Teaching Internationally

By Samantha Mola

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to travel across the world and get paid to pursue your passion?

Well I just might have the perfect situation for you! Teaching internationally comes with many benefits in all aspects, of course it has it's challenges like any job, but it is a great opportunity with once in a lifetime experiences!

This video gives great advice and personally experiences from Logan who was teaching internationally in German in 2020. The video is quite long but packed with great information, she breaks down the video into "chapters," and in the comments breaks down each topic by timestamp.

Timestamps:

Introduction: 0:00

Definition: 1:10

Disclaimer: 4:10

School Tiers: 4:51

Benefits and Challenges: 9:10

Learning Targets

Describe Teaching Internationally
Explain the benefits and challenges of teaching internationally
Discuss personal experiences of international teachers

What is Teaching Internationally and how do you get involved?

Teaching abroad can mean many different things, such as, teaching at an international school, teaching on military bases, or teaching English in another country. There are various programs that help the process of getting teachers overseas, some of the more recognized ones are: School Services, Search Associates, and DoDEA. These organizations are all very easy to apply to and explain in depth all the requirements that must be meet before beginning this process. Nearly every country is a host to an international school or are looking for teachers to teach English specifically. Teaching internationally isn't only for those who have teaching degrees, some opportunities you do not even need prior experience to start. Some organizations offer training and placement assistance, going through these programs there is a higher chance you will be placed in a more reputable school as well (Tank, 2018). Teaching internationally is a great way for everyone to be able to see the world, as well as, get paid to do so!

What are some benefits and challenges to teaching internationally?

When a teacher chooses to go overseas to a foreign country to teach, it comes with many benefits and challenges to review. Fortunately, most of the articles you can find from experienced internationally teachers and studies that have been done on them rave about how important and beneficial it is, not only personally but professionally.

Personal experiences from former international teachers

Cory Scott and Allyson Robinson are just two of many experienced international teachers that have wrote about their experiences. Scott wrote from an American International School in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he had his wife and two daughters along with him during his experience. According to Scott (2013), the best part of his experience was the students themselves, he stated that these students of higher class tend to be “well informed, motivated, and exceptionally tolerant.” Robinson was a stay-at-home mom with twins, she wasn't feeling like her "fun, adventurous, extroverted self." That was when she picked up herself and her family and moved across the world, after reading an article of a single mom and her great experiences. However, Robinson (2019) believed the opposite of Scott, she states "there is no perfect place with perfect kids and perfect administration." Robinson (2019) states that children may be more respectful yet years behind in education since they are first-generation students. Both Scott and Robinson spoke on the compensation and travel, touching on the packages that are there to support you with housing, health insurance, and even travel fees. Both of them were able to pay off debt and save tremendously while being overseas.

Reflection & Conclusion

According to Ospina and Medina (2020), different factors have caused this movement of people whether that be socially, economically, or politically, studies show that many educators who teach abroad plan to "achieve individual academic goals, obtain personal independence, and gain intercultural understanding.” Teaching internationally gives teachers an opportunity to grow, as a person and as a teacher. Personally, this opportunity has been in my plan for years now, hearing stories from my own family and reading articles has only heightened my desire to take such an opportunity. I will most likely be doing this experience alone, I have learned about challenges that most won’t think of and how impacted the cultural awareness and adaptation as a teacher is. For example, Moran (2019) writes about how she experienced disinterest from local teachers, she states “in many countries workplace hierarchy is very distinct, as a foreigner, you won’t be of equal status as an outside teacher or teacher’s assistant.” I believe even though teaching internationally does come with some mild challenges, the benefits are outstanding, it is an experience every teacher or person who is interested in traveling and working should most definitely consider.

Questions

1. What is an organization that you could use to get into teaching internationally?

A. American Federation of Teachers

B. Council for Exceptional Children

C. National Education Association

D. Search Associates

2. Of the following situations, which of the teachers are considered an international teacher?

A. Mr. Allen who was raised in the United States went overseas for college, then came home to teach in the U.S. for the past 7 years.

B. Mr. Johnson who was born in Virginia, went to college in Virginia, and has taught in Virginia for 5 years.

C. Mrs. Smith was was born in the Midwest United States, as well as going to house school in her hometown, then went to Japan to teach English.

D. Mrs. Williams who was born in North Carolina and got her degree at UNC, then moved to California to teach for the next 15 years.

References

Moran, A. (2019, October 22). 8 unexpected hurdles that teachers face abroad. Go Overseas. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/8-unexpected-hurdles-teachers-face-abroad.

Ospina, N. S., & Medina, S. L. (2020, April 20). Living and teaching internationally: Teachers talk about personal experiences, benefits, and challenges - nelly Sierra Ospina, Sergio Lopera Medina, 2020. SAGE Journals. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1475240920915013.

Robinson, A. A. (2019, May 6). Teaching abroad: The pros and cons. The Educators Room. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://theeducatorsroom.com/teaching-abroad-the-pros-and-cons/.

Scott, C. (2013, June 10). Taking the International School Route: What you need to know to get started on an overseas teaching career. NAIS. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.nais.org/articles/pages/taking-the-international-school-route.aspx.

Tank, A. (2018, June 8). 6 ways to become a teacher abroad. GoAbroad.com. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.goabroad.com/articles/teach-abroad/how-to-become-a-teacher-abroad.

Answers

Page updated

Report abuse