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Zero
Joined: 08 Sep 2004
Posts: 1402
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 Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 2:54 am Post subject: International Schools, certification |
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Can anyone offer some general thoughts on becoming a certified, proper teacher and going for international school work?
I'm interested in:
-has anyone done so?
-how competitive is it for such jobs in China?
-how much experience would one need?
-are certain grade levels/subjects more in need than others?
-what's the pay like?
Any other thoughts are welcome. I am considering whether it would be worthwhile to get certified in my own country. |
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The_Hanged_Man
Joined: 10 Oct 2004
Posts: 224
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 4:46 am Post subject: Re: International Schools, certification |
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| Zero wrote: |
Can anyone offer some general thoughts on becoming a certified, proper teacher and going for international school work?
I'm interested in:
-has anyone done so? |
I have done this and recommend it strongly over entry level ESL work. The pay, benefits, and conditions are generally significantly better.
| Zero wrote: |
| -how competitive is it for such jobs in China? |
The international job market is exploding at the moment in China. I recently finished recruiting for next year and had over half a dozen schools interested in me. As long as you are qualified I don't think you would have a problem finding a position.
| Zero wrote: |
| -how much experience would one need? |
The general requirement is 2 years in a similar position (ESL doesn't count), but this may be relaxed if you teach a high demand subject.
| Zero wrote: |
| -are certain grade levels/subjects more in need than others? |
Yes. The level of demand for subjects generally mirrors the demand back home. So science, math, and specialists are in high demand while social studies and english positions are often more challenging to find.
| Zero wrote: |
| -what's the pay like? |
It varies depending on the quality/tier of the school. However, any semi-proper school will give you housing, medical coverage, and flights. For pay it really depends on the school...these are my estimates:
1st Tier - These are the well established international schools that have an international student body, an international curriculum with accreditation, and are generally well known for having a strong academic program: 25k-45k+.
2nd Tier - Similar to the 1st tier but are generally newer and not as well established. Most of these schools are good but you still need to be careful and do your homework before accepting a position: 20-30K.
3rd Tier - These schools have an international curriculum but often that is only thing that is international with these schools. Often they have only Chinese students and are Chinese owned and operated. These places can still be a good place to work but conditions vary widely depending on the school: 15k-25k.
In addition there are a good number of wannabe 'international' schools, that are only so in name only. I personally would stay well away from these schools, as any properly qualified teacher could do much better. |
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gengrant
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 153
Location: Ningbo - Beilun District
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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I second all of what The Hanged Man said, and would add that one of the best ways of obtaining a legitimate International teaching job would be to join up with International School Services or Search Associates and attend one (or more) of their job fairs.
Another route would be to apply to QSI...Quality Schools International...they have schools all over the world, and while they are not considered top tier by any stretch of the imagination, they are not a bad organization to 'get yer feet wet' with.
Just my 2 fen... |
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danswayne
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 237
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Been a while since I heard anything about QSI. I called their Wuhan setup a few years ago and was thinking of trying to get a job with them until I learned if I did get a job I would make up 1/3 of the teaching staff. I hear their Shekou school is doing good because of location, but was surprised to hear how small their schools were in China. |
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gengrant
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 153
Location: Ningbo - Beilun District
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, many of their 'new' schools start with only a director and one teacher...and only a small handful of students...Suzhou has 7 students...while Shekou has 742 and is the largest of the 37 different QSI schools...The average for QSI in China is 154 students...but that is skewed because of the 700+ in Shekou.
To give you an idea of how small they can be, the QSI school in Malta has 2 students registered...
there is growth...sometimes it's slow.
check em out at www.qsi.org
Jim Gilson, the President is a great guy! The Regional Director of China/Vietnam, Maynard Yutzy is awesome!
just my 2 fen again. |
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