEN/LD ITs (which by the way if you sum all the percentages its 107.5%, might be some validity issues with that), no mind lets just summ all the ISs that had some kind of SPED/LD/SEN program, which is 93.5%. 93.5% of 584 ISs that responded is 546 ISs (sorry cant have .04 of an IS, that would be like a playground, without any equipment just some fenced in gravel and a ball).

5) BUT wait thats 546 ISs out of EIGHT THOUSAND (8000) ISs that were in the population (see #3). That 546 represents only 6.8% of the population, thats nothing, and its not very many ISs that do SPED,SEN/LD and its also data.

@AuntFlo

Oh, not a native English Speaker, and not even fluent (and C2 isnt fluent either). They arent going to be interested (unless its a Spanish immersion primary), when there are a lot of native (and white) primary ITs. A lot is going to depend on how much they want you. Counselors arent in very high demand, unless they have very good Uni connections and experience in tertiary admissions, otherwise it moves in cycles. If you came from an Ivy that changes the metrics. So it really depends what they need and you bring and how much utility that makes for you (Ive seen senior leaderships wives who got appointments who were entirely unqualified).

Unless he can make immense leaps and bounds in his English, your instincts are my recommendation, get him certified as a FL Spanish IT.

::Aside::

If you havent experienced it already your relationship is basically the female equivalent of the western guy with an Asian or Ukrainian spouse.
wrldtrvlr123
Posts: 1173
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:59 am
Location: Japan

Re: Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

PsyGuy wrote:
> @WT123
>
> Sure, I wont even have to go beyond your article (if you can call it that).
>
> 1) This isnt peer reviewed research.
>
> 2) This is survey data, which has loads of bias (such as social desirability).
>
> 3) They asked 8000+ ISs, and got a response rate back of 584 (first this 8000 number
> is just an arbitrarily defined population), but its convenient so well use it. This
> is a return rate of 7.26%.
>
> 4) Getting to your case, what does "mostly qualified" and "some are qualified" mean?
> Could mean a lot of different things, could mean 90% in the first case and 50% in
> the other case, but lets make it convenient and just add all the ISs that hire at
> least some SPED/SEN/LD ITs (which by the way if you sum all the percentages its
> 107.5%, might be some validity issues with that), no mind lets just summ all the
> ISs that had some kind of SPED/LD/SEN program, which is 93.5%. 93.5% of 584 ISs
> that responded is 546 ISs (sorry cant have .04 of an IS, that would be like a playground,
> without any equipment just some fenced in gravel and a ball).
>
> 5) BUT wait thats 546 ISs out of EIGHT THOUSAND (8000) ISs that were in the population
> (see #3). That 546 represents only 6.8% of the population, thats nothing, and its
> not very many ISs that do SPED,SEN/LD and its also data.
================
Again, I'll assume that you are being willfully ignorant in this case since your usual pseudo-intellectual babble indicates that you have at least a glimmer of understanding of data and statistics. Only by being purposely obtuse could you pretend that your conclusion is remotely valid.

So, not surprising, but it is priceless that for someone who allegedly worships at the altar of data, you absolutely refuse to offer up any of your own, yet again. Feel free to have whatever bizarre feelings you want about how many int'l schools have SPED programs but you are virtually alone in your opinion.
Thames Pirate
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Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am

Re: Non Teaching Partner and Teacher Now Certification

Post by Thames Pirate »

Remember, only data matters--but only data that supports PsyGuy's points, preferably if he doesn't have to cite it and is free to make it up.

Often there is only one IS in a city, so those schools are also likely to have SPED of some kind. So while there may be an admission process, it frequently takes availability of other options into account. However, even the top schools in cities with lots of ISs have learning support.

Basically, yes, lots of ISs have some form of learning support.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

@Thames Pirate

No, basically the majority of ISs dont do LS/SEN/SPED.
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