International Teaching Position Sites

So you're looking for an adventure? Teaching anywhere is an adventure, but choosing to teach overseas can push you to grow professionally AND personally. Teachers opting for such an experience need to be flexible, self-reliant, and tolerant. If that sounds like you, maybe you want to consider teaching abroad!

Though I haven't taken advantage of this opportunity, I have many friends who have and made life-long friends and saw parts of the world they may never have experienced otherwise. It's important, though, that this not just be a way to 'get a job.' You need to have other motivations, and also be a search for the right fit. In an interview with an international school, just as with a school here in MN, you need to be able to clearly articulate an answer to the question, "Why do you want to teach here?"

There are different types of schools to consider when thinking about teaching abroad. First, there are international schools. These schools provide education in English to children of the host country as well as the international community. Often, these schools have ties to American embassies, and have staff that is a mix of teachers from within and outside the country. These are often the schools that recruit at international teacher recruiting fair, such as the fair held in Cedar Rapids at the University of Northern Iowa. The next fair isn't until February 2012, but you might want to keep it in mind. TIE Online is another resource for finding international school teaching positions.  The International Schools Services website can also help you find international teaching opportunities.  Overseas Jobs is another place to try.

The next international teaching opportunity to consider would be teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).  Here you would have options within schools or in commercial or government settings. Though some programs require only a college degree, most require a teaching license and others yet require formal education in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). One popular program for this is the JET program - the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. The best place to start, though, is probably TESOL, an organization dedicated to Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. At this site, you'll find info about qualifications, tips for finding jobs in and outside the US, Though it may seem unlikely, the website Dave's ESL Cafe is also a great place for more info on teaching ESL overseas.

And then there are Department of Defense schools, which are schools on military bases around the world. Here you would teach the children of military and civilian personnel living on the bases. The place to go for more info about these opportunities is the US Department of Defense Schools website.

All this has even me thinking...