Consider the Rewards of International Teaching
Just finishing college with a teacher's certificate? Taught in American schools for X years and it hasn't turned out to be all you thought it would be? Maybe you should give international teaching a try.
Ever heard of someone using their teaching skills overseas? Here's one example. Kelly Blackwell proposes a challenge on her website. Through an audio blurb, she gives at least three benefits available to those who give international teaching a try. First, her students in foreign countries are often more motivated and disciplined than those in North America. Second, she enjoys longer holidays since her school year is usually about 180 days. This allows time to tour the country and experience the culture firsthand. Third, she claims there is less pressure compared to western schools. She is also provided with a salary adequate for her needs with allowance for travel.
What are the steps to getting your resume considered in an international school? One website describes the experience of a couple in obtaining an international teaching position in Tanzania. This resource suggests the best place to learn about some of the over 4000 international schools is by attending a college's recruitment fair. The experience described sounds something like an auction where prospective teachers have minutes to present themselves, a little longer to interview, and expectations to make a decision before the two days are over. If you're interested in seeking employment abroad, you should attend something like this prepared, with your personal goals and interests already decided.
Of course, a major interest in international schools would be English teachers, preferably ones who spoke clearly and who knew English grammar well. Depending on a countries' interest in teaching English, such a position could vary from self-supporting to lucrative. But when considering a position, salary should not be the only, or even the main criterion. After all, cost of living may diminish a handsome salary to mere subsistence. Do your homework before applying to any particular school. Besides ESL (English as a second language opportunities), some large companies provide employee education and this may include English, especially for companies working closely with American clients. Some foreign universities are increasingly offering summer immersion English courses to post-graduate students who are moving to an English speaking country to finish their education. This is a promising short term opportunity that may be long enough for someone to get a taste of international teaching before he or she commits to a longer period.
Reading about other countries and cultures is theory; being there allows one to experience it firsthand. Through an international teaching experience, a teacher can be paid to do what he or she loves and as a bonus, see the world as well.
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