I know this has been covered a bit, but I know some of the posts are older and possibly forgotten?
I have been a certified teacher here in the U.S. for 10 years. I taught for 2 years in Poland doing ESL stuff too. Certified in English, Social Studies, and Psych.
And I'm married, have a non-teaching spouse, and have an 8 month old and another on the way. Every school's dream, right?
1. Just curious on my chances of landing a position. I know it'll be tough.
2. Would love to hear from current families out there. I know there are a lot of teaching couples out there, would like to hear from them. Advice? Do's and Don'ts?
3. I ESPECIALLY would love to hear from any people out there who have non-teaching spouses and kids. Do you exist? Advice? Do's and don'ts?
Thanks in advance,
Trojan
Married, with Children
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beijing2003
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:49 pm
If you were a single teacher, you'd be incredibly employable - you have been teaching 10 yrs, have some overseas experience, have some ESL in your background and teach subjects every school offers (english/SS) as well as a subject that is growing rapidly and is hard to staff (Psych).
What will concern some schools is that you have 2 dependents (and another on the way). Some of the major schools - JIS, IS Beijing, ISKL - have a policy of only paying for 1 dependent per teacher. Thus, they may offer you a position, but only pay the health, flights, tuition etc for one of your 3 dependents.
However, don't give up hope. I worked at a school that employed a teacher with a child whose spouse was not teaching. Put yourself out there and see what response you get - you've got to be in it to win it!
Good luck:)
What will concern some schools is that you have 2 dependents (and another on the way). Some of the major schools - JIS, IS Beijing, ISKL - have a policy of only paying for 1 dependent per teacher. Thus, they may offer you a position, but only pay the health, flights, tuition etc for one of your 3 dependents.
However, don't give up hope. I worked at a school that employed a teacher with a child whose spouse was not teaching. Put yourself out there and see what response you get - you've got to be in it to win it!
Good luck:)
Still hoping to hear some family stories.
Even if you yourself aren't with families (particularly with a non-teaching spouse, which is what I'll have), a second hand account would be useful.
Just curious how life is with wife and kids. Difficult? Very doable? Anything would be interesting to hear about.
thanks,
Trojan
Even if you yourself aren't with families (particularly with a non-teaching spouse, which is what I'll have), a second hand account would be useful.
Just curious how life is with wife and kids. Difficult? Very doable? Anything would be interesting to hear about.
thanks,
Trojan
We're on our first overseas post with our four year old son. He goes to pre-K on the same campus, so we're very happy to have him nearby. Our students (high school) love him and are very patient with children in general. The other teachers play with him and treat him very well. It's a true family atmosphere; he has lots of "aunts" and "uncles."
We're very happy we made the decision to do this as a family.
We had no problem getting offers from schools that would fully cover our son's tuition (a priority for us), but we're a teaching couple so that helps.
The only word of caution I have for you is if your wife is staying home with (soon to be) 2 kids in a foreign country, she won't have the support system she might have at home. It can get very lonely not having another adult to talk to all day. Just a thought.
We wish you good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.
We're very happy we made the decision to do this as a family.
We had no problem getting offers from schools that would fully cover our son's tuition (a priority for us), but we're a teaching couple so that helps.
The only word of caution I have for you is if your wife is staying home with (soon to be) 2 kids in a foreign country, she won't have the support system she might have at home. It can get very lonely not having another adult to talk to all day. Just a thought.
We wish you good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.
Kids
Well I'm a TCK as well as a teacher's kid. I grew up in a K12 campus with my folks teaching there as well. As a kid it was sometimes difficult being a teacher's kid, but as a parent I wouldn't have it any other way. Right now my wife teaches at the same school my kids do. While we're still in the US, I want to move back overseas so that we are all on the same campus. Having your children on the same campus affords you a connection that most parents don't get.
As a child I moved from SE Wisconsin to Jakarta, Indonesia in the early 70's. I don't remember it being a difficult transition other than having to go to another school. I think kids are move adaptable than adults and make the transition easier.
As mentioned above, if your wife intends on getting pregnant and staying home overseas, make sure that's what you really want. I can get lonely and many don't have an easy go of it.
As a child I moved from SE Wisconsin to Jakarta, Indonesia in the early 70's. I don't remember it being a difficult transition other than having to go to another school. I think kids are move adaptable than adults and make the transition easier.
As mentioned above, if your wife intends on getting pregnant and staying home overseas, make sure that's what you really want. I can get lonely and many don't have an easy go of it.
