Teaching Overseas - righting my wrongs!

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

When I worked at IBM in PC development (yes it’s a long story how I ended up in teacher recruitment. That’s for another newsletter. Or three) one of our jobs was to test new releases of the Microsoft operating system on our hardware. And we would find bug after bug and report them back to Microsoft. Some of them would get fixed but from time to time a resistant bug would be found and Microsoft, in their haughty way, would turn to us and say, “You know what, that’s not really a bug. It’s a feature.”  I use that terminology today. Our new TV turns itself off on occasion and our doorbell doesn’t work when it rains. Interesting features. 

So I need to point out a few features from last week’s newsletter which actually got quite a bit of feedback, and that’s really great. At least I know that people are reading it!  So here are a couple of the inaccuracies last week’s discussion about the educational standards at secondary/high school around the world.

·         Feature number 1.  In New Zealand , School Certificates are not given out at 16. This is apparently very old news that just took a while to make it all the way around the world to me here in London.   Instead they get National Certificates of Education Achievement levels 1 through 3 as they rise through years 11 through 13.

·         Feature number 2. Australia is in the process of adopting a national curriculum called ACARA. It’s in consultation at the moment. And Australia doesn’t have provinces, it has states/territories.  Doh.

·         Feature number 3. Pursue is spelled pursue not persue. Ahem.

·         Feature number 4. For the US, I mentioned AP exams but didn’t mention SAT or ACT. These last two are standardised tests that universities use to measure academic success because there are no national standards.

So for today, I will think of myself as better than Microsoft, at least in this one little way-I can admit when I’m not entirely right. (don’t like to use the words ‘ I was wrong’ out loud. You don’t know who might be listening.... my boss or maybe my husband. )

“We made too many wrong mistakes”  - Yogi Berra, baseball player and very  funny guy.

“I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong” – Benjamin Franklin, American inventor.

“Darling, of course your directions were correct. It’s just someone must have moved the hotel we’ve been trying to find for an hour several blocks north when we weren’t looking” – my husband, right before I swatted him with the map.

Worldwide Education Systems and Teaching Overseas

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot

My 16 year old teenage son has been hanging around the house lately.  He doesn’t go into school much, or have a job and he watches a lot of TV.  He disappears for long stretches of time in his room and I have to admit that he sleeps quite late.

 No, he’s not in training to be on the dole- he’s on official leave from school and studying for his GCSEs!

A GCSE is a subject specific test in the UK (stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education) that a student takes at 16 years old (or 12 if you have pushy parent and/or you are a genius). Most students take 5 to 12 of these tests in core subjects plus other subjects of interest.  Those who want to go on to University go on to take a smaller number (usually 2 to 5) A levels in subjects that interest them further, usually done at 18. Teaching A levels requires both a deep subject knowledge as well as knowledge of what the exam board wants to see.  You might know the subject inside and out but there is always a skill to knowing how to take a particular kind of test on it.

Because at Teachanywhere we recruit from many different countries, I thought I would give you a little fly-by on secondary educational systems in countries from which we recruit and how they generally mesh with the UK , IB and US systems – the systems most international schools use. It will be handy for you to be able to translate what you have taught to what international schools want to hear.

Country	National Curriculum?	Testing at 16ish	Testing at and result at 18
UK/England Wales and N Ireland	Yes	GCSE (Subject Specific)	A-levels (subject intense)
USA	No		No testing by government. High school diploma.  Requirements vary by state.  Can take externally moderated AP exams (subject intense)
International Baccalaureate (IB)	Not applicable	Not applicable	IB Diploma (subject specific/intense)
Canada	No		High school diploma. Requirements vary by province.
Ireland	Yes	Junior Certificate (subject specific)	Senior Certificate (subject intense)
Scotland	Yes	Intermediate exams (subject specific)	Highers and Advanced Highers (subject intense)
Australia	No, but they are talking about it		Senior Certificate of Secondary Education (varies by province)
New Zealand	Yes	School Certificate	National Certificate of Educational Achievement
South Africa	Yes	Matriculation exams (subject specific)	National Senior Certificate (subject intense)

You can see how different all the countries are, and this is exactly why you should never use country specific acronyms on your CV and why it’s important to explain your system to interviewers who might not be from your country. How is a Head Teacher from  Australia at a school in Kuwait going to know what is an NSC or  the difference between Highers and Advanced Highers? (answer: they won’t).  But hopefully this gives you an idea of what level of knowledge a school is looking for when they say they want someone who can teach IB Maths or English to GCSE.

