Advice on Teaching Career Path

Anfooshi

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Joined
Jul 1, 2019
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I was hoping to get some advice on increasing my credentials to obtain a high paying teaching position in Indonesia.

I hold a B.S. in Science, Technology, & Society from the USA. A TEFL, 120 hour, and a Cambridge TKT-YL.

My teaching experience includes 1 year in-class instruction in English for Indonesian students from kindergarten up to adults at the senior career level. Additionally, more than 1 year teaching online for adults around the world in business English. So close to 2.5 years officially teaching in total and increasing.

Question: What should I obtain next in order to be a high contender in being selected to teach for a local private school?

For example, a masters degree, an official teaching certificate from the USA, or simply more experience in the number of years or variety of students.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi Anfooshi,

There are quite a lot of options but it is likely that you are going to have to get a few more years experience in a school environment plus some kind of teaching qualification to get to the better schools in Indonesia. I think the market is tough right now, but if you have the money to drop, the most sensible thing to do would be to get a state teacher's license if you are an American citizen (see: https://www.moreland.edu/; and, https://www.teacherready.org/).

Another option would be to get an 'iPGCE' which is the academic aspect of a UK qualification for teaching in schools. The downside to this is that it doesn't qualify you to teach in schools because it doesn't carry the QTS stamp from the UK government to teach in the UK state system. I have this qualification from the University of Derby in combination with an MA TESOL and about eleven years experience. Nottingham, Sheffield, Warwick, Sunderland, Teeside, Leeds Beckett, Cumbria and Strathclyde all have similar courses to my knowledge. The best courses are the Sunderland and Warwick ones because they have a practical component. Buckingham also have a couple of affordable master's programs for about 5-6,000 GBP that look quite good and can be studied online. The iPGCE at Derby could be done for about 2,650 GBP and then the master's component on top after the academic credit from the iPGCE would set you back about another 5,000 GBP. For less than 8k GBP you would get two certs.

Another interesting course that has popped up in the last few years is the MEd in advanced teaching from the University of the People (See: https://www.uopeople.edu/programs/master-of-education-med/). This course is recommended by the IB and has a 'tuition-free' status where you just pay exam fees. So, all in all, would set you back a couple of thousand USD.

If you are working in a language school now, I would recommend trying to get into an organization like Penabur or Indogro. These take teachers from language school backgrounds and place them in schools on a part-time basis. After a year or two working for an organization like that, you should be able to transfer into a full-time school position. The Japanese school, the Taipei school and the Korean school pay well and would be the next logical step as they operate second language curricula. Once you have five years experience at these types of institutions, you wouldn't have problems finding employment in relatively well-paying schools, I don't think. There is always the possibility that friends in other schools might be able to get you an interview before the five year mark or that you get an interview at a mid-level school in the interim.

For reference and based on some information available on jobsites like Search Associates, ISS Schrole and Teacher Horizons there are sort of three tiers based on pay:

Lower-tier: Jakarta Multicultural School; Mentari International School; Jubilee School; Bunda Mulia etc.

Mid-tier: Singapore International School; Bina Bangsa; Binus Serpong; Jakarta Nanyang; Sekolah Victory Plus; Beacon Academy; Tunas Muda, National High etc.

Upper-tier: ACG; AIS; Sampoerna; ACS; Binus Simprug; Global Jaya; JIS; BSJ, NJIS, SWA.

There are lots of schools that I can't think of off the top of my head, but a good thing to bear in mind is this. All of these schools have either a Cambridge International or an IB curriculum. Among these schools, the experience that you gain will be transferable if you pick up the curriculum training for the requisite curriculum. The Korean school for example pays more than a lot of the 'Mid-tier' schools that I have described there but the experience is largely not transferable because it uses a second language curriculum.

In some cases, pay scales are opaque and you have to negotiate with the school to get a deal that you are happy with. I don't believe that this is the case with the Western schools.

Hope that helps,

Lee
 
Last edited:
I was hoping to get some advice on increasing my credentials to obtain a high paying teaching position in Indonesia.

I hold a B.S. in Science, Technology, & Society from the USA. A TEFL, 120 hour, and a Cambridge TKT-YL.

