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Flicka
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
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 Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 3:49 pm Post subject: Teaching certificates and International Schools |
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Getting ahead of myself rather, but am planning to do a PGCE (UK teaching certification) in about 4 years time. For that, I should choose between primary and secondary specialising in a specific subject. As usual, I can't choose... But it's not an urgent decision luckily!
Anyway, what I was wondering and hoping you guys could tell me is... once I have the PGCE, say I got it in secondary, English or French (what I did my degree in), could I also get a job teaching primary age kids at an International School if I wanted to at some point? I know my mum qualified to teach Science at secondary level but wound up teaching primary school in Botswana at an English medium school. But I don't know if that is common or not! |
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fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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You can always try. I've always been told that you need at least 2 years of experience in your home country. This serves two purposes. One you get done with your true idiot moments (you will do some things your first year of teaching that later you just won't understand). Secondly, education is nice, but you really don't understand what you are doing until you have done it. By doing it in your home country at a public school, you at least should know how to do things in the standard methodology. Now that doesn't mean you "can't" get a job without two years of experience. I am sure it happens, but its not how I chose to do things. The first two years go by really fast, so don't sweat it.
Now as to teaching secondary v/s primary. I am not really sure. I suspect some schools wouldn't care. But I think some schools would want you to be certified in what you teach (I am actually sure of that). For myself, I am certified in secondary. I don't do primary so I haven't looked into it. |
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Vanica
Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 368
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Fladude, did you get your cert in FL? How was that? Are you teaching now in public schools? |
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fladude
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 432
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Vanica wrote: |
| Fladude, did you get your cert in FL? How was that? Are you teaching now in public schools? |
I did my first cert in Florida. I am also certified in Alaska. I am just finishing up my second year at an Alaskan public school (2 weeks to go). I have signed a contract to teach at an International School in Central America next year. I teach Social Studies at the Secondary level. I am also certified to teach English, but would rather teach History (which is my background).
Florida's alternative certification process is pretty easy. I first had to prove that I was highly qualified to teach something. I established that by showing that I had taken 30 hours or more of Social Studies (History) at the 300 level or higher. Then I had to pass a police background check. And of course I had to pay a state fee/tax. Once I had done all that I was able to sign up for the Alternative certification program. As part of the program, I had to take a summer of classes (all day 5 days a week). So figure that I took about 3 months of classes going full time. The cost was fairly low (around 2k for the program, although the total cost was higher once you factored in books and such). I also had to pass the basic competency exam, a professional ethics exam, and had to pass the certification tests for Social Studies grades 6-12, English 6-12, and Social Studies 5-9. The tests costs extra money. That qualified me to teach those grades. Taking the 5-9 Social Studies was rather pointless since it only added grade 5 to my cert, and no one really hires a Social Studies teacher to instruct 5th grade. So I could have saved about 200 bucks if I had not bothered with that one. |
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Flicka
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:23 am Post subject: |
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| Oh yes, I already plan to spend the NQT year(s) in the UK as well, that query about International schools was for beyond then, if I want to go/live abroad again. |
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Flicka
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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What I was wondering was, once I have done the qual and done my time in the UK for the NQT year, are there some countries (other than Botswana where my Mum did it) where if I have the secondary qual I could also teach at primary level at some point, if I decided I wanted to.
(NB by then I would also plan to have the CELTYL, DELTA, and an M.A. as well as plenty of experience teaching all ages!) |
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Flicka
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| (I already have the CELTA, planning to get the Young Learner bolt-on) |
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MarkM
Joined: 28 Apr 2011
Posts: 55
Location: Lianyungang, China
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 1:04 am Post subject: |
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| Flicka wrote: |
| What I was wondering was, once I have done the qual and done my time in the UK for the NQT year, are there some countries (other than Botswana where my Mum did it) where if I have the secondary qual I could also teach at primary level at some point, if I decided I wanted to. .... |
You will probably find different practices in different countries. Ultimately, the biggest factor is probably supply and demand. I know that in New Zealand teachers who have done the post graduate diploma in primary teaching and also have the secondary subject knowledge can teach at secondary schools without restriction. But teachers who have done the post graduate diploma in secondary teaching will have difficulty getting a job at primary school. This is because the primary qualification is focused on pedagogy while the secondary diploma is more focused on content. |
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sistercream
Joined: 18 Dec 2010
Posts: 497
Location: Pearl River Delta
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| MarkM wrote: |
I know that in New Zealand teachers who have done the post graduate diploma in primary teaching and also have the secondary subject knowledge can teach at secondary schools without restriction. But teachers who have done the post graduate diploma in secondary teaching will have difficulty getting a job at primary school. This is because the primary qualification is focused on pedagogy while the secondary diploma is more focused on content. |
This is also the case in Hong Kong, Macau, and the more reputable international schools in Taiwan and mainland China. Can't speak for the rest of the world. |
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Flicka
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Interesting..... how come secondary folk don't need to learn more about pedagogy then? |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| Flicka wrote: |
| Interesting..... how come secondary folk don't need to learn more about pedagogy then? |
They often do have to take a couple courses, but since they're teaching subjects, they have to really know those subjects.
MOST places require two years experience, but it's not unknown for schools to hire those people without. Look into the "less popular" countries.
I know in the US there are quite a few fasttrack programmes. They advertise on Dav'es every once in a while. Keep in mind that these can be very difficult to finish because they're in high needs areas. I've seen a couple job adverts that say their school districts have dropout rates more than 50%. So if you decide to do a fasttrack programme, konw what you're getting into.
| Flicka wrote: |
What I was wondering was, once I have done the qual and done my time in the UK for the NQT year, are there some countries (other than Botswana where my Mum did it) where if I have the secondary qual I could also teach at primary level at some point, if I decided I wanted to.
(NB by then I would also plan to have the CELTYL, DELTA, and an M.A. as well as plenty of experience teaching all ages!) |
I think you're mixing things. Usually people with the CELTA and DELTA teach English language. People with teaching certs teach subjects in English at schools, intl, bilingual, private, etc.
As for teaching at the primary level with a secondary cert, you'd have to check with the schools. There are literally thousands of intl schools out there. Check the IBO just to get an idea. Each school has different reqs. |
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Flicka
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 4:16 am Post subject: |
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| What is IBO? |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 4:18 am Post subject: |
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google or yahoo is your friend 
International Baccalaureate Organisation |
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