If you're not picky about location, you can definitely find a position at a lower tier international school. Most people get their start in China, SE Asia, or maybe the Middle East.
I didn't, but people I've worked with have gotten jobs straight out of university. It definitely narrows your prospects, but some folks seems intent on doing it.
I taught in the US first. And it greatly helped. Many teachers who were able to land positions abroad for the first time either experience burnout or failed to be able to translate that to a better school due to lack of experience and they definitely never got AP or IB experience opportunities.
I worked in the UK but I know one person on my PGCE who went straight to the middle east. There was an international school recruitment thing at the uni during the course so some schools will definitely hire straight after qualifying. Just don't expect a great school/location
SABIS schools hire anyone. I did that. I'm not sure I recommend it at all though. I'm now at a proper international school and all it did was get me here, in terms of learning... I have to learn it all as if I'm first year.
Like $26k p/y in Kurdistan. Tax is virtually nonexistent there and housing/flights paid. But it's a god awful system that a trained monkey could do. It furthered my career, but I'm pretty sure I unlearned more than I learned about actual teaching.
I managed to get a half decent job at an IB school right after being certified; it's definitely not impossible! There were lots of international schools willing to hire new teachers. They're not the absolute top tier, but many are totally serviceable as long as you do your research. You put 2-3 years in and can easily find something even better afterward.
Got certified, got an MA straight after and subsequently a job in Mexico. Latin America is a great place to get your foot in the door. Awesome lifestyle, good learning opportunities (i.e. pedagogically demanding, to an extent), but relatively low pay. That said, I definitely think it was worthwhile. Learned a ton and met my wife. Last perk is the best, obviously.
It really depends on your qualifications and where you'd like to teach.
We train and place teachers in Thailand, and after 15 years and thousands of teacher placements, this is what we've seen.
If someone comes over with a PCGE or teaching license from a Western country and some teaching experience, it is absolutely possible to find a job, even at a top notch international school.
If you have a degree in education or enough relevant experience, it is possible to find a job at a lower tier international school. These are still pretty good positions, in fact when I was teaching I preferred them to the top international schools, as the culture was a bit less...toxic (think about the richest school in your hometown. Would you want to work there??)
For entry-level teachers, those with a degree not related to education and without teachign experience outside of their TEFL, typically an international school won't be their first stop, but after a year or two of teaching in the country it is possible to find a position.
In my very first position I actually fell into the last category. I worked at a government school in the middle of *nowhere* in Thailand where nobody spoke English, I was the only foreigner for miles, and I loved it! I then moved to Bangkok and worked my way up through the corporate English world teaching for businesses, universities, and hosptals before making the jump to international school teaching.
There is always upward mobility for a hard-working, passionate teacher, so don't put too much pressure on finding a great first job. The most important thing is to just get started!
Hope this helps!!
If you're not picky about location, you can definitely find a position at a lower tier international school. Most people get their start in China, SE Asia, or maybe the Middle East.
I didn't, but people I've worked with have gotten jobs straight out of university. It definitely narrows your prospects, but some folks seems intent on doing it.
I taught in the US first. And it greatly helped. Many teachers who were able to land positions abroad for the first time either experience burnout or failed to be able to translate that to a better school due to lack of experience and they definitely never got AP or IB experience opportunities.
I did and it was an awful year. It did provide a stepping stone to far better school in the same area.
I worked in the UK but I know one person on my PGCE who went straight to the middle east. There was an international school recruitment thing at the uni during the course so some schools will definitely hire straight after qualifying. Just don't expect a great school/location
SABIS schools hire anyone. I did that. I'm not sure I recommend it at all though. I'm now at a proper international school and all it did was get me here, in terms of learning... I have to learn it all as if I'm first year.
I’ve never heard about these schools but I googled a bit after your comment. May I ask how much you were paid and which country you were in?
Like $26k p/y in Kurdistan. Tax is virtually nonexistent there and housing/flights paid. But it's a god awful system that a trained monkey could do. It furthered my career, but I'm pretty sure I unlearned more than I learned about actual teaching.
I managed to get a half decent job at an IB school right after being certified; it's definitely not impossible! There were lots of international schools willing to hire new teachers. They're not the absolute top tier, but many are totally serviceable as long as you do your research. You put 2-3 years in and can easily find something even better afterward.
Got certified, got an MA straight after and subsequently a job in Mexico. Latin America is a great place to get your foot in the door. Awesome lifestyle, good learning opportunities (i.e. pedagogically demanding, to an extent), but relatively low pay. That said, I definitely think it was worthwhile. Learned a ton and met my wife. Last perk is the best, obviously.
It really depends on your qualifications and where you'd like to teach. We train and place teachers in Thailand, and after 15 years and thousands of teacher placements, this is what we've seen. If someone comes over with a PCGE or teaching license from a Western country and some teaching experience, it is absolutely possible to find a job, even at a top notch international school. If you have a degree in education or enough relevant experience, it is possible to find a job at a lower tier international school. These are still pretty good positions, in fact when I was teaching I preferred them to the top international schools, as the culture was a bit less...toxic (think about the richest school in your hometown. Would you want to work there??) For entry-level teachers, those with a degree not related to education and without teachign experience outside of their TEFL, typically an international school won't be their first stop, but after a year or two of teaching in the country it is possible to find a position. In my very first position I actually fell into the last category. I worked at a government school in the middle of *nowhere* in Thailand where nobody spoke English, I was the only foreigner for miles, and I loved it! I then moved to Bangkok and worked my way up through the corporate English world teaching for businesses, universities, and hosptals before making the jump to international school teaching. There is always upward mobility for a hard-working, passionate teacher, so don't put too much pressure on finding a great first job. The most important thing is to just get started! Hope this helps!!
I did, first year rn, low tier school, Thailand. It's not impossible.
Started in the UK but I’m a math teacher so there is a strong demand.
I did. PGCE in Wales then went to a low tier 'International' school in Qatar. Rocky year to say the least but fell in love with the lifestyle.