My teaching experience includes 1 year in-class instruction in English for Indonesian students from kindergarten up to adults at the senior career level. Additionally, more than 1 year teaching online for adults around the world in business English. So close to 2.5 years officially teaching in total and increasing.

Question: What should I obtain next in order to be a high contender in being selected to teach for a local private school?

For example, a masters degree, an official teaching certificate from the USA, or simply more experience in the number of years or variety of students.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You need to define what you mean by private school and what you consider high paying. There are two types private schools: International and National Plus. Just a far warning, some schools might have other requirements such as a particular religion. That is the case for the school I am at, a National Plus Christian school where being Catholic or Christian is a requirement.

Now for what you currently have, you should be able to get into a National Plus school.

Right now, the international schools have let go a number of staff and taken pay cuts. Some of their salary that they offer is dependent on the enrollment.
 
Thanks for the advice Lee and ChrisTex.

I am not sure on University of the People as a respected institution in this present day. I think a salary goal would be 36 million IDR or more which may be a reach in this economic climate.
 
With Open University and University of People, I have seen on some job postings(mainly in the ME) saying they don't accept them. Me personally, I only have a BA and 120 hour TESOL certificate and I am at a National Plus. If you look at TES, they offer an iPGCSE(under 4k, online, and you can do with the school you work at) and partner with University of East London.

36 million IDR is a realistic figure in normal circumstances. Right now, it will depend on the school. I have heard schools that offer 47 million, but right now are paying staff 15 million due to the current situation. Right now I am at about 30 million IDR and that includes my housing allowance. My school usually give the housing allowance as a lump sum as opposed to adding it in during pay day.

Everything I have seen for any teaching positions in Indonesia has mainly been on LinkedIn or jobsdb.com although you can start checking out the different schools on their website. Normally by now I have had to fill in a form asking if I want to continue next year, but I haven't received it yet. One school(Springfield) has told me, they ask the teachers in January. So I would keep an eye out and just visit various schools weekly to check on any open positions.
 
With Open University and University of People, I have seen on some job postings(mainly in the ME) saying they don't accept them. Me personally, I only have a BA and 120 hour TESOL certificate and I am at a National Plus. If you look at TES, they offer an iPGCSE(under 4k, online, and you can do with the school you work at) and partner with University of East London.

36 million IDR is a realistic figure in normal circumstances. Right now, it will depend on the school. I have heard schools that offer 47 million, but right now are paying staff 15 million due to the current situation. Right now I am at about 30 million IDR and that includes my housing allowance. My school usually give the housing allowance as a lump sum as opposed to adding it in during pay day.

Everything I have seen for any teaching positions in Indonesia has mainly been on LinkedIn or jobsdb.com although you can start checking out the different schools on their website. Normally by now I have had to fill in a form asking if I want to continue next year, but I haven't received it yet. One school(Springfield) has told me, they ask the teachers in January. So I would keep an eye out and just visit various schools weekly to check on any open positions.

I didn't know about the TES iPGCE course. I just completed the one from Derby and it was straightforward enough, although they can only issue digital certificates at the moment. There are lots of these courses though and some schools seem to accept them. The job market is just in a very strange state right now. Our school sent out the letters of intent to stay last Friday, so I presume they will start to think about staffing requirements after the winter break.

Teacher Horizons is a good free website for job postings but it's also worth checking out the websites of different schools, as ChrisTex suggests. In normal circumstances, ISS Schrole and Search Associates are good for the higher paying schools but you would typically be competing against candidates from abroad.

UoP looks like a good course in terms of content and I think the education staff is partly made up of professors from NYU giving up their free time. However, I can't verify that. But yes, there is a certain level of snobbery that goes against this course. The price is quite agreeable though. It depends what you want out of it I think.
 
I just got the letter of intent today. I am still going to look around, but I will probably end up staying.

I have seen a few EF and Wall Street English posts, but they have only 1 or 2 postings when they normally have 50+. ACS has been posting in one Facebook group I am in about positions, but their website shows only two positions.
 
I just got the letter of intent today. I am still going to look around, but I will probably end up staying.

