Job Discussion Forums

[coledavis]

For advertisements, as well as TES (Times Educational Supplement), also check out the Guardian (Tuesday's edition). www.tes.co.uk
www.guardian.co.uk/jobs

[lolwhites]

I once had a Canadian housemate who had come over to the UK for a year to teach, so it can be done.

[malu]

As a Brit who can't afford to live in the UK, I suggest you check out international schools in the Mid East and Asia if you are looking for a reasonable standard of living. Again, TES is a good starting point as is Select Recruitment.

There are good reasons for working in the UK if you have a family as state education and health care are OK (although most Brits complain bitterly about them!). If you are single, I would have thought the UK was well down the preferred list of teaching destinations.

Paperwork, endless student assessment and relatively high teaching loads are other reasons to stay out of the UK state school system.

[darkside1]

If you get a teaching job in a remote/ unpopular Scottish location you may be eligible for 'key worker' housing from the local council. I was talking to guy a couple of days back who got a house in the Highlands that way. It is usually a decent standard house or flat and the rent is low cost.

Regarding assessment: there are no SATs at ages 7,11 and 14 in English, Maths and Science in Scotland (as in the English National Curriculum). There are, however, national tests and target setting in English and Maths but schools (if not classroom teachers) seem to have some discretion in how they are applied.

The new 'Curriculum for Excellence' in Scotland in SOME ways seems to mark a shift away from the test- dominated culture that has dominated the UK for years now, but in practice a lot of schools will still face the same pressures from inspectors, employers and parents to churn out A grades in exam subjects.

We don't have Ofsted in Scotland: the inspectorate is called HMIe and is a bit (20%?) less intrusive and seems to now be focused on improving learning and teaching rather than simply number crunching. It is still politically driven though (IMHO).

Having taught in both systems, I'd say Scotland is slightly less straight- jacketed than England; but then again England is a much bigger country so there are bound to be big regional differences.

I live in Glasgow and I must say I don't recognize the 'urban chaos' referred to elsewhere. Having said that, in the area I teach there have been at least 4 murders and an armed seige within easy walking distance of the school in the last 4 years.

I have good reasons to be here at the moment otherwise I'd consider working abroad again but I am in no way desperate to leave.

[malu]

[canadashirleyblue]

The website for Scotland is www.gtcs.org.uk

If you look on it you can go to the section where it talks about teachers trained outside Scotland and see where you might fit into the scheme of things.

In England I never saw a EAL job advertised in a state school that did not require the applicant to first have QTS. It has been a stated prerequisite in every position I have seen advertised. I know. I looked for years. However, if you can get your qualifications recognized in Scotland by applying it wouldn't be an issue. Secondary seems to be more in demand in England ( I am not familiar with Scotland) and I expect maths would be a good bet if your degree qualifies you for it.

Scotland has lots of culture and history and would be well worth a few years. You could then get your qualifications recognized in England and 'do' London if you wanted to. I don't think you would likely save any money in either place though.

The weather in the UK is a lot better than Winnipeg. But then isn't everywhere?

If you want to save money you should go to the middle east. You can probably get at least $30,000 CAD a year tax free, medical insurance, free accomodation, electricity etc. and one flight back to Winnipeg a year from most middle eastern countries. Prices are similar to or less than Canada for most things. Be careful to avoid schools that are profit making though.

[jammish]

Yeah, but then you're in the Middle East. In London you have almost anything you could possibly want.

As for needing 250 quid a month to commute in - where was your daughter living? Siberia?

You could easily find a room in a shared house within zone 2 (e.g. Hackney, Islington, Camden) for 350 pounds a month. Dunno what you are talking about. A monthly 1-2 travelcard is only 90 pounds.

London isn't as dangerous as the sensationalist media like to claim. I come from within 10 minutes walk of the 'murder mile' (Clapton). I have never been a victim of crime, despite being a prime target for it - male, (then) early 20s, always out and about late at night, etc.

And while it might not be as clean or whatever as canada, it's got way more going on....

That said, I don't live there - but not cos I don't rate it, just because my job then wasn't very good and I was bored so decided to go and TEFL overseas.

For my money London is the best place in the world if you've got a decent salary and a job you like.

[coledavis]

There are some interesting jobs offers at the moment on Gumtree.co.uk

[canadashirleyblue]

My daughter lives about half an hour on the train outside London. Of course, the whole journey takes a lot longer than that. When I asked her she said that houses in Islington are selling for �2million so lots of luck. She looked at a shared house in Greenwich which would have been �400 to �500 a month for each of three.

Yes. It was my point in the beginning that you might find it difficult to find a job you like with a decent salary(ie one that would pay your bills) in London. I love London. But I can't afford to live there.

I also think you need to think twice about the middle east. It could be SO easy to get yourself in trouble there.

If the original poster is young, male and from Winnipeg he might well be into nature and sports. I still think he should look into Poland. Or maybe Turkey.