An English-speaking teacher can easily find a job in any international school. If you are thinking about moving abroad and find a teaching job, there are certain things you should know. We will try to help you with some tips.
How to Find a Teaching Job Overseas
Many overseas schools are sponsored by the United States. These institutions are not government schools; they are independent, and sponsored by Americans citizens.
The relationships between such schools and American embassies are usually close, but these schools actually operate as private institutions and they are free to hire their staff and teachers.
In most countries, these schools do not share one “administrative umbrella”. They have their own human resource departments and they set up their own application procedures requirements.
Some of the American schools overseas have contracts with non-government organizations located in the U.S., to help them with recruiting. Many schools send their managers to recruiting fairs, to find qualified people to hire.
The best way to start looking for a teaching job is to use the Internet. Many organizations are specialized in recruiting teaching staff. You can contact one of these recruiting agencies, or you can contact schools you are interested to work for.
Here are several recruiting agencies you can contact:
European Council of International Schools
Association of American Schools in South America
International Schools Services
International Educators Cooperative
Search Associates
Other organizations that may offer teaching opportunities include:
Office of English Language Programs
Department of Defense
Institute of International Education
The International Educator
English-speaking people can find various types of jobs overseas. Teaching English is one of the most popular options. If you choose this option, you should be prepared to learn other varieties of English, besides the U.S.-variety. British variety of English is just one of these. Students use materials from different parts of the world, and they also have teachers who come from different parts of the world (Britain, Australia, North America, New Zealand, etc.), and they often get confused (or even frustrated) when they are corrected by teachers who speak different varieties of English.
Learn as much as you can about the country where you will be working: find out which variety of English is used there, and see what other languages are spoken. Learning about the tradition, history and lifestyle of the country will help you understand your students better. Talk to your colleagues who have experience in working overseas, or visit some of the forums for teachers who work overseas.