Wednesday 19 November 2008

Teaching at International Schools

Updated 2 May 2018

Many people believe that jobs at international schools are dream jobs. However, not all international schools are created equally. British Expats has a useful article about the different types of international schools. The US State Department has some good info on teaching overseas.

International school teachers get paid summer vacations and better hours than teachers working at language institutes. However, it may be a bit more stressful because you have more lesson planning, meetings, and grading. You can find lots of info on the International Schools Review's forums and article section. If you're in it for the money, you might want to take a look at what Andrew Hallam wrote about international teaching not being lucrative.

No Teaching License?
It's still possible to get hired at an international school. There are a lot of variables, such as your background, your visa, the type of school, and where the school is located. Find how to get hired as well as how to become a licensed teacher by reading, do you need a licensed to teach at an international school?

Types of Jobs
International schools needs all types of teachers, administrators, speech therapists, consultants, principals, and more. You can usually teach at international schools if you've got a valid teaching license and at least two years teaching experience at a primary or secondary school. Even without a teaching license you might be able to get a job at an international school. Take a look at this post on Dave's and ISR's article for more info.

If you're interested in teaching special education, the US Dept of State has some great resources as does the article Going International with Special Needs Children. In addition, Sterling Medical Overseas places special ed teachers in schools. The regular job fairs and recruiting events are also worth looking at.

Can't Find a Job?
There are many reasons why you might not be able to find a job. Find out what some common hindrances are to getting hired and how to fix them.

Where should you go?
What I wrote about the best countries to TEFL in also holds true to international school teachers.If money's an issue check out Schools with High Savings Potential and Best and Worst School Benefit Packages. ISR has lots of info about salaries.

No matter where you are you should be able to budget wisely and save money. The Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam (a teacher at the American School in Singapore) is also worth a read. He has a lot of info about saving for retirement on his website as well.

Alternative Licensure Programmes and Getting Your Teaching License Online:
Please see this post for more information.


Licensure for American Citizens and Residents:
Please see this post for more information.


Recruiting Calendar
The following is for schools on the August / September to June school year.
  • September: Register with a recruitment agency or start contacting schools directly.
  • October / November: Submit references and dossier.
  • December: Jobs offered
  • February: Interview at the recruitment fairs or at the schools.
  • March / April:Contracts are signed.
  • May / June: A few more recruiting fairs open for schools to fill last minute vacancies.
  • July / August: Last-minute vacancies are filled. Send your CV out.
Where to Find Adverts
International School Job Fairs
Many positions are filled at recruitment fairs. International Schools Review has info on which fairs are the best, ratings for the past recruiting fairs, and this year's recruitment info. ISS is less popular as  ISR and ESL Cafe have both had people say they've had issues with them.
Recruiting Agencies
Applying Directly to Schools
What to do after Accepting a Job
30 Days to Move Abroad makes moving overseas a breeze.  Check out these articles as well.



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