Want a Private Education for your Children but You Cannot Afford It?

You need to teach overseas! Pick a country, any country, and there will be at least one international school there. International Schools offer private education for expatriate’s children worldwide. And, while most of the parents have to pay school fees, one of the conditions nearly always included in the contracts of international teachers is free education for the teachers’ children.

Did you know that there are over 4000 international schools worldwide, all requiring teachers to staff them, many of them offering excellent quality private education.

Picking a school that suits both your children’s needs and yours can be challenging, but it is possible. In a recent interview I conducted with international teachers, Maggie Hos-McGrane, an international teacher of 19 years experience said that after she had completed her research she’d found only 30 of the more than 4000 international schools suited both her and her children. If you have children, here are some things you should consider when applying for teaching posts abroad in international schools.

Is the school out to make a profit?
There are a number of different kinds of international schools to choose from, some are run by a board and are not designed to make a profit, and others are run by an individual or company in order to make a profit. Some are supported by companies or embassies, the list goes on...

As a teacher you will be concerned that the school’s educational philosophy matches your own. As a parent you want to insure that your children’s education is the priority of the school, rather than the amount of money spent on educational materials and the effect that will have on the school’s owner’s profit.

There are some directors or owners of international schools that may be more interested in the financial benefits of running a school than the education benefits to the students. Be aware, both as a prospective employee and as a parent.

Is the school accredited, or a member of an appropriate association?
International schools can become accredited by an organization that sets educational and operational standards for international education institutions. One such organization is the Council of International Schools (CIS). In order for an international school to become accredited by CIS, they must go through a rigorous appraisal process which looks at the staff and management, the facilities and, the quality of teaching and learning in the school.

If an international school is accredited, then you can be confident that the quality of education provided by the school is high. Most schools that are accredited by an organization like CIS advertise their status on their webpage, brochures and stationery. Keep an eye out for logos and such. These will let you know which organisations have a relationship with the school.

Other organizations that offer accreditation for international schools are NEASC, COBISEC, ISCIS and the Association of Christian Schools International, to name a few.

How many students are in the school?
This is particularly of concern for parents of high school aged children as the number of students in a school may affect the number of subject choices offered at higher levels. For example, if there are only 30 students in the graduating class, then the school will have to limit the number of subjects being offered to make it cost effective. For example, a small school may not have the numbers of students to run both business studies and economics. Or may not have the numbers to run maths higher, maths standard and maths studies. This can often affect profit and non-profit making schools alike.

Additionally, the number of students in the school can affect the number and type of extra curricular activities offered, and therefore your child’s opportunities to experience team sports and other activities that are usually run after school.

When a school has a large number of students, this can also mean that the school is more likely to have a well-stocked library, well equipped laboratories, up-to-date computer equipment and outdoor activity areas. This is usually true of larger schools simply because there is a larger pot of money to fund these facilities from.

On the other hand a school that has thousands of students, while usually offering a wide variety of subjects and activities for students, can often be an anonymous place for children. It is up to you to decide what a good balance is for you and your family.

Which curricula does the school subscribe to?
There are international schools abroad that offer what is essentially a national curriculum. In fact, in the case of many British schools abroad, it’s even called the National Curriculum.

You can find international schools that are running the national curriculum from America, Britian, Australia, Canada, France (usually taught in French), and so on. Securing a teaching contract in an international school that offers the national curriculum that you and your children are used to will help ease the transition. However, you are not limited by the curricula that you have taught in the past, international schools are generally looking for good teachers and realize that we can adapt and teach any curriculum.

When you are looking for a good school for your children, you may run up against some curricula that you haven’t come across before. For example, there is the school wide system offered by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). The IBO offers the Primary Years Programme up to Year 6, the Middle Years Programme from Years 7 to 11, and the Diploma Years Programme for Years 12 and 13.

Which examinations will your children be working towards?
There are a number of examinations available for international school students, and you will need to understand the options before making any decisions about accepting an employment contract.

I mentioned the IBO previously as being a school wide programme. However many schools adopt bits and pieces of the programme. You may find that an international school offers the Diploma for the upper two years but offers the British IGCSE for Years 10 and 11. IGCSE is an examination based qualification, and the IBO Middle Years Programme has no formal examination assessment, students get a certificate and a record of achievement. Some international schools have a mix and match attitude to the curricula offered.

International schools that run national curricula tend to prepare students for the related national exams. American schools overseas run a mixture of state curricula and AP courses.

I am primarily concerned with helping teachers get teaching jobs in international schools. Here I have listed just a few of the factors you’ll need to consider if you are interested to get a private education for your children by teaching overseas. While I don’t have any children of my own, many of my colleagues do, and they believe that the education their children are receiving abroad is better than what they could get back home, wherever home may be.

You can find out more about the benefits to teaching overseas and the pitfalls that await the unknowing newcomer by listening to Overseas Teachers Talk, a collection of interviews with experienced international educators.

7 teachers = 50+ years experience and every corner of the globe.

Teaching Overseas

From the Horse's Mouth, to use a cliche

I recently interviewed an experienced recruiter from a leading international school, here's just one piece of advice from him...

When you read vacancy advertisements for international teaching posts. Don't assume that you won't get the job just because they're asking for applicants with a Master's Degree and you don't have one.

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' is the response I got when I asked about this in the interview. Regardless of whether you exactly match what the school is asking for, you should submit your application pack.

International schools are looking for great teachers, and that doesn't always mean years spent getting academic qualifications!

You can check out this interview and 7 more in Overseas Teachers Talk - an Interview Series with International Teachers.

Teaching in a Muslim country.

