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Teaching abroad

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Teaching abroad is a catch phrase used in first world countries for temporary teaching assignments outside of their home country.

Value to teacher

Having the chance to live and work abroad can have a significant impact on a person. The experience of living abroad can alert teachers to personal biases, allow them to interact with different cultures, and help teachers be better prepared to deal with diversity in a classroom, “when questioned about intercultural development, 98 percent of respondents said that … abroad helped them to better understand their own cultural values and biases, and 82 percent replied that study abroad contributed to their developing a more sophisticated way of looking at the world” (Dwyer). Although one can travel for a vacation, this does not provide the same expanding of ideas and knowledge as living abroad does. One cannot really understand what it is like to live abroad simply by visiting for a week or two. There are many positive effects that studying abroad can have on a student, and many of those are similar to living abroad while working too. According to transitionsabroad.com these benefits include the ability to travel internationally with less expenses, and, the chance to explore new opportunities. (transitionsabroad.com) Without resources to help teachers take the necessary steps to teach abroad, many teachers will miss out on these benefits.

Why Teach Abroad?

Survery from transitionsabroad.com Survey Item Increased self-confidence 98%
Served as a catalyst for increased maturity 98%
Has had a lasting impact on worldview 97%
Intercultural Development Helped me better understand my own cultural values and biases 99%
Influenced me to seek out a greater diversity of friends 94%
Continues to influence interactions with people from different cultures 97%
Career development Acquired skill sets that influenced career path 82%
Ignited an interest in a career direction pursued after the experience 70%

This survey shows how living abroad for at least a year can benefit a teacher within their own life. Many of these skills can also benefit a teacher in a professional way.

Overview of Different Programs:

There are many different programs that exist to help people to teach abroad. Three often-used paths are going through the Department of Defense, teaching at an International School, or going through another program to teach English abroad. Here we will take a closer look at these three options. Keep in mind that for the International schools, and to teach English abroad, an additional organization must be used to help set up connections. Right now, I have chosen to examine one program of each, but many more exist.

Department of Defense

Teaching at a DOD school is much like teaching at a school within the United States. The schools enroll the children of military and DOD civilian employees. There are currently 222 public schools in “13 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico” (DOD). There are 8,785 teachers working in these schools. The DOD works to keep the school atmosphere and level of learning comparable to schools within the U.S. 

The Department of Defense (DOD) has several requirements that need to be met before submitting an application. The most important one, listed in bold on the website, is to be physically and mentally healthy. Applicants must also be citizens of the United States.  There is no way to request a region in the DOD program, which means that applicants must be prepared to be sent anywhere in the world. There also is the opportunity to teach in Iraq for the reconstruction mission; however, that has a separate application process and is not included in the general application. This is a completely separate process from the main Department of Defense teaching opportunities.  A bachelor’s degree is needed, although not necessarily in the field of education. According to the Department of Defense website, “A baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association is required. Academic preparation of at least 40 semester hours (SH) in general education course work distributed over such fields as english, history, social studies, mathematics, fine arts, languages, science, philosophy, and psychology is required. In addition, a minimum of 18 SH of professional teacher education course work in such areas as learning process, measurement, philosophy, psychology, social foundations, methods of teaching and curriculum applicable to the type and level of the position for which applying is required” (www.dodea.edu). The DOD requires student teaching experience from their applicants. These are the most stressed requirements of the DOD, but more are listed on their website. The link to that site is Department of Defense.

The benefits from the DOD are very clear-cut. Salary is based upon the size of the school jurisdiction. It will reflect the approximate salary of the same size jurisdiction in the United States. There are health benefits that teachers can choose to take part in; these benefits are part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) home page (). Retirement plans are also available, and are the same as all other government workers. For more information about this go Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) home page ().

Those teaching abroad through this program will receive a “living quarters allowance”, which will enable them to offset the high cost of renting a home. Additionally, some may be given government quarters, especially if they are traveling/living alone.

The length of placement in the DOD program varies depending on location. Most placements are either one or two years. Locations that require a two-year commitment include: Belgium, England, Germany, Italy (other than Sigonella and La Maddalena), Japan (other than Misawa and Okinawa), Netherlands and Spain. Locations that only ask for a year-long commitment are: Bahrain, Cuba, Iceland, Italy (Sigonella and La Maddalena), Korea, Japan (Misawa and Okinawa), Portugal (Azores) and Turkey

When working for the DOD an agreement must be signed that the teacher will remain overseas for the entire tour of duty. The government pays for transportation overseas and back for both the teacher, the family accompanying the teacher, and the household goods making the move. Occasionally the shipment of cars will also be covered by the U.S. government.

Health care through the DOD is usually whatever the local country provides. Only in emergencies will teachers be sent to American military hospitals or dentists offices. For the most part, teachers will use the same health professionals as the locals of the country. Many times these professionals are not up to American standards, one of the reasons the DOD insists on healthy applicants.

In this program, unlike many others, there is no cost associated with going overseas. As far as I can tell without actually submitting a full application, there is no cost associated with applying for a position.

International Volunteer Programs

Teachers can teach abroad through an international volunteer program. Costs to participate as a volunteer vary depending on the organization, the country and the length of the program. International volunteer programs usually vary in length from 2 to 12 months. Volunteers most often teach English but other subjects can also be covered, such as computer skills, AIDS/HIV awareness, science, math, etc.


The requirements and benefits also vary depending on the program but most programs require its volunteers to:

- have a bachelors degree in any subject

- be native speakers of English.

Some organizations do offer summer programs that do not require a bachelors degree and may only require fluency in English.

International volunteer programs often offer the following benefits:

- a stipend to cover living expenses

- living quarters with other teachers or provided by a local family

- health care benefits covered by the organization's health insurance.

Organizations that offer international volunteer programs:

- HunanTeach

- ESLCafe

International Schools

International schools are private schools that cater mainly to children who are not nationals of the host country, often the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, embassies, missions, or missionary programs. They are also often popular with local students who wish to improve their language skills.

International schools often accept applications directly from teachers through their website. See a list of international schools.

Teachers can also find employment at international schools through services such as the International Schools Services Corporation and the Council of International Schools.

International Schools Services Corporation

The ISS is a nonprofit corporation has been around since 1955 and works to,“advance the quality of education for children and to respond effectively to the educational needs of teachers and administrators abroad whether in cosmopolitan capital cities or remote rain forests” (ISS). It offers a variety of services including an educational staffing program. Requirements / Qualifications

Council of International Schools

The Council of International Schools (CIS) is "a not-for-profit association of schools and post-secondary institutions working collaboratively for the continuous improvement of international education". CIS offers many services including school accreditation, teacher recruitment and free access to their school directory. Requirements / Qualifications

External links

General

Employment Boards and Resources

Global Education : Job placement and support for overseas qualified Primary and secondary teachers travelling to the UK or NZ in UK or NZ schools.

Teach London : Job placement in England for overseas qualified primary and secondary teachers.

Programs