Tips for teaching overseas
Murray Lamshed taught at St Dominic’s Priory College for many years. He was one of our IEUSA originals and served as ATIS Secretary in 1984 and ANGEE Vice President in 1990. In 1998 he went teaching in the UAE, then to Georgia and finally finished in Kazakhstan. During his extensive travel he has met many people from other countries who he keeps in contact with. He would go again tomorrow given a chance.
There are now many opportunities for teachers to teach overseas that were not available twenty-five years ago. All over the world there are international schools which you can apply to teach in. There is no strict definition of what an International School is. Some will have many different nationalities in the student body (my top was 72) and many different nationalities among the faculty. Others do not have this diversity. The common link is that you teach in English. I have taught alongside Algerians, Egyptians, Lebanese, South Africans, Indians, English, Irish, Scottish, Canadian, American, New Zealanders, Pakistanis, West Indians and even Australians. Let me add, all have been as professional as any Australian teachers.
Many of them remain friends and we swap emails. I think I could tour the world dropping in to see friends and sharing a red wine or two with people I have met while teaching overseas. This is the up side. The down side is that you start to drift away from your friends in Australia, but of course, this would depend a little on how long you are gone for.
Some travel by themselves, others travel as a couple and some as the entire family. This may depend on the school you get. There may also be problems getting a working visa for your spouse if they are not a teacher.
The curriculum is usually IBDP, MYP, PYP, IGCSE, A levels, American, Canadian and I have seen some with Australian curriculum. An international school in Dacca has the Western Australian curriculum up to grade 10 then IBDP for 11 and 12.
At the end of this article is a list of agencies which can put you in touch with schools. You will at least need a passport with is valid for more than 6 months. Just a point. It may be worthwhile renewing your passport in Australia when you are here, as many countries do not have an Australian Embassy which can make it a problem to renew. Some agencies run recruitment fairs where you can discuss details.
Remuneration will have to be discussed during the interview. There is a significant difference in what schools pay. I suspect you may get a little less than what you get in Australia. When you consider Super, long service leave, sick leave and a higher tax bracket against free accommodation, free utilities, 10% or no tax, as well as very cheap living expenses (food, petrol etc.), you may find that you are close to what you get in Australia. In your analysis you need to put in a value for the experience you have had.
However, you will need to do your sums. Usually you have one annual return airfare to your home. Some schools are flexible on this and others are very strict. Most schools also provide medical insurance, but you need to check exactly what you are getting. They do provide a basic service but don’t think these are like what you get in Australia. My warning is to check. It might be worthwhile to have travel insurance in case something serious happens and you need to be evacuated.
Some schools here in Australia will allow you to take an overseas post for a two or three-year break while holding your position open. This would have to be negotiated with your Head, or you can just resign and trust your luck. After a year or two on the International circuit you can work your way up. Head of Department, IB coordinator, Deputy and Head are all possibilities. With those schools that belong to a system you might find a position in the ‘head office’.
If you have no IB experience, then you could undertake an online course (at least level 1). This may help secure a place. Having undertaken a course in teaching as a second language could add value to your application.
Is it safe? My experience has been that it is as safe as being in Australia. Occasionally one hears of a person having trouble, but you hear that here too. It is safe as long as you follow the cultural norms of the country you are in.
One last point I would like to make is that if you do manage to gain a position in another country then immerse yourself in the culture of the country. Go to local restaurants, go to the markets, the bazaars, the weddings, the birthdays or any other cultural event because if you do I think you will have a richer experience.
If people are interested perhaps we could hold a session at the union office one night. Contact the secretary and let him know you are interested in teaching overseas.
Why not look at a few of these sites? …
Takabe san: t-takabe@jolnet.com
Isago san: isago@jolnet.com
They work for: http://ecp.iware.ne.jp/
https://www.teachaway.com/teaching-jobs-abroad
https://www.teacherhorizons.com/jobs
Times Educational Supplement http://www.tes.co.uk/jobs/
Search Associates: http://www.searchassociates.com/
eteach: http://www.eteach.com/
Seek Teachers: http://www.seekteachers.com/
Anthony Millard: http://www.anthonymillard.co.uk/
IB experienced: http://www.ibo.org/school/jobs/index.cfm
I include Guardian Jobs here – a bit British but do some research to find the papers that advertise in the region you are interested in going:
TIE – for this one there’s a free listing and one you pay for. You can actually use the map to find the location of the schools advertising and then simply go to the school’s website to apply.
IEG: http://www.internationaleducationgroup.net/
AKDN: https://krb-xjobs.brassring.com/TGWebHost/home.aspx?partnerid=30025&siteid=5750
Nord Angli: http://www.nordanglia.com/
Teach Anywhere: http://www.teachanywhere.com/
Gabbitas: http://www.gabbitas.co.uk/
International School Services: https://www.iss.edu/
I don’t know these but they sent me something once: http://www.laurelsglobal.co.uk/
and True Teaching: http://www.trueteaching.com/
