International Teaching (Techlearning blog)

It is that time a year again in the international teaching world. The time when contracts are due, job fairs are just around the corner and life altering decisions need to be made.

I get asked quite frequently about international teaching, and seeing it’s that time of year again, I thought I’d share with you some information about the international teaching world.

A lot of people have a misconception about what overseas teaching is and isn’t. Teaching in most overseas schools is much like teaching in any school in America. For example, students that graduate from my school here in Shanghai, graduate with an American High School Diploma just like any other student in America. Our school is accredited through the same organization that accredits schools in America…the only difference is we’re not in America.

Some people confuse international schools with Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) or schools located on United States military bases to serve military families. International schools are privately run schools; they are either non-profit with a governing body such as a school board, or are privately owned by individuals or companies. For example our school is a non-profit private organization. Saudi Aramco International School, on the other hand, is ran and funded by the company Saudi Aramco and serves students of workers for that company.

In the international teaching world the recruiting process starts very early in the year. The three main companies operating in America, International Schools Services (ISS), Search Associates, and University of Northern Iowa, hold overseas job fairs starting in January and continuing through June throughout the world.

You must first sign up with a company(s), go through the usual process of gathering recommendation letters, transcripts, etc. and then choose a fair to attend. You can narrow down your global search to areas such as Asia, Europe, South America, Middle East, etc. Then put on the lucky suit or dress and head off to the interviews.

ISS claims to place 700 candidates annually in schools. There are literally hundreds of schools out here and you can pretty much bet there is at least one in every major city in the world. Some like Shanghai have multiple international schools, serving the growing numbers of expatiate workers moving here for work.

Schools offer different incentive packages. Many international schools on their web sites will give details of the package they offer for overseas hires at their schools.

If you are a teaching couple you usually have a slight advantage as schools can save some money on hiring a couple. Most schools will usually waive the tuition for teacher’s kids at the school, so your child gets a free international private education.

At the end of the day, it’s not a bad job, a chance to see the world, experience another culture and get paid for it…it’s like the ultimate vacation (except you have to work).

Why do I mention this here? As businesses become more global and companies shift where workers are in the world, there will be a need for more international teachers. Our school, for example, has grown from about 20 students in 1980 to 2,600 students today and still growing.

If you are interested in travel, in living abroad, I encourage you to look into overseas teaching. I’ll admit it was my wife’s idea (a school counselor) to move overseas and I’ve been in love with the experience ever since. In our 4 ½ years, we have traveled to more than 20 countries, have experienced things we never could have imagined, and truly love teaching in an international world. Sometimes, it pays to listen to your spouse!

(All pictures from my flickr photo stream. Australia, South Africa and China represented)

Comments

Hey Jeff... I have followed your blog for quite a long time and I appreciate your work. This is the first time I have commented, but I have been following...

My wife and I also taught overseas. We taught at Indianhead International School in South Korea and Escuela Internacional Sampedrana in Honduras. The lifestyle is awesome. You get to combine travel, education, culture, and still have a great career, family situation, and financial future.

My wife and I used the Northern Iowa University international job fair as we are midwesterners. I highly recommend the fair as we met lots of great contacts at the fair.

The four years of living overseas was and will be the highlights of our lives... We really only came back to teach in the States because we have started our family and we didn't want to keep the grand kids from our extended family. I can't recommend teaching overseas enough...

Jeff, you have been a great example of how one might teach overseas, but not really be that far away. Yes, you are in China, but with modern technology, you are just around the corner. Your ability to collaborate and contribute to the educational field is amazing.

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