Job Discussion Forums

[GrouchoDuck]

Does anyone have any advice on locating employment opportunities for teaching music overseas? Currently, I am finishing coursework for graduate school in music theory and am exploring ideas about what to do when I finish. I have been in school without interruption for more or less the past decade, and consequently feel a bit intellectually drained; therefore I�d like to do something else for a while before I plunge into exams and the dissertation. I have several years of classroom teaching experience (undergraduate level), and I love to teach. I don�t have any firm plans, expectations, or thoughts about where I would want to do this, should options even exist. But if anyone has any ideas how I might go about investigating possibilities, I�d appreciate them.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

You will be very VERY hard pressed to find work teaching music theory / composition overseas (in fact I've heard of people with doctorate degrees in musicology approaching English conversation schools because there just aren't that many jobs for musicologists). Basically, most countries have enough people who can do that already. It's not a usual subject in high schools, and so usually won't be available in international schools either. You MAY be able t find work as a core music instructor (band) at an international school, but they usually require k-12 teaching experience in your home country and of course, a valid k-12 teaching license.

Honestly, for teaching music or music theory you should look at approaching a conservatory in your home country, but it basically comes down to music (outside of performance or Music Education and in a very, very few cases composition) is basically only useful as a teaching subject in universities.

You have to look at what the demand is 'overseas'- people need (native) English language teachers. They do not scientists, musicologists, art historians, or computer specialists. They have enough of them locally. If, for some reason, you decide to teach overseas for your career, then it will almost definitely be English language, and your knowledge of music and music theory will be something that you use to aid in your English language classes (like in arrangeing childrens songs for elementary schools).

Quck ideas you can look for a break other than teaching:
If you're any good at writing prose, you could look into working for a music company (like an opera or a symphony or something- the pay will be unbelieveably low) and write pamphlets for them. Or you can look into Music Librarianship, as well (but that may require getting a masters degree to become a librarian) .

[gajackson1]

ok, this is an ABSOLUTE shot-in-the-dark. But, as a 'non-traditional teaching fields' teacher - I went Speech and Government, instead of Speech & Drama, or Govt. & Economics >.< - I maaaaaayyyy have an idea worth pursuing???

I had never even heard about it while I was in HS and/or Uni, but I have often thought that the Semester at Sea program would have been a great way to study and/or teach & do a good bit of travel at the same time - esp. if you could later parlay that into a job with a larger cruise line.

Are you younger-looking, cool of character, the kind of person who music students would both like AND respect??? I would think that this is not such a bad thing to look into.

I wish you the very best of luck, sincerely . . . let us know how it works out!!!

Glen