Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I apologize in advance because this will likely be a lengthy post. Just to give you some background about me I am about to pursue a one year Masters in Teaching program will certify me to teach PreK-6th grade in Maryland. I am also seeking additional endorsements in ESL and Special Ed. While I love Maryland, having been born and raised here, I am ready for a change and would love the experience of teaching/living abroad. I am single, have no kids so I have nothing tying me down so it seems like a good point in my life to do this. At the school I currently work at (as an aide), I have two colleagues who used to work for DOD schools and LOVED their experience. They spoke very highly of the schools, leadership, benefits, and working conditions and of course the opportunity for travel was a major bonus for them. After further researching DOD schools I think it would be a good fit for me and I would like to apply early next year as I understand it is a long, arduous process. My concern is that they won't consider me since I will be a first year teacher. I have subbed and been an aide for two years now but I know that's no substitute for leading your own classroom. Do you think as a first year teacher I have a chance at getting a position in the DOD schools? I should also mention I am willing to go anywhere in the world they send me as I know they have schools in several different states and countries. Any experience/advice regarding DOD schools is greatly appreciated as aside from my two colleagues I do not know anyone else who has served in them.
Aside from DOD schools I have also considered joining the Peace Corps. I chose (and regret) not to apply right after getting my BA because I did not think I was qualified enough. Now that I will have my Masters in Teaching I feel more prepared and qualified for the Peace Corps though I understand it is extremely competitive. My only hesitation with the Peace Corps is that I will not be receiving a steady income for 2+ years which after grad school which is a bit daunting. However, I know they have some student loan forgiveness benefits available to Peace Corps alums and obviously I wouldn't be going into the Peace Corps (or teaching for that matter) for the money, I just want to be realistic. I guess I'm just interested in hearing about anyone's Peace Corps experience or if you know anyone who has served with them.
Lastly, I am open to hearing about anyone's experience teaching/living abroad in general. It doesn't necessarily have to be with the DOD or the Peace Corps I'm open to other programs and avenues so I'd love to hear from anyone who has had the experience or knows someone who has taught abroad.
Sorry for the long post. ANY advice/guidance/experience is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
I did a two year stint in Korea for DoDDS as a local hire about 35 years ago, at that time only military wives on accompanied tours could be local hires. Most of the staff were permanent hires, which I assume is what you are wanting. I am sure much has changed since then, but what probably has not changed is that they were very, very particular about their permanent hires. Back then permanent hires had to be best qualified, which last I heard (I believe in ‘06) was translated as 3+ years experience and a master’s degree if the certification is from a state where teachers are eventually required to have one. Last I heard, the overseas positions, were very, very difficult to get due to base closures and military families waiting until later in their careers to have children. Also, military spouses and veterans have hiring perference, which means if you and a veteran or military spouse have the same qualifications they will get the job (even if they actually like you better) and that will not have changed as it is based on a federal law that has not been rescinded.
Again, my newest information is over a decade old, so hopefully you can find someone with newer information.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,712 posts, read 58,042,598 times
Reputation: 46182
(4) friends have taught with DoD (after 10+ yrs in PS gigs). They were SO happy with DoD.
They had 3-4 great international locations. They were non-military, and now retired, but still doing testing for DoD on occasion.
Have had friends teach ESL in China and Thailand and Indonesia. They now have international jobs of various types.
A friend we sponsored for last 6 yrs, just returned from teaching in Tanzania. She will likely return to the NA Reservation where she previously taught in USA.
We did 4 international destinations during working career (while homeschooling our kids).
Since then, we volunteer at international schools and training centers. Our adult kids are all overseas at the moment (not teaching).
I worked in public health in the Peace Corps in Honduras in the mid 1980s
I have been teaching high school English overseas for the past 4 years (first in China two years, then Kuwait for two years).
Will be leaving to return back to USA in June. I did teach in urban schools in California for over 10 years.
Please pm me for specific information/questions. All four experiences (Peace Corps, USA teaching, China, and Kuwait were totally different.
Peace Corps was in a rural area and I was young and idealistic and single -)
My Kuwait and China teaching experiences have been totally totally different in terms of student motivation and living environments. It is hard to believe that these two nations are on the same continent. My USA teaching experience has been somewhere in the middle in terms of student behavior, classroom management, and preparedness of students. My USA teaching experience has also been the most diverse of any of the three.
Please let me know if you need further information. D in Qw8.
Thanks for your responses everyone, I sincerely appreciate it! Oldhag, I have heard similar things about the experience requirement and I've heard DOD schools expect three recommendations from three different principals for the application so I imagine they want these from principals where one has served as a lead teacher not just an assistant teacher/student teacher. I will be able to obtain three recommendations because after this upcoming year of student teaching I will have worked in three different schools and have a great rapport with all of the principals but still my lack of experience as a lead teacher may be my downfall. I do understand the reasoning for this because I'm sure they want the most qualified, competent teachers in these schools and it sounds rather competitive so if I have to work for a few years in the U.S. I will, I'm just really hoping to get experience teaching abroad at this place in my life.
StealthRabbit, I have never heard of that Canadian NGO before but I scrolled through their website and it does look very interesting. Do you know if its as competitive as the Peace Corps and if it might be more difficult for an American to obtain a position rather than a Canadian?
dmlandis, I may pm you about your experiences abroad as well as CA. My brother has a friend who teaches in Oakland and loves it so I'm interested in how your experience out there was. While I really do hope to teach abroad strait out of grad school I am open to teaching in the U.S. if that is the only opportunity available.
Like I said in my OP I will be certified to teach Prek-6th grade in Maryland but don't want to teach here despite the relatively decent pay/work conditions. I am considering working down South but I know NC doesn't compensate teachers with Masters pay which is quite mind blowing and disappointing so as much as I love NC (I lived in Charlotte for a little bit), I'm not going to entertain the idea of teaching there. Parts of SC and GA have a slightly better salary and I know the COL is lower than it is here so I think that's a realistic place for me to look. I was primarily looking at the Charleston/Savannah area as if I live down South I would love to live in closer proximity to the ocean or would love to live near the mountains in Western SC/GA. If anyone has any experience or knows anyone who has taught down South whether it be SC/GA or wherever, I would love to hear your experiences there as well. I'm sorry to make this thread even more broad, I just want to keep my options open in case teaching abroad doesn't work out immediately. I've also considered moving out West, I visited a friend in Denver and LOVED the city and the surrounding area so I could potentially see myself going out there but would like to visit again. Also I know Denver is booming and the COL is becoming quite high but Denver Public Schools seems to compensate their teachers accordingly with incentives etc which is nice. So if anyone has any experience teaching out West whether it be CO/CA or wherever I would love to hear about your experiences as well. Like I said I have nothing tying me right down now so I'm open to going just about anywhere, I'm not wealthy but any stretch of the imagination so I know I can't live just anywhere but I'm open to new places/experiences.
I'm sorry for the long post, I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to share their insight/advice!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
