Teaching overseas - Q&A

A number of individuals are going through emotional highs and challenging decisions these days. In the the state of Massachusetts, many hopeful teachers, aides, counselors, and administrators are plying the overseas teaching market in search for work.

Good luck in those decisions to all!

These job fairs seem like a very competitive meat market for 24 hours as they begin, and then the tables turn for candidates and now they must decide which school offer to accept... inshallah. I interviewed with 12-15 schools, and I choose my current school from three good offers. Why Pakistan? explains my decision to come here. I learned a lot from my first international school fair and continue to learn more afterwards as a relatively new teacher to this overseas market.

Many people don't know individuals in this market to ask questions. The following person's emails have been reprinted with permission [edited for privacy and brevity] , after we began a dialogue on a international schools discussion board.



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Hi, thanks for the email address. I imagine there the boards sometimes lead to arguments.

Any information you could share on the topics of overseas schools would be appreciated. As I mentioned, I am new to all this, but really very interested in this...

Anyway, where/what are you teaching? How long have you been up at it?

Id be open to just about anywhere. I was looking into the military as well with the DoDS schools. That would seem to offer the best of both worlds- overseas exp and an American culture within the school. I was looking at doing my student teaching at one hopefully,Then there are corporate schools. I dont know much about them.

Anyway, I have BUNCHES of questions, but I wont knock you down with them. Any help you could offer would be much appreciated though!

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I'm not sure where you are on your journey to teaching overseas, but I'm assuming you haven't attended a recruiting fair.

The two major US recruiting fairs are occurring now, Search in Cambridge, MA and ISS in Boston, MA. It's much too late to enter now, and these two fairs are very competitive, so it's best to wait for summer if you haven't prepared. Yes, February is the typical hiring season for overseas - but really it starts as early as December (with a fair in Bangkok and Dubai over winter break).

My research on teaching overseas got a boost from an overseas teacher who recommended www.joyjobs.com . They'll let you sign-up for a few free email flyers that are basic and informative, but the 'meat' comes from signing up for their annual service (~$40) and reading their Guide to overseas teaching, which is due to be revised by the fall. I suggest signing up now if you're serious and working through the guide. ISR seems nice and has a forum which 'joyjobs' does not have - but it seems young and tends to look with opposition upon administration. If you have the money, consider TIE Online and ISR for there publications and reviews, respectively.

I'm new to international schools (1st school, 1st year), but I taught at a local school in Ghana for over two years previously. I teach physics, chemistry, AP chemistry, and environmental science at a relatively small international school in Pakistan.

I don't know about DoD schools or much about other schools, besides for the 12-15 schools from across the globe that I interviewed with last year at ISS's fair in Boston.

I planned a year and a half in advance before teaching overseas, but you can still get hired for August if you are flexible and follow the above Guide (worth every penny, in my opinion).

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First off, feel free to use any questions I pose. I am greatful to have I am at the very beginning my the process of teaching. Long story, but i decided I wanted a career far more adventursome. I am back in school getting my elementary teachers cert. I think I would be a good choice as a teacher based on my background in beh. management.

Anyway, I am in the second semester of what im figuring to be a six semester process. Im looking to shave some time off it, but its still going to be a while.

Youre in Pakistan? Wow, how is that currently? Where did you get your training?

I know its going to take some time to get this going. I realize after getting the cert. you have to have about two years minimum before applying. Someone else once mentioned to me that counselors are also recruited, and mentioned there is a need in such schools. Have you heard anything along these lines? Im looking to get out of the field, but depending on the openings, I could see myself still in such a position.

As I said, Im still pretty green on these matters, and open to any opinions and perspectives I can get from people. Thanks for the link to your blog!

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Pakistan is larger than my comprehension. I enjoy my school community but it's also challenging to live here far from friends/family. This place has a number of differences from home but the challenge of adjusting is also part of the pleasure of leaving overseas.

My training in living overseas was in the Peace Corps Ghana (i.e. culture, language, health, professional, etc.). My training as a teacher was Vanderbilt University and the school of hard-knocks (i.e. work).

Most 'good' international schools want two years experience. However, you can teach abroad beforehand at local schools, volunteering, teaching english, exchange programs, etc.

All personnel are needed at international schools. Teacher aides and secretaries tend to be local staff, but faculty (including special education and ESL), counselors, and administrators tend to be expatriates. If your looking at counseling, take a hint from our school counselor and get your certification in the field. He told me previously that surprisingly few counselors trying to get overseas positions have counseling certification. Openings for counselors vary by school but I'd wager a guess that they stay at schools for longer than the average 2-5 years most teacher spend at any given school. I have no idea about their demand.

I suggest you branch out for other opinions. Find an international school website and cruise for email addresses. This is how I found http://www.joyjobs.com/ and started taking practical steps in this direction. I think many teachers will respond to your sincere questions.

Directories of International Schools:
www.cois.org/directory/Select_School.asp
http://www.joyjobs.com/ (must pay for access)
princeton.iss.edu/displaydirectory/displaycountries.asp

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thanks again for the reply. Yeah, Pakistan is a very large area. The sizes over there are often lost on Americans I think. I had a course in geography last term, and even I had my eyes opened on a few things.

When you say to get your certification, I was wondering what you meant by that. I have a cert. as a social worker, but not a school one for the area Im living. I had taken a course or two on it, but gave up on that. Actually it was on social work. I got too burned out on it here. I would imagine its a bit different overseas, and Im open to other things as well. I decided that in the long run though, pursuing a role as a teacher would beat out the social worker role...

I really appreciate the help. I had also gone to the international center yesterday at my alma mater, .. , and they provided very helpful information as well. Thanks for the help!

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I'll update the dialogue periodically, but interested individuals should check out the above websites or just email me [junkmailslc@yahoo.com].