How old is too old?

And on the other side of the coin, how young is too young? I'm talking about teaching abroad, of course.

I received an email from a lovely lady called Marlene who is very keen to move her teaching career abroad, but is concerned that, at 57, she is too old!

Here is an excerpt from my book, The Complete Guide to Securing a Job at an International School that deals with just this topic:

"Age (at both ends of the scale)
Age might be an issue in some countries because of visa requirements, but usually more mature people are attractive to international schools because they are believed to be stable.

On the other hand, many schools operate a salary scale that makes less experienced (which frequently means younger) teacher financially attractive to schools.

If you are used to being on the top of the pay scale, you might want to ask if the salary step you start on is capped. I have heard that some schools require all new teachers to the school to start on the same salary step, regardless of years of experience."

As I told Marlene, there are some schools that will not offer you a new full-time teaching contract after you turn 60, and there are some that will. Also, there are some countries which will not grant you a new working visa after you pass the age of 60. However, for every country or school that won't you will find a school or country that will.

If you are approaching 60, don't let this information put you off teaching abroad. Even if the country you desire working in the most is one that has the over 60 rule, you can certainly pack a number of unforgettable experiences into the years before you reach the big 6-0.

Mature teachers have a lot to offer schools and many recruiters recognise this fact.