Monday, November 16, 2009

Global Student Teaching: Any certified U.S. teachers do their student teaching practicum in another country?

My student teaching begins in April, and I have the option to do it abroad.


Just want to know if anyone's done it, what their experience was, and if it was hard to find a job upon returning to the USA.


(i.e. "You did student teaching in Tibet?? Then you have no experience with American students. We don't want to hire you.")

Global Student Teaching: Any certified U.S. teachers do their student teaching practicum in another country?
I did the last 6 weeks of my student teaching in Guadalajara, MX. It was well worth it for the cultural experience and the resume building (plus I met my husband there!).





I will admit, though, that I was pretty panicked when I got back and there were not job openings immediately, as the 6 weeks I'd spent south of the border were spent job hunting by my stateside peers.





In the end, I did have some choices, but I had to have a little more patience, and it worked out well.





The time missed job hunting and missing the chance to work with the same set of students and same teacher an entire semester are the only regrets I have about the experience. Only one of those would apply to you, it seems.





The experience has only helped me professionally, I think, but I can understand the concern if you don't have any experience teaching in an American classroom. I say as long as you volunteer and tutor to get exposure to the American system and students, Tibet, Mexico, Kenya, or wherever could only be positive steps for you, personally and professionally.
Reply:I will not be doing my student teaching abroad but I have worked with children in different countries. I don't think you will have a problem getting a job, in fact, I think doing your student teaching in another country will give you the upper hand. By going to another country and completing your student teaching shows the school districts that you have cultural awareness. I don't know about where you live, but where I live that is a big thing. Don't worry about not being able to find a job, just enjoy the remainder of you senior year, do your best in student teaching, and enjoy the benefits of traveling to another country. Have Fun!


No comments:

Post a Comment