“I have worked in schools for the last 10 years and have found that as an international teacher there are lots of opportunities to develop your career because there is high demand for staff.
“My first international school experience was working in Rome in a British international school. Following that, I held a post in an orphanage in India, teaching classes of 70-80 children and finally moved back to the UK to work as an SLA in a secondary state school. I went on to study languages at university and completed modules in teaching MFL, moving to Spain as a result of my Erasmus year.”
Tara explains that working in international schools allows you to “work with children from lots of cultural backgrounds” and says that “whilst it’s crucial for all teachers to hold a teaching qualification and have experience in a variety of different environments and age groups” lots of her experience has come through learning from her peers and other teachers.
“I considered moving back to the UK to study a PGCE in secondary MFL but decided to stay in Spain and I’m currently in the process of completing the iPGCE. It has many practical aspects – such as regular lesson observations and even though it can be exhausting at times, it should allow me to take up a post as class teacher within my school – depending on my school's staffing situation at that time.
“I’m not planning to leave Spain at the moment but I will potentially move back in the future and my iPGCE will no doubt stand me in good stead for returning to England!”*
*Our iPGCE programme does not lead to a licence to teach in England (QTS). However, the context driven tasks and assessments have been specifically designed so that they can be applied to an international school setting across a range of English language curricula. Please discuss the required teaching qualification for your particular region with your employing school or the relevant regulatory body before applying.
