Article of Note regarding International Teaching

I found this article online and will post it here so that others might give this new life a whirl. The info is accurate and applies directly to us here at TAS. Enjoy The read.

International education is good for teachers, too.
By Frances Childs
Published: February 12, 2007
LONDON: Victoria Gammon is a dedicated teacher from Swansea in Wales who devoted seven years to an inner London primary school before deciding one day that a radical change was in order.
"I was fed up with the pay, the workload and with the lack of professional trust placed in teachers in British schools," Gammon said. "I thought working in another system would improve my practice and might be more rewarding."
Four years ago she packed her bags and left Britain for the United Arab Emirates. "It was the best thing I could have done," she said in an interview. "Working in the international sector has broadened my outlook. It's given me the chance to travel, to gain an insight into different cultures — and even to save money."
Now working in an international school in Nanjing, China, Gammon does not foresee a return to Britain. "I love living and working abroad. It's endlessly fascinating, and the opportunities for professional and personal development are immense," she said.
Gaining a teaching qualification is still one of the best ways to travel the world while earning a decent living. As Andrea McDonald, a 42- year-old Canadian primary school teacher currently working in Singapore, says, "overseas teaching is the best-kept secret in the profession."
She added: "Only a few people I've worked with in eight years of teaching in international schools have chosen to return home. We seem to be a band of vagabonds who thrive on travel and adventure."
As well as travel and adventure, international schools tend to offer highly competitive employment terms. In Asia it is customary for schools to offer a package that includes coverage of all accommodation and medical costs. In Europe, although teachers at international schools are usually expected to find and pay for their own housing, they generally work fewer classroom hours for higher pay than in their national education systems — and the discipline problems that plague many British and European public sector schools are, for the most part, absent.
The most obvious drawback of teaching abroad is the lack of regular contact with friends and family — although e- mail and text messaging help. While it can be glamorous, expatriate life is sometimes very insular.
Gammon acknowledges that in some countries, expatriates rely almost exclusively on one another for a social life. "It can get a bit claustrophobic," she says. "You need the expat community, but at the same time you also need your own space. I'd advise potential international school teachers to appreciate the invaluable help and support of the expat community, but to also make an attempt to integrate with the host country, by learning something of the language for example."
Financially, the loss of national pension rights is often the biggest drawback. Still, Julian Whiteley, head teacher at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, said many schools now offered enhanced pay or a bonus to offset the loss.
Increasingly, teachers are beginning to view a career on the international circuit as not only a lifestyle choice but as beneficial for their professional development. "I've come to see international schools as a very important force in the world of education," said Derek Pinchbeck, a British teacher with 14 years of experience in international schools. "The current growth of the international baccalaureate program means that we are at the forefront of innovative educational practice."
And, of course, there is "no contest between playing golf against a Caribbean backdrop and meeting with social services about problem children on wet February nights in Bristol," the port city in southwestern England where he used to teach.
When it comes to seeking an international job, the emphasis that a school places on professional development is, according to Pinchbeck, a good way to sift the wheat from the chaff. "The professional development that a school offers is a good indicator of how much it values its staff," he said.
Nothing, though, replaces research when it comes to judging the credibility of an international school. "The Web site is a good place to start to get the feel of a school," Whiteley said.
For deeper research, the Council of International Schools, a nonprofit association, and Search Associates, a recruitment consultancy, "are aware of issues on the international circuit, " he added. Both CIS and Search Associates hold job fairs around the world, where schools meet teachers, and jobs are offered.
The international schools world is surprisingly small and teachers and schools soon acquire a reputation. "If you don't know the school, by asking around on the international teaching circuit, you'll quickly come across someone who does," Gammon said.
Pinchbeck advised: "Check to see what curriculum the school is teaching. Some follow British curricula, some French, some American. Different curricula suit different people."
In selecting potential staff, reputable international schools generally require a recognized teaching qualification and at least two years' teaching experience. On top of these basic requirements, Whiteley, the head teacher, said employers would look for "a sense of adventure, adaptability, emotional resilience and — if they don't already have the knowledge — the enthusiasm to find out about other cultures."
The enthusiasm to find out about other cultures is particularly pertinent if, instead of applying to work in the privileged world of the international school, where pupils tend to be the sons and daughters of bankers and diplomats, a teacher decides to work in the voluntary sector.
Voluntary Service Overseas is an international charitable agency that sends teachers to work in developing countries where their skills are desperately needed. "Our volunteers say that they return to their own country equipped with invaluable professional experience — and a whole new perspective on teaching," said Bevis Man, a spokesman for the agency.
Working with VSO, Man says, "offers not just the challenge of living in another culture and having to cross many boundaries such as language but also the challenge of integrating with the local community."
A teacher who accepts a posting abroad will seldom regret it, said McDonald, the Canadian. "My eyes and mind have been opened to an acceptance of many other cultures," she said. "I have grown as much as my students have — the learning curve is unfathomable