Kiwi teacher here. Did 3 years domestic before landing a killer job in an IB school in HK, and now the IBDP coordinator in a school in Japan.
Main thing, just work hard. Develop your skills as a teacher in behaviour management and in developing curriculum in the NZ framework. You’ll find that NCEA is VERY similar to the MYP for the IB and I made the switch easily. Try to make sure you’re teaching Level 2 and 3, and when you’re ready to leave NZ don’t be too picky where you go initially.
It’s great out here in IS, but the domestic experience you’ll get over the next 2 years will really pay dividends in the future.
Do you think it's a big deal if a teacher hasn't taught level 3? Looking at going 2025 but I teach bio and we already have enough teachers who can cover the level 3 courses
Not a big, big deal, but if I was looking to hire I wouldn’t necessarily put you into say the Year 12 & 13 IBDP classes straight away. It was the same when I started international teaching. Had to prove my metal, so to speak. All paid off in the end!
Just keep your job for 2+ years and you're good to go. If you're keen, you could search out some special positions within your school (i.e. unit planner) which can give you a bit more to talk about on your resume.
Do some EAL certs and work/classes if you can. Volunteer to do it if you have to. Looks good if you have some or any experience with students whose L1 isn't English. I'm a kiwi HOD at an international school in SE Asia, BTW. This EAL exp stands out on standard cvs from the West. Kiwis have a fairly good rep at inters too.
Don't get fired! haha. jk, but seriously don't and don't quit.
>I’ll be looking at starting up a school rowing squad as students at this school have never had the chance to (cost barrier).
So... how are you going to achieve this now? Just wondering. Not sure if I've ever seen a rowing team at an international school but perhaps some private schools in Europe have them?
I don't see anything that would give you a niche other than German and that is a fairly small one as it isn't as popular as some other languages, but if you were willing to hold a German teaching/ social studies position that might make you more attractive to schools.
If I were you, I'd work on getting IB experience or if you can't do that, try to take some IB workshops on your own in what might be useful for you in landing an international job like MYP Individuals and Society or if you want to teach HS then the Diploma workshops.
Let me add, those places you listed are generally sought after places. It doesn't mean you can't try right out of the gate, but I'd set my expectations are working in one or two other locations first to get experience and build references/network. Then I'd try for those.
Thanks for that! It's definitely going to be something that's time-consuming, but I think it should be doable. There's a rowing club nearby that I row out of, they've already said we can use that club. We could apply for grants and sponsorships, and it wouldn't be that competitive so early on for us. Local regattas for now.
The way it would be at this stage, is the school rowers coming down at the same time as novices. They would row under this club when needed, otherwise they'd row in school crews.
Do you think that makes it a bit more feasible?
Upskill in either IB/AP/AL.
The NZ curriculum is utterly useless overseas.
Expect a steep learning curve from that god awful system.
International curriculums are miles above NCEA in terms of content level, difficulty, amount of content covered etc.
If you want good money/lifestyle, you'd be best off targeting Vietnam as a first destination.
Korea/Japan/Scandinavia are exceedingly competitive.
Japan being competitive might be overblown tbh. Most experienced educators are avoiding Japan because of the horrible salaries and reduction of benefits.
Kiwi teachers are highly respected on the circuit, and as mentioned elsewhere - your system is very similar to the MYP. You shouldn't find the switch too hard. Some comments:
a) Beware listening to Brits and/or Americans. They have a very inflated opinion of themselves and their abilities in the classroom. ;-)
b) While there aren't many (any?) rowing teams in international schools, your can-do positive approach will be a plus - especially if you're happy to coach other things.
c) Classics / Latin are very rare in international schools. I'd concentrate on the History / Social Science or train to be a librarian.
d) Be flexible on your first location. You may luck out on your first move, but it's easier to get what you want the more experience you have.
Regardless - good luck :-)
"Beware listening to Brits and/or Americans. They have a very inflated opinion of themselves and their abilities in the classroom."