Testing of course is a contentious issue – every educator has an opinion, and a different one at that. But remember that international schools are  almost always focussed on academics – this is what parents are paying for and why many have entrance exams.  Testing and results orientated culture is a  fact of live in international schools.

Question: why is an examiner like an optician?

Answer: they both test pupils.

All the best,

Diane Jacoutot

Teaching abroad and the cost of living

Notes from the General Manager by Diane Jacoutot, General Manager

I hope you are sitting down as you read this shocker, but it appears that there is very little market in Vancouver Canada for $450 pizzas.

This surprising news was discovered by Canadian Nader Hatami when he offered a pizza named C6 on his menu that features black Alaskan cod, lobster thermidor and a side dip of Russian Caviar. So far he has only sold one. On the other hand, his second priciest pizza- the $120 version (a relative bargain I suppose) with Icelandic scampi and lobster ratatouille has flown off the shelves to at least 7 people.  Who would have thought that there is any market at all for super gourmet pizza?  The Canadian economy must be doing better than I thought. Perhaps $120 is not a lot to spend on a humble meal which got it start when southern Italian bakers decided to approximate the Italian flag in food – red tomatoes, green basil and white mozzarella on flat bread.... What did you say? That $120 is not chump change in Vancouver?

No, I thought not.

Cost of living is something which is really hard to explain to people and doesn’t really impact you until you live it. When we live at home, we instinctively know how much something costs.  You know what a can of Coke or a bottle of water costs. You know about how much a taxi ride to town costs. And you know about what percentage of your take home pay you lose to taxes and rent and electricity and phone bills. All of this is subconscious, really. It’s the air you’ve been breathing for years.

But when you go away all of these costs change.  And often they go down. So you might get free housing – wham! There’s several hundred dollars each month that’s not slipping away. Food might be 50% cheaper so bingo, there’s another hundred. And taxes might be 10% as in the Far East and Kazakhstan or 0 in the Middle East so whoa – there’s an extra 30% of your salary you can pocket. And so on...  It really adds up.

This is the answer to the Big Question we get at Teachanywhere from those who are new to the international circuit. “Everyone says you can save money when you go abroad. But I don’t get it because I’m making so much less money on this salary”. 

Of course it does depend on what you spend your money on. Those of us who have been on holiday abroad and have wandered into a shop looking for a favourite snack that is common at home but clearly must be imported to this foreign country have had sticker shock. I will never forget when I found a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in England for £4.50 ($6.75) and my jaw hit the floor. (And no, it was not even the deluxe kind.) In the US the stuff goes for $1.25 – it was highway robbery.

But then again, I reasoned, someone went to the trouble of getting it all the way over here and frankly, since most Brits have no idea of the cheesy (?) goodness that sits within a box of this highly addictive foodstuff, it is not going to be a big seller, hence the markup.  So if you live abroad and eat like a tourist, it’s going to cost you more. But if you live abroad and eat like a local.... well this is where you save big money.

For those of you who want to play around, the cost of living calculator on Expatistan does the job fairly well. But keep in mind that it includes housing which is often free to teachers living abroad so take that out of the calculation. You really care about food , travel and entertainment.  It’s HERE 

Finally, in other fascinating Canadian pizza-related news (sorry Canada, it’s one of those days) the Winnipeg Sun reported that 22 year old pizza delivery man Justin Labrie is going to jail for 6 months after an overzealous attempt to get a pizza to the customer on time at all costs. Apparently he led police on a high speed chase where he forced two pedestrians to dodge to safety, ran a red light and gave the police the finger as they signalled him to pull over before he sped away with his precious cargo. 