I have had friends who had multiple dependents but they were usually on local contract, not something I would recommend. My observations would lead me to believe you might find it a tough slog in finding an overseas position with 2+ dependents. Many schools use the simple equation 1 teacher = 1 dependent when they are hiring. Of course, this rule can be broken at anytime if you offer a skill set that they can't find anywhere else. For example, our second overseas experience was with three children and the school let me do work in-kind to pay for the 3rd. I have to admit we got the better end of that deal, but the school was happy.
Having young children overseas can be a wonderful experience. They open doors up that otherwise remain shut with older children and teenagers. Some locales offer the advantage of having in home help, which none of us could afford in North America. Of course your spouse will have special challenges and you should put some thought into what it might be like at home with two young children while you are away at work. Things to consider are how far would you live from school, would you have a car, would you live in an apartment or a house with a yard. All these things, plus many others, will affect your quality of life and ultimately your happiness.
Having young children overseas can be a wonderful experience. They open doors up that otherwise remain shut with older children and teenagers. Some locales offer the advantage of having in home help, which none of us could afford in North America. Of course your spouse will have special challenges and you should put some thought into what it might be like at home with two young children while you are away at work. Things to consider are how far would you live from school, would you have a car, would you live in an apartment or a house with a yard. All these things, plus many others, will affect your quality of life and ultimately your happiness.
[quote="Trojan"]What does 'TCK' mean?[/quote]
Third Culture Kid
Resources:
http://www.iched.org/cms/scripts/page.p ... _resources
Third Culture Kid
Resources:
http://www.iched.org/cms/scripts/page.p ... _resources
True, I know tuition is not the only expense a family incurs, but boy, for many of these schools, we're talking tens of thousands of dollars they miss out on. Also, my kid isn't even a year old, so she wouldn't need a plane ticket. For housing, I'm trying to stay as flexible as possible. Looks like many schools have two bedroom apartments available.
But yes, a very real and unavoidable expense would be the insurance. I wonder how much that costs a school in a given year?
But yes, a very real and unavoidable expense would be the insurance. I wonder how much that costs a school in a given year?
Trojan,
I'm sorry I am coming off as a wet blanket. I don't mean to sound negative. I do wish you the best of luck in your search, as I said in an earlier post, if they want you the rules will change. Now that I think about it I have a friend who just got hired in Munich with two dependents, so there is an exception to the rule I cited. It is possible.
I'm sorry I am coming off as a wet blanket. I don't mean to sound negative. I do wish you the best of luck in your search, as I said in an earlier post, if they want you the rules will change. Now that I think about it I have a friend who just got hired in Munich with two dependents, so there is an exception to the rule I cited. It is possible.
Overhere,
You're not coming off as a wet blanket. It's nice to hear the truth and not have people sugar coat it. I am, however, trying to keep it positive, as we are making a big family decision by deciding to teach overseas. Selling the house, my wife quitting her current job, etc.
I just have to think that some of these schools, prestigious as they claim to be, would have to want a teacher with multiple certifications, overseas experience, and ten years as a teacher over some other, less qualified teachers.
I'm hoping, anyway.
You're not coming off as a wet blanket. It's nice to hear the truth and not have people sugar coat it. I am, however, trying to keep it positive, as we are making a big family decision by deciding to teach overseas. Selling the house, my wife quitting her current job, etc.
I just have to think that some of these schools, prestigious as they claim to be, would have to want a teacher with multiple certifications, overseas experience, and ten years as a teacher over some other, less qualified teachers.
I'm hoping, anyway.
Selling house
[quote="Trojan"]Overhere,
You're not coming off as a wet blanket. It's nice to hear the truth and not have people sugar coat it. I am, however, trying to keep it positive, as we are making a big family decision by deciding to teach overseas. Selling the house, my wife quitting her current job, etc. [/quote]
I'm looking at possible doing this next year. Selling my house all of a sudden has become a major hurdle with the market tanking. Good luck in selling! With houses in our area staying on the market for months, trying to sell after any job fair is going to be tough for us.
You're not coming off as a wet blanket. It's nice to hear the truth and not have people sugar coat it. I am, however, trying to keep it positive, as we are making a big family decision by deciding to teach overseas. Selling the house, my wife quitting her current job, etc. [/quote]
I'm looking at possible doing this next year. Selling my house all of a sudden has become a major hurdle with the market tanking. Good luck in selling! With houses in our area staying on the market for months, trying to sell after any job fair is going to be tough for us.