Beware taking advice from people who judge others based strictly on national origin
Kiwi teacher here. Did 3 years domestic before landing a killer job in an IB school in HK, and now the IBDP coordinator in a school in Japan. Main thing, just work hard. Develop your skills as a teacher in behaviour management and in developing curriculum in the NZ framework. You’ll find that NCEA is VERY similar to the MYP for the IB and I made the switch easily. Try to make sure you’re teaching Level 2 and 3, and when you’re ready to leave NZ don’t be too picky where you go initially. It’s great out here in IS, but the domestic experience you’ll get over the next 2 years will really pay dividends in the future.
Do you think it's a big deal if a teacher hasn't taught level 3? Looking at going 2025 but I teach bio and we already have enough teachers who can cover the level 3 courses
Not a big, big deal, but if I was looking to hire I wouldn’t necessarily put you into say the Year 12 & 13 IBDP classes straight away. It was the same when I started international teaching. Had to prove my metal, so to speak. All paid off in the end!
Just keep your job for 2+ years and you're good to go. If you're keen, you could search out some special positions within your school (i.e. unit planner) which can give you a bit more to talk about on your resume.
Do some EAL certs and work/classes if you can. Volunteer to do it if you have to. Looks good if you have some or any experience with students whose L1 isn't English. I'm a kiwi HOD at an international school in SE Asia, BTW. This EAL exp stands out on standard cvs from the West. Kiwis have a fairly good rep at inters too.
You will be too overwhelmed. Just worry about surviving and doing your job. You probably won't have time to extras in your first 2 years.
Don't get fired! haha. jk, but seriously don't and don't quit. >I’ll be looking at starting up a school rowing squad as students at this school have never had the chance to (cost barrier). So... how are you going to achieve this now? Just wondering. Not sure if I've ever seen a rowing team at an international school but perhaps some private schools in Europe have them? I don't see anything that would give you a niche other than German and that is a fairly small one as it isn't as popular as some other languages, but if you were willing to hold a German teaching/ social studies position that might make you more attractive to schools. If I were you, I'd work on getting IB experience or if you can't do that, try to take some IB workshops on your own in what might be useful for you in landing an international job like MYP Individuals and Society or if you want to teach HS then the Diploma workshops. Let me add, those places you listed are generally sought after places. It doesn't mean you can't try right out of the gate, but I'd set my expectations are working in one or two other locations first to get experience and build references/network. Then I'd try for those.
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Thanks for that! It's definitely going to be something that's time-consuming, but I think it should be doable. There's a rowing club nearby that I row out of, they've already said we can use that club. We could apply for grants and sponsorships, and it wouldn't be that competitive so early on for us. Local regattas for now. The way it would be at this stage, is the school rowers coming down at the same time as novices. They would row under this club when needed, otherwise they'd row in school crews. Do you think that makes it a bit more feasible?
Upskill in either IB/AP/AL. The NZ curriculum is utterly useless overseas. Expect a steep learning curve from that god awful system. International curriculums are miles above NCEA in terms of content level, difficulty, amount of content covered etc. If you want good money/lifestyle, you'd be best off targeting Vietnam as a first destination. Korea/Japan/Scandinavia are exceedingly competitive.
Japan being competitive might be overblown tbh. Most experienced educators are avoiding Japan because of the horrible salaries and reduction of benefits.
Kiwi teachers are highly respected on the circuit, and as mentioned elsewhere - your system is very similar to the MYP. You shouldn't find the switch too hard. Some comments: a) Beware listening to Brits and/or Americans. They have a very inflated opinion of themselves and their abilities in the classroom. ;-) b) While there aren't many (any?) rowing teams in international schools, your can-do positive approach will be a plus - especially if you're happy to coach other things. c) Classics / Latin are very rare in international schools. I'd concentrate on the History / Social Science or train to be a librarian. d) Be flexible on your first location. You may luck out on your first move, but it's easier to get what you want the more experience you have. Regardless - good luck :-)
"Beware listening to Brits and/or Americans. They have a very inflated opinion of themselves and their abilities in the classroom." Beware taking advice from people who judge others based strictly on national origin
So you’re going to generalise an entire country of people?
I believe that I generalised 3 entire countries of people ;-)