Job Discussion Forums

[christmas]

Does anyone know how long it takes for a school to be accredited? I was offered a teaching position with this school. It is only one year old and seeking accreditation through one of the Canadian provinces. I have never encountered this before. Does it make it a better school? Will I have to get re-certified??
Anybody know anything?
Thanks

[veiledsentiments]

It could take from next week to never. As to your employment there, it likely doesn't matter. They will hire you according to their standards (in Oman) so only they can tell you what they will require. Oman will not require any separate certification, although the Ministry will likely require that your documents go through some process of authentication. (not sure on the procedures for Canada - varies by country) The employer should give you the direction on this.

Just a warning... new schools are always problematic. It could be OK or it could be a total disaster - and there are no ex-teachers as yet to get details from... since it just started in August according to the news on the net. Are they looking for immediate starts?

My advice is that if you have your degree, certification in your home country, and 2+ years of experience, you might want to keep looking. This job will be a gamble. But if the challenge interests you... and you're from Canada and familiar with the system, it might be worth a try. It may require a lot of flexibility, patience, and a sense of humor though.

VS

[christmas]

They do want someone for prekindergarten right away. I was asked if they saw need to change my grade would I be willing. I thought it strange. I dont want to be moved around all the time.
I am a Canadian certified teacher with years of experience. I would like to come to Oman.
What are your suggestions for finding a job? Should I use a recruiter or do jobs come up from schools without them? When do they hire?
Any advice would be good.
Thanks

[christmas]

Oh, and one more thing. I am certified in my home province of Ontario. I was told that if they get approval from one of the Canadian Provinces that I would need re-certifying. What the hell is this?? I don't want to be doing paper work and wondering about my future all the time.
Any advice or ideas on this??
Thanks again.

[veiledsentiments]

This is apparently Canadian rules... nothing to do with Oman... and we South of the Border 'muricans wouldn't know. All US state teaching licenses are equal - though each state could require that you take a course or two within a year or two of being hired. You would need to ask them about the details.

I can tell you that typically employers overseas will place you where they need you, not necessarily where you want to be. In this case, they are likely making offers and don't know yet who will accept and who will show up. They want to know if you are flexible. At least they asked... that is actually a good sign.

Most TEFLers and members of this board teach adults, not in the schools, so Dave's isn't the best source of information on the International Schools. If you were American I would suggest that you consider attending one of the International School Services job fairs. I have no idea if Canada has something equivalent. I would definitely avoid recruiters... although TeachAway has a good reputation in the Emirates. Their website will actually give you a lot of information about teaching in the Gulf, though I don't believe that they are hiring for Oman.

Do a search for the names of the international schools (wikipedia?) and then check their websites. One caution is that there are many shady so-called "international schools" which are not good employers. You would want to check out any offers that you may get here and google. For instance, The Sultan School and American British Academy are good schools, but you would probably want to avoid anything that mentions Sabis/Chouefat...

VS

[Sleepwalker]

There must be Canadian recruitment agencies you could go through or sign up for TES job alerts. You could also try TLC International School - they have a good reputation and classes from nursery upwards.

[christmas]

Thanks for the info.
Much appreciated.