Job Discussion Forums

[overhere]

Do all international schools require a teaching license from one's home country/state? Could one be hired with a M.Ed and a CELTA?

[somewhere_else]

I think it depends on a lot of factors- whether you have experience teaching in public schools in your home country, what subject you would be teaching, and whether the school is able find someone to fill the position that does have certification? Most international schools prefer to hire teachers that are certified to teach in their home countries partly because they need to show that their teachers are qualified in order to be accredited.

Most of the hiring for international schools occurs somewhere between January and March. You might have luck getting a job if you're applying over the summer to last minute vacancies. Schools really need to fill their open positions at that point in the year and might be more willing to hire someone without certification.

If you already have your M.ed. how difficult would it be for you to get certified? It may be possible to get an international school job without it, but it would probably be a lot easier if you had it.

[tttompatz]

[FrenchLieutenant'sWoman]

You might be able to to EAL support work but IBO schools (in my experience) want to see your teacher certification. It doesn't have to be from your home country though.

The lack of 2 years experience isn't necesarily a problem - I didn't have it when I started in international schools - but you're unlikely to get work without being a certified teacher.

Remember that most International Schools are English medium and as such aren't that interested in plain EFL teaching. They want you to be able to teach a subject and if that's English that means literature, probably to IB Diploma level.

The EAL work I did definitely needed me to know the primary curriculum because there's a big focus on integrated learning, I don't know how different it was for those in the older years but I can probably make enquiries?

[naturegirl321]

Nope, those in lesser desired countries or that are desperate for teachers hire those without teaching licenses. I worked in an IBO school where the majority of the native speakers didn't have a license. In fact, two of the teachers never even taught before, but were hired due to life experience, accounting and business.

Bare in mind that schools like this aren't the best. Two of us left after one semester, an only 1 of 8 finished their two year contract.