Date of Award
7-2000
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Education: M.S.
Department
Teacher Development
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Stephen Hornstein
Second Advisor
David A. Heine
Third Advisor
Chris Gordon
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
international education, overseas schools, American schools abroad, teacher satisfaction
Abstract
PROBLEM:
The purpose of this study was to determine why licensed teachers from the United States choose to teach in overseas English-language American or international schools. International school teachers were asked to respond to survey questions about the personal and professional benefits and difficulties of teaching overseas.
FINDINGS:
The personal benefits listed by the surveyed teachers include cultural experiences, travel, financial rewards, quality of life, friendships, adventure, personal growth, and learning. The professional benefits most often listed by the teachers include the quality of students, colleagues, parents, and schools, professional development opportunities, professional freedom and responsibility, small class size, lack of discipline problems, and job satisfaction. The personal difficulties listed by the survey respondents include distance from family and friends, language barriers, difficulty obtaining goods and services, culture shock/homesickness, saying goodbye to people, social difficulties, locational difficulties, medical care, and demands on time. The professional difficulties listed by the survey respondents include lack of professional development opportunities, difficulty acquiring resources, difficulties with local faculty and staff, professional isolation, lack of job protection, and differing philosophies with parents.
It is clear from the survey results that overseas teachers feel the personal and professional benefits of teaching overseas outweigh the difficulties unique to the lifestyle.
Recommended Citation
Hoiseth, Linda KH, "The Personal and Professional Benefits and Difficulties of Teaching Overseas" (2000). Culminating Projects in Teacher Development. 71.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/ed_etds/71