There are over 4000 international schools worldwide. Many of them are located in countries where the official religion is Muslim. In light of recent events, this may put some teachers off from applying for teachng positions in these countries. I hope this article will shed some light on what your life would be like living in a Muslim country.

You would probably be expected to follow the Arab calendar for holy days and holidays. The people I know who have taught in Muslim countries have worked 5 days a week, but the weekend was always either Thursday and Friday or Friday and Saturday. Additionally schools are usually shut for a short holiday to celebrate Ramadan.

Depending on how strictly a country follows the teaching of the Koran, families where the main income earner is a female may not be able to find teaching positions. This is because some Muslim countries have work permit regulations that preclude women from being ‘head of the household’. In these countries, teaching couples are welcomed.

In most countries men and women will be expected to dress modestly. For women, this may mean wearing a head covering, or it may simply mean being covered from shoulder to knee.

You may be expected to live in a compound. This will mean that you and your family will live in a gated community with other expatriate families. This can often work out very well for families as there will be other children to play with and the very nature of a gated community should afford parents some piece of mind with regards to a child’s safety.

Teaching in a Muslim country is a personal choice. You should ensure that you know what cultural differences you will experience before you sign a contract. One source for researching culture shock and the differences between what you're used to and what you can expect in a new country are the Culture Shock! Guides.

Do you know what you're doing this summer vacation?

I know it's only February, but I am nearly finished planning my summer vacation. Why? Because I'm in the middle of an overseas teaching contract where annual flights are included in the employment benefits. This means, sorting my flights out as early as possible so that I can get the maximum travel I can for my flight allowance.

I am off to Romania to hang out with a couple of American teachers I met when we were all working just outside of London, England. One of them is teaching at an international school in Bucharest. As I didn't make it out to see her when she was in the United Arab Emirates, I thought I'd make an effort to get out to see her this year.

And one of the best things about this vacation is that my flight allowance from my school will get me all the way to Europe and I will just need to buy some internal flights once we know for sure where we are going. We are thinking maybe somewhere along the coast of the Adriatic.

And we'll be spending some time in Romania, so I can check it out as a possible teaching destination in the future...

What Your Procrastination is Costing You!

I'm currently looking at the TES Jobs website in another window, and I've discovered that there are 229 international schools advertising jobs there this week.

I've looked at several adverts and many of these schools are advertising more than one teaching vacancy.

What are you waiting for? Check out the TES Jobs website today!

If you have any doubts that there are hundreds of fantastic opportunities out there for you to further your teaching career, go to TES Jobs and see what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter whether you are American, Australian or African, these are international jobs for international professionals.

Today there are teaching positions being advertised in:

• Indonesia,
• Taiwan,
• the Cayman Islands,
• France,
• Denmark,
• Spain

And those are just the ones I found on the first page before investigating further.

TES Jobs is the first place you should look to see what international teaching posts are available. Don't hesitate, go there and check it out now!

Decreasing Pool of Quality Applicants

In my last post I suggested teachers thinking of moving to the UK to teach reconsider and actually apply for teaching positions in international schools.

Between writing that post and this one I've learnt something very relevant about the international school sector. The number of international schools is increasing and the number of good quality teaching applicants for the teaching vacancies is decreasing.

The principal of my school has recently returned from the Search Job Fair in London. He made the comment that whilst he was able to find good candidates for the vacancies he needed to fill, he didn't have as much choice between good applicants as he'd had in previous years.

Conclusion - there is an opening in the international school sector for experienced, good quality educators.

Additionally, I picked up a newsletter published by the University of Bath in which there was an article about this very same topic! There is a teacher recruitment crisis looming for international schools.

Conclusion - now is the time for you to apply for teaching positions overseas.

The key to being successful in finding a teaching job abroad is in the preparation. Buy my book!!! And you will have a step-by-step guide to the recruitment process.

Did you know there are currently over 4000 international schools operating worldwide? I knew the number was big, I didn't realise it was quite so large. Last year alone (that's 2006) over 600 NEW international schools opened for business. Every one of those new schools will have to employ a teaching staff.

Will you be one of the professional educators who launch themselves into international teaching careers this year?

Source: ISC Research Limited

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.

TeachOverseas.info's February Newsletter

Yesterday I mentioned that I write a newsletter each month for my website, TeachOverseas.info. I sat down last night and wrote it. I know it's going to be a bit late going out, but I did write it in January - for February.

This month I decided to concentrate on what conditions teachers should be looking for in their international teaching contracts. There is a lot of diversity in conditions being offered, and you teachers shouldn't just be looking at the financial benefits. Teachers should also be looking at medical cover, pensions and tuition for their children.

Please sign up for my newsletter and I'll happily send you a copy of the February Newsletter.

Additionally, this month I wrote an article about how to judge the value of a teaching salary being offered by an international school. It's got as much to do with the cost of living in the destination country as it has with the dollar amount being offered. You can access the article at EzineArticles.

The Inaugral Blog - Mission Statement

This is my inaugral blog. I've decided to introduce my manifesto, or at least let you know what my mission is...

I teach overseas, in Thailand to be more precise. I have been working in the education sector for 10 years and have spent most of them teaching abroad. I love my job!

My mission is to help other teachers kick-start their international teaching careers.

I started working on this mission in November last year when I finished writing a book on the subject. I also write a newsletter each month with a selection of helpful tips on teaching in international schools and living abroad.

Currently I'm working on creating an audio product which will be a compilation of interviews from a broad selection of my teaching colleagues. So that educators who are thinking about moving abroad and supporting themselves with a teaching position can get the 'inside scoop'.

My plan for this blog is to bring my experience and thoughts to the masses - that's teachers who are interested! And hopefully help some people along the way.

Til next time...