The international schools affiliated with the Department of State are independent, non-government institutions. Since they are not controlled by the U.S. government nor do they operate under any official administrative jurisdictional umbrella, they hire teachers and staff directly, establishing their own qualification standards and application procedures. Salary levels and benefit packages vary from school to school.
Many of the American-sponsored schools overseas contract with private organizations in the United States to assist in the professional staff recruitment process. The schools frequently send representatives to stateside teacher “recruiting fairs” to locate qualified staff for anticipated vacancies.
In addition to communicating with these organizations, you may wish to correspond directly with schools that match your specific interest. You may also want to check the schools’ web site as many now list recruiting information and their vacancies. For this purpose, you can connect to these schools via Schools Worldwide.
The Department of Defense, a separate U.S. Government agency, operates a school system for the benefit of dependents of U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Recruitment of teachers for schools at military bases overseas is handled by the Department of Defense Education Activity .
We hope this information proves to be useful. Please accept our best wishes as you pursue your search for a satisfying position in international education.
Job Fairs
Some of the Regional Associations hold job fairs or post job openings available in their member schools. The links below lead to their respective employment pages.
- American International Schools in the Americas
- The Association of American Schools of Central America, Colombia, the Caribbean and Mexico
- Association of International Schools in Africa
Many international schools work with recruiting agencies who also hold job fairs. Check out the links below to see what these agencies have to offer.
- Search Associates
- International Schools Services
- Council of International Schools
- University of Northern Iowa Overseas Placement Service
- Queen’s University Education Career Services
- Educators Overseas
Foreign Service Family Member Work Agreements
The Global Community Liaison Office maintains information on current bilateral work agreement treaty texts and a list of bilateral work agreements and de facto work arrangements. To view the current agreements click on the information that is of interest to you on GCLO’s work agreements site.
Organizations with Opportunities
- University Lecturing and Advance Research: Council for International Exchange of Scholars
- Teaching Assistantships and Fellowships for Study and Research: Institute of International Education
- Teaching in Schools for Dependents of Military and Civilian Personnel: Department of Defense Education Activity
- Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program
- Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, Directors of Courses, and Administrators in Bi-National Centers: Office of English Language Programs
- Teaching in National Elementary, Secondary, Normal, Vocational Schools and Universities (no teaching experience required): Recruiting Office, U.S. Peace Corps
Proof of Prior Employment with Department of Defense Schools
Employment Verification is a Self Service My Biz tool allowing employees to email employment and/or salary information to an external organization (business, bank, credit union) directly from the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System (DCPDS)–via secure internet. For more information, visit the DoDEA website.
Request for a School Transcript from Department of Defense Schools
Student records and transcripts may be requested from several different sources, depending upon the student’s last date of attendance or graduation date. Below are the categories that you can choose from at the DoDEA website .
- Student Graduated or Attended 4 or Less Years Ago – 2011 to present (not a Panama School)
- Student Graduated or Attended 5 or More Years Ago (not a Panama School)
- Student Graduated From or Attended a Recently Closed School (not a Panama School)
- Students Who Graduated or Attended a DoDDS Panama School (includes former Secondary Canal Zone Schools)
- Students Who Plan to Continue Education Abroad
- Panama Canal College Requests
- Graduation Verification for Potential Employers and Recruiters
- Elementary and Middle School Records (Open and Recently Closed)
Resources
- Council of International Schools International Schools Directory
- Council of International Schools information on international education careers . Learn more including how to apply to become a CIS candidate and view educator vacancies.
- International Schools Services, Inc. Directory of International Schools
- Transitions Abroad
- The International Educator (TIE) publishes a quarterly newspaper which lists vacancies in each issue and includes information on salaries, benefits, application procedures, and guidance on securing an overseas position
- NAFSA : Association of International Educators is a member organization promoting international education and providing professional development opportunities to the field. It offers a job registry.