I have seen a few EF and Wall Street English posts, but they have only 1 or 2 postings when they normally have 50+. ACS has been posting in one Facebook group I am in about positions, but their website shows only two positions.

ACS would be a good school to work for. I interviewed there in 2018 and the campus is very nice. It appeared to have a very good atmosphere and good academics overall. I just looked on their website and could only find the link to send your CV/resume to.

I don't think it hurts to talk to other schools and see how things are going. Things are quiet on other job recruitment websites too. I just checked LinkedIn and our school are already advertising positions here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6737213734688845824/.

So the OP might want to try applying to ACS and Tzu Chi. :))
 
Hi,
I hope this email finds you all well and in the best of health. I was wondering if any of you have any friends who are able to homeschool my son who will be transferring to a cambridge curriculum school (grade 8). What’s needed would be either 1-3 teachers to teach Grade 7 textbooks (science, maths and English) - just 3 subjects / textbooks to be finished in 6 months. So full five day week of intensive learning). Mandatory Cambridge curriculum teaching experience. Please do advise, thank you so much in advance.
August (081212626677)
 
Hi,
I hope this email finds you all well and in the best of health. I was wondering if any of you have any friends who are able to homeschool my son who will be transferring to a cambridge curriculum school (grade 8). What’s needed would be either 1-3 teachers to teach Grade 7 textbooks (science, maths and English) - just 3 subjects / textbooks to be finished in 6 months. So full five day week of intensive learning). Mandatory Cambridge curriculum teaching experience. Please do advise, thank you so much in advance.
August (081212626677)

Just out of curiousity, by why does each textbook need to be completed? Is it a school requirement? Is online teaching okay?
 
Preferably in person - where are you based? My name is August by the way.
My son was in an international school then transferred to an Islamic indo curriculum school , and is now planning to go back to an international school - they only accept transfers next year in june, so he has a lot of catching up to do so as to transition well into grade 8. Which subjects have you taught? And were they of cambridge curriculum? please contact me via whatsapp as I dont log into here much.. thanks! My wa number is 081212626677
 
I am based in West Jakarta, I teach speaking and listening for Grades 7-12 where they use Cambridge.

Realistically, it is going to be hard to cover so much in 6 month. What school will he be going to? When did he transfer from the international school to the Islamic Indo curriculum school and how long was he there?

The reason for so many questions is to give you the most realistic/best answers possible.
 
He left in Grade 4 - possibly binus serpong but we are still looking around. Grade 7 in school covers many subjects, so we thought that by just focusing on the three main subjects (4 hours of maths, 2 hours of science and 2 hours of english a day), we might have a better chance in completing the textbooks. He learnt some Maths and Science in school but not the Cambridge curriculum ones - so he will have to adapt to working sums the Cambridge way. Do you teach just English?
 
A quick follow up here regarding available job postings at the moment because I hear that some schools are starting to cut teachers. These schools have been advertising recently. I'll just include screenshots with the relevant info for timesaving purposes:

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1611654388580.png
 
A quick follow up here regarding available job postings at the moment because I hear that some schools are starting to cut teachers. These schools have been advertising recently. I'll just include screenshots with the relevant info for timesaving purposes:

Ya I heard Bina Bangsa axed a few senior staff and Raffles' contact local staff will be let go from a friend of mine. I haven't looked on their sites or anything, but I am going to stay at my school for next year.
 
Ya I heard Bina Bangsa axed a few senior staff and Raffles' contact local staff will be let go from a friend of mine. I haven't looked on their sites or anything, but I am going to stay at my school for next year.

I heard the same about Binus Serpong. Can't verify though. I think Penabur are also hiring. We are actually expanding this year I think, so we're probably still hiring too (Tzu Chi, PIK). I tried to include a screenshot of our advert but the file was too big for some reason. Staying put is probably a good idea at this point. :))
 
Ya and hopefully there won't be any wage cuts for anyone.
 
On a side note, Praxis(used in the US for certification) now has an online option.
 
On a side note, Praxis(used in the US for certification) now has an online option.

This sounds interesting. Are these subject knowledge tests? Are you thinking about taking them?
 

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