There is no mention of whether he received a good tip for his efforts.

All the best

Diane Jacoutot

Now is the time to Teach Abroad! Don't delay...

Notes from the General Manager - Diane Jacoutot

A 63 year old man was detained in Washington DC, USA for murder this month when he interviewed for a job.  A standard pre-employment background check determined that there was an outstanding arrest warrant on him in a murder-for-hire case back in 1973.  Apparently it was a surprise to both potential employer and employee.  They say justice never sleeps, but it appeared to be taking a 39 year siesta in this case.

Internationally, an equally old but very unpopular law in Egypt was given a siesta yesterday, and this was a cause for much celebration.  The current government in Egypt ended a 30 year old emergency law which gave police broad powers to detain and arrest people, in a victory for pro-democracy activists.

And at the same time the Egyptian stock market increased 34% since the beginning of the year, making it one of the biggest global winners this year.  It’s good to see Egypt, which had been a powerhouse in North Africa, returning to normality. The international school market appears to be rebounding as well and we have just taken in a number of jobs in a very good school based in a suburb 45 minutes outside of Cairo.  The consultant who recently visited this school, who also lives in Egypt, commented on the warm family atmosphere and high quality of resources available so if you are looking at North Africa I encourage you to take a fresh look. It pays quite well and has a much higher savings potential than in the nearby Gulf States such as the UAE.

Now is the time of year when we get a raft of really interesting jobs in all over the world, and clients become more flexible (within reason).  As we approach the end of the academic year which is typically end of June for most international schools, we find that clients are willing to consider candidates with a bit less experience, or less consistent experience, than previously they would and this is good news for many. The UK May Resignation deadline has passed, and this means that a vast majority of English and Welsh teachers are locked into contracts until January, and whilst this is bad news for English National Curriculum schools because they have far fewer teachers from which to choose, it’s good news for teachers of other nationalities because they get a look in.

If you are still looking for work abroad, I would encourage you to contact your Teachanywhere consultant (or if you do not know who it is, contact teacher@teachanywhere.com)  so that we can reactivate your file. It’s a good time to be looking for work because there’s lots of it. Do it before your afternoon siesta, please, because at this time of the year, jobs come and go within days.

Don’t get caught snoozing!

Teaching Abroad: You are what you wear!

Notes from the General Manager, By Diane Jacoutot

A US woman is suing her former employer because, she claims, she was fired for being “too hot looking”.  Working at a lingerie warehouse, 29 year old Lauren Oades (allegedly) offended her religious male employers by wearing provocative clothing that clearly displayed her, um, assets and was fired because they couldn’t stand the heat of her hotness. She held a press conference wearing a form fitting black sequined mini dress and studded black boots causing the media photographers to crash into each other as they photographed her holding a pose.  I think she got their attention. Which is clearly what she was after!

Whilst in the US it is not usually legal for employers to fire you for dressing in a sexy way, this is not true in many other countries around the world. At Teachanywhere we often get asked about dress codes from teachers going to local international schools especially in the Middle East. What to wear to school?

In Muslim countries the general rule for men is to wear at least a shirt and tie but ideally a suit and tie. (Don’t worry, everything is air conditioned).  In the Middle East, as in many other traditional societies, you are judged by what you wear. So if you saunter in to school wearing trainers and a t-shirt, you will not only put the fee-paying parents off who expect a high level of professionalism and might demand a transfer for their son or daughter,  but you won’t do your career any favours either.

For women going to local international schools, I recommend you wear very conservative clothing at school. Not even a hint of cleavage, shirts that cover your elbows  and always cover your bum and knees. Most women working in state schools in the UAE or local international schools in the Middle East pick up very inexpensive longish skirts that come almost to their ankles and loose fitting shirts. Many others visit the inexpensive seamstresses to design their own. So don’t bother trolling through racks and racks of mini-skirts at home – plan a day of shopping when you arrive. Now, if you wear trousers, you should definitely wear a shirt over them that is long enough to completely cover your bum. 

