TEFL Recruiters Look For These Qualities For International Schools

One of the main mottos of the TEFL course is to make a teacher 21stcentury classroom-ready so that she/he can impart the best quality knowledge of English across the globe. Besides teaching English abroad, one can have a flourishing teaching career in highly reputed international schools. If you want to teach in an international school, you must have a TEFL certification.

International schools in Thailand hire TEFLcertified teachers in bulk because the demand for the language English is quite high over there. Well, to be very honest, having an Advanced Diploma or a PG diploma in TEFL course Thailand will provide you the best opportunities to become an international educator. Since the English teaching job market is pretty competitive in Thailand, therefore, there are certain notable qualifications needed to become a teacher in Thai international schools.

Before getting into the significant details of what a TEFL recruiter looks for a candidate to hire as an English teacher in an international school, let’s throw some light on what is international teaching.

INTERNATIONAL TEACHING:

Teaching in an international school means that teachers are usually teaching a curriculum to ex-pat students who are living abroad due to their parents’ job relocations. There are students from the host country who often learn in international schools to get that global vibe. These schools use an international curriculum from countries like the United States/Canada/UK/Australia/New Zealand and other English-speaking countries. Technically speaking, teaching in international schools is way different than teaching abroad and TEFL teachers should not get confused between these two.

REQUIREMENTS:

These are the certain factors that a TEFL recruiter will always demand when he/she will be hiring a TEFL teacher. The first thing that a TEFL certified teacher must have is a teaching license in the host country and a Bachelor’s degree. A TEFL certification is required, needless to say, but English teachers should be aware of the fact that a TEFL certification course is not considered equivalent to the teacher training license as it is only for teaching English as a Foreign language, not a compulsory degree in education.

However, Ministries of Education of several countries evaluate foreign qualifications and prefer a degree rather than a diploma on the certificate from your University. Thus, you must have all the information if you have a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree or a diploma.

You can choose to become the principal of an international school, international baccalaureate, or a primary teacher. Well, since the level of education an English teacher will be imparting in these different segments will be different, so will be the case in terms of educational qualifications. To become a principal, having a Master’s degree is absolutely mandatory and you have must have observed teaching practices.  An International Baccalaureate teacher is expected to have both IB training and the relevant university-granted teaching qualifications.

In the case of elementary education, like early years education or primary teaching, the eligibility criteria are not that rigid but a lot depends upon the norms of the countries’ educational systems. Some countries prefer a Bachelors's of Education while others accept a non-Education-related degree and additional qualifications are required that your initial degree is something that is taught at the appropriate age level.

PERKS AND PAYSCALE:

International schools pay quite a good amount of money to TEFL teachers, much higher than that of public schools or private schools. Then again, call spade a spade, if you’re traveling abroad to teach English in an international school, your saving won’t be that high because the level of expenditure will always be more than your host country.

TEFL teachers generally get benefits like health care, flight fares, accommodation, etc., while teaching in international schools abroad. However, teaching in international schools in the host country might not have such extra benefits and perks but the pay scale is quite lucrative.  

HOW TO GET AN INTERNATIONAL TEACHING JOB?

Sounds thrilling and tough, isn’t it? But let me assure you one thing if you are having the required qualifications and a good hold on the internet, hunting for the best-fitted international teaching job yourself is no big deal! Besides, there are multiple international teaching job fairs where TEFL recruiters and other associates looking for perfect English teachers.

These certain points must be there in the application of a TEFL certified teacher who is planning to teach in an international school.

• You must bring an international perspective to your application and interview because you shall be teaching students coming from diverse backgrounds. This is more like cross-cultural classroom management that recruiters want to make sure a TEFL teacher is having.
   
• Initially, your job role and responsibilities might seem quite demanding but once you blend it, you’ll figure out the brighter side. Teachers in international schools are typically more involved in all aspects of school life and they are involved in many other departments apart from teaching. Thus, a TEFL teacher must portray how much she/he can get involved in the whole life of the school.
   
• You can be asked to teach the ex-pat students residing in their host countries and also other students whose first language is not English. Therefore, you must be an expert in teaching English as a second language. Recruiters and administrators always rank candidates who have experience in teaching English to refugees, have voluntary teaching experience abroad, teaching ESL, teaching English online, and so on.
   
• If you want to become an international English teacher, your proficiency in technology and online learning skills must be quite developed. International classrooms are fully equipped with technologically advanced devices and e-learning is given a lot of preference. Since most of the international schools are opting for the hybrid model, you must be quite efficient in handly both online as well as offline classroom activities.
   

So the bottom line is, TEFL recruiters look for a TEFL certified English teacher who is extremely versatile and professional. The TEFL course in Thailand will shape the teachers properly with every criterion required to become an English teacher in an international school. However, before applying for the job in an international school TEFL certified teachers must be aware of the criteria that are being preferred more by the administrators and recruiters.