The path from trailing spouse to trainee teacher is a well-trodden one. And that’s hardly surprising. Spouses are well acquainted with all the perks – material, mental, or otherwise – that come with the territory of international school teaching. By earning an international teaching certificate yourself you become one half of a teaching couple – a move that can boost not only your own employability, but also that of your partner.
As if any more motivation were needed, you’ll also once and for all be free of the label ‘trailing spouse’ which is unflattering enough to make anyone feel like a spare part. For your comfort and safety please ensure any trailing spouses you may be travelling with today are securely stowed in the overhead lockers before take off. Thank you again for choosing international teaching.
But how do you make that switch happen? Here we talk to some ex-trailing spouses about their experience of undergoing teacher training and moving into an exciting new career in international teaching.
The first steps in getting an international teaching certificate
Teaching is amazing. And It’s also amazingly challenging at times. Of all the demographics on earth aside from actual practising teachers, trailing spouses know this. But even with this unparalleled level of insight, the simple fact remains: you can’t know whether teaching is for you until you’ve tried it. Investing in an IPGCE or similar qualification is a great move – but only once you’ve established for sure that teaching is truly your vocation.
With this in mind, before you get an international teaching certificate you should be thinking about building up a meaningful body of experience working with young people. Depending on your partner’s school, there could be great opportunities to do that right in front of you.
Will Kerr, a UK national who trained to be a teacher of Grade 5 and 6 whilst living abroad, tells us: “I’d always had it in mind that I’d eventually like to move into teaching. When my wife got offered a job at an international school in Thailand, I’d not yet taken any steps towards that goal. It was just something I wanted to try later down the line. Suddenly I found myself, by default, totally immersed in school life, especially as we were living on campus. This gave me the opportunity to try things out, build up experience, and answer some important questions for myself – which age groups I’d most want to work with, for example. Over the course of my time there I coached a middle school football team, supervised the yearbook committee, and appeared as a special guest for lessons in the kindergarten (exploring colour through the medium of music) and the middle school (examining the power of language in advertising contexts).
All of this was really invaluable as a means of testing the water in a relatively low-risk way. It helped me a) prove to myself that I could stand up in front of a group of kids and guide them through fun, enriching activities, b) figure out which age group I would actually want to focus on for my international teaching certificate, and c) get the right sort of experience to put together a compelling application.”
Applying for an international teaching certificate
The next step is to get yourself onto a course and into a teaching placement. This is not always easy, especially when based in countries that don’t have English as their official language. Most trainees choose a distance learning course for this reason, and an international school to use as their sandbox.
Christina Bollinger was living in Tanzania when she decided to learn to teach, and chose to study online through Sunderland University in the UK to gain an international PGCE (PGCEi).
There are several other PGCEi providers in the UK: Sheffield University offer one, Queens University Belfast another, and here is one from the University of Nottingham, but Christina chose Sunderland because a friend of hers recommended this route.
It’s important to note that not all schools will recognise an iPGCE because it doesn’t give you Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You can’t teach in the UK without QTS, for example, and currently you can’t earn this online.
However, things may be about to change. The UK government is piloting a new International QTS (iQTS) from September 2022. You can read more about that here, where you can also find a list of providers and a link to sign up.
Finding a supporting school
Christina knew she wanted to teach at an IB school because she had previous experience tutoring students within that programme and she wanted to learn more about how it was implemented.
She tells us: “I had limited options of international schools to choose from since I was based in Dar es Salaam, but I had a plethora of teacher contacts I could speak with to help me find a good school. I spoke with my husband’s colleagues who had been living and teaching in the country for a while and therefore knew a lot about the different international schools in the area. I contacted multiple directors and principals, name-dropped when I could, and was able to have meetings with two principals. Luckily one school was open to having me.
The most difficult part of the process was actually obtaining the legal documents I needed to work there, but I hired someone to ensure I submitted all the correct documents to the government to obtain my volunteer visa. It was a tricky process, and took several months, but was also vital to my programme.”
Landing your first role
Now you have your international teaching certificate, the first place to look for a job is your partner’s school. It’s in their interests to employ you, since you represent good value for money: you’ll already be receiving benefits as a dependent, so they would be getting two teachers for the price of one. Use this argument to reinforce a strong application focused on teaching and learning, and what sets you apart as an educator.
However, don’t expect to walk into a role just because it’s convenient. Many schools require 2 years experience of teaching as a minimum. Be prepared to look further afield. Your placement school is another great place to seek out roles, presuming they were impressed by you! Local schools might also be interested in hiring you, so keep an open mind.
Finding a job wasn’t an issue for Will: he received offers from two international schools once he qualified. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take up the offers because his wife was due to have a baby in August and they wouldn’t give a brand new teacher time off at such a crucial period at the start of an academic year: be aware that you are unlikely initially to enjoy the same allowances as your partner might if they are several years into their teaching career.
Christina had better luck: “Having a partner who has taught for a while, and who has experience within the international teaching world helped a lot with finding my first international teaching gig. He was able to help me navigate the job search agencies and help me prepare my documents. Even though I had just earned my teaching certification, I found I still had many skills from my previous careers and life experience that made me a strong candidate. I also felt I was pretty lucky because my partner and I taught Science and Maths, for which there were many job openings.”
Look for ongoing support from experts
The step into international teaching can be a fantastic option for people who have always wanted to explore education. An extra bonus is having the chance to share long holidays, especially if you have children. Your partner is likely to be very keen on the idea of your career change, and they’ll be a great resource for you as you go through the process.
It’s always worth asking their colleagues if you can shadow them as they teach too. The more time you spend in the classroom, the better.
And we can also help you! Don’t forget that the Teacher Horizons team will be here once the international teaching certificate has been earned, and can help candidates land the perfect first role in an international school.
Good luck!