Abayas, the over-dresses worn by many Muslim women,  are not usually required though I know quite a few women working in state schools wear them anyway out of respect for local custom and frankly, because they are easy to throw on. (I found this).  Non Muslim women do not usually need to cover their hair.

In other countries, if you are teaching in an international school you are usually expected to look professional and any dress code will be in the staff handbook. Assume the suit and tie route and its female equivalent. When in doubt, go conservative rather than sexy or casual.  You will make a better impression and get off on the right foot. Save the sexy and casual for the weekends.

So much as Miss Oades was within her rights to dress as she liked, I don’t think she was particularly culturally sensitive and certainly her choice to look sexy cost her more time and money than she originally bargained for.  Was it worth the cost? Only she will know after what will probably be years of litigation.

So tempting as it is, I don’t recommend you follow in her stiletto’d footsteps. You are, I believe, what you wear.

Employability and Teaching Abroad

Notes from the general manager by Diane Jacoutot

The BBC posted an article this week which interviewed several jobless young people, one of whom applied for 1,639 jobs last year and didn’t get a single one. Although the latest figures show a slight drop in unemployment in the UK in the first quarter, the rates still remain high and are not expected to fall significantly in the near future.

 As most western economies adopt austerity measures to counter the public spending that was a response to the global economic crisis, unemployment is bound to rise. If we are spending less, there is less money changing hands in taxes and company profits so companies and public sectors again tighten their belts, usually resulting in job losses. It’s a vicious circle that many great minds are trying to figure a way out of.   I hope they do, and soon.

I did a quick survey of unemployment rates around the world.  The rate of unemployment is the percentage of people who want to work and are able to work but cannot find a job. It’s usually a good measure of how well to capacity an economy is running.  It’s often referred to as a lagging indicator – because companies are often reluctant to hire even when the economy turns around. They hedge their bets.  Here’s what I found:

·         UK: 8.3%

·         US: 8.1%

·         Ireland: 14.7 %

·         Canada: 7.2%

·         New Zealand: 6.7%

·         Australia: 4.9 %

·         South Africa : 23.9%

And because so many people ask about working there and I get tired of telling them that there is little hope, Spain: 23.6%

If this makes you feel bad, perhaps you will feel better knowing that things could be worse. The unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is estimated to be 95%. Some countries, on the other hand, are looking quite healthy. Qatar is at 0.5%, Thailand, 1.2%, Kuwait 1.5%, Switzerland 3.5% and China 4.1%. 

As I always say to the Teachanywhere team, some people go abroad because they want to. They want the cultural adventure or the professional challenge that can only be had by teaching in another country. But many people go abroad because they need to, because they cannot find a job at home. Most of the time this latter group come to us insisting on familiar safe-sounding ‘holiday’ destinations such as Dubai, Spain or Singapore but this is exactly where they will face the most competition for jobs because everyone else is thinking the same thing. Or they will set their sights too high thinking, “well I’ll only go abroad if I can get super high money, a promotion or the best school in the best spot” not realising that they are in competition with many other people who have more realistic expectations, actually want to go abroad, and are more qualified for those jobs.

So what can you do if you are suddenly unemployed? Here are my tips:

1.    Act sooner rather than later. Having a gap of a year or more out of teaching severely affects your marketability. International schools want someone with up to date knowledge.  If it is unavoidable, do some supply (substitute) teaching ideally within your subject/level to keep current.

2.    Don’t restrict your search to only well known locations. Go where the competition is less fierce.

3.    Do your research. Understand how much money you can expect to be paid, and understand the cost of living against the employment package. Setting your sights on only jobs that pay the same or more than you are currently making is a false economy if the cost of living is high or the employment package sub-par. You an often save more in a country with a lower cost of living even if the salary seems less. Think savings potential rather than salary.

4.    Prepare yourself for a cultural journey. Psych yourself up for it – it’s one of the great benefits of working abroad. Teachers who are reluctant can’t answer the typical interview question:  “Why do you want to work at my school/in my country?”.

