Job Discussion Forums

carrma · Joined: 23 Oct 2011 Posts: 7 Location: United States

can i teach any subject at an international school? or only the things i am certified to teach in the US?

you see i am in a unique position because at first i was only certified in middle and secondary social studies which is hard to find a job in (at least in the US). thats why i got the ESL endorsement and now im certified in that too. those are the only 2 things i can teach here in the US: ESL K-12 and social studies 7-12.

would those be the only subjects i can teach at one of these international schools abroad or would they hire me to teach other things just because im a certified teacher?

i think getting a job in social studies would be hard and i dont see why they would need an ESL teacher at a school like that. I am thinking i am more hirable at a language institute even though im sure the jobs arent as good in terms of pay and hours. is there a way i can get into an international school and teach other subjects? any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

You are licensed to teach subject(s) X, so that is what you are allowed to teach in an international school. They won't expect you to be able to teach subject Y anyway.

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 12:19 am Post subject:

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

EVERY school is different. At the intl school I worked at we had teachers with experience in the subject, but they weren't necessarily licensed. Some of us were.

Apply and see what happens.

kimo50 · Joined: 24 Aug 2011 Posts: 119 Location: Guam

I have a BA and MA in History and teach American and World History at a private high school in China. If you look hard enough you can find social studies oriented positions.

rayman · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 427

I'm a certified elementary teacher who has taught secondary Math, Physics and English at a number of different international schools. In general, international schools are more lenient in this regard than public schools back home in the West.

Also, ESL Teachers certified to teach K-12 are in fact employed in almost all international schools. In Indonesia for example, the most common nationality of students in international schools is Korean. An ESL teacher supports their integration into the mainstream classroom.