The International Schools Review Forum

Hey guys,

As I get ready to move for my upcoming contract, I'm thinking about what my future holds following these next two years and how to navigate that uncertain terrain best. Any suggestions/information is warmly welcomed.

Profile:
American, 29 years old, single, two years experience in American Curriculum + (two years in PYP following completion of upcoming contract), starting two-year M.Ed in June.

My Plan:
By 40 I would like to own a home, and like many, my end game is to break into one of the "Golden 3" in Thailand.
I am currently in China and will be moving to a bigger city for my upcoming contract. I understand top schools like to see commitment from ITs, but come June 2024, it will have been seven years on the Mainland, and I feel time for a change. I would also like to increase my ability to save with each new two-year contract. So, during the previous recruiting season, I was especially drawn to and subsequently ignored by the few schools in Hong Kong offering $100K+/year. Understandable for where I currently am in my Teaching Career. Seeing as I don't drink and can live relatively modestly, I was hoping in two years, with four years of experience and an M.Ed, HK would be the slight change of scenery from the Mainland I need while I gain experience and save some money.

Questions:
-Would I have a chance to land a job at a top school in HK with 4 years of experience (2 PYP) and an M.Ed? Or is this delusional…?
-Would it look bad on my CV if I changed schools three times in six years? Even if I stayed at the third school for 2 or 3 consecutive two-year contracts?
-Would 10 years of experience (8 PYP), and an M.Ed even get me considered for one of the "Golden 3" (specifically NIST as they use the PYP) in Thailand? What else might I be able to do to bolster my CV? Especially as I look forward to my upcoming contract. Besides completing my Master's, what should be my primary focus in the classroom? I'm excited to learn as much as possible about the PYP and its implementation. I want to make sure I'm preparing myself for the future as best as possible.

I warmly welcome critiques/suggetions.
Thanks everyone.

In direct reply to your inquires:

1) Unless the M.Ed is from a Global Ivy, 4 years experience is delusional for an Elite/First tier HK IS, more so for an IB IS at that tier. 2 years PYP is just getting the training wheels off. Even if the M.Ed was from a Global Ivy an Elite/First tier IS is going to be less impressed with that type of prestige/status it will still count but its not going to overshadow the very real lack of experience you off and HK being one of the little tigers doesnt have a problem attracting candidates (less so in the last half decade, but still not a hardship location).

2) Not really, as long as you complete your contract, have a positive reference and you have a professionally reasonable rational for the movement. Better IS, moving up a tier, more desirable region, more coin, more responsibility, TLR, leadership, significant change in assignment (upper primary to lower primary, exhibition year, etc.), new curriculum, etc. all of those will work.

3) Sure. A lot of ITs at the Elite/First tier in LOS have resumes around a decade of experience and an advanced degree, a lot of ITs with those caliber of resumes also applied and didnt get appointed.

4) Getting out of the classroom. Primary is saturated and good PYP ITs are more difficult to come by but its still primary. Either get really specialized in primary (ICT, etc.) or transition out of the classroom into junior leadership roles such as coordinator or HOD, Grade/Subject Lead, or senior leadership roles such as AP/DP/VP, etc, including executive leadership. There are fewer leadership roles compared to classroom roles, but the viable candidate pools at the screening stage for what leadership roles there are tend to be smaller.

5) Get to LOS/BKK sooner rather than later, much sooner if at all possible. Its really all about fit, and the best way to demonstrate that is getting to know the leaders that would be in a position to hire you at one of those Elite/First tier ISs. Youre doing an M.Ed great, do an internship to get into their IS and build some face time with those leaders. Not dong an internship, do your capstone/thesis utilizing their IS (a case study on PYP implementation progression). Do some cross grade level collaboration with an IT from their IS. Meet and greet with them at PD such as IB workshops, etc. You will drastically increase your opportunities of getting real face time with those people the closer you are to them.

6) A Masters should do more than get you into a classroom even if youre not already in a classroom. Look at what your degree focus is in, and consider if a different focus will increase the number of opportunities for you besides classroom roles.

7) Marry someone who is also an edu, preferably someone who doesnt compete with you for similar roles.

8) Put together a portfolio, preferably a digital one. Why, because very few people do them. Resumes tell you how long youve been standing at one end of the room and how long youve marked/graded student work, administered assessments, constructed lesson plans and done various types of collaboration. Everyone thats an IT does the edu stuff. It goes with the job description. Showing videos of your classroom design, integration of learning centers and how you implement differentiation in real life is far more compelling than the statements for those things. Change your meds/peds/asst approaches each year or every other year so that you can show you are comfortable with change and adaptation and have a broad range of styles you can use in a classroom. Everyone can stand at a whiteboard marker in hand facing a grid of desks and chairs and blather for 20 minutes while snapping fingers/clapping hands, and then walk around the room while students work. Thats the I watched a youtube video on how to teach and was not unconscious while doing it.
Being an expert/master at PYP at a top PYP/IB IS is a lot of not very impressive, everyone who is at that stage and in that environment is an expert at PYP in a PYP IS (some just talk the talk as well as those who walk the walk) you want and need to be that plus something else.

Thanks for your reply PG.

1.) I figured as much. Perhaps the best career move is to stay at my upcoming school for a second contract. The city I'm moving to in China is a solid tier 2 city, which I have read only good things about. It's in close proximity to a cool tier 1 as well... so long as covid zero hasn't decimated its morale too badly... I guess I'll hope for the best, first see what's out there during the recruiting season in late 2023, then fall back on possibly entering a second contract to take on more responsibility/leadership.

2.) Could you elaborate on what an "exhibition year" is?

3.) Cheers

4.) Any idea what type of specializations in primary are most in demand? I would imagine literacy is saturated? STEM being more in demand?

5.) My master's program offers a full-time semester-long internship course at the end of it. Do those big three in BKK even consider internships for classroom roles? I can't imagine it's in their best interest to put a lesser experienced IT in a classroom, even if they are getting them for free, not like they're hurting for cash...

6.) I'm in a classroom now and moving into another this fall. The program is a M.Ed in Advanced Teaching and Learning, I can focus on Primary/Middle or Secondary. And take a specialization in either Literacy or STEM. I'm leaning toward STEM as I believe it to be more in demand. But to be honest I enjoy teaching literacy more, probably just because I have more experience doing it. I'd imagine STEM is more enjoyable to teach as it can be more hands on.

7). Will highly consider it lol. I've read from others these logistical hires are becoming less and less common though, is that true?

8.) Yes this is a great idea. I've made a website, just need to keep it updated.

@spartan34

1) Get to LOS sooner rather than later.

2) Exhibition is the culminating portfolio activity for the PYP.

3) It depends on the IS as specialist ITs at primary vary. ICT/DT generally has the highest. Most of the STEM subjects such as science and maths are taught by HRTs (along with literature, reading, and humanities) but sometimes you find an IS that has specialist ITs for those subjects.

4) They have had interns before but its a paid position and very competitive. Youre internship doesnt have to be a classroom role. It could be technology integration, STEM labs, reading, SEN/SPED/LD, ESOL, etc. The goal isnt to get into a classroom its to get into the IS so that leadership can see you in action on a daily basis. It doesnt matter what it is your doing. Its ultimately showing youre a good fit for the IS to those that can appoint you.

5) You are doing the UPe program I take it. The difference between the STEM track and the Literacy track is a single 8 week course, just do both of them.

6) Its not less common overall in IE, but thats overall. They arent being abolished though.