5.    Work on your CV. Check out our CV tips here.  Make sure you have a full work history and explain any gaps in employment on your CV. If it’s complicated, write a nice cover letter or introductory paragraph explaining anything unusual in a clear but concise way and keep emotion and (attempts at) humour out of it.

6.    Listen to our feedback. We are not infallible, but we are in a position to have an eagle’s eye view of the international school job market.  So if we say, “to teach in the UAE as a secondary teacher your degree must match your subject”, or “to teach in this school in China you need at least 2 years of UK or IB experience” or “You will only get considered by a local international school” then take that on board.  I am not saying that people have never proven us wrong, but I am saying that it doesn’t happen often.

7.    Finally, be prepared to play the ‘long game’ to achieve your goals.  If you don’t have a lot of the right kind of experience to get yourself the job you want today, take an intermediate step that will enable you to get there next time. When I was a junior engineer at IBM a senior manager once pulled me aside and told me that the best advice he ever had been given was to always think two steps ahead.  And he was right.

We are all hiking through the dense forest of life. We can only see the path to the next bend and have no idea what’s around the corner. Perhaps leaving your job at home which seems devastating now, will set you on a life changing journey abroad... but there’s only one way to find out.

Teaching Abroad: The Health Issue...

Notes from the General Manager:

In the US, a woman donated her kidney to her boss, and was fired shortly after the operation.  According to the suit filed by the NY Human Rights Division, Deborah Stevens worked at the Atlantic Automotive Group, but returned to work with nerve damage due to the surgery, was berated for taking sick days and then fired by the boss who had benefited. I wonder if she will sue to take the kidney back?

I have been in the US all week helping my disabled parents move house, and to celebrate the 80^th box packed and unpacked, we went out to a local chain restaurant.  We got to chatting with the waitress about health issues (as you do when you are with your elderly parents- it’s unavoidable) and she mentioned that she has no health coverage because it’s too expensive.  She is one of almost 40 million working Americans in this situation and it occurred to me that medical care is one of the many unrecognised perks of working abroad.

International schools usually provide some form of medical coverage to their staff. Whether it’s as simple as an agreement that they will pay your medical bills, or a government issued medical card or even top of the line, gold-plated expatriate medical insurance such as Bupa Gold, it’s always worth asking about even if it’s not a make-or-break decision point for most teachers.   There are a couple of questions to ask, again not because you will walk away,  but so that you can plan ahead. 

1.    Does your medical coverage cover me when I am travelling or back home on summer break?

2.    Does your medical coverage cover my xyz pre-existing condition?

3.    Is the coverage for emergencies only or preventative care?

4.    Is there a co-payment (a fee charged to you at the time of medical service), and what is it?

The thought of needing medical attention abroad is scary for most teachers because they don’t know whether they will find a half-mad, nominally-trained witch doctor or a glistening state of the art medical facility with good food. Most imagine the former.   I can say that in my experience, for most common problems, and problems common to the area, teachers find that they are well cared for. I was talking to the head of HR of the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools in Kazakhstan last week who had a stroke last month whilst working in Astana, and he said he had never had such great treatment. The doctors were speedy, highly trained and spoke flawless English and when he had his doctors from Belfast review the files, they said “we couldn’t have done any better”. And he didn’t pay a cent for it.

Now I’m not saying that you should go abroad to get your ailments treated. This is not an opportunity for medical tourism. Schools are hiring you to work and if you are too sick to work they can easily send you back, especially during your probationary period when your teaching, attendance and attitude are being carefully evaluated.  On top of this, many insurance policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions and most countries require some form of medical check before your visa can be issued, which screens for many things such as HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis as well as other chronic ailments.

The best idea, of course, is to stay healthy, but if you should need medical attention whilst working internationally, you will be far better off than my waitress and 40 million other Americans.

A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear. "What's the matter with me?" he asks the doctor.

The doctor replies, "You're not eating properly."

Wishing you the best of health,

Diane Jacoutot

General Manager