Job Discussion Forums

[Sweeniak]

It seems like AMIDEAST's status is actually a good fit for my situation with regards to being part-time and able to hire on spousal visas. I understand that it's different country to country. So far I have a good feeling about the AMIDEAST office based on my correspondence so far.

I actually found myself unknowingly in an illegal situation while teaching in Jordan. The school where I worked, the Modern American School, didn't report us to the MoE and after an inspection during which school staff had expat teachers literally hide, we were informed to tell anyone who asked that we were "volunteers." Needless to say it was NOT an ideal situation and I ended up leaving early when I realized my contract was null and void because of the school's practices.

I yet again want to pick all your brains as you've been wonderfully helpful and my questions evolve. I have been looking into an online masters program from George Mason University in America - what used to be called the FAST TRAIN program and is now called Teaching Culturally, Linguistically Diverse and Exceptional Learners. It's a 2-yr. online/summer session program that leads to a masters degree in either international ESOL or elementary ed and a US teaching license. It's the only program I've found that fits my situation (living and teaching abroad but really providing legit creds), but it's about 16K USD!

An alternative I'm considering is the British Council's 12-week CELTA course for 1000 OMR. It seems like a faster, more affordable option for getting qualifications while living in Muscat.

Is a CELTA plus my BA in Philosophy enough to make me "fully qualified" as an international teacher, or would I still need a degree in education? Advice/recommendations?

[nomad soul]