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Part
01
Teaching Abroad Content - Physical Education
In general, physical education teachers looking to teach internationally, regardless of country, must have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant major and a teaching license, must have on average two years of relevant experience, must have strong communication skills and cross-cultural awareness, and must be able to obtain the required work visa in the country of interest. The recruitment process is generally handled via a third party agency, with documents including a CV, cover letter, and references being required before an interview is granted, generally over video.
Education
- In general, individuals interested in teaching physical education internationally must have at minimum a Bachelor's degree, generally in a relevant major, as well as a "recognized teaching post-graduate accreditation," like the PGCE, BEd, or other teaching license.
- For higher salary and more options, an advanced degree is recommended.
- At some schools, a TEFL/CELTA/DELTA qualification would be an advantage.
- Some schools will also require a valid First Aid Certificate.
- Instead of a bachelors degree, some schools will accept other sports and physical education related qualifications (e.g. Fitness Instructor, Coaching Certificate, Sports Leadership, etc.). However, these schools will generally still want a candidate to have a teaching license.
- Some schools will also require applicant to hold a full driving license.
Experience
- In general, most schools require two years teaching experience. Some schools require as little as one year, and some three or more years. Also, some schools require the experience to be in physical education, while for others basic teaching experience is enough.
- For most, previous experience in an international school is preferred.
- Additionally, some schools will require that candidates have previously taught the subject to the same age group that the job requires.
- However, there are some schools that will accept new graduates, with no experience, however, that typically means the pay will be on the lower end of the scale. More experience means a higher rate of pay.
Personal Characteristics
- Candidates will need to be team players and have strong communication skills.
- Additionally, successful candidates will need to have cross-cultural awareness.
Legal Requirements
- Depending on the country selected, candidates will need to have a passport from a country that is allowed. For example, for a job in China, the candidate must be a passport holder from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.
- The candidate will need to have the ability to obtain a work visa in the required country, which may have requirements such as necessary experience or education level.
Application Process
- In general, the application process begins with candidates submitting their CV, application letter and references (at least two). This can be done via email or through a recruitment agency, which are used by many schools to hire international teachers.
- Interviews may be done over video call, or in person at multiple different locations.
Research Strategy
The above insights were determined after reviewing both general information on requirements for teaching the specific subject internationally, and reviewing multiple job descriptions for the subject in different countries, and identifying the commonalities across the majority of postings. This was necessary to do as general information was extremely limited.
In order to attempt to obtain information, we reviewed the blogs and articles written by reputable recruitment agencies for international teachers, like Edvectus, to see what their general recommendations were for qualifications. Then, we looked for first-person experiences or narratives of teachers who have taught PE abroad, in the hopes that they would share their qualifications and information about the hiring process. Then, we looked for information put out by colleges or teaching programs to see what advice they had for student PE teachers interested in teaching abroad in the future. Finally, we reviewed multiple international job posting for PE teachers to identify the commonalities across countries.